by Lisa Moore

Nancy Bunt is the owner of A Reiki Life Treatment and Training Center and has been involved with Reiki since she was young girl. As a master teacher, she offers Reiki treatment services for adults, children and animals; and comprehensive Reiki training with ongoing support, practice, and volunteer opportunities for her students. Natural Awakenings spoke with Bunt on the ways this form of energy medicine can enhance health.

How would you explain the practice of Reiki to someone who has never heard of it?

Reiki is a spiritual healing practice that promotes relaxation and supports the body’s natural capacity to heal. Reiki treatment is a light hands-on process that affects the subtlest level of the energy fields that surround and permeate the human body. This vibrational/energy body impacts all levels of our being - mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. Reiki encourages balance within the vibrational body, which in return balances and impacts the person on all levels in a profound way.

What kind of training have you received?

My Reiki training in each of the three degree levels has been quite comprehensive. Loretta Grabowski, my Reiki Master teacher, felt strongly about upholding the tradition and sacredness of the Usui System of Reiki practice. This practice, as founded my Mikao Usui in the early twentieth century in Japan, supports training that is conducted in three degree levels; each being taken separately and requiring time in between each training for growth and integration of all that has been initiated through the degree process. Proficiency and depth of understanding in Reiki comes from time and daily practice. I have been committed to my daily Reiki self-treatment practice since my very first class.

What kinds of physical/mental/emotional issues can Reiki help?

Reiki doesn’t focus on what the problem is. It goes to the root cause and to what is in most need of healing. Symptoms, whether they are physical, mental, emotional or spiritual, are all indications that something, on some level, is out of balance. With Reiki, the practitioner is a channel for the energy, which has a higher intelligence or consciousness of its own, and actually stays out of the outcome so the energy and the wisdom of the recipient’s body can do what’s in the highest good. For a simple system it can have a really profound impact on someone.

For example, from regular Reiki treatment, things like smoking, substance abuse, and eating things that don’t provide your body with the nourishment and vitality that it wants become more apparent. You begin shifting toward healthier habits and honoring the gift that your physical body is. It is the vehicle that allows you to experience life. As you become more in balance and well, you will gravitate toward things that continue to support that balance.

Similarly, old thought patterns, belief systems, and negative self-talk may also become part of your conscious awareness so you can see them for what they are and make the choice as to what really serves you best in your life. Beliefs and thought patterns that once served a purpose in your life, may now be contributing to unnecessary stress and anxiety. Reiki helps us become aware of and heal the imbalances in ourselves and in our lives.

Pain management, stress, anxiety and depression, trauma, grief and loss, recovery from illness or injury, and easing the dying process are all supported by Reiki practice.

What is a typical session like and what might a client experience?

A typical Reiki treatment is done on a table, similar to a massage table, however the recipient remains fully clothed. Light music and dim lights are often added to support relaxation. The treatment itself involves the practitioner lightly resting their hands on or above areas of the head and torso directing healing energy to promote relaxation and to bolster the body’s natural capacity to heal. Some people experience Reiki as warmth, others as hot energy, and some feel sensations of energy movement in their limbs or through their body. Overall, Reiki is experienced as a deep sense of relaxation and lightness. Reiki adjusts to the needs of the recipient, and is safe to utilize daily.

Can anyone learn to practice Reiki?

Anyone that has the desire to learn and grow can bring the practice of Reiki into their life. Reiki is an empowered practice, not a skill based one, so the daily self-treatment practice taught in the First Degree training is the foundation for all other levels. Once you are connected to Reiki and develop a deeper understanding of how it impacts your life and others, you won’t want to live without it. Reiki provides a greater awareness of yourself and your experience of life. This connection leads to living your life differently - more balanced, well, and in greater alignment with your life purpose.

Student Volunteer Clinics offered at A Reiki Life in Charlotte, NC on an ongoing basis. Clinic treatments $20 for a half hour session. Visit AReikiLife.com.