Hands-on Healing is Life

When we talk about the system of Reiki and the five elements that it consists of, it often sounds as if each of these elements exists in isolation: meditations, precepts, hands-on healing, symbols and mantras and reiju. Which, if we think about it, we know is not true. How can we meditate without the precept be true to your way, or how could we perform reiju without the precept do not worry? The system supports itself. But also, the system supports life.

This is apparent with hands-on healing. You could say that hands-on healing is just an element of the system of Reiki, but actually it is so much more than that. It is a part of our lives. This is something that has become more prominent for many during the recent Covid times. To safe touch another being feels right. It lowers the cortisol levels in our brains and strengthens our immune systems and our “killer cells” that keep our bodies free from dangerous disease. It is how we connect at a basic level – body to body. When we touch we learn about each other and about ourselves in the world. Our sensory neurons are fired up and relay information to the brain. This supports the growth of our complicated human systems, allowing us to ultimately perceive the world and initiate the possibility of healing.

Memory is triggered by touch: the soothing arms of our parents, the soft skin of a mother’s breast, the comfort of cuddles. When we touch, these memories travel through us. During a Reiki treatment they may rock us to sleep, remind us of the existence of unconditional love. We are taken to a safe place where touch is free from anger and worry, boundless, and the home of compassion. It is a perfect healing space. When we experience this, we want to return to this place more and more often.

The conscious reminder of this essence of touch through hands-on healing then begins to domino through our everyday lives. Touch takes on a new paradigm. Being with others and just simply placing a hand on a shoulder or shaking a hand reminds us of our interconnection with everyone and everything. Our perception of the world transfers from what may have become obligatory touch, into sharing our healing space with another, no matter where we are or what is happening around us.

And it is not just about the realisation of what touch means with others, but also what touch is for ourselves. Placing a conscious, loving hand upon yourself can be as nurturing, soothing and as powerful as any of those first memories of boundless love.

To acknowledge the healing power of touch is to live life fully.