Reiki Healing Flashcards
Define REIKI
Reiki is Japanese for universal life energy. Popularised in the 1800s by a Buddhist monk, Dr Mikao Usui. It relies on the transfer of ‘spiritual life energy’ from the practitioner to the patient.
How is reiki used in humans?
It is used to relieve anxiety and to lessen the effects of chemotherapy and PTSD. Also used for general relaxation. There is much more evidence to support its benefits in humans than in horses.
How does reiki work?
- current thinking suggests that no energy is transferred, but instead it is the body’s own biomagnetic field that is being altered
- one body’s field affects the other - no touching needs to happen for this to occur
- electrical impulses around the body are transmitted by nerve fibers. These fibres are insulated, as in electric cables.
- the insulating substance is called myelin. The fibers are therefore ‘myelinated’. The myelin helps to convey the impulse accurately and in a timely manner
- nerve fibres give off electromagnetic radiation (biomagnetism/bioelectricity). This is ‘universal life energy’.
What is myelin?
Myelin is the substance that insulates nerve fibres, in the same way that plastic casing insulates electric cables
How can electromagnetism be identified?
In humans, a camera can show an ‘aura’ around the body.
In horses, metal rods (dowsing rods) are ran across the body. They twist or cross when there is a ‘blockage in energy’, which is really an altered biomagnetic field. The rods are twisting as they react to the biomagnetism.
Dowsing rods are also used to identify water sources on building sites
Define CHAKRAS
A chakra is a centre of energy. The energy is formed by different organs. Reiki is used to ‘unblock’ the chakras. Chakras are closely linked with acupuncture meridians.
What are the 7 chakras in the human body?
- Base/root - red. Reproduction and survival instinct. Also associated with anxiety
- Sacral/splenic - orange. Lower abdomen and the kidneys. Associated with emotions and depression
- Solar plexus - yellow. Middle abdomen. Associated with the digestive system, will power and anger
- Heart - green. Centre of the chest. Controls circulatory, lymph and immune systems as well as love and compassion
- Throat - blue. Neck and respiratory system. Linked with creativity and communication
- Thirds eye - purple. centre of the forehead. Linked with the nervous system, mind awareness and insight
- Crown - white. Controls energy
What is biofield sensing?
Where the electromagnetic field of one animal is detected by another animal. Researched heavily in dogfish, where structures called the ampullae of lorenzini detect other biomagnetic fields.
What are ampullae of lorenzini? How are they used by the dogfish?
They are special sensing organs which detect minute electrical potentials generated by muscle contractions in prey. The dogfish, and other sharks, use it to detect prey animals by using a hot/cold system. As they move closer to the prey, more electricity is felt.
As the dogfish moves closer to the prey, the ampullae of lorenzini become excited and activate, which sends signals to the brain.
The arrival of the electric current opens sodium channels in the brain. Lots of sodium xcited the ampullae and sends the signals to the brain
In mammals where are there a lot of touch receptors? How are these used?
In the epidermis and the dermis.
They are similar structures to the ampullae of lorenzini in the dogfish, except they only respond to touch and not electricity
What are some examples of touch receptors found in mammals?
- the pacinian corpuscle - plugs into nerve fibres that lead to the brain. Senses deep indentation but also vibration
- Meissner’s corpuscle - responds to light indentation
- Ruffins corpuscle - responds to light indentation
- Merkels cells/discs - sense vibrations. Implicated in the sensing of bioelectricity in mammals
Define TACTILE STIMULATION
Tactile stimulation is the experience of touch.
What are Merkel’s discs? What is their significance?
Merkels discs are touch receptors that sense vibrations, found in mammals. There is growing evidence to suggest that they can respond to bioelectricity or changes to bioelectricity.
Define a MELANOCYTE
A melanocyte is similar to a nerve cell (their branches are dendrites and the stem cells for both are the same). They produce melanin (pigment used for skin colour).
What is the role of a melanocyte?
To produce and release structures called melanosomes.
