Chronic pain is invisible, but it affects more than 100 million people in the world.
Characterized by pains that last longer than six months, chronic pain is debilitating – the extreme pains can affect one’s daily life and create all sorts of frustrating limitations. Most of the time, the causes of chronic pain are physical.
However, some pains run deep and are caused by issues that the eye can’t see.
Considered as a complementary health therapy Reiki treatments for people with chronic pain issues can provide pain relief, address the problem that is beyond the physical aspect (i.e., any emotional and or mental roots of the issue), catalyzes the effects of medical treatments and alleviate their side effects too.
What is Chronic Pain and How Can Reiki Heal It?
What is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain includes a myriad of issues – it can range from mild to gentle pain that can be described as “shooting,” “aching,” and sometimes “electrical.”
The presence of chronic pain does not just interfere with daily activities. A study from 2019 has shown that chronic pain can affect the brain, making it age faster.
The research, published in the journal Pain, discovered that those with a positive affect — those who have a nicer attitude on life and are generally more optimistic, even while suffering from chronic pain – had younger-appearing brains.
“Your pain sensation is not limited to your brain,” Cruz-Almeida said. “It’s tied to social, environmental, and lifestyle aspects,” which may be controlled to keep the brain youthful.
Reiki for Pain Relief
Reiki treatment for chronic pain has become a popular alternative for pain relief. Most of the time, painkillers are not enough because the source of the chronic pain is deep and rooted in emotional and mental disturbances.
The healing that comes from Reiki does not just benefit the affected part of the body. It addresses the root cause and starts healing chronic pain from there.
Reiki practice can heal acute pain by unblocking “energy knots,” developed through an accumulation of tension or a traumatic experience.
Unblocking these “energy knots” allows the body’s natural healing energy flow freely in the system again. Through Reiki, individuals suffering from debilitating pain can receive healing to support their physical and emotional challenges.
Apart from encouraging healing and treating chronic pain, Reiki also promotes relaxation which can help soften muscle tensions, lower anxiety levels, and reduce depressive feelings.
Reiki clients can find more relief and an increased sense of balance when the body’s healing energy is not blocked by negative factors, including pain, exhaustion, and stress.
A Reiki treatment (by a professional Reiki practitioner) is known to heal not only the physical pain of a part of the body but also the emotional, energetic, mental issues that have formed with it as well. Through Reiki healing, other underlying issues can also be targeted.
Pain is more than just a physical ailment
There is an emotional component to suffering that cannot be overlooked. And addressing the emotional aspect of pain may assist in enhancing pain tolerance and lessening pain perception.
A paper titled “Psychological Aspects of Pain” was published in the Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine (AAEM). The authors discovered a link between depression and pain symptoms, as well as pain and suicide ideation.
They indicated that patients with chronic pain have higher levels of anxiety and depression and that there is an inverse link — persons with more severe anxiety and depression have more significant pain difficulties.
It is sometimes difficult to determine if chronic pain causes mental health problems such as anxiety and depression or whether anxiety and depression cause increasing pain (or both).
But there is a connection. Furthermore, studies have shown that treating the emotional and mental health aspects of pain may have a significant influence on pain perception and tolerance.
How might Reiki aid in the reduction of pain perception?
Reiki may aid in the reduction of pain perception by mending the emotional side of pain.
Reiki is intended to alleviate emotional discomfort by enabling healing energy to flow freely throughout the body, resulting in relaxation and decreased pain and tension throughout the body.
It may also help reduce tension and anxiety, which can lead to a reduction in pain perception.
Reiki for Physical Pain Relief
When an illness progresses, the pain also doubles.
The healing technique of Reiki has become popular, especially to cancer patients who are suffering from an increase in physical pain.
A Reiki session should not be considered the primary cure for cancer.
But when cancer patients receive added support from Reiki, the effects of the treatments are enhanced, relieving pain, the recovery period is expedited, and the patients receive more strength to deal with their physical challenges.
You can read more about Reiki for Cancer Support here.
Other physical issues that Reiki can support include diabetes, fibromyalgia, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), injury-induced pains, post-stroke recovery, and many more. You can learn more about the Benefits of Reiki Energy Healing here.
How Effective is Reiki in Healing Chronic Pain?
The Reiki trend may be somewhat new, but there have been studies proving the effectiveness of Reiki in healing chronic pain.
In an issue of the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine from 2009, it documents that biofield therapies such as Reiki, Qigong, and similar healing touch therapies help alleviate the intensity of regular pain and pain common to cancer patients.
In another study from 2016, it shared that patients who were undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) received Reiki treatments post-surgery, and it found the group who patients who received Reiki exhibited a significant decrease in pain.
One of the best things about a Reiki treatment is it has no side effects and is a safe, complementary modality. Reiki treatment can be practiced by applying hands on the body or without physical touch by allowing the hands of a Reiki practitioner to hover over specific areas of the body.
Reiki therapy can even be applied remotely if a person is in such chronic pain that he or she cannot physically meet a Reiki practitioner for treatment. In that case, a professionally trained Reiki practitioner or Reiki Master can facilitate a distant healing session.
Reiki is an ideal therapeutic option for those who are in pain and for individuals that are unable to be held or touched who haven’t been able to find a solution to better cope with it in a healthy way.
Preparing for a Reiki Session
If you decide to try Reiki, dress comfortably and loosely for your initial session; you will be completely clothed throughout the procedure. You will most likely be semi- or completely reclined on a massage table.
According to Martay, the ideal preparation for your first Reiki treatment is none at all. “Come absolutely unprepared since you’ll have no expectations,” he advises. “For this reason, the first session is generally the most effective for the patient; whatever occurs, happens.” When there are no impediments in the way, it is sometimes beneficial to have no preconceived notions.”
Get a Reiki Master to aid you in Reiki therapy
Don’t let chronic pain get in the way of you living your life to the fullest. Reiki sessions can help you overcome the pain in a gentle yet effective way.
If you’re interested in seeing how Reiki therapy can help you or someone you know who could benefit from it, schedule an in-person or remote healing session with the button below.
If you have questions beforehand, feel free to drop me an email at hello@coriechu.com, or contact me at coriechu.com.
