When you go for a reiki treatment, you won’t know exactly what to expect. You don’t know how the session will make you feel, what tangible results you’ll see, or in what ways the process will help you. Practitioners aren’t doctors, so they won’t diagnose you with anything or guarantee a cure. In other words, if you’re seeking help for a problem and you prefer to rely on concrete science rather than intuition, you might find the practice, well, rather baffling.
But in spite of this, reiki has devotees all over the world, with thousands of success stories everywhere from Japan, where it originated, to places as far flung as Australia and America. Patients say they have been helped with problems as diverse as pain reduction, emotional trauma and recovering from substance addiction – in other words, mystifying as it is, for many people, reiki simply works.
The practice of reiki is based on the idea that energy or ‘life force’ flows through us, and when this energy is low, or its path is blocked we experience bad health or emotional problems. Reiki practitioners learn to attune themselves to other people, and aim to channel energy through their patients to help rebalance them.
Diana Malone, who practises reiki here in Abu Dhabi, explains how it works. ‘You stay fully clothed and lie down on the bed. I put on a little music if you like, and will either place my hands on your body or just above it. I start at the head and work down to your feet, using a specific set of hand positions. Sometimes people tell me why they’ve come for a session before we start, but others prefer to keep their problems private. It doesn’t matter either way, the reiki still works wherever it needs to.’
Sessions usually last about an hour, and, depending on the problem, Diana says you can have anything between one session a month to a couple of sessions a week for as long as you feel the need. She doesn’t tell patients how often to come. ‘They know if they need more, so they come back as many times as they want to,’ she says.
The majority of Diana’s clients use reiki to relax and feel more peaceful, although others use it to help them get through specific traumas or difficult circumstances. Diana herself became interested in the practice after a difficult divorce. ‘I felt I’d lost control of my life and needed to get rid of… something,’ she says, gesticulating to indicate emotional upset and sadness. ‘Reiki was a non-invasive option, and it helped me more than words can say. It helped me be more emotionally balanced, and then it became more and more a part of who I was, and who I am today. It’s my passion and I love it.’
So of course, we had to give it a try. Diana’s reiki room is simple – just a treatment table, a candle, some books and soft artwork. She covered us in a soft blue blanket and told us to relax and take the time to unwind. Over the next half hour she placed her hands on our face, head, hips, legs and feet, and that was all there was to it. Afterwards Diana told us that some people feel hot and others cold, some feel like a heavy weight is resting on them while others have the sensation of being at sea. Our experience wasn’t as dramatic as that – Diana’s hands felt extremely hot and we noticed a strong tingling, similar to a pins and needles sensation, in our hands. As for the results, we definitely felt calmer, more upbeat and in control for the rest of a busy day that would normally have left us feeling frazzled.
Diana suggests that anyone who doesn’t feel in the best of spirits or health should try a session. ‘Sometimes people know there’s something not quite right with them, they don’t feel 100 per cent, but they don’t know what the matter is. They want an alternative to medicine, so they look to reiki. Really, I’d suggest anyone try it – just have an open heart and try it.’
Dhs200 per session. Contact Diana Malone on 050 236 9162 or diana.malone4@gmail.com
