The Reiki Cafe 

How do you explain Reiki to someone who never heard of it. I would love to hear your ideas or things that have worked for you.
I volunteer at hospice and walking into a room and explaining what you are there for out of the blue. I scarred a patient today. She apparently thought I was casting a spell on her. I expalined there might be heat and sometime cold or tingling. I explained that it was a old japanese relaxation technique that sometimes helps with the pain. I explained that I have been trained. She asked if anyone can learn this and I said yes with some training.
Apparently one of the social workers isn't into alternative therapies. She was on us (the therapy director and me)before we reached the end of the hall. Saying the lady didn't like it and didn't want it again. Apparently she went in just to ask that question because she wouldn't of had time to talk to the lady about anything else. Couldn't have been 3 minutes before she caught up with us after we left the room.
We are trying to figure out how to maybe make a little intoduction type flyer to hang on the walls. Services that are available. We can't use words like healing or energy. They figure it might freak them out. This way they would at least have a chance to ask for it, Instead of just barging in and introducing ourselves.
any help and suggestions would be appreciated.
thank- you

Otoharo!

I simply be reiki for about fifteen minutes and don't explain anything. they will tell you whether they want more or not.

finality

Posylady,

Hi.

I suppose to begin with I would not announce I was there to do Reiki to someone new. Rather, I might introduce myself as a Reiki pratitioner and offer to talk about it a bit if he\she were interested. I would say that one's approach might also need to be sculpted to the age of the person. Many folks of my generation (or older) were never exposed to 'energy stuff' as we grew up, may have some pretty 'olde fashioned' notions about 'energy work', and may not have done anything as they got older to find out about stuff they have heard mentioned. Younger and newagers might manage better with a less 'delicate', approach.

Cheers,

RC

Dear Posylady,

I believe if you want to offer Reiki, you first have to get permission from the hospice place and then after they have discussed it with all involved and agreed then put out a flyer. You can simply say to a patient, would you like Reiki and they either say yes or no. Only answer questions if they are asked. As Finality says, be reiki. People will see something different and want what you have. How were you attracted to Reiki? Did someone sell you on it as I've noticed that's how alot of people learn about it. I was at a bookstore and some people were in another room and I was attracted to the energy and peered in and was invited so I went in and heard an introduction on Reiki.
Peace,
Prosperity

prosperity,

Hi.

Yes permission! And, if some of the folks at a hospice are no longer competent to make their own decisions the premission of the legal guardian or the person with power of attorney for health care decisions needs to be obtained first.

Cheers,

RC

I guess I didn't explain very well I volunteer for hospice. Which has a volunteer Reiki program. They have had it for a year now. The complementary therapy director was with me in the room. We don't just walk in off the street. They do a background check and orientation. We ask permission of the patient or family if they would like to try something that might help her relax and sometimes eases pain. This lady said anything to help the pain in her broken arm. When we left we asked how she felt, she said she didn't feel any pain in her arm, She then said she was on so many drugs it's a wonder she felt anything. She more or less wanted us to know it was the drugs not the reiki that had helped her. When we left the room she was fine and told us thank-you. The director with me told me I did a good job explaining without going into details, This is what the patient wanted details, Hospice doesn't want patients to know details. This is the problem. You can't use certain words like healing,energy, aura things like that, they figure it might freak them out I guess. They have a brochure with info but they want to do like a chart to hang on wall with info of all the complementary therapies available, With a short itroduction or reiki. The only way I can explain it is to walk up to a sick stranger and ask if they would like to try something that might relax and help with the pain. How do you deal with it? Then comes the question what is it?, what are you doing? Thank-You for your help, I really am fustrated and could use all the help I can get.

Otoharo!

All my relatives live in Georgia, Texas, or California. I am in Washington State. So when I had reiki, I had to opporunity to offer it to all of these folks who had never heard of reiki. When I stayed for a longer visit, I hob=nobbed with friends and other relatives of my folks who likewise had never heard of reiki.

So I got some experience of explaining what it is. However, the fifteen minute sample is the best way.

Xaris helped us create our flyers. There were four or five topics she recommended. Stress, Pain relief, ............. and .............. . I will fill in the blanks when I remember them.

finality

Dear finality,

I'm curious as to how that went.(?) Was the info recieved, etc.

Namaste,
Michael

Hospice has a list of all the good things from reiki as you listed, But the list is seldom handed out, and we have to keep it brief, relaxation, sometimes eases pain is about all we can say. But you really can't just start giving someone reiki without their permission, you can't just stand in a room for 15 minutes being reiki while they look at you. You are right it does depend on their age and how you approach reiki. I offered to give free reiki treatments to the staff at hospice, Haven't heard back yet from director. Figured it is better to show them and let them feel it. Then maybe they would feel better recommending it. The other problem is that you usally only get to see a patient once or maybe twice if you are lucky. You have no regular patients as they pass on. It is a strange situation. You have allready helped me and I appreciate your comments.

posylady,

I don't know how a person would explain Reiki without reference to energy in some way. Ki, chi, prana, etc. After all that is what it is all about. Even the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health (a government agency) uses the words energy and ki when describing Reiki.

They also use the word 'biofield' so maybe you could try using that one, though I can see all kinds of questions being asked about what a biofield is. :-)

Walk in beauty,
Rebecca

Otoharo!

It is hard to bring all that back to mind. Later when I went to visit after being reiki III, I especially wanted to attune everyone, but not a one really wanted it.

One of my sisters had migraine headaches frequently. My efforts did not remove the migraine immediately. So she was not very impressed. However, she sort of had me up on a pedestal. None of them would be still long enough.

One of my brothers, the one who was a scientist at Los Alamos, was learning accupuncture. He accepted reiki but stuck with his accupuncture. His comment about reiki was that he already knew the energy. Likely, he had had reiki is a prior life which explained his effectiveness with accupuncture.

My other brother and his second wife were alcoholics. He was somewhat is awe of reiki, and me. He could not break out of alcohol.

My sister who is an artist invited me to winter with her in 2002. She is the one with migraines. She too, had me up on a pedestal even though she would not be still long enough for a complete treatment.

It is hard to bring back all the details. The end result was that they just were in awe but not able to allow themselves to change.

finality

Dear finality,

It seems that Reiki does not have the wide appeal that sometimes we'd wish. It's too foreign seeming for most people.

Namaste,
Michael

Dear posylady,

I've been working for the past two years on this question, and have been developing an approach for it. The key is gaining trust, from staff, family and patient.

Some of us in my area have been introducing Reiki to elder communities, mostly assisted living and nursing home, but getting ready to approach hospice. We want to share our learnings, and learn from others.

You can get more info over in Resources under EldersBloom, or email me directly.

You are asking the right questions, and your intent is honest and sincere. So, you will find a way.

Blessings,
Aronaya

This is why I am hoping that hospice will o.k. free trial reiki session to the employees. I am a Master Teacher but new in October of this year. My master teacher that taught me volunteered to have a reiki question and answer session along with demonstrations for the staff. I e-mailed her with questions and luckily she volunteered. I had a good teacher. This might help then encourage it to patients more. I am hoping. It would be nice to actually have a referals waiting instead of more or less cold calling on rooms. This has been interesting. Thank- You for all your help.

Hospice got back to me today. They said they did a seminar on reiki last fall along with free reiki sessions to staff.
So I guess I am back to square one. Living in the south isn't easy to try something different.

ahhhhhh, posylady....I know how the fluff-offs feel....but we just won't give up.....will we.....there are folks out there who will need us and find us....and vice versa, I think. I realize that sometimes, I was just trying too hard....not "letting go, letting Spirit lead the way".

No I won't give up thats the easy way out. I will figure out something there was some help here in the conversations. I appreciate it. It's nice to know you aern't going it alone.
The Hospice director is a music therapist and the head director is a reiki 2. So they knew it was going to be hard to get the program started. To date we have 5 reiki volunteers. They asked us to volunteer. But apparently they are stumbling and don't know how to approach it either. I am just trying to make it easier on the reiki practitioners. So hopefully they won't have to go threw all the bad stuff that comes with a new program. One of the hopitals here is talking of starting a reiki program in their cancer center. There is opportunity here. Just introducing it is the problem.

Otoharo!

When you come right down to it, Reiki is a "hands on healing". Sometimes these words are all it takes.

finality

dear Ones,
I worked in a hospice and nursing home. If people want something like massage they ask for it. Often times they are ignored or told yes, but nothing followed through. These people are at the end of their lives. Give them credit for having some knowledge and wisdom to know what they want or don't want. You ought not let your ego feel bad if they are skeptical of Reiki.
Peace,
Prosperity

I am not really worried to much, just looking for suggestions to help ease the way. As I said the 2 directors are behind us just not all the staff. Some of the nurses offer healing touch which appears to be some kind of Reiki. I think! Anyway I won't give up. Just looking for suggestions.I have had a few good ones here and threw e-mail. So I am pretty sure I have accomplished what i was looking for. Those concerned we always ask permission for them to try Reiki with a brief discription. We are referred by the nurses and they have to be in a certain state no unconscious. Then if they say why not or I'll try it we start reiki. Will try again next week. Meditation gave me a few answers too. So I'll be back at it next week again. thank- you all for your help!

Hello Posylady,

Sorry, I'm a bit late for this posting but it sounds like the nurses are working with Theraputic Touch (founded by 2 women who worked in the nursing field I believe). A lot of medical staff in my city find this modality first and if interested find someone to teach them. Reiki is a bit slower to find it's way into our hospitals I think. However, they are very similar but TT is worked on in the aura and energy is shifted through sweeping motions generally head to toe. Touch is only for connecting with your client and/or grounding them. (obviously this is a VERY brief description here!)

Perhaps if you do a little research on TT, you might be able to approach the staff first who understand this. People might be more open to Reiki when they see similarities? Just a thought?... Can you offer some of the nurses a mini treatment?

Animallover28

Dear Posy,
People are skeptical of anything Asian and I can't blame them, especially with China sending us toxic herbs, toys, cosmetics. Maybe you can stop looking at Reiki like competition with other healing modalities and accept therapeutic touch and learn from it and do more cooperation with the Nurses as they sound pretty in tune if they are already doing therapeutic touch.
Peace,
Prosperity

Who said I was looking at it as competition? I was just mentioning that the nurses do it. I thought it was interesting. I have had it explained to me by the director and I understand what they are doing. I am not saying the nurses don't like reiki either. The Nurse's are the ones that recommend patients to us to approach for reiki. I said there is A (one) social worker that is against anykind of Complementary therapies, This was told to me by the director I also stated that the Director of Complementary therapies does music therapy, The Hospice director is reiki 2. This is not my problem with support. I am not looking for probelms that are not there! The problem is introducing it to patients. Letting them know it available for free. I don't really find any problems with Reiki being asian as much as I find explaining it to patients. This was why I posted for ideas. I have received many and I got some answers threw e-mails and this board and of course my teacher that taught me Reiki had suggestions. I feel That now I am better prepared to deal with questions and explaining reiki. Thank- You all

I went back to hospice today and did 2 sessions. Both came out fine. One was a very educated lady that knows about reiki and loves it. Her father was the patient, When I mentioned reiki she automatically said please do. The other was on the daughter of a patient that looked exhaused she has been staying with her mom day and night since june. She has a recliner and stays in her moms room. She has rumetoid arthritus in her knees and she loved it when I was done.
So today was a easy one! Next time we'll see.

Good for you, posylady. I'm so glad that you were there for them. Thank you for all that you have shared here.