After an ultrasound in 2019, Francisca Toro was diagnosed with an ovarian cyst. When she contacted her doctor in Chile, he agreed to see her, but said there would be a delay of at least three months.
Toro couldn’t wait.
The 48-year-old turned to reiki, a century-old Japanese healing art. Yet, she could have never imagined the outcome of her decision.
“I decided to have my friend Lore do reiki on me until I could have another ultrasound in Chile,” she said. “During those months, she performed several reiki sessions focusing on the cyst that had been detected.”
Reiki, which originated in 1914, is a healing practice based on the idea that there is a vital energy flowing through all living beings. Reiki practitioners use their hands to channel energy to the person receiving therapy. It’s meant to promote relaxation, reduce stress and help in the process of physical and emotional healing.
This therapy focuses on improving people’s mental and physical well-being. Despite being less known than many other types of therapy and massages, it has attracted at least a million practitioners worldwide. And its impact continues to grow.
It is used in multiple European and American countries, as well as Australia. Also, over 800 hospitals in the United States offer reiki to patients. But many people question its effectivenness as a cure.
“A session of reiki can be relaxing, but so is taking a nap,” said Jonathan Jarry, a science communicator with the McGill University Office for Science and Society. “Other things can be done for free, like gardening or meditating.”
Bruno Lo Presti, LMHC, LMFT, who has been a practicing psychotherapist for over 40 years paints a more positive picture.
“Reiki benefits individuals prone to anxiety episodes and stress,” said. “It does not cure diseases on its own, but it is a helpful and harmless therapy that offers support to more established practices.”
Lorena “Lore” Ycaza is a true believer. The 50-year-old who now lives in Quito, Ecuador found reiki at 25 years old through her older sister, May.
“May was introduced to reiki by a friend who later became her teacher and taught her everything she needed to know about it,” Ycaza said. “She became very interested in this energy practice and decided to study to become a reiki master.”
May died of a brain aneurysm and, six years after that, Ycaza’s other sister, Gaby, passed away from the same cause.
“Because of this, all my other siblings and myself were sent to do medical tests, and our children too,” said Ycaza. “My brother was diagnosed with an aneurysm that was about to burst, so he needed surgery, but everything went well.”
“A year and a half ago, I had a brain aneurysm detected early, went through a craniotomy, and now I am very well,” she continued. “The aneurysms are part of our family, and we’ve learned to live with them.”
After May’s passing, Ycaza decided to follow in her sister’s footsteps and became a reiki practitioner. Since then, she’s helped people such as Francisca Toro become better versions of themselves.
“Through May, I learned what reiki is and I was always interested in it,” she said. “She did reiki on me and I felt a big difference when I left the sessions. I realized that, since my sister was not here anymore, I had to continue helping others.”
Ycaza started her first reiki course 11 years ago and, after a lot of practice, decided to open her own office in Quito, where she saw her first patient. Then, she went to Costa Rica and had several patients there as well.
She often meets people suffering from panic attacks, anxiety, insomnia and other conditions of the body and mind. With reiki, she tries to assist them.
“For me, receiving patients and helping them is beautiful,” she said. “Every time patients call me to tell me that they feel better, that they’ve been able to sleep well, that they are better from their pain, from anxiety, that fills me up. It is the reason why I want to continue doing reiki for many years to come.”
A reiki session usually lasts one hour. The person arrives, lies down on the table, and is induced to deep relaxation. Then, the practitioner places their hands on key energetic points, also known as chakras, to start balancing the body, mind, emotions and spirit.
“Like any therapy, it is not a one-time treatment,” said Ycaza. “Ideally, it consists of four sessions in a row, one per week, and then a couple more every two weeks. After that, if it is only for maintenance, every time someone feels they have gone off-center, they can return to a reiki session to balance themselves and continue their life peacefully.”
Credible medical institutions have started to implement reiki. For instance, the Center for Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic has reiki practitioners who are there to help patients prepare for surgery.
“When I am in the reiki therapy, I feel peace and such tranquility, I feel like the energy is flowing in my body and I’m induced in a peaceful state,” said Patricia Esquetini, who has experienced reiki multiple times. “The time goes by really fast and, when you least expect it, the session is over and you feel like everything has fallen into place.”
Reiki is normally used as a tool to accompany medical treatments. Cancer patients have received reiki on top of chemotherapy, meaning it’s not meant to substitute it, but rather add to it.
“Reiki goes hand in hand with traditional medicine,” Ycaza stated. “They complement each other.”
Francisca Toro, the woman who suffered from an ovarian cyst and decided on reiki, was ecstatic when the treatment went better than she ever thought it would. By the time she arrived in Chile and saw her doctor, four months had passed.
“The cyst had already disappeared and there was no need for surgery,” Francisca said. “I believe it was reiki that helped me improve that condition.”
