Reiki FAQ 3

FAQ: REIKI AND UNWANTED HABITS


Through the years of teaching Reiki, I have received quite a lot of questions from practitioners. This section is a compiling of questions in no particular order, some are from the early years of the Reiki Newsletters that have not been archived

Q. I do have a Reiki question for you. I work with a woman who is trying to quit smoking and she asked if Reiki has ever been used/tried (successfully???) to help someone in the process. I didn't have an answer, but it certainly got me thinking. Any information you could share would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! -Anne B.

A. Good question- as with any other process for trying to quit smoking, the first thing that must happen is the individual must be ready to quit. This means they really want to give up the habit, it can not be because of pressures from the outside encouraging them and/or nagging them to quit.

If you recall from class, when an individual is ready and open for a healing to occur, it will. If your friend is in this position, then Reiki can be helpful. It can be helpful in dealing with the physical withdrawal symptoms, as well as the mental/emotional attachment to the habit.

Reiki is not a magic bullet, it will not instantly leave a person, free from cravings. It is just another tool, and as such, it is a vehicle to help the person explore, why they engage in this habit. When used as a tool to quit, and actively engaged and focused on this issue in a Reiki session, it will help bring insight to the person--what benefits they receive from smoking, what smoking is helping them to replace or to avoid, and then assistance in ways to resolve, or dissolve the fears that have created or contributed to the development of the habit.

Reiki helps by inducing relaxation and reducing stress, both which can help in the process. My thoughts, also include some additional support in conjunction with Reiki, to help strengthen the change. This could include joining a group for support, practicing guided imagery techniques, or to use a self hypnosis tape for 30 days, to name a few. Hope this was helpful. Susan
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