( a health plus with jikiden reiki )

a health plus with jikiden reiki

by jennifer hetrick

    

tusia o’brien of gilbertsville knew her lifelong perceptive way with others was meant for something more, and two years ago, she channeled her skills newly in the name of jikiden reiki.

     

reiki stems from its first practitioner, mikao usui who lived in japan from 1865 to 1926. he is said to have once traveled to mount kurama, and on this excursion, he intended to fast, meditate, and reflect on his life. during this time away, surrounded by the whims of nature, he became injured on the 20th day, then discovering the ability to recognize and work with the energy forces within the body for balance and healing.

     

after returning from the mountain, usui sensai knew the importance of sharing what he’d learned, and he opened several clinics over a period of years to offer reiki to the public, also teaching his methods.

     

“reiki in general is the universal life force,” o’brien said about the hand healing approach which oftentimes involves little or no touch to a person through its movements. “many cultures have some type of name for this  universal life force, whether it’s prana, chi, or ki—which is what it is in reiki.” 

     

“life force is the energy that differentiates that which is living from that which is not,” o’brien added. “it is recognized and has been used by numerous cultures around the world for thousands of years.”

     

“reiki is an energy healing practice which originated in japan,” reiterates the united kingdom’s official website for jikiden reiki. “practitioners use the life force energy or ‘ki’ all around us and are able to pass it on to re-awaken the natural healing process in others by focusing the energy on the areas where it is most needed.”

     

o’brien acknowledged the need to pursue training in jikiden reiki when her talents in reading the bodies of others became all the more important after a major illness stirred its way into her family. she received her certification from the inner path learning & healing center in midland park, new jersey from third generation practitioner sue ananian.

   ( tusia o’brien’s jikiden reiki certificate penned in japanese

photograph courtesy of larissa garman )

“everyone has energy inside of them,” o’brien said. “but i truly believe that people have an ability to heal themselves; and reiki is about intention and love.”

for those who are familiar with the term reiki, it is important to understand the difference between jikiden reiki and western reiki.

     

jikiden means original, pure, and handed down from teacher to student, which is how usui sensai wanted the methods taught.

“jikiden reiki stands for reiki teachings from an original authentic japanese lineage. this lineage goes from usui sensai to dr. chujiro hayashi to chiyoko yamaguchi (who started learning reiki from dr. hayashi in 1938 when she was 17-years-old)  to tadao yamaguchi,” the site continues. it then went on to ananian with whom o’brien took her jikiden training.  

     
as a japanese-american living in hawaii, a woman named hawayo takata was told by her doctors that was terminally ill, with little time left in this life. she then visited japan for surgery, but upon meeting dr. hayashi, elected to take his treatments instead.
     

in a year’s time, takata overcame her apparently terminal sickness. working her way around language barriers, she learned reiki while in japan, later returning to hawaii and opening up a clinic which became the start of western reiki.

“because jikiden reiki was not passed down through takata and her masters, it lacks the westernization of reiki as it is currently taught in the west,” the site elaborates further. “jikiden reiki allows you to experience a japanese form of reiki in its original beauty and simplicity.”

     

while western reiki made its way around the globe, becoming familiar to people in different countries, many thought that the original style of reiki had become somewhat obsolete because japan outlawed the practice following world war ii.

     

those in japan who wanted to learn reiki or have it performed on them had to visit the united states to learn about it, in that time, so fortunately, takata in a sense helped to save reiki from dying out. bringing it to the islands of america allowed for reiki to still benefit people, and its introduction in hawaii made way for it to spread to the mainland.

     

western reiki as it is today stands as a spa-like, feel-good experience, whereas jikiden reiki is more focused on healing. 

for example, one element western reiki lacks, which is still a strong component of jikiden reiki, is byosen.

     

o’brien described it as the accumulation of toxins in the body.

     

“i as a reiki practitioner will go over your body and help the blockages to open in little pits,” o’brien said about where energy normally flows. “when you open those passages up, it allows the body to heal itself.”

     

“i’ve been told that my reiki is a stronger feeling of energy,” o’brien said, also noting that she’s certified in quantum touch, does reiki on animals as well, and recognizing the grief often sparked in humans when their animal companions die, is working toward becoming trained in pet bereavement counseling.

    ( tusia o’brien in a recently snowy winter scene

photograph courtesy of larissa garman )

“a number of my patients are cancer survivors or currently under treatment,” o’brien said. “many hospitals embrace the use of reiki alongside traditional medicine, especially in cancer treatment, because it is noninvasive and comforting—this includes the pottstown memorial regional cancer center where these programs are supported and funded by the american cancer society.” 

     

the cancer center’s website notes that  with integrative treatment, “patients who participate in complementary care offerings reported feeling less fatigue, anxiety, nausea, and pain.”

     

o’brien considers jikiden reiki a harmonizing modality to work in conjunction with modern medicine.

     

“so many people have emotional issues that come out in their neck, shoulders, and back,” o’brien said, “but actually, they’re other things coming out.”

     

belly gurgling is also a common reaction to her handwork.

     

her sessions are usually 45 minutes to an hour-and-a-half long, depending on the body work a person needs. most people benefit well from three sessions, but some come to her regularly.

     

she suspects that since receiving her certification in jikiden reiki, she has worked on at least 80 people and 40 animals in her part-time efforts.

     

“people are surprised by the intensity of it,” o’brien said about her energy work, adding that many are happy, refreshed, open, and relaxed-feeling afterward, and some even sob, but for the better.

     

children with behavioral problems often become calm during and after reiki.

     

wellness of the body, mind, and spirit are the overall advantages o’brien deems to offshoot from a person undergoing the the practice of reiki, with the bodily energy then flowing more freely for a better quality of life.

“when people begin to feel better, they tend to pay more attention to their bodies and focus more on what they need to do to feel well, as opposed to just taking a pill for it, she said. “reiki can do no harm, only good.”

gokai – the five reiki principles   

the gokai were compiled by usui sensei with the intention of having them incorporated as a central part of reiki practice; he stressed their utmost importance.

     

“jikiden reiki practitioners are taught to say this in japanese, and we embrace the wonderful wisdom that such simple words hold,” o’brien concluded.

kyo dake wa           just for today

    ikaruna                    do not be angry

        shin pi suna                do not worry

            kan shashite                 be grateful

                gyo o hagame                do your duty

                    hito ni shinsetsu ni             be kind to others

     

to contact o’brien about her practice, call 484.366.5813.

for a chance to win a free jikiden reiki session, comment below. please include your e-mail address in the comment. this contest ends sunday, the 20th of february. good luck !