Reiki and healing touch for pain management

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jun 12, 2005

I am a Reiki 1 practitioner. I never talk about it when I am working with a patient. There is a lot of controversy about using any kind of spiritual healing. You will find that some patients and co-workers will be interested in it and others will think you are a voodoo witch and report you to the manager. I discussed this at length with my Reiki Master. It is OK to use Reiki touch on a patient without telling them you are doing so because the patient by nature of seeking healthcare is giving you permission to help them. Although you cannot do a proper Reiki treatment while you are at work, you can surely place your hands on or over a spot that is hurting for a few minutes while engaging them in conversation to distract them. I always know if it is working because my hands get very very hot and I start to sweat when the Reiki ray is being channeled through me.

Are you a Reiki practitioner yet? You really need to get someone on a table and do complete head to toe treatments to get real astounding results. It is a potential business you could start. If you haven't been trained yet, you will find that Reiki training is very expensive.

Another thing you can do with patients who are receptive to spiritual healing or psychic stuff is to work with color. Blue is the color for soothing pain. Suggest the patient imagine they are breathing in blue air and that it is going directly to the painful spot. Or, suggest that they imagine that they are surrounded by blue light. At the risk of sounding kooky, you can also place any of the blue crystals or blue fabric over a site of pain.

I worked with a nurse some years ago who did Therapeutic Touch. A lot of employees thought she was nuts. Those who didn't would mention her ability to patients who were receptive and let her know if the patient wanted to see her. The difference I saw between Reiki and Therapeutic Touch is that Reiki practitioners believe their healing comes from the Reiki ray that comes from spirit and is channeled through their body to the patient. With Therapeutic Touch the practitioner removes the pain through themselves and transmit it to the ground they are standing on where it is transmuted.

Are you psychic?

tgsnipe · Jun 12, 2005

I am a Reiki 1 practitioner. I never talk about it when I am working with a patient. There is a lot of controversy about using any kind of spiritual healing. You will find that some patients and co-workers will be interested in it and others will think you are a voodoo witch and report you to the manager. I discussed this at length with my Reiki Master. It is OK to use Reiki touch on a patient without telling them you are doing so because the patient by nature of seeking healthcare is giving you permission to help them. Although you cannot do a proper Reiki treatment while you are at work, you can surely place your hands on or over a spot that is hurting for a few minutes while engaging them in conversation to distract them. I always know if it is working because my hands get very very hot and I start to sweat when the Reiki ray is being channeled through me.
Are you a Reiki practitioner yet? You really need to get someone on a table and do complete head to toe treatments to get real astounding results. It is a potential business you could start. If you haven't been trained yet, you will find that Reiki training is very expensive.
Another thing you can do with patients who are receptive to spiritual healing or psychic stuff is to work with color. Blue is the color for soothing pain. Suggest the patient imagine they are breathing in blue air and that it is going directly to the painful spot. Or, suggest that they imagine that they are surrounded by blue light. At the risk of sounding kooky, you can also place any of the blue crystals or blue fabric over a site of pain.
I worked with a nurse some years ago who did Therapeutic Touch. A lot of employees thought she was nuts. Those who didn't would mention her ability to patients who were receptive and let her know if the patient wanted to see her. The difference I saw between Reiki and Therapeutic Touch is that Reiki practitioners believe their healing comes from the Reiki ray that comes from spirit and is channeled through their body to the patient. With Therapeutic Touch the practitioner removes the pain through themselves and transmit it to the ground they are standing on where it is transmuted.
Are you psychic?

Thanks for the reply

No I do not consider myself psychic in the popular sense. I am a R.N. and a Healing Touch practioner. I plan to start taking Reiki classes in the near furture and would love to use energitic modalities to facilitate pain relief and other things in the hospice setting. I know there is a need and I feel that it would be beneficial for patient and family alike. I have been a nurse for 30 years and I think it would be nice to work in space where for once you did not have to be so concerned with life saving which often translates into litigation prevention etc, etc,but more concern with patient care and comfort in an unhurried,peaceful setting while at the same time helping the family. Is that a pipe dream or what?

eresa

"Don't find fault, find a solution"

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jun 12, 2005

Well, unless things have changed among the Reiki community, I have never heard of anyone offering Reiki classes. I had to find a Reiki Master and went through a three day one-on-one training during which I was taught the background of Reiki and what it is. I was then shown the technique and then participated in a little ceremony where I had to meditate and I was "opened" to the Reiki ray. During the meditation I had an astounding vision that was very personal and moving. During the training I recieved a Reiki treatment by my Master and gave a treatment to her son (the willing guinea pig!). A Reiki treatment takes about an hour. My Master had regular monthly meetings for all the students she had taught to get together and discuss any concerns or problems they were having with performing Reiki.

This is a technique that is very spiritual. If you are not already familiar with meditation and metaphysical concepts of universal laws you really need to do some education about this before you decide that this is something you want to learn. While some Reiki practitioners ignore the spiritual part of it, many discover newly awakened psychic abilities and have visions. You will usually find people who perform Reiki at psychic fairs or advertising at new age bookstores.

tgsnipe · Jun 13, 2005

Well, unless things have changed among the Reiki community, I have never heard of anyone offering Reiki classes. I had to find a Reiki Master and went through a three day one-on-one training during which I was taught the background of Reiki and what it is. I was then shown the technique and then participated in a little ceremony where I had to meditate and I was "opened" to the Reiki ray. During the meditation I had an astounding vision that was very personal and moving. During the training I recieved a Reiki treatment by my Master and gave a treatment to her son (the willing guinea pig!). A Reiki treatment takes about an hour. My Master had regular monthly meetings for all the students she had taught to get together and discuss any concerns or problems they were having with performing Reiki.
This is a technique that is very spiritual. If you are not already familiar with meditation and metaphysical concepts of universal laws you really need to do some education about this before you decide that this is something you want to learn. While some Reiki practitioners ignore the spiritual part of it, many discover newly awakened psychic abilities and have visions. You will usually find people who perform Reiki at psychic fairs or advertising at new age bookstores.

I stand corrected. It seems training or workshop are the terms used. But the point is to be able to offer this type of work to patients at the end of life in addition the the more traditional therapies. And yes I am familiar with meditation and metaphysics.

Thankyou for taking the time to respond, I appreciate the feedback

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jun 13, 2005

I stand corrected. It seems training or workshop are the terms used. But the point is to be able to offer this type of work to patients at the end of life in addition the the more traditional therapies. And yes I am familiar with meditation and metaphysics.
Thankyou for taking the time to respond, I appreciate the feedback

I would check into these workshops further. There has been a split in the Reiki community and there are some who are teaching and practicing Reiki differently from the original Usui form.

2ndCareerRN · Jun 13, 2005

It is OK to use Reiki touch on a patient without telling them you are doing so because the patient by nature of seeking healthcare is giving you permission to help them.

So, you are touching the patient, purposfully distracting them, and performing something on them they may find distrubing. And you say this is ethical? 'Splain that to me Lucy!!

Just because a patient is seeking healthcare does not give you permission to do whatever you feel like doing. I think you and your Reiki master need to sit down and think this through a little bit more.

Unless of course your psychic abilities allows you to also read minds.

Just my 2 cents worth.

bob

Mystery5 · Jun 13, 2005

I went to a massage therapist who also used 'theraputic touch' as part of her therapy. I didn't know much about it, but she's a part time surgical nurse where I went and takes our insurence. My doc gave it to me when I asked her for one at the nurses station. I just have typical neck, shoulder and middleback stiffness.

By the 3d session the woman was being very probing and encouraging me to talk about emotional issues from my past. When I mentioned that I thought my neck problem arose from sleeping a certain way as a kid because I was afraid an intruder would enter a certain door of my bedroom and stab me to death, she said that it was probably a past lifetime memory. I told her I didn't believe in reincarnation. She had some theory that talking about painful past memories while getting a massage helped clear out the negative 'cell memory' that was causing current problems. She also did chakra testing on me on that third sesson, only explaining what she was doing when I asked her.

I looked into it, and this is all part of New Age Hocus Pocus. I felt violated by her bringing her personal philosophy into what I thought was just a simple massage. I feel that is unethical. I now go to a different massage therapist, whom I interviewed ahead of time, and explained that I merely wanted a massage, not an amateur therapy session or New Age healing... :rolleyes:

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jun 13, 2005

So, you are touching the patient, purposfully distracting them, and performing something on them they may find distrubing. And you say this is ethical? 'Splain that to me Lucy!!
Just because a patient is seeking healthcare does not give you permission to do whatever you feel like doing. I think you and your Reiki master need to sit down and think this through a little bit more.
Unless of course your psychic abilities allows you to also read minds.
Just my 2 cents worth.
bob

I do not disagree with you. This is why I discussed this at length with my Reiki Master. I was very concerned about the ethics of this. But, your response just brings out the point I made that many people feel that doing these kinds of things is "way out there". I do not do any Reiki on anyone who has not requested I do so.

imojean · Jun 14, 2005

My Dear eresa

This is really for our fellow nurses please check out Healing Touch International or http://www.htspiritualministry.com Linda Smith. They discuss all of this topics including ethics, they are all professionals and many have MS degrees and they are not new age or spooks. I have been a nurse for 20 years I took a break and would like to get back into the field again, but after what I am hearing no wonder no one wants to go back into nursing all this negitivity I thought we were a team. As nurses, our creed is not only to care for the physical and emotional but must we forget the spiritual health. How is that not ethical? do we ask permission to touch a patient first so we do not intrude or make them feel violated? most of the time no. Has anyone ever given you a touch or a hug that just didn't feel right? WELL, ask first! we are not just skin and bones we are living breathing beings and with that comes responsibility to the Spirit, yes the Spirit as well. Weather you are agnostic or a believer of a higher power we have a energy a spirit and that's that feeling you get when you pass by someone and your hair raises on the back of your neck that's what we are caring for. Anyway I will get off my soap box try these sites and be informed before you decide.

Thanks for the reply
No I do not consider myself psychic in the popular sense. I am a R.N. and a Healing Touch practioner. I plan to start taking Reiki classes in the near furture and would love to use energitic modalities to facilitate pain relief and other things in the hospice setting. I know there is a need and I feel that it would be beneficial for patient and family alike. I have been a nurse for 30 years and I think it would be nice to work in space where for once you did not have to be so concerned with life saving which often translates into litigation prevention etc, etc,but more concern with patient care and comfort in an unhurried,peaceful setting while at the same time helping the family. Is that a pipe dream or what?
eresa
"Don't find fault, find a solution"

kmchugh · Jun 14, 2005

I discussed this at length with my Reiki Master. It is OK to use Reiki touch on a patient without telling them you are doing so because the patient by nature of seeking healthcare is giving you permission to help them.

I do not disagree with you. This is why I discussed this at length with my Reiki Master. I was very concerned about the ethics of this. But, your response just brings out the point I made that many people feel that doing these kinds of things is "way out there". I do not do any Reiki on anyone who has not requested I do so.

OK, first of all your two quotes above are complete odds with one another. In the first, you tell us it's OK to use reiki without telling the patient you're doing so. But then, in the second paragraph you tell us you don't use reiki on anyone who has not requested it. Which is it?

Your justification for using reiki on patients without their knowledge is based on the assumption that by seeking healthcare the patient is giving you permission to use whatever therapy you choose in order to help that patient. Would you accept a doctor prescribing and administering chemotherapy without the patient's knowledge, on the same grounds? Is it OK to give blood to a Jehova's Witness patient without their knowledge? The same logic used above would suggest that either of these was a perfectly acceptable course of action because this patient "by nature of seeking healthcare is giving you permission to help them." Of course that's not true. The fact is it is unethical for any practitioner to practice any therapy on any patient without that patient's specific knowledge and express consent. I would think that lesson was drilled into all of us in nursing school.

For the record, if I, as a patient had a nurse use any therapy, including unproven, unfounded therapies such as reiki or therapeutic touch, without my knowledge or permission, I would be quick to report that nurse to both his/her supervisor and hospital administration (and probably the state board of nursing as well). I would insist that the offending nurse at a minimum be fired from their position. I find certain aspects of both reiki and therapeutic touch that violate my personal religious beliefs. I would be highly offended if either of these "therapies" were used on me without my specific permission (which I would never grant). Beyond that, nurses are already stretched to the limit. There is already more than enough for a nurse to do in any shift. It is unwise (not to mention unethical) to practice therapies that are at best highly dubious when there are other things that need to be done.

Were I you, I would stop practicing alternative therapies, even if it is just a small part of the therapy, on patients without their knowledge. You are opening yourself to a world of trouble.

Kevin McHugh

Mystery5 · Jun 14, 2005

I totally agree with you, Kevin. I investigated Theraputic Touch after my experience, and was told that it was in the same catagory as Reiki, drawing on unknown energy forces, and not compatable with my Catholic faith. Anything of a Spiritual nature such as these therapies must not be foisted upon a pt without his/her knowledge and consent, IMO.

I don't discuss my religion with my pts, unless in the rare circumstance it is clear that they share my beliefs. It is entirely unethical. Practising these techniques on someone would be equivalent to my secretly baptizing a baby without consent of the parents. It is forbidden to do so by my Church and by any professional standards in the book.