Reiki and Addiction

How can Reiki help with recovery from debilitating addictions such as overeating, smoking, alcohol, and drug abuse?  

Reiki should not be considered a “cure” for alcoholism or addiction, nor replace traditional treatment, but it can assist with recovery and make it immensely more tolerable. In the same way that Reiki is used as a complementary treatment for disease, such as cancer, heart, respiratory and other disorders, it is a welcome addition to regular treatment and provides vital support to recovery efforts.

Alcoholism and addiction, whether to chemicals, food, nicotine, sex or people sets in motion a continual daily assault on the individual that is physical, mental and spiritual. Chemical dependency of any kind places a great deal of stress on body, emotion and spirit. Sufferers rarely eat or sleep well and are often too busy trying to “keep it together” to bother making even minimal efforts toward health and wellness. Maintaining a normal lifestyle in today’s busy fast paced world, managing a home, a job, kids, is stressful enough for all of us. Substance abuse or addiction multiplies the stress of day to day living many times over. Addicts have spent years, often decades, doing damage to their physical and emotional selves. Add to that the shame and embarrassment that accompanies addiction and the result is out of control emotional pain, serious depression, and devastating loss of self esteem.

Physical: Withdrawal symptoms can be unsettling or downright uncomfortable. Headaches, insomnia, muscle aches and pain, tremors, nausea, general anxiety and depression – all of these can be managed and reduced with the use of the gentle, noninvasive healing of Reiki.

Mental: Addiction is a downward spiral. Over time, those suffering with addiction will have convinced themselves that they are mentally weak, have no will power and are somehow inferior to other “normal” people. Negative self talk is a daily habit and toxic dialog will often run constantly in the mind. “You are such a loser, what is wrong with you? You can’t even manage to get through one day without….” Negative thoughts “play” continually like a bad soundtrack and hinder the recovery progress. It is vital to replace this with a constructive healthy alternative. Positive Reiki energy provides a very real sense of moving forward and taking important steps to recovery. With practice, negative self talk can be immediately caught and replaced with pure healing energy.

Spiritual: Addiction of any kind isolates and takes sufferers to a very dark, lonely place. Getting clean and sober is like coming back to the light. Finding new interests like Reiki or learning about crystals sparks our creative side and opens us up to experiences we never knew existed. Reiki will help release negative emotions, encourage self forgiveness and allow positive energy to flow and light to come in. Connecting to universal energy brings comfort and serves as a reminder that you are not alone.

A healing attunement or a Reiki I attunement can be especially helpful as it allows the recipient to practice self healing on a daily basis. The importance of this cannot be emphasized enough. Self healing will assist with treating the symptoms at the root cause. These are the issues that caused the abuse initially. It is fear, anxiety, hopelessness that drive an individual to pick up a substance to ease discomfort.  Well meaning physicians prescribe medication to treat the symptoms such as sleeplessness or anxiety and further compound the problem.  Finding an alternate method to self medicating is essential. Use the power symbol, Cho Ku Rei to intensify Reiki energy and clear blocked energy that has occurred in the body over time. Sei He Kei, the emotional healing symbol, can be a powerful ally in releasing past trauma and healing the dis-ease that accompanies it.

Using crystals in combination with Reiki can enhance healing sessions. A stone carried in a pocket can be very comforting during stressful moments. Amethyst, citrine, carnelian and garnet are calming and support addiction. Smokey quartz is grounding and protects against negative energy. There are myriad of crystals to choose from. Finding the ones that work best for you is fun and interesting.

Reiki healing can and will assist in your journey to restore health and balance. Above all, if you are recovering from an addiction remember that you are a child of the universe and that you have a right to be here. Forgive yourself and move forward. There are so many blessings that await.

Article by Patti Deschaine

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Patti Deschaine is a traditionally trained Usui Reiki Master, Lightarian Reiki Master, and owner of Maja Energy Works and Reiki Healing. She resides and practices in Wilmington, NC. She enjoys all types of Reiki and particularly loves using Reiki on animals. Patti can be found at MajaEnergyWorks.