I am a former nurse, and have had the privilege of working in hospitals in Ireland, Canada, Australia, and the USA.

Complementary therapies and energy healing were popular in all of the countries I nursed in.
I personally witnessed holistic therapies being used on patients in the USA and Australia.

Reiki in Ireland has become very popular in recent years. I have taught many health care professionals at my Reiki courses in Dublin. Some hospitals, hospices, nursing homes and cancer support centres are now offering Reiki treatments.

Reiki energy is Gentle and Safe to use

The beauty of Reiki is that it is non invasive and is administered in a very gentle manner.
The Reiki practitioner can give Reiki without touching the body in cases where patients have burns or major injuries.

Reiki is a wonderful compliment to conventional medicine and helps relax patients on the levels of the mind and physical body. When a patient is relaxed the healing process is accelerated. Nurses comment that patients sleep much better and are calmer following Reiki treatments.

Reiki does not interfere with medical treatments or interventions. What can happen is that it helps improve your condition or medical challenge. In such cases, your medical team may review or reduce your medication.

Much has progressed since I started teaching Reiki in Ireland in 1996

There are some holistic healers and Reiki practitioners in Ireland who work as part of a team within the HSE. This team includes doctors, social workers and occupational therapists. In such situations the Reiki practitioners are also qualified nurses.

There are some volunteer programmes where holistic therapies can be used by non medical professionals. In such cases the volunteers usually go through in house training asides from the qualification they hold.

You can have Reiki if you have an ongoing medical challenge

Reiki is safe to use if you have medical conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes or heart conditions. You may receive Reiki treatments if you are undergoing chemotherapy or radium treatment.

Pregnant woman can have Reiki treatments, although they may prefer to have a Reiki chair treatment rather than lying down on a massage table.

The only time Reiki practitioners might refrain from giving Reiki treatments is if a patient is having a psychotic episode.

To find out more about Reiki in Ireland, Reiki courses or Reiki treatments visit www.thehealingpages.com

As a former nurse and a Reiki teacher for the last 20 years I am not surprised that Reiki has been embraced by so many hospitals and nursing homes internationally.

Reiki is proving benefitial in hospitals, nursing homes, emergency rooms, operating rooms, neonatal units; facilitating relaxation while also decreasing anxiety and pain.

When I taught Reiki in New York in the 1990’s Reiki was already being used in prestigious hospitals such as the Columbian Presbyterian Medical Centre.

Other hospitals in the USA which have offered Reiki treatments include Portsmouth Regional Hospital, New Hampshire, The California Pacific Medical Center and the University of Michigan Hospital.

Hospitals are embracing Reiki and listening to what their patients request

A survey conducted in 2007 indicated that in the previous year 1.2 million adults and 161,000 children in the U.S. received one or more energy healing sessions such as Reiki.

A 2008 USA Today article reported that in 2007 15% of U.S. hospitals (over 800) offered Reiki treatments as a regular part of patient services.

A research study at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut indicated that Reiki improved patient sleep by 86 percent, reduced pain by 78 percent, reduced nausea by 80 percent, and reduced anxiety during pregnancy by 94 percent.

Edmonton’s Cross Cancer Institute concluded that Reiki healing showed a highly significant reduction in pain in a pain management study including cancer.

Reiki Treatment Rooms in Hospitals

Libby Barnett and Maggie Chambers are Reiki masters who have given Reiki training to nursing and medical staff members in over a dozen New England hospitals. They teach Reiki as complementary care and the hospital staffs they have trained add Reiki therapy to the regular medical procedures they administer to their patients. Their book Reiki Energy Medicine outlines their experiences.

One of the things they both encourage is creating hospital “Reiki Rooms,” staffed by volunteers, where patients as well as hospital staff can come to receive Reiki treatments. Bettina Peyton, M.D., one of the physicians Libby and Maggie have trained states: “Reiki’s utter simplicity, coupled with its potentially powerful effects, compels us to acknowledge the concept of a universal healing energy.”

My personal experience of using Reiki healing in Hospitals

It delights me that Reiki is now available in hospitals, nursing homes and cancer support centers in my native Ireland.

One of the first places I was involved in teaching Reiki on my return to Ireland in 1996 was at The St. Francis Private Hospital in Mullingar. At that time the hospital was owned and run by the the Franciscan Missionary sisters. I taught Reiki classes to nursing staff, patients and the general public at the hospital. All levels of Reiki training including Reiki 1, Reiki 2 , Advanced practitioner courses, and Reiki Master Courses were taught. On the heels of these Reiki classes, two of the Franciscan sisters offered Reiki treatments to patients and to members of the general public at the hospital.

As Reiki has become popular in Ireland, more medical facilities are expressing an interest in Reiki.

Each hospital has its own criteria on the training involved for Reiki volunteers.
Some medical establishments only allow trained nurses to administer Reiki.
It is imperative to get medical clearance before giving any patient a Reiki treatment.

For more information on Reiki courses and Reiki training or to find out more about Reiki energy visit www.thehealingpages.com