Written by Roxanne D’Angelo

When people are diagnosed with cancer, they are hit with a barrage of emotions ranging from fear, sadness, anxiety, depression, anger to desperation. Sometimes just thinking a little outside the box is all we need to help shift our energies into taking a positive approach, giving the strength to pull ourselves together.

What is most needed during this crucial time, is knowledge that will empower us to choose the appropriate traditional and alternative treatments. Reiki is the perfect complimentary medicine to incorporate into a cancer treatment plan that offers emotional support with many healing benefits.

Reiki is a Japanese practice meaning “transfer of universal life energy.” It’s like having your internal healing switch turned on. The practitioner moves energy blocks, freeing the energy to circulate while balancing and healing the body.

Sessions are usually performed with the patient lying down, fully clothed, in a very quiet setting, while listening to healing sounds. The practitioner holds their hands closely over the patient, or uses gentle touch applying 15-20 different hand positions to help move the energy. The sessions generally last up to one hour. Most patients will fall into a deep state of relaxation during the session, feeling refreshed upon awakening.

Research has found that Reiki therapy was statically significant in raising the comfort level and well-being of patients. According to the American Journal of Integrative Cancer Therapies, Reiki Therapy was considered helpful in improving well-being by 70 percent, relaxation 88 percent, anxiety and worry 75 percent, pain relief 45 percent, improved mood 81 percent, and decreased fatigue.

Patients who have had Reiki sessions reported reduced anxiety, depression, pain reduction, restful sleep and over all relaxation. Reiki is being used in hospitals and cancer treatment centers world-wide because of its innate ability to heal the body, mind and spirit while using traditional treatments.  Reiki is a spiritual healing modality that addresses our whole body.

We have an energetic system called chakras. There are seven main chakras, which correspond to different parts of the body, while governing functions of the organs and glands as well as specific aspects of the mental, emotional and spiritual dimensions. If any of the chakras are blocked, the energy cannot flow freely resulting in dis-ease or dis-function in that region. Reiki opens these blockages allowing energy to flow at a cellular level.

Did you know that our emotions play a tremendous role in our health? Emotional dysfunction is usually the root cause of most dis-ease and dis-function.  When we encounter emotions that we don’t want to feel, we have the tendency to stuff them down with unfavorable results. Eventually, this process can wreak havoc on our body if these emotions are not released properly.

The bottom line: Reiki is accepted and being used to help alleviate symptoms of cancer treatment and aid in quick recovery.

Roxanne D’Angelo is a certified crystal reiki, arch, and magnified healing master/teacher, and sound healing practitioner. She changes lives by creating harmony and balance healing patients on a cellular level.