Reiki
Reiki is an ancient technique that helps reduce stress and promote well-being throughout the body. Creekside Recovery Group uses reiki and other alternative therapies during mental health and addiction treatment.
Effective comprehensive treatment for substance use disorders can involve a wide range of therapies and support services. At facilities in the Creekside Recovery Network, the elements that are incorporated into a person’s customized treatment plan may include reiki for addiction.
What is Reiki?
Reiki is a form of alternative healing that uses gentle touch to promote more effective energy flow through the body.
Here’s how the practice is described by the International Association of Reiki Practitioners:
Reiki is the life energy that flows through all living things. Reiki practitioners understand that everyone has the ability to connect with their own healing energy and use it to strengthen energy in themselves and help others.
It is believed that a person’s ‘ki’ or energy should be strong and free-flowing. When this is true a person’s body and mind is in a positive state of health. When the energy becomes weak or blocked it could lead to symptoms of physical or emotional imbalance.
Reiki originated in Japan in the early 1900s. Mikao Ushi, who established a reiki school and clinic in Tokyo in the 1920s, is generally credited with creating this technique. However, some sources indicate that other practitioners were also developing similar approaches around the same time that Ushi was working on his version of reiki.
Regardless of the exact details of reiki’s origin, the practice eventually spread from Japan to nations across the globe. It has been incorporated into treatment for a wide range of physical and mental health concerns, including stress, pain, anxiety, and depression. Many treatment centers also offer reiki for addiction.
How Can Reiki Help Addiction?
Addiction is a complex disorder that can negatively impact virtually every part of a person’s life. Using reiki for addiction treatment can help alleviate both the causes and effects of compulsive substance abuse.
For example, many people begin to abuse alcohol and other substances as a means of numbing themselves to physical and/or emotional pain. Others do so in an attempt to find temporary respite from overwhelming stress or pressure. In each of these cases, reiki can help to alleviate the issues that may be at the root of the individual’s struggle with addiction.
In other circumstances, people experience physical and/or psychological distress as a result of their continued abuse of alcohol and other drugs. As a person’s life begins to spiral out of control because of their substance abuse, they may develop anxiety, depression, and other co-occurring mental health concerns. For people in these circumstances, reiki offers a way to alleviate these negative effects, so they can focus their full attention on building a healthier life in recovery.
As is the case with so many other aspects of treatment, reiki for addiction can serve different purposes for different people. What’s most important is identifying the needs and goals of each person who is receiving care, so that reiki and other elements in their treatment plan are put to the best use.
Benefits of Reiki for Addiction
Here are just a few of the many potential benefits of reiki for addiction:
- Safety: Reiki is a safe, painless, and noninvasive technique. Unlike many prescription medications and certain services that are often included in addiction treatment, reiki is not associated with any negative side effects.
- Stress relief: Untreated addiction can be a source of ongoing stress. Even though treatment can significantly improve your life, there will be stressful moments while you’re receiving care, too. Reiki for addiction can help you deal with both past and current stressors, so that you will be in the best frame of mind to fully engage in all aspects of your care.
- Pain management: Withdrawal can be a particularly painful part of addiction recovery. Taking part in reiki sessions during detox can ease some of the distress you have been experiencing. It can also prepare you to cope with future discomfort in a healthier manner.
- Ongoing support: Reiki is one of many aspects of addiction treatment that you can take with you when you transition out of care. You may connect with a reiki practitioner in your community, or you may choose to engage in reiki self-treatment. What’s most important is that you can continue to benefit from this service long after you have completed your time in treatment.
The Connection Between Holistic Therapy and Recovery
The negative urges and self-defeating compulsions that are characteristic of addiction can undermine your health, your self-confidence, your relationships, how you view the world around you, and many other parts of your life.
Holistic therapy is a broad term that includes a variety of approaches, all of which are designed to address the full scope that addiction can have on your life. The general goal of holistic therapy is to help you achieve improved physical, psychological, social, and spiritual well-being.
Reiki is one of many holistic therapies that may be incorporated into a comprehensive addiction treatment plan. Meditation, mindfulness, yoga, and tai chi are examples of other holistic therapies that have proved to be beneficial for people who are working on their recovery.
When you finish your time in addiction treatment, you may choose to continue to engage in the holistic practices that were included in your care. These practices can all be valuable sources of continued support as you progress in your recovery journey.
How Does Reiki for Addiction Work?
When you receive reiki for addiction, here’s how a typical session may unfold:
- Reiki sessions are usually conducted in quiet, peaceful environments. Sometimes, music may be played softly during the session.
- Before the session begins, you may speak with the professional who is providing this service to discuss any struggles you have been having and identify your goals for the session. During this initial meeting, the practitioner can explain the process to you and answer any questions that you have.
- As the session begins, you may lie down on a massage table or sit in a comfortable chair. You will remain fully clothed throughout the session.
- During the session, the reiki practitioner will gently place their hands on or just above various parts of your body. Unlike what occurs during a massage, reiki practitioners do not apply any pressure, just a very light touch.
- As the session progresses, you may begin to feel a sense of serene relaxation. You aren’t required to do anything while the session is taking place – all you need to do is relax and let the practitioner do their work.
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Is Reiki Effective?
In October 2017, an article in the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine reported that multiple studies have found that reiki is more effective than placebo.
“Reiki has been shown to be better than placebo for inducing a state of relaxation,” the authors of this article wrote. “Physiologically, this means that Reiki is effective in activating the parasympathetic nervous system, quantitatively measured as reduced heart rate, reduced blood pressure, and increased heart rate variability.”
As is the case with many therapies and support services, reiki may be extremely effective for one person, but not as beneficial for someone else. To determine if reiki is right for you, contact a reputable provider such as Creekside Recovery Network.
Medically Reviewed
Erika Dalton, LMSW
Erika Dalton, LMSW is a Licensed Master Social Worker and Director of Quality Control at Creekside Recovery Group
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Find Reiki for Addiction and Mental Health
To ensure that we can provide focused care that best addresses each patient’s specific needs, Creekside Recovery Network offers a wide range of therapies and support services, including reiki for addiction. Our comprehensive, holistic approach to addiction treatment ensures that you will receive the services that are best suited to your circumstances, so that you can end your substance abuse and start living a much healthier and more hopeful life.
When you’re ready to begin your recovery journey, the Creekside Recovery Network team is here for you. To learn more or to schedule your free assessment, contact us today.
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Success Stories & Testimonials
Now that I have completed my successful journey here I would like to say that throughout it I was treated with nothing but respect. To take that a step further, I felt as if I was being treated by family.
Harry Dunn
I began this journey being part of the PHP program. Now I’m at the point where I can attend treatment on an outpatient basis. It’s so nice to be able to be home but it has also been scary. I’m going to make it though.
Sarah Stephen
They take my insurance and I could go someplace warm to get some help. Hey, you have to take the perks where they appear. This facility is fantastic. They care about the clients that walk through their doors.
Palhedsa Wilerds
Their facility could not have been built in a more beautiful and conducive environment to facilitate recovery. Right near the beach just entering is calming and inspires one to want to do all they can to become whole and healthy again.
Suzanne Turner
All of my life I’ve tried to do everything on my own. That is probably what got me into therapy in the first dang place. Being here has taught me that I can be surrounded by people that will support me. It’s my choice and I have to make the right ones.
Millie Jones
