When I first diagnosed with depression and went through the worst bout of it almost twenty years ago now, I had not heard of Reiki. In the time since then, I have learned to manage my depression through a variety of self-care techniques, including diet and supplements, sufficient sleep, exercise, meditation, journaling, and self-talk management. All of these things have been truly helpful in my own efforts to manage this condition.
Shortly after I began learning how to use Reiki a couple of years ago, my entire world fell apart in an ongoing sequence of personal storms that would once have been more than my self-care routines would have been able to manage. I have deeply struggled through parts of this journey, but I have not succumbed to the black depths of depression that I once would have before I was blessed with Reiki.
The use of self-Reiki and receiving Reiki from others has been instrumental in keeping my depressive tendencies to a manageable level despite the challenges I have faced. I am extraordinarily grateful for all that Reiki has done for me during this time, but my experience is hardly unique.
Pamela Miles, a well-known Reiki practitioner in New York City and author of the book , recently wrote a blog post called You Are Not Alone that shares some research showing the difference Reiki can make in the lives of people struggling with depression. More information about the study she cites is available from the Center for Reiki Research in a summary of the study (PDF, 22 KB).
Although this study was performed on a relatively small sample, the results are encouraging and are in agreement with what I have experienced in my own life. I am excited to see that research is being published in this area and hope to see more studies of this nature in the future.
If you are struggling with depression and would like to try Reiki as another tool in your journey toward wellness, please don’t hesitate to contact me and give a Reiki session a try. I’m so glad that I did!