What Is Reiki Therapy and How Can It Benefit Seniors?

Reiki therapy offers a number of advantages for physical and mental health in seniors.

Reiki Therapy - Physical and Mental Health in Seniors

Natural therapies like Reiki for healing and promoting a greater level of well-being are common across age groups. They’re now becoming increasingly popular among seniors, who tend to experience a greater number of health-related issues due to aging. As you’re exploring ways to improve age-related symptoms like joint stiffness, slow injury healing, pain, and insomnia, it’s worth looking at the benefits of Reiki for seniors.

What Is Reiki?

Reiki is a form of therapeutic healing using energy and touch, often referred to as energy healing.

Reiki practitioners believe that energy in the body can become stagnant, usually where there has been an injury or where an individual harbors emotional pain. The goal of Reiki is to utilize the power of touch to release this stagnation, similar to the effects of acupuncture but without the use of needles.

The result of this energy release is a reduction in pain and illness, faster injury healing, relaxation, and other feelings of well-being.

Benefits of Reiki for Seniors

Reiki Therapy - Physical and Mental Health in Seniors

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Reiki is considered a holistic healing therapy, targeting multiple issues throughout the body. With this in mind, it’s easy to see the vast potential benefits of Reiki for seniors.

For example, Reiki healing may:

Improve circulation
Reduce muscle tension
Relieve muscle pain
Improve coordination
Increase feelings of calmness due to stress relief
Promote a more restful sleep
Increase mental alertness
Reduce feelings of depression and anxiety

One study by UCLA found that Reiki for seniors showed a positive effect on feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress—three conditions that commonly affect seniors with dementia.

While there isn’t much scientific evidence to support the power of Reiki, many of those who have undergone Reiki treatments say they’ve noticed a difference. What’s more, family members of seniors who have tried Reiki say they can see improvement in their loved ones, both in their physical appearance and mood.

How to Integrate Reiki Therapy into Your Senior’s Routine

Reiki is typically performed by a skilled practitioner. During a Reiki session, patients sit in a chair or lie on a table, then the practitioner places their hands on specific areas of the body (e.g., head, arms, legs) in a variety of hand formations. Areas are chosen based on what the patient is experiencing. For example, if the patient has a leg wound, then the practitioner might place their hands above the wound. Sometimes, crystals or other healing tools are used to cleanse energy blocks.

Each area is targeted for 2-5 minutes before moving on to the next. A Reiki session can last anywhere between 20 and 90 minutes.

Integrating Reiki therapy into your senior’s routine is as simple as finding a Reiki specialist and scheduling a session. Many natural wellness centers may have Reiki therapists on their staff or can connect you with one. Also, more than 60 hospitals in the United States have listed Reiki therapy as part of their patient services.

Your Reiki specialist can provide more guidance on how frequently your loved one might need therapy to reach the full potential of what this natural healing has to offer.

For more senior health tips, visit the Tailored Home Care blog.