Acne, mood swings, growth spurts—we don’t mean to imply that adolescence is a disease, but sometimes it can feel that way. The flux and change that characterize the teen years can leave adolescents (and those around them) feeling out of balance. In times of stress, confusion, or illness, a little Reiki may go a long way toward smoothing out the rough spots.
Reiki, a Japanese rethinking of the “laying on of hands” school of healing, can reduce stress and gently enhance well-being. Reiki defines itself as a primordial life force, similar in spirit to prana and qi. Most Reiki practitioners work with the chakra system, the seven centers of energy in the human body that originated in yoga philosophy. Practitioners say they can make subtle shifts in their patient’s energy by gently touching the patient and sometimes by moving their hands over (but not on) the patient’s body. This noninvasive technique allows the patient to remain fully clothed.
“Reiki is great for teens because they don’t have to talk. It is rare for teens to want to tell their problems to anyone who is not their age,” says Pamela Miles, author of Reiki: A Comprehensive Guide (Penguin Group, 2006).
Miles says that Reiki works particularly well with ADD and ADHD because Reiki helps calm and balance. “Teens with ADD and ADHD respond very quickly,” says Miles. She has also seen great results for young people who have diabetes. “Reiki can help the kids release some of the negative emotions that surface in connection to treatment, and help alleviate some of the helplessness.”
Other studies show that Reiki helps reduce depression. A high school in Camden, Maine, provided Reiki treatments to its students after the school lost eight students to drowning, car accidents, and suicide in six months. The school reported that the Reiki helped students cope with their grief and distress.
One of the great things about Reiki is how easy it is to learn. Teens can learn to practice it on themselves or others—some practitioners also offer classes tailored to suit parents and teens together, in which parents and teens treat each other.
Hannah Grace Miles, Pamela Miles’ teenage daughter, has even become an advocate: “I would absolutely recommend Reiki to my friends, and I have in the past. A lot of [my friends] have expressed interest, especially at times of stress in school, like final exams or important sporting events, or at times of emotional stress.”
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