A lot of people add healing tools from other systems when they give Reiki treatments. There is nothing wrong with this; Reiki was never meant to be this stagnant system that never grows. In fact, when Mikao Usui developed a ranking system for energy healers, he ranked himself one below the top, because he knew someone would pass him one day – and wanted it.
So how do these healing tools get integrated into Reiki treatments? To discuss that, we should really discuss how energy work happens, first.
All energy works is a collection of two things: energy and intention. The practitioner collects energy – sometimes from themselves, sometimes from the space around them, sometimes from a Universal source, and then an intention is applied to the energy. This is how all energy work occurs, even Reiki treatments.
I hear what you are saying, “I was taught to release expectations. I have no ‘intentions’ when I send Reiki to a client.” And my counter argument is this – the moment you say “I am going to send Reiki,” you have set your intention.
That simple phrase incorporates everything you know about Reiki – Reiki is a healing art, Reiki energy is restorative, and Reiki can do no harm, among others. In this case, the very word Reiki becomes your tool.
You see, all tools aid in one of the two aspects of energy work. Tools either help focus energy, or they help focus intention. Some tools, have an organized structure, that helps channel certain energy frequencies better than others. Crystals and colors are like this.
Some tools gain a thought structure after years and years of use in a certain way. Power words and mantras are like this. After thousands of years of chanting, the word itself has taken on certain energy characteristics that promote certain qualities.
But the most important part of a tool’s effectiveness is the personal belief of the practitioner. The practitioner’s understanding of the tool will greatly improve or diminish the effectiveness of any tool.
For example, green light is generally considered a healing color. However, if you grew up in a family where green was a cursed color, any attempts by you to use green to heal will likely fail.
This is one of the reasons personal symbols and mantras tend to work much more effectively for individual practitioners than traditional ones. A personal symbol captures all of your good thoughts and has the advantage of being personally connected. As your creation, you will have a stronger connection to it than anything else.
Anything that helps you focus energy and focus intention is a powerful aid and should be used when you feel it is appropriate. Even if it doesn’t work for anyone else on the planet.