Women's Health and Wellness Across the Lifespan by Olshansky Ellen;

Author:Olshansky, Ellen;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wolters Kluwer Health
Published: 2015-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Self-care: Healing Energy and Other Complementary Therapies

Susan Thrane, Stephanie Deible, and Susan M. Cohen

Introduction

Attainment of optimal health is ideally accomplished by a partnership between the individual woman and her health-care provider(s). The partnership provides the foundation for both health care provided by the professionals and a woman’s own self-care. Self-care is more than adherence to prescribed medications and lifestyle recommendations such as not smoking, wearing seat belts, or nutritional food choices. Self-care encompasses both preventative and health maintenance behaviors. Within the realm of self-care are healing energy modalities, including Reiki and meditation, which have shown promise in reducing stress, pain, and anxiety across women’s life spans. In addition, there are several other self-care modalities such as guided imagery, prayer, acupuncture, and others. The evidence to support use by women for specific self-care modalities is generated from research. While meditation has been examined in research studies with both males and females, the studies presented in this chapter include only female participants or participant samples of at least 50% women. Areas particular to women’s health such as menopausal hot flashes have been highlighted.

This chapter aims to

  1.  Present the history of Reiki and meditation, including a description of the Reiki method

  2.  Discuss the research to support Reiki, meditation, and other complementary self-care therapies as pertinent at various stages of women’s lives

  3.  Present recommendations for teaching patients about self-care, specifically self-Reiki and meditation techniques

History of Reiki and Meditation

Both Reiki and meditation come from ancient traditions. Reiki is thought to have originated in the Himalayan region and brought to modern Japan in the early 20th century. Reiki was introduced to the Western world via Hawayo Takata in Hawaii (Sierpina, 2001). Until recently, Reiki remained a secretive practice, taught only to initiates through apprenticeships. Reiki masters bring healing practices to clients that include intention-setting for health and wellness, light touching on the clothed body from the head to the feet, and a quiet environment. Reiki masters view themselves as conduits of energy meant to bring the client to a state of relaxation and receptiveness to healing states. The typical Reiki session lasts approximately 45 minutes to an hour with the client lying prone, clothed, and at ease. Individuals may be taught self-Reiki by a Reiki master, learning to perform this healing modality for themselves. Meditation also arises from ancient traditions. (See Box 11.1 for a description of how self-Reiki is performed.) Nearly every ancient civilization has some form of meditation practice, whether associated with religious practice or a component of the indigenous health system. Meditation is often either a guided imagery process led by a teacher or a recording or a relaxation-inducing practice that focuses on the breath as a means of reducing external stimuli. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), as formulated by Kabat-Zinn (2013), has the individual bring awareness to the present without judging one’s current situation or thoughts. Meditation is used to invoke a state that can be compared to Herbert Benson’s relaxation response (Benson & Klipper, 1975). (See Box 11.2 for a description of how to begin meditating.

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