Customer Reviews

Reiki: A Comprehensive Guide

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Don't be defeated by perfectionism. With Reiki, the only mistake you can make is not to practice." It is worth the purchase price of this book if for nothing more than a reminder to do one's own personal practice of Reiki on a daily basis.

Whether you have been attuned to Reiki or are simply exploring the possibility of learning more about this system of healing and spiritual development, this book is an invaluable resource.

I was first attuned to Reiki in 1999 and 18 months later received the master attunement. For me, it has been one of the most positive life changes I have ever experienced, especially for my own healing. Being married to a physician who was interested in understanding the science behind Reiki, communication was challenging. The acceptance of Reiki as an invitation to wellness through stress reduction and relaxation became our mutual understanding. Also the understanding that healing may take place but not always cure - as my experience of offering Reiki to hospice patients has shown. Seven years later, Pamela Miles thoughtfully and intelligently communicates her experience and understanding of Reiki in a manner that most individuals in any walk of life can read with interest.

As stated in the introduction of the book, "This is not The Reiki Gospel According to Pamela, nor is it "The Reiki Rule Book, but simply a Reiki companion." I say, take what resonates with you - you can't go wrong.

We tend to think that any kind of healing which originated in Asia is thousands of years old. That hermetic monks took it for decades of test drives before offering it to the faithful. That, in the background of an Eastern treatment room, we'd find a picture of a venerable deity and a thin plume of smoke from a joss stick. Oh, and chanting.

So the first surprise of Reiki is that it originated with Mikao Usui, mostly likely in 1922. That year, he went to a Japanese sacred site to fast and meditate. He got a bonus: subtle vibrations above his head. He felt healed. More, he felt he had the power to heal. And, in short order, he taught 2,000 Japanese how to use this power.

Reiki is tricky to describe, and so the first accomplishment of this excellent guide is the description of what Reiki isn't. It is not "energy medicine." It does not require a diagnosis. The practitioner doesn't need to concentrate or "direct" the treatment. The practitioner need not be in the same room, or even the same city. The patient need not be awake for the treatment to work.

So what is Reiki? According to Pamela Miles --- who is probably the senior Reiki master now practicing in the United States --- it's an experience. More like meditation than medicine. And it's powerful stuff: "Reiki opens an inner spiritual connection that can significantly change the way a person experiences life, a sense of connectedness that can help transform negative attitudes and create a sense of meaning and purpose."

The claims are many and varied: Sleep better. Work clearer. Breathe more deeply. Enjoy better digestion. Get relief from chronic pain. Stay calm in emergencies. Live more in the moment.

Best of all, you can treat yourself. "The foundation of Reiki is self-healing," Miles writes. All it takes: a few simple hand placements. Aw, c'mon, you say. Pamela Miles is unapologetic on this point: "We are used to valuing effort --- Reiki is effortless." But....you must be trained. Once you've been trained, "you can lightly lay your hand on your head, chest, abdomen, or any place that hurts, anytime you need to regain your center, restore your well-being or relieve pain --- even while you're in a cab, watching TV, or on the phone with your mother-in-law."

Okay, but what does the practice involve? Ms. Miles is not secretive or even mysterious on this point, just honest --- you can't learn Reiki from a book. But you may badly wish to tell you more when you read some of the stories at the end of 'Reiki: A Comprehensive Guide.' Like: The girl who overdosed and arrived at the hospital without any vital signs. And still had none after two hours of resuscitation. A doctor trained in Reiki put her hand on the girl's forehead to say goodbye. The girl revived. A week later, her only symptom was a minor palsy.

By now, I bet you're totally frustrated. How does Reiki work? "We don't yet know," Miles says. But it does work, of that I'm convinced. Will you be? I can't say; it depends on where you are in your life and your willingness to believe that energy vibrating from one person can be directed to heal another. And it depends on whether you read this book. My bet: if you do, you'll want to know much, much more.

Writing a book that is accessible to both novices and seasoned Reiki people as well as to medical professionals who seek to understand what Reiki is and why they should consider incorporating it into their conventional healing systems is no simple task. The author must be able to remember and access the elementary aspects of Reiki practice in order to bring those basics to the reader in a clear, understandable way. But she must also understand the scientific method and be able to communicate in the language of medical professionals.

Miles's thirty years of experience as an educator, clinician, and lecturer in natural healing, as well as her years of Reiki mastery, yoga and meditation practice provided the perfect grounding and foundation from which to write this lucid, intelligible, and distinctly unique Reiki book.

As Andrew Weil, MD says about the author, "Drawing from an uncommonly deep understanding of Reiki, Pamela Miles articulates the essence of healing in language accessible to both professionals and the public." I would add that in Reiki: A Comprehensive Guide, Miles opens her Reiki heart to us. She not only teaches what Reiki is and why it's an important holistic method of healing, but also shares with us some of her own personal experiences with Reiki: self-treatment and treating others in both non- edical and medical settings.

In the current and sometimes competitive climate of natural healing, which offers every conceivable method of Reiki instruction from sitting in the presence of a well- rained Reiki Master to receiving Reiki from a stranger over the Internet, Pamela Miles presents reason and simplicity. She says it best in her introduction: "There is not one way. In these pages, I share the path I am traveling in the hope that it will enrich your journey."

I have been enriched beyond my expectations. Miles's book has further opened my own Reiki heart. Through her expression of Reiki, my own experiences have been deepened. With each chapter, a nod of my head. Yes, that is the Reiki I know and love.

This book for me as a Reiki Practioner and a future Reiki Master Teacher is one of the best most informative books on Reiki and the energy of healing ourselves and others. My sincere gratitude to Pamela for sharing with the reader to simply trust in the energy and let the energy guide you. May we all walk the path and journey that she so inspired in me while reading her book. May my path be as fulfilling and rewarding as her's for all the lives and beings of light she touches in so many ways.
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You~

This Reiki book is hands down the best I have ever read! This is an excellent book for anyone interested in learning more about Reiki or for those who are already practicing. The depth and clarity of the author's understanding and relationship with Reiki is outstanding. Highly recommended! I have been practicing and teaching Reiki for over 10 years.

This is possibly the best book on Reiki that I have read. Well developed and well written, Miles brings a much needed degree professionalism to the Reiki literature. Some of my Reiki clients want to understand more about how Reiki works and I have hesitated to share some of my Reiki books with them for a variety of reasons. However, this is a book that I won't hesitate to recommend.

Pamela Miles' Reiki: A Comprehensive Guide is a thorough, informative, and inspiring book. Her word choices are brilliant and she has an ability to communicate in a comfortable, and simple manner. Miles beautifully blends an adherence to the traditional form of Reiki Practice with modern life and issues. It is a must read for anyone with any interest in learning about Reiki Practice.

Reiki: A Comprehensive Guide is extraordinarily well written. The author has found a way to clearly communicate even the ephemeral aspects of a Reiki experience. As a person trained in first and second degree Reiki, I am always asked a lot of questions about this gentle, yet powerful healing modality. This is the book I recommend! I am also in a professional position in which people come to me for help concerning various life challenges. This is the only book on Reiki I feel comfortable giving to people who know nothing about healing, because I am confident they will find everything they need to know in language that is clear and comfortable for them (and without the claims that are often rampant in other books I've read about Reiki).
Reiki as a modality has tremendous potential in medicine because it is gentle and has no contraindication, but it is rarely communicated in a credible way. This is also the only book on Reiki that I've found that speaks to the lay person as well as to medical professionals. And this book includes a wonderful synopsis on the research on Reiki, a welcome and much needed contribution.

Not only is Pamela Miles' book beautifully written, but it tells us exactly what Reiki is - and what it isn't. The writer is a foremost authority on the subject and the key figure responsible for integrating this healing modality into conventional medicine at prominent hospitals around the country including Sloane Kettering and Columbia Presbyterian. Pamela's overview is pragmatic and factual... yet completely fascinating. It is rare to find a book so full of information that is this elegant. This compelling and eloquent book is an important work. It is also empowering. A quintessential source to any reader who is interested in learning about the practice of Reiki.

I love Reiki: a Comprehensive Guide. I feel very supported by this book. Of all the Reiki books in my collection, this is the first one I have savored, enjoying it as part of my morning pre-meditation reading. It is informative, well-written and a truly comprehensive overview of Reiki and all it's healing benefits. It is also very supportive of the Reiki practitioner and I think that is what I have liked best about it. The book is also beautifully printed and bound. I highly recommend getting it while it is still in hardcover. A true pleasure of a reiki book!