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57 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reiki: A Comprehensive Guide, June 20, 2006
"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.
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64 of 68 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sleep better. Work clearer. Breathe more deeply. Consider me: interested, April 6, 2006
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.
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33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reiki: A Comprehensive Guide, April 3, 2006
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.
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