Reiki is a little bit like the Spanish Language. There are differences in the way it is done, almost as vast a difference as our local Mexican 'Spanglish' from the rapid-fire Espanol of the Puerto Rican that takes all of my concentration to understand. Like Spanish, all of the three forms of Reiki have found their way into the Medical Center. Let's refer to them as Pedigree, Mutt, and Lolo (which means 'crazy' in Hawaiian).
Pedigree Reiki
Pedigree Reiki is the form that has come down directly from Mikao Usui. Hawayo Takata is given credit for taking it to the west. It is giving 'hands on', and is very formal in the hand positions. There are few symbols. The leading Reiki Master on Earth is Willam Rand today.
Basically, Willam Rand wants nothing to do with anything that is not Pedigree. Letters to him from Mutt Reiki practitioners go unacknowledged. Even though many of these mutts have paid HIM for the Karuna Reiki 'approval', and are registered under his organization. Instead, he sells power point presentations on 'Reiki in Hospitals' for twenty-five dollars:
http://www.reikiwebstore.com/ProductPage.cfm?ProductID=562&CategoryID=44
He also supports people who go into the Hospital and do it a certain way--volunteers who do limited hand positions with consistency that is made to be more accepting to the patient's belief system, and more accepted by the patient's care team. Here is an article from Reiki News where he interviews a 'success', director Mega Mease:
http://www.HospitalReiki.com/reiki_news_article.pdf
You can learn more about her center at the University of Arizona, Tucson, which she began in June 2006 with two Reiki Masters doing Reiki for two hours on Fridays. Here is a link to her website:
http://www.hospitalreiki.com/
As Reiki Doc, I am in support of not bringing crystals, smudge sticks, and woo woo into the patient room, and staying out of the doctors' and nurses' way. A session consists of team reiki, with two practitioners, one at the head and one at the feet. There are three positions given in fifteen minutes, and no symbols or toning are done in the presence of the patients. Symbols are traced onto the hands before starting a volunteer session, and intoning is done. Patients are given one free session as 'after care', after their release from the hospital, and this session is thirty minutes long. (Prices quotes found across the internet were from $10 to $45 a treatment across the country). What I am against is the mis-use of 'Volunteers' who should in fact be compensated for their services.
He also supports people who go into the Hospital and do it a certain way--volunteers who do limited hand positions with consistency that is made to be more accepting to the patient's belief system, and more accepted by the patient's care team. Here is an article from Reiki News where he interviews a 'success', director Mega Mease:
http://www.HospitalReiki.com/reiki_news_article.pdf
You can learn more about her center at the University of Arizona, Tucson, which she began in June 2006 with two Reiki Masters doing Reiki for two hours on Fridays. Here is a link to her website:
http://www.hospitalreiki.com/
As Reiki Doc, I am in support of not bringing crystals, smudge sticks, and woo woo into the patient room, and staying out of the doctors' and nurses' way. A session consists of team reiki, with two practitioners, one at the head and one at the feet. There are three positions given in fifteen minutes, and no symbols or toning are done in the presence of the patients. Symbols are traced onto the hands before starting a volunteer session, and intoning is done. Patients are given one free session as 'after care', after their release from the hospital, and this session is thirty minutes long. (Prices quotes found across the internet were from $10 to $45 a treatment across the country). What I am against is the mis-use of 'Volunteers' who should in fact be compensated for their services.
Pedigree Reiki
Having completed a yearlong Reiki internship at New York City's Beth Israel Medical Center and seen the benefits that Reiki treatment brought to patients before and after surgery, I applaud your bringing Reiki into the hospital and your non-"woo-woo" approach. And I agree on the importance of Reiki practitioners staying out of the doctors' and nurses' way so that they can do their jobs effectively.
Your concept of “pedigree” vs. “mutt” Reiki is interesting (and amusing), but I was surprised to see William Lee Rand used as a “pedigree” example, if by that you mean a purist. I understand that he was initiated by Bethel Phaigh, who was herself initiated by Hawayo Takata, so in that sense his “pedigree” puts him and his teacher close to the originator of the practice of Reiki, Mikao Usui. It is also my understanding, however, that Rand has appended various unrelated aspects to the simple practice that Mrs. Takata taught. The system of Reiki that he teaches, “Usui/Tibetan Reiki,” is a hybrid of Usui Reiki, Tibetan traditions and Rand’s own concepts.
For a better example of a puristic approach to Reiki -- one that reflects the practice’s original principles -- I would suggest looking to the uncomplicated yet profound form taught by Mrs. Takata, or to a Japanese school such as Jikiden Reiki, founded by Chiyoko Yamaguchi, who, like Mrs. Takata, was a direct student of Chujiro Hayashi; or Komyo Reiki, established by Hyakuten Inamoto, a student of Mrs. Yamaguchi.
All the best to you in your work of integrating Reiki into hospital care!