Reiki is a Japanese form of healing that is becoming increasingly popular worldwide - particularly here in Ireland. Reiki is maybe unique in alternative medicines because it incorporates just about every other alternative healing practices: spiritual healing, meditation, aromatherapy, naturopathy, and homeopathy.

The word Reiki (pronounced ray-key) is Japanese in origin and means "universal life energy," or the energy that's all around us. Reiki's energy is said to bring about deep relaxation while destroying energy blockages, detoxifying the system and providing new vitality.

In a Reiki treatment, a practitioner channels what's called the universal life force into the client, "trusting that the wisdom of the energy and the body's willingness to heal will cooperate with each other." That's according to Dublin practitioner Mike Mills. The therapist gently lays his or her hands on your head, shoulders, and back to conduct the energy into your system. "The important thing in Reiki is that you cannot intend it to do anything. You just send pure energy into the body, and it will go exactly where it needs to," says Mills, a psychotherapist and Reiki practitioner who has used the therapy to help patients deal with issues linked to abuse, as well as sexual problems and physical disorders.

Reiki involves the transfer of energy from practitioner to patient to enhance the body's natural ability to heal itself. Reiki is a holistic, natural, hands-on energy healing system that touches on all levels: body, mind, and spirit.

The laying of hands is used in Reiki therapy also as in spiritual healing. There is a difference though. In spiritual healing, the healer is the one who is sending out the energy. In Reiki, the healer places the hands above the body part but it is the recipient that draws in the healing energy.

Although there are a few positions in which the practitioner physically touches the patient, (such as cradling the head), most reiki treatments don't involve actual touching. The practitioner holds his or her hands a few inches or farther away from the patient's body and works the energy field from there. The Reiki energy is like a smart card: the energy knows where to go, and what to do once it gets there. The energy manages its own flow to and within the recipient. It draws through the healer exactly that amount of energy the recipient needs. The healer's job is to get out of the way, to keep the healing space open, and to watch/listen for signs of what to do next.

Bear in mind that Reiki is a complementary therapy and not an alternative to orthodox medical treatment. Among more orthodox medical practitioners, its benefits are seen to be in helping people to relax and de-stress themselves.