positive effects. There are various schools of Reiki,
including White Light Reiki, and each practitioner
may develop his or her own personal style.
The actual Reiki sessions, which may last from
45 minutes to more than an hour, involve a laying
on of hands working with all seven chakras, or
energy zones, of the body, and meditation, prayer,
or intense focus of the practitioner. The practitioner
(who serves merely as a conduit) directs healing
energy through his or her hands to each of the
body’s seven chakras. Reiki has been shown to be
beneficial as a complementary treatment for
chronic and acute ailments, including back pain,
migraines, sinusitis, stress-related and menstrual
problems, arthritis, asthma, eczema, depression,
insomnia, cystitis, sciatica, malfunctions of the
endocrine system, and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Reiki is also used to assist in the healing process for
patients recovering from surgery. Although Reiki is
generally considered safe, individuals with diabetes
must be informed that Reiki can affect the body’s
insulin level and must be monitored carefully if
they choose to receive Reiki treatments. Further-
more, individuals with pacemakers may be unpre-
dictably affected by Reiki energy, and it is
recommended that treatments be either refused or
performed with extreme caution. Reiki may be used
safely on plants, foods, animals, environments, and
life in general. Essentially giving Reiki heightens the
energy level of a living organism or an inanimate
object, such as a computer or car engine, and may
be given directly or as distance healing.
See also CHAKRAS.
rejuvenation therapy Any treatment modality or
technique that helps restore health, vitality, and
optimal level of functioning. Rejuvenation accord-
ing to Ayurvedic medicine requires physical, men-
tal, and spiritual approaches to restoring balance,
health, and longevity.
See also AYURVEDA.
relaxant Any substance or agent that induces
muscular or psychological tranquility.
Relaxation Response A phrase coined by the
author and physician Herbert Benson to describe
the opposite of the body’s “fight-or-flight” reaction
to a stressor. The relaxation response, which
involves lowered blood pressure, respirations,
metabolic rate, and heart rate, has long-term bene-
ficial effects on health and well-being and may be
accomplished through the use of meditation, vari-
ous mental focusing techniques, and breathing
exercises.
According to Benson, regular elicitation of the
relaxation response has the ability to counteract
the cumulative, negative effects of stress and rebal-
ance the body back into a healthy state. Achieving
the relaxation response (which is a general term for
any technique or method that induces relaxation)
may involve repeating a word, sound, prayer,
phrase, or muscular activity, thus clearing one’s
mind of the daily “clutter.” Focus words can
include love, peace, relax, calm, ocean, one, om,
insha’allah, or whatever word or phrase, one
chooses. The key steps are repetition of the word or
words and passive disregard for intrusive thoughts.
When doing the repetitions, one should sit quietly,
eyes closed, in a comfortable position; relax the
muscles; breathe slowly and naturally, saying the
focus word silently upon exhalation; and assume a
passive attitude. Stay seated for at least a minute
before stopping the exercise and rising. Benson rec-
ommends practicing this technique once or twice a
day for 10 to 20 minutes each time.
Many relaxation techniques have been set forth
as complementary treatments for illness, including
yoga, Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, meditation, and
bodywork. Relaxation aids patients before and
after surgery and has been shown to help coun-
teract the effects of hypertension, chronic pain,
sleep-onset insomnia, unexplained infertility,
premenstrual syndrome, cancer, acquired immun-
odeficiency syndrome (AIDS), cardiac arrhythmias,
anxiety, depression, hostility, migraine and cluster
headache, asthma, and other ailments. Relaxation is
considered a major factor in the practice of mind-
body medicine.
See also BENSON, HERBERT.remedy picture The set of symptoms that charac-
terize or dictate a certain remedy, or treatment, also
known as the total symptom picture, in homeo-
pathic medicine. As opposed to treating one symp-
tom at a time, the remedy picture is similar to the138 rejuvenation therapy