Reiki and Your Sex Life!

One of the myths instilled in some spiritual teachings is that the physical body is a hindrance to our spiritual development. We already are spiritual beings, first and foremost. Our physical bodies allow us, as spiritual beings, to experience human existence. Why would we strive to shed our physical garb and lose the opportunity to have this unique experience?

Choosing celibacy over sexuality will not make a person more spiritual than a person who enjoys sexual intimacy. Celibacy is a choice, but it is only one pathway a person can choose to take in experiencing life. As a choice, celibacy does have some merits. It offers an experience that can help a person develop his or her personal awareness. Those who choose celibacy feel that their choice is more “spiritually appropriate” for them, but it's not a superior choice. Some Reiki practitioners choose celibacy, while others are sexually active. Neither group is more superior or more spiritual than the other.

The sacral chakra determines our sexual appetites and disposition. It is also associated with our playfulness and our creative natures. Spiritual lessons associated with the sacral chakra are creativity, manifestation, honoring relationships, and learning to “let go.”

Ruled by the Sacral Chakra

 

The attunement process that activates Reiki moves the ki energies through all the chakras. The energy movement begins at the crown chakra and moves downward through the root chakra and back up again. Any chakras that are shut down or partially blocked will be opened up during the attunement. The second chakra, the body's sexual center, cannot help but be affected by this. This is especially true if it has not been functioning fully beforehand. If a person has been sexually repressed or has had his sexual center shut down, the Reiki attunement could very possibly open up a “Pandora's box” of intimacy-related issues, sexual urges, and emotions.

A person can have an active sex life even when his sacral chakra is blocked or shut down. Basically, a person with a closed sexual center goes through the motion of having sex without having a total awareness of his body. Having sex in this way can be enjoyable, but it does not compare to having a sexual experience with the sacral chakra open. Sharing sexual intimacy while your sacral chakra is open and functioning can be a completely startling experience for someone who has been closed off from his or her physical body. Admittedly, being fully in your body while making love can be exhilarating, to say the least. You will not likely forget the feeling once you have experienced it because it is a glorious blend of the physical and the spiritual.

Turning Your Partner On with Reiki

 

Reiki and sexual intimacy go together beautifully. The Reiki practitioner who conducts regular self-treatments will keep his or her chakras spinning and purring in perfect working order. When your sacral chakra is open and functioning, it can work like an “attraction beacon” that will bring together you and your lover like a pair of magnets. Your lover may not realize why she is being drawn so strongly to you; she will just know that being around you makes her feel good.

Bringing Reiki energy into your lovemaking is not only a wonderful gift for yourself but will also be appreciated by your partner. If, by chance, you and your partner are both attuned to Reiki, your lovemaking has the potential to blend your energies together in sacred sexuality; in other words, it will be a union of two souls.

Reiki Body Massage

 

Giving your partner a Reiki massage is an openhearted and nurturing demonstration of your love. For some couples, it may be a good way to arouse each other sexually. For others, it may have a calming, relaxing effect, easing the stresses from the recipient's body and sending them right into a slumber pose. Whether you use it for foreplay or foresleep, Reiki massage is a wonderful way to be intimate with your partner.

The basic Reiki hand placements are not used while giving a massage. Reiki will naturally kick in during the session. For instance, you can lovingly give your partner a Reiki back rub:

• Charge your (preferably organic) massage oils with Reiki energies. Sweet almond oil and jojoba oil are favorites for releasing stresses.
• Have your partner lay on her stomach on the bed.
• Cover the lower part of your partner's body with some warm towels so she will not be chilled.
• Pour a handful of massage oil in your hands. Allow your Reiki hands to warm the oil.
• Begin by smoothing your hands in slow, sweeping movements across your partner's neck, shoulders, and upper back.
• Begin stroking and rubbing the neck and shoulders.
• Continue kneading out any kinks or stresses as you move your hands down your partner's back.
• Finish the massage by lightly scratching her skin surface with your fingernails in circular or figure-eight movements.
• Lie down and snuggle up next to your partner.
  
  
  "The back rub massage described here should not be used as therapy in a clinical setting or as a healing practice. Such behavior is not acceptable between a practitioner and a client and should be reserved for your intimate relationship."

Reiki Now an Accepted Healing Technique in Many U.S. Hospitals

The healing art of Reiki, once quarunteened and ostresized far from western mainstream collective consciousness, is now growing in popularity and acceptenace in hospitals throughout the once uninterested United States as the American medical community is beginning to understand the effectiveness of the treatments and also the increase in post Reiki patient satisfaction. Today, many U.S. hospitals now include Reiki in their patient services.

A research study performed at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut concludes Reiki treatments have improved patient sleep by 86 percent, reduced pain by 78 percent, reduced nausea by 80 percent, and reduced anxiety during pregnancy by 94 percent. 75% of the patients who participated in the study also said that they would “definitely want service again”, as reported by the U.S. paper USA Today in September 2012.

Over 800 hospitals now offer Reiki as a regular part of patient services in the United States. Following is a sample of the hospitals offering Reiki healing services and this number is expected to continue to grow as once seemingly unpenatrable western consciusness structures open and broaden as we continue our journey through the age of information. For a larger list and more documentation visit;
http://healingtoday.com/reiki_facts.htm

Yale-New Haven Hospital (America's Best Hospitals 2007), Connecticut Harvard University, Boston/Cambridge, Massachusetts Brigham and Women’s Hospital (America's Best Hospitals 2007), Boston Massachusetts General Hospital (America's Best Hospitals 2007), Boston, California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, California Johns Hopkins Hospital (America's Best Hospitals 2007), Baltimore George Washington University Medical Center, Washington DC Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, NY Portsmouth Regional Hospital, Portsmouth, NH Hawaii Pacific Health-Wilcox Memorial Hospital, Lihue, Hawaii Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA University of Colorado Medical School, CO

Reiki Healing and Mental Health: What the Research Shows

 

Healing touch therapies, the best known being Reiki (pronounced RAY-key), are ancient practices in increasingly wide use today.

According to the International Association of Reiki Professionals (IARP), “Reiki is [a] subtle and effective form of energy healing using spiritually guided life force energy… [p]racticed in every country of the world.” While often considered to be spiritual in nature, Reiki is not “[a]ffiliated with any particular religion or religious practice.”

Reiki is increasingly offered in hospital, hospice, and private practice settings, applied to a variety of illnesses and conditions. Those who receive such treatments report relief of symptoms from numerous health challenges, including mental health issues. Research shows that reiki primarily helps in the reduction of stress, anxiety and depression, as well as relief of chronic pain — the last of which can bring on anxiety and depression, or make episodes worse.

Many Studies, Varying Quality

There are now sufficient peer-reviewed, published research results available to begin to sort out Reiki’s effectiveness in various areas. The Center for Reiki Research has intensively examined a group of them through their “Touchstone Process,” “…a uniquely rigorous peer review method for analyzing a group of scientific studies” [using Reiki]. Its end product is a set of critical summaries derived from an impartial and consistent process…. [T]he process incorporates existing best practices for scientific review…” (CRR)

This process looks at all aspects of the study design and how each investigation was actually carried out. Results are analyzed, and study strengths and weaknesses are determined. The Touchstone Process has produced a group of nearly three dozen carefully analyzed studies. The CRR draws some conclusions about Reiki’s effectiveness from only the studies they have examined that they judge to be of at least satisfactory or better quality. (CRR)

In addition to the CRR/Touchstone studies, a varied body of research on Reiki demonstrates its effect on mental health. For example, Joe Potter, a Reiki Master in the United Kingdom, has been conducting an ongoing investigation into Reiki’s effectiveness. An online search in PubMed lists dozens of studies involving Reiki or other healing touch methods, investigating a broad range of conditions in many different populations.

Some investigations were conducted on animals, which helps eliminate some questions of bias and design control among Reiki recipients. Some studies used “sham” Reiki as a form of control (nonpractitioners administered a “Reiki-like” treatment), and others involved distance Reiki (Reiki delivered from too far away to permit touch). Each of these variables lends something importing to understanding the efficacy of the treatment itself.

Demonstrated Effects on Stress, Depression, Anxiety and Pain

Potter reports that “[s]tress was the most common word written by clients as a description or part description of their condition during their first session. Here 20.27% of the total client group treated used this word on their initial visit for Reiki treatment….” In animal studies, Reiki treatment produced clear signs of reduced stress as indicated by changes in autonomic, biological measurements such as heart rate (Baldwin, Wagers and Schwartz, 2008) and certain cellular signs of stress-related damage (Baldwin and Schwartz, 2006). In a study of nurses with “burn out syndrome,” biological indicators of a significant relaxation response were found as a result of Reiki treatment (Diaz-Rodriguez et al., 2011). When nurses administered Reiki to a group of patients with acute coronary syndrome, physiologic indicators of a significant relaxation effect were recorded. (Friedman et al., 2011)

Shore (2004) followed patients being treated for mild depression and stress. After six weeks of treatment and for up to a year afterward, those who had received Reiki showed both immediate and long-term improvements in depression, stress and hopelessness. In a small study, complete elimination of typical postoperative depression was seen in heart surgery patients given Reiki during surgery (Motz, 1998).

Pain often causes depression and anxiety. Reducing difficult-to-treat chronic pain can have a substantial effect on psychological well-being. Some studies have found Reiki to be effective for pain, anxiety and depression relief. However, their design or conclusions are unclear as to whether Reiki’s emotional benefits were a result of pain reduction or a separate phenomenon. Nonetheless, research demonstrated Reiki’s positive results for both pain and anxiety or depression.

Dressing and Sing (1998) found that among cancer patients, Reiki brought about significant levels of pain relief, anxiety and depression reduction, improvements in sleep quality, relaxation and general well-being. This effect was stronger in men than women. These benefits remained when checked after three months. Among abdominal hysterectomy patients, Reiki helped reduce pain and anxiety, particularly in a preoperative setting (Vitale and O’Conner, 1998).

Investigating Effects of Gentle Touch, Distance

Research shows that gentle touch in a safe environment aids stress reduction and pain relief (for example, Weze et al., 2005). Since Reiki generally involves a similar type of touch, the results of Reiki studies often can be confounded by the known impact of gentle touch vs. the effects of Reiki itself. Studies that include sham Reiki treatment groups, as well as those that involve a distance Reiki group, have been important to help sort out the relative effects of Reiki versus gentle touch – or even the effects of the presence of a “therapist,” real or sham.

Reiki is becoming an increasingly accepted presence in hospitals and clinics. (The Center for Reiki Research website lists 70 institutions at the time of this article that include Reiki in their offerings.) It is seen as an effective and cost-reducing method to improve health outcomes and quality of care. Hospital staff, such as physicians and nurses, are adding Reiki treatments to their work. Scientific validation of Reiki’s effectiveness have helped bring this method to the mainstream, where it is able to aid patients in all realms, including those with mental health challenges.

References

Baldwin, A. L.. Reiki, the Scientific Evidence. (Fall, 2011). pp. 29-31.

Baldwin, A.L., Schwartz, G.E. (2006). Personal Interaction with a Reiki Practitioner Decreases Noise-Induced Microvascular Damage in an Animal Model. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 12(1):15–22, 2006. In Center for Reiki Research, Retrieved June 23, 2012, from http://www.centerforreikiresearch.org/

Baldwin, A.L., Wagers, C. and Schwartz, G.E. (2008). Reiki improves heart rate homeostasis in laboratory rats. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 14 (4): 417-422. Retrieved June 23, 2012, from http://www.centerforreikiresearch.org/

Center for Reiki Research (CRR). Retrieved June 23, 2012, from http://www.centerforreikiresearch.org/

Diaz-Rodriguez, L., Arroyo-Morales, M, Fernández-de-las-Peñas, C., García-Lafuente, F., García-Royo, C. and Tomás-Rojas, I. (2011). Immediate effects of Reiki on heart rate variability, cortisol levels, and body temperature in health care professionals with burnout. Biol Res Nurs, 13: 376 originally published online 5 August 2011. In Center for Reiki Research, Retrieved June 23, 2012, from http://www.centerforreikiresearch.org/

Dressin, L.J., Singg, S. (1998). Effects of Reiki on pain and selected affective and personality variables of chronically ill patients. Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine, 9(1):53-82.

Friedman, R.S.C., Burg, M.M., Miles, P., Lee, F. and Lampert, R. (2010). Effects of Reiki on Autonomic Activity Early After Acute Coronary Syndrome. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 56: 995-996. In Baldwin, Fall, 2011.

International Association of Reiki Professionals (IARP). Definition of Reiki. Retrieved June 22, 2012, from http://www.iarpreiki.org/

Motz, J. (1998). Hands of Life. New York: Bantam Books.

Potter, Joe, Research Report, Introduction and General Findings. Retrieved July 21, 2012 from http://www.reiki-research.co.uk/

PubMed. Retrieved July 24, 2012 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed

Shore, A.G. (2004). Long term effects of energetic healing on symptoms of psychological depression and self-perceived stress. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 10(3):42-48.

Vitale, A.T., O’Conner, P.C. (1998). The effect of Reiki on pain and anxiety in women with abdominal hysterectomies. Holistic Nursing Practice, 20(6): 263-272, 2006. In Center for Reiki Research, Retrieved June 23, 2012, from http://www.centerforreikiresearch.org/

Weze C, Leathard H.L., Grange J, Tiplady P, Stevens G. (January, 2005). Evaluation of healing by gentle touch. Public Health. 119(1):3-10.

By Deborah Bier, PhD

Tips for incorporating Reiki into you Daily Life

The following include tips for how you can use Reiki throughout various times of your day.

Jump starting your day.

Set the alarm clock 10 minutes early to hit the snooze button once.  (If you are like me and  already hit the snooze one or more times you can miss this first step.)  As soon as you hit the snooze button – place your hands on your body and start doing Reiki and enjoy the next 10 minutes of Reiki bliss. If you have the symbols activate them.  You can place them in the palm of your hand.  I know someone who draws them on the rough of her mouth with her tongue and other people who merely visualize them.  It is not necessary to do all of the hand positions as time is limited.  You can also just hold your hands on your body in one place as the Reiki energy will go where it is needed.  Relax and enjoy the next 9 minutes until the alarm goes off.  You will feel refreshed and good about the fact that you have already started you day off with the Reiki.

While watching TV do Reiki on yourself. 

Place your hands on your body and start doing Reiki.  If you have the symbols activate them.     It is not necessary to do all of the hand positions if time is limited.  You can also just hold them on your body in one place as the Reiki energy will go where it is needed.   You will be surprised how commercials don’t seem to bother you as much because you will be much more relaxed.  You don’t mind waiting for the show to return as it means you can keep on soaking up that wonderful Reiki energy.

How to comfortably treat your  knees and toes while sitting and doing Reiki on yourself?

I find it very easy and comfortable to beam Reiki energy to my knees and feet rather than bending over and trying to do hands on.  Just hold your hands up facing your knees and feet, state your intention and beam.

Energize your food!

You hear all of the horror stories of the additives and preservatives in our food.  Help yourself and your family but giving Reiki to you food before you eat.  If you have the symbols use the power symbol.  You can also use the mental/emotional symbol if you or someone who will be sharing the meal with you has an issue with food such as using food for comfort or who use food as a release from other issues.     If you don’t have the symbols beam to the food by stating your intention and holding your hands up so the Reiki energy flows out over the food.

Energize  your vitamins and/or medication

Give Reiki to the medication to help increase its acceptance within your body and its effectiveness. If you have the symbols use the power symbol.  You can also use the mental/emotional symbol if you have any emotional issues or concerns about the use of the medication or its potential side effects. If you don’t have the symbols beam to the bottle by stating your intention and holding your hands up so the Reiki energy flows out over the bottle.

Energize a room

Use Reiki to charge a room.  This is especially helpful for meeting rooms . If you don’t have the symbols beam to the room by stating your intention and holding your hands up so the Reiki energy flows out.  I know no one wants to draw attention to themselves  by beaming in a room full of people.  Try getting the meeting first and use that time to beam.  If it is not possible then bring a cup with you if you can.  While holding the cup up to drink you can send Reiki to the room.  You can also sit with your hands slightly to your side and turned slightly outward so your can beam. If you have the symbols draw the power symbol.  You may also want to use the mental/emotional symbol as there are often relationship issues and emotions that can emerge during meetings. I have done this on numerous occasions and been pleasantly surprised by the outcomes of the meetings especially ones which had the potential to be very difficult.

Mind working at warp speed?

A quick and easy way to quiet your mind is to put you hands in Gasho position.  Gasho is one of the pillars of Reiki  Bringing your hands together in front of you holding them about the height of your heart.  Concentrate on where the middle 2 fingers meet.  If any thought arise acknowledge them, dismiss them and bring your concentration back to where the midde 2 fingers meet. With repeated practice of the Gasho meditation I now find that just bringing my hands into Gasho position helps me rebalance and relax.  Try doing Gasho meditation every day for a few weeks and see if you experience these same results.

by Elizabeth Galbraith

11 advantages of drinking water!

Despite the fact that water is something that has no taste, we still love it! Who doesn’t relish the feeling of a cool drink of water on a sweltering hot day?

Approximately 70% of our body’s mass is made of water and according to a number of doctors, drinking a total of eight glasses of water a day fulfils the necessary requirement of this liquid our body demands.

For a long time now, I have been searching regarding the benefits associated with water. Finally, after reviewing countless websites, I  have compiled a list, highlighting the advantages of drinking water that can surely help you in living a healthy life. So, here are the 11advantages of drinking water:

1) Water is the only liquid on Earth that safely reduces weight. It removes the by-products of fat and keeps you fresh and healthy. Drinking water regularly, suppresses your appetite to a great extent and limits your food  intake. Another distinct feature of water is that it literally contains no calories, hence, contributing significantly to weight loss

2) Do you want to look younger? Problem solved! Just drink lots of water every day! Water is a perfect replacement for your expensive ageing treatments. It moisturises your skin and keeps it fresh and glistening thereby enhancing its overall appeal. In addition, it helps maintain the elasticity and suppleness of the skin and prevents dryness by detoxifying the skin. Hence, one should strictly avoid dehydrating foods and beverages such as caffeine (cola, chocolate, coffee, tea) and alcohol

3) Drinking enough water can also combat skin disorders such as eczema, psoriasis, dry skin, wrinkles and spots

4) Water is an essential component required for the effective working of our body since body parts including our brain and the various tissues are mostly composed of water. Considering this, water can significantly improve our ability to think and make us energetic too.

5) Water removes toxins and most of the waste products from our body contributing to a healthy quality of life. If our body lacks water then our heart has to make an extra effort to pump fresh oxygenated blood to our organs causing severe health issues

6) A study conducted in the Loma Linda university in California, involving 20 men and woman in the age range of 38 to 100 years, concluded that those who drank enough water throughout the day were less likely to have a heart attack (41% in women and 54% in men). Hence, it can be suggested that if you substitute water with milk, tea, coffee or other beverages then you will have increased chances of incurring a heart attack, with a precise rate of 50% in women and 46% in men.

7)  Water helps to relieve headaches and back pain. Although there are many reasons that contribute to headaches, dehydration is one of the most common ones.

8) Regular intake of water increases your metabolic rate and improves your digestive system. If you are constipated, try drinking more water - it can work wonders!

9) Drinking plenty of water helps fight against the flu and other ailments like kidney stones. Water, along with lemon or lemon juice is often used to overcome respiratory diseases, intestinal problems, rheumatism and arthritis. On the whole, water plays a fundamental role in strengthening your immune system

10) Research suggests that drinking substantial amounts of water is likely to reduce the risks of bladder and colon cancer. This is because water has the ability to dilute the concentration of cancer-causing agents in the urine and reduce the time they take to come in contact with the bladder lining

11) The human body needs a neutral Ph 7 range in order to function properly. Drinking enough water throughout the day helps maintain this balance.

Given that dehydration, “the excessive loss of body fluid” can be a major source of aggravating one’s health, it seems obvious that drinking sufficient water is of utmost importance for a healthy lifestyle. Water determines the effective functioning of the body and a healthier body means a happier life!

So, if you haven’t already, go to the nearest water cooler and pour yourself a large glass of water; repeat this practice eight times a day for best results!

What is Imperfection?

 A major lesson I have learned on my Reiki path is that what I perceive as the imperfections in my life are the most valuable lessons for my growth and well-being.

What wondrous things life's lessons are. It has brought into my life situations and people who have taught me that, what I perceive as imperfections in my life, are but lessons to be learned. Thus bringing the realization that what is happening is as it should be and that I'm perfect (imperfect). 

It is the realization that everyone learns and heals at different rates and that what I am learning and how I am healing is all in perfection for my well-being. What is important is to recognize and acknowledge this and open our hearts, our total being, to the lessons that abound around us. By recognizing the lessons and learning from them, personal growth and well-being takes place in a joyous way.

When I ignore the lesson that is before me, fear, frustration and doubt creep back into my life. It is during these times that I realize how fortunate I am to have Reiki as a part of my life to help me through life challenges. To see the situation for what it is...a lesson; to feel the healing energies of Reiki; and know that everything is in perfection allows me to meet the challenge, learn the lesson, and grow with Love and Joy.

As my life journey continues, I awake each day with great joy, gratitude, and expectation for the lessons to be learned, and the knowingness that I am part of a wonderful and Divine plan.

Do not be afraid, put down your cloak of darkness and soar to the Heavens. Let the Light shine brightly on you for you are a deserving and loving child of God. Fear not, fly high and set yourself free. Be still and you will hear the sweet song of You. Let your Light shine brightly for it will bring you great happiness and joy, bringing Love to you and the world. Open the Door and awaken to the wonders of You. Know that you were made in perfection. Set yourself free and fly!

Helen Sonobe, is an ICRT Licensed Reiki Master teacher. She is a native of Hawaii, and teaches classes in the islands and other parts of the U.S.

by Helen Sonobe

Similarities between the Healing of Jesus and Reiki

John 14-12: "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me, can do the same miracles I have done, and even greater things than these will you do."

One of the outstanding aspects of Jesus' life was the miracles he worked. According to the Bible, Jesus walked on water, fed five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fishes, changed water to wine and raised people from the dead. However, the most meaningful of his miracles were the healings he performed. These healings include: paralysis, lameness, fever, catalepsy, hemorrhage, skin disease, mental disorders, spirit possession, deafness and blindness. Many of these healings were accomplished by the laying on of hands. This is indicated frequently in the New Testament, Luke 4:40 states: "When the Sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hand on each one, he healed them."

In Matthew 8:14-15, Jesus uses touch to heal Peter's mother-in-law of a fever. In Mark 1:40-42 Jesus uses his hands to heal a man with leprosy. This is also mentioned in Luke 5:12-13. Matthew 20:29-34 describes how Jesus healed two blind men by touching their eyes and in Mark 8:22-25 Jesus uses his hands to heal another blind man. In Mark 7:32 35 he uses touch to heal a man who is deaf and can't speak. In Luke 7:12-15, Jesus raises a dead man by touching his coffin and in Luke 8:49-55 Jesus uses touch to return a dead girl to life.

There are many similarities between the laying on of hands healing Jesus did and the practice of Reiki. One important similarity is the fact that Jesus could pass the power to heal on to others which is similar to the Reiki attunement process. We read in Luke 9:1-2 that Jesus gave his twelve disciples power to drive out all demons and to cure diseases. We do not know by what process Jesus gave healing power to his disciples, but the fact that he was able to pass it on to them indicates an important similarity with Reiki.

Another aspect of Jesus' healing practice that is similar to Reiki relates to faith. While faith was required for many of the healings he performed, it appears that the healings Jesus did with his hands did not require faith. Mark 6:5-6 states: "He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith." So, in spite of the fact that they did not believe, Jesus was still able to use laying on of hands to heal. This is one of the important aspects of Reiki: It does not require faith on the part of those receiving a treatment in order for the Reiki to work.

The fact that Jesus had secret teachings he gave only to those who he had given healing power is clearly indicated in Matthew 13:10-11 and Mark 4:10-12 & 34. Secret knowledge is also part of the Reiki teachings in that the symbols as well as the process of doing attunements are traditionally kept secret and only made available to those who take a Reiki class.

It is not known whether Jesus was born with the ability to heal through touch or if this was something he acquired. His activities between age twelve and thirty are not mentioned in the Bible. It has been suggested by several researchers that during this time Jesus traveled to the East and was schooled in many of the mystical teachings of India, Tibet and China. If this is so, it is possible that Jesus was initiated into a healing technique, during this time.

On the other hand, it is possible that Jesus was taught directly by God or the Holy Spirit or simply had these abilities from birth. There is some good information indicating that the healing methods of Jesus were preserved by the Church of the East and passed on by it's missionaries who traveled along the Silk Road and other trade routes to India, Tibet and China. It is possible that this information on healing could have been incorporated into the religious teachings of the East and therefore could have been the original source of the Reiki techniques that were used by Dr. Usui.

The early followers of Jesus' teachings were made up of several groups. One such group was the Gnostics. They practiced laying on of hands and professed to have a secret knowledge that had been passed on to them by Jesus and his disciples. The Gnostics were made up of many smaller groups some of which were known as the Docetists, the Marcionites, and the Carpocratians. They were united by their core beliefs which included: a personal experience of Jesus or the "kingdom of heaven within," their freedom and lack of rules, guidelines or creeds and their reliance on inspiration and inner guidance. Their existence is attested to by the Gnostic gospels which are part of the Nag Hamadi Library which was discovered in Egypt in 1959. The fact that Jesus had additional teachings not recorded in the Bible is attested to in a letter written in the second century AD by the early Church father, Clement of Alexandria. In Clement's letter, he spoke of a secret gospel of Mark which was based on the normal canonical one but with additions for special followers of Jesus, referred to as "those who were being perfected" and "those who are being initiated into the great mysteries."

When Christianity became organized after the second century, its teachings were centered around faith and the official teachings of the church, rather than healing or "good works" and inner guidance as practiced by the Gnostics. At this time, those promoting the organization of the church began subduing and banishing those Gnostics who would not conform to the authority of the newly developing Church. In addition they tried to destroy the Gnostic gospels. With the elimination of the Gnostics and the establishment of the Official Christian Church, the practice of laying on hands by lay Christians was strongly discouraged.

Jesus possessed great confidence in his ability and was able to heal in an instantaneous way with spectacular results. It is clear that he had perfected many skills and used them in conjunction to get the results he created. Clearly the Bible indicates that he did healing by laying on hands and also indicated that we could do the same. The teachings of Jesus, as well as the example he set are a great inspiration for us

by William Lee Rand

10 Ways Reiki Helps Relationships

 

 At least for today:

Do not be angry

Do not worry

Be grateful

Work with diligence

Be kind to people

Those are the five principles of Reiki that practitioners live by. Simple advice for a better life—but it doesn't stop there. As a Reiki Master, I've discovered both personally and through my clients numerous ways Reiki can help with love and relationships specifically.

But first, what exactly is Reik?

Reiki is a hands-on healing technique from Japan and means "transcendent life force." The practice of Reiki guides this "Ki," or energy, that surrounds and permeates every living thing. Reiki enhances wellness by helping your body balance itself, and enables you to take an active role in your health.

As a practitioner I place my hands in various positions on or above my client, acting as a channel for the Reiki ( or Ki ) to move through, clearing and enhancing the energy throughout the client's body, according to what he or she needs. During sessions people often experience a deep feeling of relaxation and warmth. In addition, one of the great things about the system of Reiki is that anyone can learn to use it on themselves, and daily self-care is an empowering component.

While Reiki can be effective with a range of physical and emotional issues, ( clients see me for help with stress, anxiety, insomnia, back pain, and depression, to name a few ) I've also had many come to me for help with love and relationships. I've highlighted 10 key ways Reiki can help below:

1. Be present

In a Reiki session, focusing on the placement of the practitioner's hands and any accompanying sensations can deeply root you into paying attention to the present moment. After receiving or practicing Reiki regularly, it can help you be in the present moment more often, allowing you to enjoy the journey of dating, for example, rather than spending your time obsessing over "where this is going," and trying to predict the future.

2. Be yourself

Reiki helps you stay centered in yourself, rather than trying to be what someone else wants you to be. It's often hard to love and value ourselves but Reiki can help you truly connect to that best part of yourself. If you're centered and feeling good about who you are, you'll attract healthy relationships.

3. Let go

Yes, just like the Sting song—"if you love someone set them free." Reiki helps with neediness—rather than being clingy, Reiki helps you connect to yourself and something higher than yourself ( Spirit, Universal Energy, God, whatever you want to call it ), instead of relying on someone else to fill a void.

4. Have an aha moment

Reiki can help you gain clarity, tap into your intuition, and discover your inner wisdom. I've had clients come to me to gain clarity about what they need from a relationship ( e.g. with a boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wife, or another family member ). It can also give you big-picture perspective to better assess if your relationship is working or if something needs to change.

5. Align what we say we want and what we really want

You know when there's something you really want—say, a healthy relationship, or a specific goal, or a challenge to overcome? And even though it's a positive thing, you can feel in your body where you hold resistance to it. Maybe because change can be scary, maybe because it stretches you to grow, but from whatever place that this resistance is coming from, Reiki can be very effective at softening and helping you let go of it.

6. Have a sense of humor

This one may seem strange, and no, you probably won't roll off the massage table after your session in a wave of giggles, but Reiki does help put things in perspective. Whether it's not taking yourself too seriously, or being able to laugh at yourself instead of being self-righteous in the midst of an argument, having a sense of humor is something everyone can use to deal with the ups and downs of relationships.

7. Take risks

Sometimes even though we may say we want a relationship, deep down the risk of getting hurt and rejected is too painful a prospect. Reiki can help you feel comfortable with risk, by softening resistance and allowing you to be open to possibility.

8. Give and receive

Most people usually have trouble with one or the other. Giving and receiving are two sides of the same coin, just like inhaling and exhaling, and it's important in relationships to find a balance. Sometimes clients ask me what they should do during a session—if they should think of an affirmation or focus on their breathing, etc. But a Reiki session is truly the perfect time to do nothing and just receive ( and how often do you get to do that? ). The session is much more effective the more you let go and are open to receiving whatever you need in the moment.

9. Set boundaries

Reiki helps you set clear boundaries. In relationships, sometimes it's easy to expect another person to fulfill things for you that they simply can't or shouldn't ( and vice versa ). Reiki helps you gain clarity as you assess what you can and can't do for someone else ( with the holidays approaching, family dynamics are certainly a good example of this ).

10. Find balance

Lastly, Reiki is all about balance, whether it's your emotions, your physical body, or your life in general. My motto is "balance equals true health" and if all areas of your life are in balance you'll be happier and your relationships will be happier.

You shall not steal !

The most common human activity is not what you think… 

We are mainly made of energy, in different density levels, and we burn energy every day. When we don’t know how to refill in a healthy and natural manner, we steal it from others. Human beings are entangled in this ongoing struggle and subconscious competition that explains many conflicts, situations, and behaviors.

In his milestone book “The Celestine Prophecy“, James Redfield describes four mechanisms of energy stealing. My practice as an energy therapist brought me to verify those mechanisms, and to find explanations in the traditional Chinese medicine concepts :

The Intimidator : gets others’ energy by threatening, either verbally or physically, oppressing, imposing, and even beating up people. Fear, as a matter of fact, empties the Kidneys meridian, where we stock our vital energy, and where is stored our original (transmitted by our lineage) energy. The Intimidator generates fear, and then just has to collect the energy that leaks violently and completely from his counterpart.

The Interrogator : gets others’ energy by questioning everything all the time. Children subconsciously use that technique. Adults use it out of excessive curiosity, jealousy, to find the flaws and better belittle or criticize. That mechanism empties the Earth Element (Stomach and Spleen meridians), which regulates self-confidence, the Gall Bladder meridian (focus, imagination, reflection), and the Heart meridian (interaction with others), because personal boundaries are violated.

The Aloof : gets others’ energy by looking indifferent, withdrawn, mysterious or secretive, which leads others to exhaust themselves trying to get his attention, wondering what is going on, or feeling guilty.  That technique drains the Earth Element (self-confidence, anxiety/Spleen).

The Poor Me : gets others’ energy by complaining, telling you all the horrible things that happened/is happening/will happen to him, and makes you believe it is partly your fault, unless you help them. I can visualize you putting names on each profile (“That is exactly my partner!”, “Oh yes, my mother always does that!…”) … Very well! Learn how to recognize the energy thieves, young and old. And now, think about your own profile! Do you recognize yourself in one (or more) of these descriptions ? If the answer is yes, it is time to change your technique. Your relationships will benefit wonderfully…

How to gain energy without stealing it from others ? 

Dr. Joseph Valks – The Sneaky World of Thought Viruses

Thought viruses can have a strange power. Have you ever had a catchy jingle, phrase or song that seems to go round and round in your head, and you are unable to clear your head of it? This according to some experts is a thought virus, or meme. They usually start from a single source, but can spread to millions with varying effects. Some can be uplifting while others, dangerous and even destructive e.g. spread of Nazism during the 2^nd world war. Richard Dawkins suggests memes propagate themselves from the initial source by passing from brain to brain, radiating from mind to mind, and persisting for long enough to be recognised as a meme.

 As well as a person possessing a consciousness, he/she is also part of a group consciousness, a set of shared beliefs, ideas and moral attitudes which operate as a unifying source within a society. That person also possesses a personal subconscious and belongs to part of a collective unconscious which is of a universal and an impersonal nature to individuals in a group. Thought viruses can affect individuals and groups, at both the conscious and subconscious level.

People are open to suggestion, and if their conscious mind isn’t their subconscious could be. Just try keeping that jingle out of your head when you’re trying to go to sleep at night. If a meme is planted in somebody’s mind it acts like a parasite in the brain, staying there and replicating by being passed on to others. This can be among peers or passed from generation to generation. This is a form of brainwashing is part of everyday life beginning with myths, legends and religion, in childhood. (I’m not calling religion, just stating you tend to believe the one you’re brought up with). Some viruses are short lived while others pass from generation to generation and are more or less indestructible. If you have a meme in your head that needs removing, the first step towards a cure is accepting it for what it is and trying to be an individual and not a carbon copy.

Deep inside the subconscious are thoughts, emotions, and memories that centre on aspects of your life that according to Jung and Freud influence a person’s attitude and behaviour, which helps shape their personality. A core pattern of these emotions such as bitterness or fears organized around a common theme, such as status, is known as a complex. These can also be positive or negative resulting in good or bad consequences. Examples include attitudes towards the opposite sex and family members. Powerful complexes can impede or make impossible intentions of the conscious will, and noticeably affect the memory causing a state of compulsive thinking and acting. A master manipulator, whether good or evil, is able to recognise and affect these complexes in individuals or even sizable groups, through both actions and speech. It’s a kind of hypnotic character. In the case of Nazism Hitler was able to incite a crowd into a mass hysteria, to perform the unthinkable.

So let us now take a look at the darker side of thought viruses. To take a well documented example when a former member of the satanic church fell out with his leader, he was told, ‘I see you taking a revolver from the draw. I see you placing it to your head. I see you pulling the trigger.’

A few days later he blew his brains out. Was this the power of suggestion?

Let us take a closer look.

Was the man mentally ill?  – Probably not!

Could medication have helped him? – Possibly, or certainly have prolonged the time to his death!

Was he weak minded? – Exactly the same thing occurred with an entire country during the 2^nd world war when the Nazis were infected by a madman to commit atrocities. It is ridiculous to think his mind was stronger than an entire nation!

I can’t explain exactly how it works, or the suffering involved, only it’s kind of like an obsessive compulsive disorder that ends in death. In the end the victim ends up in a sort of mind prison, this is an extremely painful form of complex. It occurs when someone’s mind becomes held, or trapped, in a hell-like situation inside their mind. They cannot free their mind form it, and it can cause acute trauma. It can even freeze the mind in time and place and distort memory to the state of hallucination. They might even become so desperate they take their own life. However, it’s best not to. Some people believe the consequence of suicide itself is a kind of mind prison. The shame and guilt of an individual that can’t let go, places them in a self imposed holding zone, with other negative beings that share the hell, before angels can return them to the source/God. Extreme forms of mind prison may be illustrated by science fiction, such as where the mind of a criminal is drawn and caged inside a prison box ‘room of infinite white nothingness.’

Mind control involves using systematic and unethical methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator which is to the detriment of those being manipulated.

Classic techniques are designed to breakdown a person’s mind by dehumanizing. Methods include psychological harassment, sensory deprivation, degradation and group social pressure. However, sneaky thought viruses are very underhand and can be introduced into society almost undetected. Take world domination via children’s writing for example!

The strange occult doings at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft, and also movies such as the Blair Witch Project, furthered by devil worshipping rock musicians such as ‘Cocaine’ Kurt and Marlyn Manson, could be spawning a collective consciousness (or sub consciousness) of Satanism. Are the dark arts masked inside literature, film and music affecting our kids? Interest in witchcraft is sky rocketing in children, many of whom believe the world of magic to be real compared to the ‘mundane’ bible’. Instead of Sunday school, they spend their weekends playing games taken from the book of spells, summoning four headed dogs, and other ‘imaginary?’ demons. Satanic churches, and cults like the Illuminati and Kabbalah Centre, have never been more en vogue. Children are very impressionable and books, movies and trendy music, surely are a magical way to turn them towards the macabre. Vulnerable as ever, 20% our kids in the UK will now have a mental health disorder in any given year. One in fifteen deliberately self harm, there are 24,000 suicide attempts made by 10 to 19 years olds in England and Wales each year, many are on drugs, and in places up to 1 in 20 have been sexually assaulted. The devil must really be laughing in his fiery hell.

Less pleased are Christian fundamentalists. To quote hebrew4christians.com, ‘Almighty God cannot be ‘conjured’ or treated as an object, since He is Master of the Universe and subject to no one. We do not need incantations or abracadabra to conjure up feelings to help us overcome the existential void that haunts us. We can trust in the love of our father in heaven as exemplified in the gracious sacrifice of His son for us. In the end we need to trust in Him as a small child trusts in the love of his father.’

This can understandably be extremely trying when the rest of world is attempting to steal your money, blow up your house and rape your sister. I guess that’s the nature of true faith.

Dr. Joe Valks

Joe recently helped develop the British Woodlands food webs educational simulation for Newbyte and is donating his share of The Last Tiger (available Amazon kindle) children’s fantasy novel profits to the Animals on the Edge conservation project.

The Neuroscience of Suffering – And Its End

“Do not pursue the past. Do not usher in the future. Rest evenly with present awareness”

( Tibetan meditation instruction )

"Scène de genres" by Jacynthe Carrier | "Born in Lévis (Québec) Carrier lives and work in Quebec and Montreal. Through photography and video, her work is an exploration of mise en scène and performance in modern-day territory..." | Issue Nine, "The Contemplative Life": Gallery

It was 1972, and Gary Weber, a 29-year old materials science PhD student at Penn State University, had a problem with his brain. It kept generating thoughts! – continuously, oppressively – a stream of neurotic concerns about his life, his studies, whatever. While most human beings would consider this par for the course, par for the human condition (cogito ergo sum), Weber wouldn’t accept it. He was a scientist, a systematizer, a process guy. He liked to figure out how things worked, and how they could be tweaked to work more efficiently. And at that moment his brain wasn’t very efficient. It expended a lot of energy going over and over the same anxieties and cravings and storylines. “Most of these thoughts had no purpose,” he said. “They were not going to cure cancer.”

It so happened that shortly after he recognized the problem, in one of those little life coincidences that some people like to call “synchronicities,” Weber picked up a slim volume of poetry on his way out of the library. He sat down on the green grass in front of the University admin building, unpacked his lunch and idly opened the book. He read:

“All beings are from the very beginning Buddhas.”

This is the first line of a famous Zen poem – Song of Zazen – written in the 18^th century by the Japanese Buddhist teacher Hakuin Ekaku. Weber knew nothing of Zen. Still, within seconds of reading Ekaku’s words, according to Weber, “the entire world just opened up. I mean it literally opened up. For what must have been thirty or forty minutes, I dropped into this magnificent expansiveness – a vast empty space without any thoughts whatsoever.”

Weber had had what in Zen is called a “kensho” – an awakening, a glimpse into the unconditioned, a mystical phenomenon described in different ways by countless texts and countless teachers in countless traditions. It was a profound experience, but like so many such experiences, it didn’t last. Weber’s thoughts returned – as insistent and clamorous as ever. But now Weber knew another way was possible. He was determined.

For the next 25 years, as Weber finished his PhD, married and raised two kids and made his way through a string of industry jobs - eventually culminating in a senior management position running the R&D operations of big manufacturing business - he got spiritual. He read lots of books, he meditated with Zen teachers, mastered complicated yoga postures, and practiced what is known in Vedic philosophy as “self-enquiry” – a way of directing attention backwards into the center of the mind. To make time for all this, Weber would get up at 4am and put in two hours of spiritual practice before work.

Although he says he never had the sense he was making progress, Weber kept at it anyway. Then, on a morning like any other, something happened. He got into a yoga pose – a pose he had done thousands of times before – and when he moved out of it his thoughts stopped. Permanently.

“That was fourteen years ago,” says Weber. “I entered into a state of complete inner stillness. Except for a few stray thoughts first thing in the morning, and a few more when my blood sugar gets low, my mind is quiet. The old thought-track has never come back.”

Now of course, the fact that Weber is telling this story at all would seem to contradict this rather dramatic claim. Conventional wisdom tells us that talk is the verbal expression of thinking; separating the two makes no sense. And yet, this is the experience Weber reports. And at the time he didn’t care if it was theoretically impossible. What he cared about was that in an hour he needed to go to work, where he was supposed to run four research labs and manage a thousand employees and a quarter of a billion dollar budget, and he had no thoughts. How was that going to work?

“There was no problem at all,” Weber says, which he admits may say more about corporate management than about him. “No one noticed. I’d go into a meeting with nothing prepared, no list of points in my head. I’d just sit there and wait to see what came up. And what came up when I opened my mouth were solutions to problems smarter and more elegant than any I could have developed on my own.”

Over time, Weber figured out that it wasn’t that all his thoughts had disappeared; rather a particular kind of self-referential thinking had cut out, what he calls “the blah blah network.” Scientists now refer to this as the “default mode network” (DMN), that is, the endlessly ruminative story of me: the obsessive list-maker, the anxious scenario planner, the distracted daydreamer.  This is the part of the thinking process we default to when not engaged in a specific task.

“What’s fascinating to me,” Weber says, “is I can still reason and problem solve, I just don’t have this ongoing emotionally-charged self-referential narrative gobbling up bandwidth.”

But the real surprise for Weber is what disappeared along with the “me” narrative: any sense of being a separate self, and with it all mental and emotional suffering.  He has a theory about this: “If you look at the self-referential narrative it’s all ‘I, me, mine.’ When that cuts out, the ‘I’ goes with it. Now, for me, it’s very quiet and peaceful inside – there’s no sense of wanting things to be other than they are, and no ‘I’ to grab hold of ‘I want, I desire, I lust.’” Although his case is extreme, Weber’s experience is in line with research showing that more DMN activation correlates with more unhappiness – ‘A Wandering Mind is an Unhappy Mind’, as the title of one well-known paper puts it.

Weber has even found the changes have carried over into his emotional life:

“I still get angry, but it’s different now. If someone cuts me off in traffic, I feel the energy come up, but it doesn’t go anyplace. There’s no chasing somebody down the highway. The anger dissipates immediately – it doesn’t carry forward. You don’t lose the typical neural responses – thank goodness – what you lose is the desire leading up to them, and, once the response passes, you don’t make up a story about what happened that you repeat again and again in your head. Those storylines are gone.”

Like other scientists before him who’ve experienced similar transformations - the neuroscientist James Austin, the neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor, to name two examples – Weber got interested in what was going on his brain. He connected with a neuroscientist at Yale University named Judson Brewer who was studying how the DMN changes in response to meditation. He found, as expected, that experienced meditators had lower DMN activation when meditating. But when Brewer put Weber in the scanner he found the opposite pattern: Weber’s baseline was already a relatively deactivated DMN. Trying to meditate – making any kind of deliberate effort – actually disrupted his peace. In other words, Weber’s normal state was a kind of meditative letting go, something Brewer had only seen a few times previously, and other researchers had until then only reported anecdotally.

And here we come to a subtle but important difference of opinion between Weber and Brewer. For Weber, true letting go means arriving at a state of “no-thought” where the mind is permanently stilled of any kind of “bandwidth-gobbling” inner monologue. Creative thoughts, planning thoughts – these are fine, and are, according to Weber, in fact served by completely different parts of the brain. The real suffering happens in the endless and exhausting internal monologue. Thus, he argues, working to extinguish these kinds of thoughts should be the explicit goal of practice, something he says other contemplative traditions also emphasize.

By contrast, further study has suggested to Brewer that the thoughts themselves – even a certain amount of the self-referential kind – may not actually be the problem; the real problem is our human tendency to fixate and grip and get “caught up” in these thoughts. Some of his subjects attained dramatic reductions in DMN activity while still thinking in a self-referential way. They just weren’t attached to their ruminations. One subject described watching his thoughts “flow by.” As Buddhists have long argued, you don’t need to eliminate the self-thinking process, you just need to change your relationship to it.

Whatever the exact case, both men agree that a reduction of activity in the DMN is central to the elimination of suffering. That it is being discussed at all marks an important advance in the scientific study of meditation in particular and spiritual practice in general. The Mind and Life conferences, the big NIH grants, the explosion of studies on mindfulness – all have generated enormous insights. They’ve demonstrated how positive emotions can be trained, and reactivity softened, and concentration increased, and attentional clarity boosted. Many researchers have shown unequivocally that stress and suffering can be dramatically reduced by meditation and by mindfulness in life. But they have not yet shown why this is so.

Have Brewer and his colleagues finally found a clue to how the reduction of suffering looks in the brain? Not the activation of a specific region, but a more general deactivation, a neurological letting go that parallels the experiential one? Brewer: “Even in novices we saw a relative deactivation across the brain – like the brain was saying, Oh thank God I can let go. I don’t have to do stuff, I don’t have to do all this high energy maintenance of myself. One interpretation of that – and there are many others – is that the brain knows what it needs to do. It’s a very efficient machine; we just have to stop getting in the way.”

This kind of neurobiological perspective is a movement towards what Brewer calls “evidence-based faith,” where science may be able to help teachers and practitioners fine-tune the approaches they take to practice. Contemplatives may recoil at the idea, but for Brewer, addressing suffering is the priority, a project science can help with. As proof-of-concept, Brewer has just published two studies [here and here] that show how meditators can watch live feedback from their brains inside the fMRI and use it to decrease their DMN activation in real-time. And he’s just received an NIH grant to study how this could work for non-meditators – more quickly, and hopefully, one day, more affordably. “The aim is to see if neurofeedback can give regular folks feedback on subtle aspects of their experience …stuff they wouldn’t notice otherwise,” he says.

Weber agrees, “Right now we can get folks off the street and within one or two runs in the Yale fMRI they can produce this deactivated state. The more glimpses the brain gets, the more time it spends there, the more it can stay there. It’s like riding a bike. With this technology you may not have to spend twenty-five years practicing like I did. It’s much more efficient.”

Like the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths with a psychotherapeutic twist, Weber has it down to a terse progression: “I had suffering, it came from my attachments. My attachments cause me to slip over into the narrator. If I stop that, I lose my suffering. We have the tools to do this. They require no scriptural texts or philosophy. All it takes is persistence and curiosity. The old ego-motivated human existence, our 75,000 year-old operating system with its need to gratify our desires and exploit the environment and have six of this and ten of that – that can all fall away. It’s time for an upgrade.”

Source: http://www.psychologytomorrowmagazine.com/jeff-warren-neuroscience-suffering-end/

Bodily maps of emotions

Research from the University of Tampere / Dep. Biomedical Engineering and Computational Science and Brain Research .

Emotions are often felt in the body, and somatosensory feedback has been proposed to trigger conscious emotional experiences. Here we reveal maps of bodily sensations associated with different emotions using a unique topographical self-report method. In five experiments, participants (n = 701) were shown two silhouettes of bodies alongside emotional words, stories, movies, or facial expressions. They were asked to color the bodily regions whose activity they felt increasing or decreasing while viewing each stimulus. Different emotions were consistently associated with statistically separable bodily sensation maps across experiments. These maps were concordant across West European and East Asian samples. Statistical classifiers distinguished emotion-specific activation maps accurately, confirming independence of topographies across emotions. We propose that emotions are represented in the somatosensory system as culturally universal categorical somatotopic maps. Perception of these emotion-triggered bodily changes may play a key role in generating consciously felt emotions.

Emotions coordinate our behavior and physiological states during survival-salient events and pleasurable interactions. Even though we are often consciously aware of our current emotional state, such as anger or happiness, the mechanisms giving rise to these subjective sensations have remained unresolved. Here we used a topographical self-report tool to reveal that different emotional states are associated with topographically distinct and culturally universal bodily sensations; these sensations could underlie our conscious emotional experiences. Monitoring the topography of emotion-triggered bodily sensations brings forth a unique tool for emotion research and could even provide a biomarker for emotional disorders.

Source: Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences of The United States of America