Reiki, an easy to learn, simple to use method of natural hands-on energy healing, was discovered in Japan in the early years of the twentieth century. Reiki came to the west through Hawayo Takata, an American woman born in Hawaii of Japanese parents, who studied Reiki in Japan in the 1930's after having been healed by it herself. From its quiet debut in Mrs. Takata's clinic on the big island of Hawaii, Reiki in its westernized form has grown to over 2,000,000 practitioners and become the single fastest growing form of alternative healing in the world. Every weekend thousands of Reiki Masters in more than forty countries teach the method, while over a hundred books and thousands of web sites extol the benefits of Reiki healing. There is little doubt in the minds of Reiki practitioners--or of those who receive it--that Reiki heals and heals powerfully, although until recently evidence of its efficacy was mostly anecdotal.

In the last five years, however, scientists have begun serious research into Reiki as a healing modality, including studies funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) into the effects of Reiki on pain control, breast cancer, and cardiovascular risk factors. Forward looking hospitals have either begun pilot programs or are doing research toward integrating Reiki into patient care and surgical procedures.

As interest in Reiki has expanded, a group of Northwest Arkansas Reiki practitioners, all committed to Reiki healing and all trained traditionally in one of the oldest lineages of western Reiki, has come together to form The Traditional Reiki Institute, Inc. (TRI) with the stipulated purpose of furthering Reiki healing, education, and scientific research. The TRI founders have taken great care to design a framework in which all three aspects of our non-profit work are interrelated and supportive.