Though it originated long ago in Japan, Reiki-a gentle, noninvasive healing practice that uses guided life-force energy-is now offered as a complementary therapy by 60 percent of hospitals in the U.S. This plain-English guide explains what Reiki is, how it originated and evolved, and what conditions it can help alleviate. For people seeking treatment, it offers guidance on how to find a qualified Reiki practitioner and what to expect in an initial Reiki session; for people who want to become Reiki practitioners themselves, it discusses the training process and what it takes to get started as a Reiki healer.

Nina Paul, PhD (New York, NY), is a Reiki Master in private practice. She holds doctorate in infectious disease epidemiology from Yale and is also the author of Living with Hepatitis C For Dummies (0-7645-7620-8).