Bill Coryer, Co-Founder and Senior Reiki Master Teacher at Reiki Education and Research Institute in Monteagle, TN, brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to his role. With a background in sociology and metaphysics, Bill is dedicated to helping individuals overcome life challenges through Reiki, meditation, and holistic health practices. His passion for education and community outreach has led him to develop programs that have positively impacted many lives, including cancer patients and caregivers. Bill’s own healing journey with Reiki has fueled his commitment to sharing its benefits with others, making him a respected spiritual mentor and teacher in his field. MysticMag has the pleasure of chatting with Bill.
Can you share the story behind the founding of the Reiki Education and Research Institute and its mission?
In the early 2000’s, I was experiencing severe health issues. I started to receive Reiki sessions regularly from a Reiki Master in New York due to severe and chronic acid reflux disease and soon my whole life began changing for the better. I noted that my symptoms did not go away immediately but I began feeling generally better after six months. Over time the symptoms of various physical challenges began to dissolve. In addition, I noticed more clarity in my thinking and better ability to focus. This experience prompted me to learn Reiki. I started doing self-Reiki daily and continued receiving sessions on a regular basis. As my journey and experiences progressed, not only did I begin to heal physically, but my encounters with Reiki also provided me with a completely new perspective on my life’s purpose and how to incorporate Reiki in my daily life, including coping with stress, and overall life challenges. I am amazed at how such a simple, natural healing methodology can have such a profound impact on people’s health and wellbeing. My own healing experiences and journey through incorporating Reiki into my life deeply moved me, and sharing Reiki with others has become my passion and focus.
My wife and I began sharing Reiki with others in 2006. We organized hundreds of Reiki shares and orientation programs in our local communities, and our group became renowned for offering a safe, nurturing, and professional environment for learning and practicing Reiki in the area. This was when Reiki Education, Inc. a non-profit, was born. In addition to the programs offered to the public, we offered Reiki healing sessions as a complementary treatment to cancer patients, survivors and caregivers at the CaroMont Cancer Center in Gastonia, NC beginning in 2009 and running for almost three years.
During that time, we’ve recognized that the typical weekend Reiki training program available was inadequate, prompting us to raise our standard of teaching and practicing. Reiki Education then became, Reiki Education and Research Institute with the goal of developing comprehensive and structured Reiki training programs to provide students with a solid foundation in both knowledge and practice, enabling them to incorporate Reiki into their lives effectively for healing and personal development.
How does Reiki contribute to a healthier, more balanced, emotionally stable, and spiritually connected lifestyle?
Reiki is based on the concept of channeling universal life energy to support healing. By balancing the body’s energy centers (chakras) and energy pathways (meridians), Reiki can optimize the flow of vital energy throughout the body, leading to improved physical, mental, and emotional health.
Reiki promotes relaxation as a result our stress levels (tension, anxiety, and fatigue) begin to subside, and we come out of the fight or flight mode. This allows the natural healing processes at the cellular level to begin repairing themselves. This can reduce symptoms associated with various affected areas and improve quality of life.
Through regular Reiki practice, individuals often develop a deeper awareness of their own bodies, emotions, and thought patterns. This increased self-awareness can facilitate personal growth, self-discovery, and a greater sense of peace in daily life.
Reiki works on an emotional level, helping to release stored emotions that impede our growth and promote emotional balance. This enables us to be open to better decisions and make better choices by responding instead of reacting.
Many practitioners experience a deepening of their spiritual connection through Reiki. Whether through a heightened sense of interconnectedness with others and the universe, or through experiences of inner peace and spiritual awakening, Reiki can help individuals cultivate a deeper sense of spirituality and purpose in life.
Overall, by promoting relaxation, emotional balance, energetic harmony, self-awareness, and spiritual connection, Reiki can contribute to a more holistic and fulfilling lifestyle centered around health, balance, and inner harmony.
Could you explain the role of Reiki in addressing physical, mental-emotional, and spiritual ailments, and how it differs from other forms of energy healing?
Reiki’s role in addressing physical, mental-emotional, and spiritual ailments:
Reiki aims to restore balance to the body’s energy system, which is believed to influence physical health. By channeling universal life force energy to areas of the body in need, Reiki can help alleviate physical symptoms, promote relaxation, and stimulate the body’s natural healing processes. Reiki is often used as a complementary therapy alongside conventional medical treatments to support recovery from various physical conditions, such as chronic pain, injuries, and illnesses. In some cases, it has been found to reduce blood pressure and speed the healing process.
Reiki addresses mental and emotional issues by promoting relaxation, reducing stress, and releasing stored negative emotions. The gentle, non-invasive nature of Reiki makes it particularly effective for supporting the release of mental-emotional imbalances, such as anxiety, depression. Through regular Reiki sessions, individuals may experience release of negative emotions, improved focus, support of the grieving process, mental clarity, increased self-confidence, and a greater sense of inner peace and well-being.
Reiki is deeply rooted in spiritual principles, although it is not tied to any specific religious belief system it is compatible with all belief systems. Regular Reiki practice increases spiritual awareness, creates a sense of empowerment, connection to one’s higher self, or the universal consciousness (God, Spirit) and a greater sense of purpose.
Reiki Differs from Other Forms of Energy Healing:
First and primary, Reiki is passed down from Reiki master to student through a formal initiation process called an attunement connecting the recipient to a higher vibrational energy, we call Reiki. This is an integral part of becoming a Reiki practitioner. In practice, a Reiki practitioner tunes into this higher vibrational energy. They then channel it through their body to themselves, another individual, or any living thing either by light touch or from a distance. This higher vibrational energy (Reiki) flows at a higher frequency thus releasing energy blockages and improving energy flow while only working for the overall highest good. It impacts the recipient on the physical, mental/emotional and spiritual levels. Other forms of energy healing may have different training methods and/or lineages and in many cases are focused on manipulating one’s personal energy in some manner and in most modalities for a specific mostly physical outcome and without the channeling aspect.
Reiki is guided by the Five Reiki Principles, one version of the translation from Japanese is:
– Just for today, do not worry.
– Just for today do not anger.
– Do your work honestly.
– Honor your parents, elders, and teachers.
– Be grateful for all living things.
Other energy healing modalities may have their own philosophical frameworks and guiding principles.
Overall, while Reiki shares similarities with other forms of energy healing, such as promoting balance and facilitating healing on multiple levels, its specific techniques, principles, and spiritual aspects distinguish it as a unique and powerful modality for holistic well-being.
What sets the Reiki Education and Research Institute apart in terms of its approach to Reiki education and practice, and what professional standards is the institute helping to develop?
Our approach:
Equip students with comprehensive tools and training during and between classes as classes are separated by a period to allow students to practice what they have learned and then come back to the class and discuss it. We provide ongoing learning and practice opportunities through additional workshops and practice in our membership venue. This enables students and alumni to convene, share healing experiences, exchange knowledge and insights and ask questions.
We offer guidance through coaching and spiritual mentoring sessions to our students and clients, in addition to the Reiki sessions and classes, to help them understand how Reiki works in their situation or life journey.
We continue to research Reiki and its impact on lives and how others teach and do healing work to maintain an updated and broad-based outlook and up to date programming.
We help develop educational and practice standards in Reiki by enhancing knowledge, skill, ethics, and overall performance of Reiki practitioners.
Conduct regular assessments to identify areas for improvement in our educational programs.
Actively seek feedback from students and members for areas of development. Gain insight into our strengths and areas for improvement and make necessary adjustments to improve the quality of our programs and professional standards.
Develop skills in Reiki practice by teaching practitioners’ proficient methods of performing reiki sessions on themselves and others, providing guidance when a practitioner encounters a difficult situation and educating on how to communicate regarding Reiki effectively.
Incorporate a code of ethics, and practice guidelines.
Can you describe the programs and services offered by the institute, including Reiki healing sessions and educational programs?
We offer various levels of comprehensive Reiki training – Fundamental Level, Advanced Level, Master Level and Our own teaching certification program and we will be launching our professional practitioner level soon. The Fundamental Level provides the foundation of Reiki training. It includes attunements for both Level I and Level II of western Reiki as well as material to help a student to begin applying Reiki in their daily life and move forward on a personal healing and self-development journey. The Advanced Level develops the self-healing process and skills. Next is the Master Level which is for those who truly wish to make Reiki part of their everyday life and impact those around them in a positive way. For those who want to share this blessing with others we provide training to teach Reiki as one of our certified instructors. We are currently rolling out a professional practitioner level which provides those who wish to support others with Reiki skills required to be effective and professional and develop business skills.
We offer in person Reiki sessions in our Charlotte location and distance healing sessions with their chosen RERI certified RMT. Distant healing sessions allow clients to receive a Reiki session in the comfort of their own home.
Life Coaching and Spiritual Mentoring are often provided with the Reiki session (in person session or distance healing session) to help clients and students understand the healing process and questions that may arise during their healing journey.
Membership program:
Currently, we offer 3 different levels of membership. The membership program is offered to our students and alumni, and 1-year free membership is included in the purchase of our Reiki program. We are working on extending membership to those who didn’t receive training from Reiki Education and Research Institute.
Community events: We host regular events throughout the year to keep our students and alumni engaged in the community and family and friends are welcome to take part in some of the events.
Free Reiki orientation program:
We conduct 3 or 4 Free Reiki orientation programs yearly to provide basic information about Reiki and answer questions participants may have about Reiki.
How does your Reiki retreat contribute to the sense of community among current students, alumni, and paid members of the institute, and what can participants expect from the retreat program and activities?
Our annual Reiki retreat fosters a sense of community by bringing together our students and alumni who share a common interest in healing and self-discovery. We encourage students to bring their family and friends to the retreat which creates a sense of comfort, inclusion, and support. Our retreats often include opportunities for group discussions, meditations, group Reiki and Reiki healing sessions creating a supportive and nurturing environment where participants feel comfortable to share their journey, insights, and challenges. Additionally, communal meals, social activities, and free time for relaxation further enhance the sense of belonging and camaraderie among attendees. Overall, our Reiki retreats provide a space where our students, alumni, members and their family or friends can connect with like-minded individuals, forge meaningful relationships, and feel supported on their path to wellness and personal growth.
If you would like to find out more about Reiki Education & Research Institute, please visit https://reikieducation.org/
