When I learned Reiki I and II, byosen scanning was presented to me as a technique that helped to develop a Reiki practitioner’s intuition by allowing the Reiki energy to direct where to place the hands on a receiver’s body.
Though this information was helpful, I ended up with a somewhat backward idea of what the byosen was—of what I was feeling. I had the idea that the heat, cold, tingling, or other sensations were indications from the Reiki energy of what was needed.
I interpreted heat, for example, as an indication of a lot of Reiki energy flowing through to the affected spot, or cold as stagnant energy moving to the surface of the person’s body, presenting itself to be removed.
I recently received a back issue of Reiki News Magazine, from Spring 2007, that deepened my understanding of byosen scanning.
In an article titled, “Reiki Ryoho, Part I: Understanding Byosen Scanning,” Frank Petter explains that the word byosen is made up of two Chinese characters.
The first one is byo, which means sick, illness, and the second is son, which means gland or accumulating.
So byosen means the accumulation of illness. The technique taught beginning in Reiki I classes means to become aware of the evidence of the accumulation of illness.
This idea clarified what I feel when I share Reiki. That the sensations in my hands would be coming off of the recipient’s body make more sense than the Reiki energy being different in different situations.
Frank Petter provided further clarity by describing different levels of byosen:
- Level one is heat. If the Reiki practitioner feels excess heat in her hands, the recipient’s body temperature is above normal or the recipient’s body contains a lot of inflammation.
- Level two is strong heat. Petter describes this as enough heat to make the practitioner’s palms sweat. This indicates an increased level of inflammation or heat in the recipient’s body.
- Level three is tingling. According to Petter, this indicates a more serious condition, where perhaps inner inflammation has created or begun to create a system blockage or breakdown.
- Level four is pulsation or cold. Petter says the pulse can be strong or weak, slow or fast. When the spot you touch feels cold, this is not coming from your hands but is a sign that the person’s byosen is at level four.
- Level five is pain in the hands or body of the practitioner. This is not a sign that you are taking in the energy of the recipient, but that the person’s byosen is at level five.
Petter explains that the Reiki practitioner doesn’t need to be concerned when they experience pain during a Reiki session. This occurs when positive Reiki energy flows into a strongly negatively charged body, indicating the need for Reiki.
Petter also explains that the main issue is to be aware of what you are feeling and what level of byosen is presenting itself. He says the byosen will rise and fall, so if you feel an intense sensation, hang on and don’t move your hands. The sensation will soon diminish. The next wave will probably be a little less intense. Hang on until the peaks diminish to level two or lower.
Petter also says, “If you do not feel a byosen at all, then client’s body is too toxic to react.”
This is a time to suggest the person seek medical help, if they aren’t already doing that. I’ve also experienced practitioners who aren’t feeling the Reiki flow due to high levels of toxicity in their bodies, so be aware of your own byosen.
Learning to discern the levels of byosen energy is a skill that can take years to acquire. Knowing what byosen is and what it isn’t, as well as the levels of byosen, is a great place to start.
