History of Reflexology
This is a brief history on Reflexology. Unfortunately, we only know very little about the beginnings and origins of Reflexology. This is because most indigenous cultures that may have practiced it, did not have a written language. They had a verbal language, so there is no written documentation for evidence of the early practices of Reflexology.
Various forms of reflexology have been practiced in many cultures for centuries. The best we can find starts in Egypt, dated between 2500 - 2330 BC. Above, is an Egyptian Pictograph. It is the oldest known physical evidence of the practice of Reflexology. It depicts the practice of foot and hand reflexology. It was found in the Tomb of the Physician, Ankmahor at Saqquara, Egypt. One physician works on the foot of the patient and another on the hand. The text translate "Do not let it be painful", to which the physician replies, "I shall act so you praise me".
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Many cultures like India, China, and Japan started to practice reflexology about 2,000 years ago.
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In Europe, a form of Reflexology called Zone Therapy was written about by Dr. Adamus and Dr. Atatis in 1582.
German physiologist, John August Unzer was the first to use the term "reflex" in his work in 1771.
​Sir Charles Sherrington, Sir Henry Head, and John Huglings Jackson from Britian would dominate the field for the next 50 years.
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In North America, the Cherokee Tribe in the Blue Ridge Mountains used and still uses a form of reflexology today.
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In the early 1900's, a physician name Dr. William Fitzgerald brought to light the practice of Zone Therapy. He studied it in Europe and was working in the U.S.. He began to show people that using pressure on different parts of the fingers with a clip or elastic band would reduce pain or numb a predictable body part. He even used it as an anesthetic during small procedures. His findings were presented in a book titled "Zone Therapy, or Relieving Pain at Home". In Zone Therapy, the body is divided into ten longitudinal zones. Stimulating one are in any particular zone would affect other body parts within the same zone.
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Eunice Ingham was a physio therapist working in the office of Joe Shelby Riley in the early 1900's. The two of them had been intrigued by Fitzgerald's work. Both Ingham and Riley created maps of the hands and feet of all the "reflective" body parts according to their corresponding zones.
Eunice Ingham is known as the Mother of Modern Foot Reflexology. She is credited with creating the first foot reflexology map in the 1930's. She has many other contributions to the field of reflexology.
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Continuing Eunice Ingham's Methods is her nephew Dwight Byers in Florida.
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History of Reiki
Reiki, pronounced "ray-key" means "universal life force". It is originally a Japanese term for "universal life energy" or "spiritual energy". It is utilized as a gentle system of laying on of the hands. Reiki works by balancing the body's energy field and energy centers (chakras). It also works to relieve stress and promote deep states of relaxation that can aid the body's natural healing process. Reiki intends to put the body in it's optimal state to promote it's own healing, which helps to balance the spirit, relieve pain, and promote well being.
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Reiki is a Japanese energy healing technique developed by Dr. Mikao Usui in the 1920's. He studied at a Buddhist monastery where he was taught martial arts, swordsmanship, and the Japanese for of Chi Kung, known as Kiko. He finally became a Buddhist monk and lived at the monastery. After a 21 day fast and meditation on Mt. Kurama in a cave, Usui reported a powerful mystical experience involving a beam of light leading to his enlightenment and the discovery of Reiki healing energy. He saw ancient Sanskrit symbols that helped him develop the system of healing he had been struggling to invent. He believed he received the ability to channel universal life force energy, which he structured into a system to heal himself and others through palm healing. He opened his first clinic in Tokyo in 1922.
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Following a massive earthquake in Tokyo in 1923, Usui and his students used Reiki to treat victims, significantly boosting its popularity.
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Usui taught many students, including Dr. Chujiro Hayashi. Dr. Hayashi helped to bring Reiki to a wider audience. Dr. Hayashi is credited with further developing the Usui system of Reiki by adding hand positions to more thoroughly cover the body. Dr. Hayashi also changed and refined the attunement process. Using his improved system, Dr. Hayashi trained several more Reiki Masters, including a woman named Hawayo Takata.
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Hawayo Takata, a Japanese-American, studied with Dr. Hayashi in Japan and brought Reiki to Hawaii in 1937. She called in Hawaiian healing. In the 1960's, she started to teach Reiki in California. In California, she taught Reiki to four students. These students then spread Reiki across the U.S. and to the world.
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