May 7, 2011

Orange Regional Medical Center in Middletown, New York launched a free Reiki Therapy program at the beginning of April. Reiki is a type of energy work that helps balance body, mind and spirit and is known for its relaxing effect on the body.

A member of the Greater Hudson Valley Health System, Orange Regional will now provides Reiki free of charge to inpatients of all ages. Treatments will last one hour and will be conducted by licensed Registered Nurses who are trained in reiki.

"The goal of our new Reiki Therapy program is to further support the body's own natural healing ability. Pain management can be challenging for some patients due to side effects. Likewise, a hospital stay can be emotional and stressful for others. Reiki Therapy provides an opportunity to relax, and in the process, restore positive energy so the patient can rebalance mentally, physically and emotionally," said JoAnn Schultz, Acting Vice President, Patient Care Services at Orange Regional Medical Center in a release from Orange Regional.

"This is not a replacement for Western medicine, but an enhancement to the care at Orange Regional Medical Center," said Eva Edwards, RN, BSN, OCN, in an April 27 article published in the Times Herald-Record online. Edwards is nurse director for the oncology inpatient and outpatient units, and is overseeing the Reiki project. "An essential component of nursing, which is the human response to disease, is the mind-body-soul connection. Reiki takes the stress and anxiety away, allowing the mind and body to heal."

Orange Regional's Reiki Therapy program is open to all inpatients and was made possible through funding from the Corinne Feller Memorial Fund for Ovarian Cancer Research and Awareness. According to the Times Herald-Record article, Corinne Feller had experienced pain relief from reiki twelve years ago, during her ten-month battle with ovarian cancer.

Orange Regional patients are instructed to notify their physician to request a reiki session. For more information, please contact Orange Regional’s Reiki Therapy Program Coordinator at 845-343-2424 x4245.

Sources: Orange Regional Medical Center & Times-Herald Record online

Dave Gorczynski is president of SPARK, a non-profit organization that has provided free energy work sessions and workshops across New York City since 2002. He writes a regular column about energy work and meditation for the Compact News in New York City's Chinatown. E-mail him at dave@sparkenergy.org.