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When Lily Baddour set out to learn about Reiki last April, she didn’t do it with the intention of starting a Reiki practice. But one thing led to another, and at the end of February she opened her own practice at Harvard Therapeutic Massage on Ayer Road.

Reiki is an ancient healing system that is relatively new to the West, involving the channeling of energy to stimulate the repair of tissues and cells and to promote emotional and spiritual healing. The energy is conveyed from the practitioner to the patient through therapeutic touch. Once considered a practice exclusively in the realm of New Age spiritualists, it is now an accepted therapy at many hospitals, including Emerson Hospital in Concord, and is among many alternative therapies that are increasingly requested by patients. Reiki, which is said to induce relaxation and reduce pain and anxiety, is often used to help treat patients before and after surgeries, and has been popular among obstetric patients. It is also used to treat animals and is one of the modalities offered by some veterinary clinics, such as Integrative Animal Health Center in Bolton.

In a recent interview Baddour said that she first learned about Reiki a long time ago and had a friend who was a Reiki master. But it wasn’t until last spring that she decided to pursue formal Reiki training, for her own edification. She spent more than 120 hours taking Reiki I and II, the advanced second-degree program, and finally the master program. She said she started using her newfound knowledge to treat family and friends, and “enjoyed it a lot.”

She also started using Reiki to treat animals, including her 14-year-old horse, Pilot, which suffered from periodic lameness. Since receiving the treatments, Pilot has seemed more energetic, she said, and doesn’t limp after being ridden. He seems to enjoy the treatments, she added, noting that “when you see results, it’s very motivating.”

Baddour said she decided to open her practice after conversations with her longtime friend Kim Draper, owner of Harvard Therapeutic Massage. “I like being part of the healing process,” she said. Baddour, who also spent five years as an EMT on the Harvard ambulance squad, said that becoming a Reiki master was “just another part” of her evolution.

Baddour explained that the Reiki healing process is “not about the practitioner; it’s about the energy that’s flowing through the practitioner, much like water flows through a hose.”

A typical Reiki session lasts from 30 to 60 minutes. The patient, with shoes and glasses removed, lies on a table in a dimly lit room, with soft music or ocean sounds playing in the background. The practitioner urges the patient to relax, and in the stillness focuses on becoming a conduit for the energy that is “out there.” The energy, said Baddour, “is all around us,” acknowledging that “to recognize it exists takes a leap of faith.” This energy, she said, “is part of us—it’s there to help us stay centered and become our optimum selves. It’s not limited to time and space.”

During the session, the practitioner moves her hands in a prescribed pattern on the front and back of the torso, placing them around the head and on the feet, the hands, and backs of the knees, points on the body believed to be energy channels. Patients often report experiencing noticeable warmth from the practitioner’s hands, and after the treatment often report feeling relaxed and freed from pain.

Hour-long sessions usually cost $75, but Baddour said she is offering new clients an introductory treatment for $40.

Reiki practitioners follow a strict ethical code, which includes patient confidentiality, being aware of the patient’s medical conditions, disclosure about what the treatment will entail, and assurance that it will not interfere with or replace standard medical care, to name a few of the code’s precepts. Reiki can be performed remotely, but one of the ethical principles is that it not be performed without the patient giving permission for the treatment. “You can’t heal the world,” said Baddour. “There’s a lot of pain out there.”

Baddour believes “We’re more than our physical body. We are multidimensional beings with a mind, intuition, and compassion. Reiki addresses all those levels.”

For more information visit www.htmassage.com/lily_baddour.htm or call 978-772-0903.