In my last Blog (Introduction to Services at Pathway Energetic Wellbeing, https://www.pathwaywellbeing.com/blog), I told you briefly about the services provided in clinic at Pathway Energetic Wellbeing and promised I would provide more specific information about each of the services in later Blogs; this will be the first of that series, starting with Reiki (pronounced Ray-Key).
My Personal Experience of Reiki:
Reiki has a very special place in my heart and soul. It came into my life many, many moons ago at a time of real emotional upheaval. I didn’t really know then what to expect, but I remember feeling like I was having a part of me re-awakened and a feeling of truly finding my authentic self under all the layers and walls I'd been building for years; I was able to start opening myself up to life – to me - again. I had a few personal Reiki sessions, then I undertook Reiki 1 training and attunement, and 4 months later undertook Reiki II training and attunement. It then took me 18 years to feel ready to do my Reiki Master and Teacher training and attunement and I haven’t looked back since! Hard to believe that journey started 20 years ago!
Each Reiki session can be different, yet for me when receiving a session I am usually transported on a journey by one of my Guides. I always feel relaxed, balanced and centred after. As a Practitioner giving a Reiki session, I am simply the vessel that the universal healing energy flows through; I can see colours, other times I feel things, and I often receive [cryptic] information for the client. At each session, the Reiki Grandmasters are usually present as are my own Spirit Guides, and at times we'll be joined by the client’s Spirit Guides as well. So for me, Reiki is very spiritual and precious; note, Reiki is NOT a religion.
So, What is Reiki?
Reiki consists of 2 Japanese words: the first, REI, means universal or divine, and is all-knowing; the second part, KI, means energy; to me it is the universal life force energy. Reiki is used for the treatment of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual ailments; it promotes calmness and connectedness and can help to subtly let go of whatever is not serving you, bringing clarity and an alignment back to truth.
Reiki is a light touch / hands-over modality that aims to restore balance to the body to assist in healing, increase energy levels and promote relaxation and wellbeing. The act of laying hands on a person to comfort and relieve pain is age-old: think of when we injure ourselves, we instinctively put our hands on the injury. In most instances, human touch conveys warmth, serenity and healing, as well as love and caring. Regular Reiki treatments (whether that's Self-Reiki or treatments provided by other practitioners), can help one to remain balanced and reconnect with their authentic self and their truth; it certainly helps my body to balance its energy centres and remove any blockages so it can do what it does best and use its innate healing ability. Reiki is also about receiving, and often one receives much more than simple healing from a session.
Energy is all around us. The living body radiates warmth and energy, and this energy is the life-force itself; this has many names across many countries, such as Mana (Polynesian Hunas), Orenda (Native American), Prana (Indian), Ruach (Hewbrew), Barraka (Islam), Ch’i (China), Orgone Energy (Individiual Healers), or Ki (Japan). During a Reiki treatment, the Reiki Practitioner or Healer connects to the source of all universal Chi, which I choose to call the Universal Healing Energy (others may refer to it as Goddess, God, Higher Self, First Source, Universe, Primary Creation or Life Energy); one of my client’s summarised this as “being like a blanket, an energy blanket.” It is important to note here that Reiki is NOT a religion nor affiliated with any religion; this life force energy is the source of life itself and far older in concept and fact than any religious philosophy.
What To Expect During a Session?
Together, we will set the session’s intentions. You remain fully clothed for the duration of the treatment and can either lay down (preferable for the ultimate relaxation) or sit. I will then ask you to take 3 deep breaths with me, close your eyes, release all expectations and trust that whatever will happen is for your highest good. I usually have some quiet music playing in the background and an air purifier and when required air conditioning (heat or cool) will be on in the room, however, will be guided by you and your preferences. You can talk or remain silent throughout the session; I will be guided by you and your preferences.
For the treatment itself, I use the Reiki hand positions over / on your body, however the Reiki healing energy will go where your body desires and needs it to go. Everyone is different and every session is different, so inevitably Reiki will be felt differently. Most clients feel warmth radiating from my hands and report feelings of deep relaxation and tingling or warmth in certain areas; some clients see colours or patterns, some are visited by their Spirit Guides, and others are guided on a journey; some clients experience all of these and some experience none of these. Whatever happens is meant to happen and is always for your highest good. Reiki will do no harm.
“My first Reiki was a new experience for me and I was a little unsure of what it would be like, but Karen’s friendly and kind manner soon put me at ease and sent me off into the relaxation bliss that comes with her Reiki treatments.” – Debbie.
What Can You Expect After a Session?
I will let you know when the Reiki session has concluded by asking you to bring your consciousness back into the room, open your eyes and slowly move to a sitting or standing position when you are ready. I will ask that you take a few moments to lay / sit and ruminate while I leave the room to wash my hands. Usually a session takes between 45 minutes and 1 hour.
The worst-case scenario of a Reiki session is that you will feel like you have had one of the best massages of your life! After a session most clients feel less stressed, have an overall sense of peace, and pain can be reduced or even eliminated. A client has stated they always feel “more connected to my own energy as well as others around me including animals, plants, humans - a spiritual connection with all things. There is a sense of release, and it feels almost like an inner massage of my senses.”
It is important to know that as your Practitioner, I do not direct the healing and I do not decide what to work on, rather the Reiki energy will always know what you need, adjusting itself to create the affect that is most appropriate for you at that time. Reiki will always help and will never do harm.
What Can Reiki Treat?
Reiki will restore balance to assist in healing, increase energy levels and promote relaxation and wellbeing. It is used for the treatment of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual ailments. It will always be beneficial and works to improve the effectiveness of all other therapies, whether these are traditional or non-traditional; please know that Reiki does not replace medical treatments. Reiki will never do harm. Reiki will not cure your conditions, rather it will provide the environment necessary for your body to connect with its own innate healing ability and help to clear any energetic blockages within your system.
Most client’s will experience a reduction in stress and have some improvements in their physical and psychological condition. Reiki has been linked to a range of physical and emotional health benefits, including:
· Better sleep
· Improved mood
· Pain relief
· Improved relaxation, which inevitably allows the body to heal from damage brought on by stress, injury or disease.
As summed up by one of my clients: “Not only is the treatment itself relaxing but I find that afterwards I feel more peaceful and at ease with the world. Less dissonance and more acceptance. My anxiety is reduced, and I also noticed a better flow of energy when doing Tai Chi. While the changes are subtle, I have found definite positive changes in my mood with regular treatments.”
Mid-2023, I had a severe bout of food poisoning resulting in gastro; long-story-short, a diverticula ruptured in my intestine resulting in a large abscess in the stomach; the abdominal pain was severe and the only thing that got me through the 3 weeks to diagnosis was daily self-reiki; I was admitted to hospital and told I would likely need surgery and significant time to heal. I had a pigtail drain inserted to drain the abscess, which was my constant companion for 18 days! While I received strong antibiotics to combat the excessive blood infection rate resulting from the abscess, I continued with my daily self-reiki sessions. To my medical team's amazement, my body quickly self-healed along with the help provided by the medical interventions. Additionally, the daily self-Reiki helped tremendously with reducing my anxiety and stress levels during a very stressful and painful period of time.
By way of update here: 6 weeks after the abscess I was feeling great, however it was recommended by my medical team that I have a follow-up procedure to ensure internally everything had healed as it should. Whether because of that procedure, or whether I had other undetected issues, I ended up back at emergency with further significant complications requiring emergency surgery; I woke up in ICU and a temporary stoma [thank goodness temporary]. I then had 5 months of recovery time and learning to live with a stoma, which I must admit was extremely challenging for me on all levels. Further procedures in the New Year to determine healing, and end of Jan 2024 I had a reversal of hartmann's procedure, thankfully awoke from that surgery without the stoma! I am now 3 months post-surgery, multiple scars on my abdomen but thankfully healing well and currently undertaking physio to get me back in tip top health and fitness. I can honestly say that Reiki has played a significant role in helping me cope with not only the stress of the past almost 12 months, but also the pain, and enabled my body to heal as quickly as it has. Even my medical team has been amazed at how strong my body was and remains. THIS is the power of Reiki! THIS is Reiki at its best!
Who Can Be Treated?
Anyone can safely and confidently receive a Reiki treatment. Babies especially love receiving Reiki and it is safe to have a treatment when you are pregnant, even when giving birth! Young children, toddlers, teenagers and adults, people with chronic illness or minor ailments, will all benefit from Reiki. Animals and plants especially love Reiki and seem to have a natural understanding of it. Lately, I've been having some discussions with Aged-Care Nurses around treatments for patients going through end of life situations, which I envisage having Reiki during that time would be peaceful and calming. I have many clients with different ailments of a physical, emotional, mental and / or spiritual nature that can attest to the benefit of Reiki. Any massage I provide will inevitably have Reiki healing energy come through.
“I’ve been surprised that something I was initially unsure of, is now something I miss
and feel I need if I haven’t had a treatment for a while.” – Debbie.
The 5 Reiki Principles?
While Reiki is not a religion, it remains true to Eastern philosophy and steeped in tradition, which I believe to be significant and necessary to carry on through my own teachings. The Reiki principles are there to encourage us to embody the Reiki energy throughout the day, every day; they speak to the importance of one day at a time.
Through time, many versions of the Reiki Principles have developed; these are the ones handed down to me by my first Reiki Master, and honestly are the ones that resonate most closely to me:-
Just for today….
I will not worry
I will not be angry
I will honour my parents, teachers and elders
I will earn my living honestly
I will show gratitude to every living thing.
Reiki Classes?
For those interested in more than just receiving Reiki, you can go to the next level and undergo training and attunement. Without the attunement process, Reiki is not Reiki. Teaching techniques and methods of Reiki have undergone changes over the years and several branches of Reiki have evolved. Usui Traditional Reiki, also known as Usui Shiki Ryoho, is potentially and arguably the closest to what was originally brought from Japan. It teaches Reiki in 3 degrees with Reiki III as the Master / Teacher training; some teachers of Reiki now divide the third degree into 2 levels, Reiki III Practitioner and Reiki III Teaching degree. Given the way I was taught and attuned, my teachings have only 3 levels, Reiki I, Reiki II and Reiki III Master and Teacher.
Reiki is a part of every one of us and in times past it was once universal and given to each and every one of us; over time, this became lost and Reiki became available only to a select few. Then in the nineteenth century, a Japanese man, Dr Mikao Usui, sought the origins of the healing methods and re-found them in the remnants of Shiva’s early culture, in the esoteric teachings of India - and the traditional Reiki story begins.
As I stated earlier, the attunement process is what sets Reiki apart from every other form of laying on of hands or touch healing. The attunement is not a healing session, rather it creates the healer; it is the attunements themselves that are Reiki and without that process, which must be passed directly and in-person from master to student, the healing system is not Reiki but something else. Traditional teachers say that if you receive Reiki in this lifetime, it is because you have had it before in other incarnations; they say Reiki is a remembering. We have all had Reiki in past lifetimes, it is part of our genetic heritage and part of us all.
If you feel drawn to attending a Reiki class with me, please contact me either via my website (www.pathwaywellbeing.com) or call me 0433 404019 to discuss.
Reiki, oh Reiki, How I Love Thee!
As with any treatment you are thinking of obtaining, make sure you find a suitably qualified professional. Within Australia you can go to an association such as Reiki Australia (www.reikiaustralia.com.au) to find a Practitioner; they have directories available that list certified practitioners and their contact details and provide information about each of the Practitioners. Ask questions and make sure you feel comfortable with the Practitioner you are thinking of going to.
Reiki is a hands-over modality that will help you to de-stress, provides clarity, promotes calm and connectedness, and will help you to let go of whatever is not serving you. It will help you connect back to your authentic self. It will treat physical, emotional and spiritual ailments and will never do harm. After a Reiki session you will feel relaxed, and most clients feel less stressed, have an overall sense of peace, and pain is reduced or at times eliminated.
As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, I am extremely passionate about helping people to combat stress in their lives; the causes of stress are many, with each-and-every one of us having varied vulnerabilities. While the human body is designed to experience and manage stress, prolonged stress without relief or periods of relaxation can be detrimental in many ways. The longer we feel stressed, the greater the demand on our body and the more energy we need to cope; there is also growing evidence that stress may contribute to physical, emotional and psychological illness and dis-ease unless appropriate coping strategies and self-care measures are put into place.
All modalities used at Pathway Energetic Wellbeing are based on the principle of Chi (pronounced chee). Chi is the general term for the universal life force energy that flows through every living thing. The Chi energy flowing in you is what gives you vitality and fullness of life. It is my belief that when a person feels stressed, their body blocks Chi causing an imbalance that leads to illness or dis-ease. The services provided at Pathway Energetic Wellbeing aim to keep Chi flowing through the body, thereby keeping it balanced and healthy. Reiki will certainly help you to destress, restore balance to the body to assist in healing, increase energy levels and promote relaxation and wellbeing.
Contact me to today on 0433 404019 to book a Reiki session (or book yourself through my website www.pathwaywellbeing.com).
Disclaimer:
All content and media on the Pathway Energetic Wellbeing Website is created and published online for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on solely as health or personal advice.
As an holistic energetic and massage practitioner, I am NOT a Medical Doctor (MD). I am a trained and qualified specialist in the practices of Access Bars®, Reiki, Reflexology, Swedish Massage and a modified version of Thai Massage, which are used to create a healthy environment for the overall health and wellbeing of my clients. I do not diagnose or provide any prognosis of conditions a client may present with. With that said, all services rendered are safe, non-invasive holistic methods of balancing the body’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Any imbalances in the body, mind or spirit can cause or contribute to various health problems. I highly recommend that clients continue to see any medical doctors they are under the care of, and that any prescription medication should not be altered without first consulting the Doctor who recommended it. To this end, nothing said, done, typed, printed or reproduced by Pathway Energetic Wellbeing is intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat or take the place of a licensed physician.
If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor, go to the nearest hospital emergency department, or call the emergency services immediately (000). If you choose to rely on any information provided by Pathway Energetic Wellbeing, you do so solely at your own risk.
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