People often come for a Reiki treatment to simply feel the relaxing effects. But sometimes, besides being relaxed, some wonderful healing takes place. Take for example a middle-aged man who came because he was feeling stressed. I determined that his energy was blocked in the energy centers that correlate with creativity and personal power. Once I mentioned this to him, he admitted he had lost his job. He now had two job offers, very different in responsibilities and pay and couldn't decide which one to take. I told him to relax and quietly listen for an answer as the Reiki flowed through him. After awhile, his own inner voice became apparent to him. He suddenly felt more confident and got up smiling because he had made a decision. This is one of the many healing effects of Reiki.
Another type, is what we do pre-surgery. A friend of mine was having a hysterectomy, so I gave her a treatment. My purpose was to relax her, to bring her body's energies into balance, and strengthen her immune system. I also used a distant healing technique to send Reiki energy to the hospital room, surrounding her and the surgical staff with healing light, and sending the intention that all would go well. After surgery, she reported very little pain. When nurses offered her pain medication, she took only a light over-the-counter medication. Her surgery went well. A few days later I gave her another Reiki treatment. My intent was to bring the energy back into balance, to release any traumatic memory of the event, and to speed healing by deeply relaxing. She healed quickly and is doing well.
Recently, one of my students handed me an article from Holistic Nursing Practice, titled "Continuing Education: Effect of Reiki on Pain and Anxiety in Women with Hysterectomies." It was a technical, precisely measured and carefully worded article about control groups, methodology and protocol of the "quasi-experimental pilot study." Basically, it determined there were reduced levels of stress and anxiety, less pain medication needed, and interestingly, the surgery time was shorter for the group that received Reiki. We Reiki's witness many different types of health improvements…it was great to see a medical publication documenting the same results.
Recently, I have been working with a family whose baby is fighting cancer. At four months old they found a tumor in his brain, and two small lesions on his spine. A family friend started doing Reiki on him daily as he began his chemo treatments. During his second round of chemo, I was called. As I entered his hospital room, I saw tubes, IV's, and anxiety-filled parents in the room. However, I saw the most beautiful, alert little boy welcome me in and follow my every move with his eyes. Without words he began communicating with me.
The first thing I did was to change the tone of the conversation and urged everyone to talk about healing - not talking about the fears and problems. It's not to deny or minimize the medical picture; it's to raise the vibration in the room to draw in positive energy. I "listened" to the message that this little boy was trying to tell us so that he can heal his spirit as well as the outward manifestation of cells fighting cells. And I worked with the parents to calm them with meditation, to "visualize" things going right and "see" the baby in a healthy, healed state. We played nice music, we conversed happily, and we brought lots of love into the room. I appealed to a large network of Reiki healers for support. Many sent healing on a daily basis. Family members decided to learn Reiki for them-selves.
His last MRI determined the tumor in his head was smaller. We don't know if it was just the chemo or if the Reiki helped. I do know that during the last two months I've witnessed an amazing harmony of healing with the family, and little boy who tolerated three rounds of chemo quite well. But there are still lesions on his spine. So now the difficult question is whether he is in a self-healing mode, does he need more chemo, and should radiation be added. We will continue the Reiki and hope the medical community notices the effects of integrating energy healing with traditional methods. But more importantly, our Reiki community will continue to send Universal Light Energy to every person who plays a role in this little boy's journey. Our goal is for unity of purpose in creating more understanding of the healing process and providing an environment of health that brings us all to a higher level of aware-ness…. and a long healthy life for my little friend.