A healing crisis

With all the recent healing work, a healing crisis was inevitable.  It was funny as I hadn't identified with it as such, I just knew something was "off" and was trying to figure out the reason for this.

In the back of my mind I had this thought that I needed to write about healing crises in my Reiki Level One Manual, because following a Reiki attunement (and each of the three levels) you go through a 21 day healing process.

The number 21 is very significant in spiritual fields as it means that new beginnings and change are coming in, and this should bring greater balance and harmony, and therefore should be positively embraced. However often this means that the old needs to break down to make space for the new to come in and this is not always an easy process.  

So there I was thinking about writing about a healing crisis but not having identified with it.  Then rather coincidentally (but of course there are no coincidences), a good friend asked me what a healing crisis meant. Suddenly it dawned on me, "ah ha, of course, yes, this is what I am going through, a healing crisis!".

They are never easy to go through at the best of times and this one lingered on for a good ten days, bringing up old anxious and sickness energy from my solar plexus and sacral chakras. I knew it wasn't how I felt now, but it was unsettling all the same. Obviously I just wanted it to go, but this is the thing about the healing process, you have to feel it for it to truly leave the body. That's often the reason that we need to do some healing work in the first place, because we never felt the emotion or whatever it may have been at the time, and stuffed it away, where it becomes a stagnant and stuck energy and subtly (and not so subtly) affects our lives.

So what is a healing crisis?  Let me try and explain.

Well as I've just mentioned energy gets stuck for a reason.  Often it’s because you can’t or don’t want to face something difficult. Thus energy can also get stuck from trauma, crises, numbness, or denial. Some part of you, whether it’s the ego, body wisdom or spirit, is trying to protect you. Rather than feeling everything in that moment and letting it pass through, thoughts and emotions (energy in motion) gets stuffed down into the energetic corners, so to speak. Stuck energy can lead to pain and disease. It’s protection and in the short term it has a place, but when numbing and holding on becomes a habit and a default coping method then it can lead to long term problems.

Healing work is essentially about releasing the stuck energy that no longer has a purpose and serves the individual. If it’s not acute or obvious, it could simply be a feeling of life being “off balance” or something just not feeling quite right. Whatever the reason for the healing work –receiving Reiki for example – the goal is generally to feel better, not worse.

Any type of cleansing or healing that you do will come with a release. This can happen on a physical, mental, emotional or spiritual level, and often happens on several levels simultaneously. When toxins and toxic energy are released, your body and mind have to deal with a sudden and powerful shift in balance. It’s impossible to have a release in any of your bodies (physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, energetic) and not have the others affected. 

The body is good at maintaining a balance, so the symptoms are usually mild. But symptoms are always unique and dependant on your sensitivity, your level of illness or disease, the extent of your denial, and/or your frame of mind during a session. This is referred to as a “healing crisis”. Essentially you are releasing the old stuck energy with new energy and your whole system has to adjust to the change and you may experience uncomfortable symptoms.

The healing crisis can be unpleasant and even take you a while to identify that this is what you’re experiencing - this is what happened to me!  It's always a relief when you recognise that you are simply going through a healing crisis. It’s all part of the healing process and essential to complete the healing – better out than in! Essentially you’re releasing all the stuck anger, hurt, broken heart, anxiety, depression, sadness, betrayal, unhealed trauma, unspoken feelings, resentment, frustration, rejection, loss etc. that you’ve been holding onto inside.

The thing is, you won’t be able to release it all without feeling some of it again. It’s like you have to feel it, to release it and let it move on. Sometimes the release is quick, e.g. an overwhelming sense of anger and need to run it off, or scream it out, momentary feelings of sadness and unexpected tears. There may be vomiting or diarrhoea, muscle ache, fatigue, the need to forgive a past situation or person, or make amends with someone, and/or a large emotional purge. Sometimes you might pick a fight with a partner or friend, simply as a way of releasing pent up frustration or anger. 

Sometimes the release might take a few days or a week or so, where you don’t feel quite right, to the extent that you might start wondering if your old anxiety, depression, resentment, sadness, grief, or whatever it might be, has come back again, and this might make you feel a little panicky. 

I've certainly gone through a combination of healing crises in the past.  When I was doing my Reiki training all those years ago, I got what I thought were a lot of vomiting bugs, but I later realised that these were healing crises, the old coming out. In these early days, especially with the yoga I had some sudden anger outbursts that came from nowhere and these too, I came to realise were healing crises too.

Please don’t worry of you too go through a healing crisis from yoga or a holistic treatment or practice. It’s just the old moving out to make way for the new, and your body needs time to find a new balance and adjust to the higher vibrational energy. It should be embraced rather than feared as it is a true sign of healing. Please don’t think that the practitioner or teacher did anything wrong or you did anything wrong, it’s simply the healing process. The deeper and more intense the healing crisis, the deeper and more intense the healing. 

You might find that after a healing crisis things change for you.  Your vibration has changed so situations and the people you attract into your life will also change.  This may mean that there will be some dis-resonance with people and situations already in your life, and some of these will adapt and morph with your own energy, and others will drop away. Please just trust the process, it is all for the higher good and may highlight to you, relationships and situations that are no longer serving you. You’ll shine lighter and brighter as a result. 

Try to drink lots of water during this time, and move your body, getting out into nature, getting your feet on the Earth, perhaps journaling, doing a guided relaxation, holding rose quartz or chakra balancing crystals and just trying to be super compassionate and kind to the self. 

I've found myself drawn to do all these things during the healing crisis, especially running, as if trying to sweat and move it out, running my life forward. I've also drawn on the yoga nidra network and listened to some lovely free and nourishing Yoga Nidras, while holding rose quartz. I've also played a lot with the children and swum in the sea, getting outside as much as possible. It's all helped!

As it happens a 21 day cleanse from the last Reiki attunement session I ran ends today, hoorah for that, it coincides with the weather shifting and my cycle shifting to the autumnal stage and no doubt things will shift during this moon phase.  Happy healing!!

Reiki - it's positive impact on my life

These days most people have heard of “Reiki” but not many know what it is actually is.  They often assume it is a form of religion or a form of massage and they often wonder if it dangerous.  No, is the answer to all these assumptions.  It is neither a belief system nor a physically manipulative technique and it is completely safe.  Essentially it is a way of being true to yourself so that you do things consciously, with awareness, sincerity and intention.

I must admit when that when I went for my first Reiki session, I had no idea what was really involved.  I recall lying on the treatment couch wondering what on earth was going to happen to me. Relaxing music played in the background and candles enhanced the natural light of the room.  The practitioner talked about angels and fairies and when my stomach started to gurgle she told me that was a sign they were in the room.  I couldn’t quite relax, any moment I was expecting to see apparitions and have a strange out-of-body-type experience.

In my ‘out-of-balance, want-to-be-balanced’ kind of way back then I suspect I was looking for a miracle cure that day.  But of course it didn’t happen.  After the session, I still felt like the same old me, a little out of sorts, a little unhappy.  The only difference being the fact that I knew a little bit more about angels.  The practitioner had told me that every time she drives into town she asks her angels to find her a parking space, and every time she goes to park the car there is a space waiting for her.  This stuck in my mind and I started doing this myself and I must admit it certainly works – you have to believe however!

Regardless of whether I felt the effects of the Reiki during that first session, the seed had been sown.  I was clearly drawn to Reiki for a reason and it was only a matter of time before it presented itself to me again – and the second time around, I had not gone searching.  You see, quite unbeknown to me at the time, I started to attend a meditation class which was led by a Reiki Master teacher.  Most of the meditation attendees were Reiki attuned and there was often much chatter about Reiki and the Reiki courses led by the teacher.  I would listen to them talking about metaphysical energy, auras, crystals and Chakras and wonder what on earth it was all about – it was a different world to the one I lived in at that time.

But times change and only a matter of weeks later I came across an advertisement pinned to the notice board at work advertising Reiki treatment sessions with – coincidentally (and this is something that becomes more prevalent in the Reiki world (coincidences that is) - the same lady who was leading the meditation classes.  I was fascinated as I read the advertisement; it mentioned how Reiki can encourage and support positive personal changes, helping to balance the emotions and free us from restrictive mental attitudes and behaviour patterns.  It explained how Reiki can help to improve the quality of our relationships, help us to de-stress, reduce our need for alcohol and tobacco, improve our diet and help us to respond more calmly to situations and events in our lives.  

This resonated with me immediately and while I still knew very little about the ‘how’, I was at a point in my life where I was willing to give anything a go.  This is often the nature of Reiki – you may not be aware of it at the time, but it tends to come into your life when you need it the most; you just simply have to be open to receiving it.  Of course, this is the other thing with Reiki, it cannot be forced upon you, you are either willing to go there or you aren’t and no amount of pressure from family or friends will change that – all they can do is plant the seed by making you aware that it exists in the first place.

From my own experience I know that Reiki offers a great many benefits.  Essentially it is a holistic relaxation therapy that focuses on the root cause of conditions rather than merely on the symptoms.  Thus not only can Reiki be used to induce a sense of deep physical relaxation but it can also be used to promote the healing of a wide range of ailments.  These include everything from stress related complaints such as insomnia to joint aches and pains (such as arthritis), headaches, stomach aches, depression, backache, menstrual problems, anxiety, asthma, colds and flu etc.

The Japanese word Reiki (pronounced Ray-key) means ‘Universal Energy’ and is based on the free flow of this energy in a person.  Eastern medicine has always recognised and worked with this energy, which flows through all living things and is vital to well-being.  It refers to an ancient hands-on healing art developed by Dr Mikao Usui in Japan in the early 1900’s for personal development and the passing of healing energy onto others.  Dr Usui believed that by clearing the body energetically it was possible to feel more connected to life, more relaxed, physically healthier and less unbalanced emotionally.

The second Reiki treatment provided a very different experience to the one I had experienced only a few months earlier.  Practising Reiki tends to enhance the intuition of the Reiki practitioner and this Reiki practitioner was certainly intuitive – not only that but I felt more of a connection.  She was able to feel what was going on for me, beyond the ego and the conscious thought patterns, and articulate these feelings to me in such a way that I could not have said them better myself.  It was a liberating and enlightening experience as I finally started to acknowledge a few of those things I had pushed down and tried to push away.

After the session I felt quite emotional and the practitioner assured me that this is not unusual.  The practitioner explained to me that it is a little like peeling an onion – the more you receive Reiki, the more you remove the layers, and the closer you come to your core, your true self – I guess it is a little like discarding the baggage, step by step, a fantastic form of personal development.  Of course it is different for everyone - some people may only want one session to merely relax while others will want more sessions to continue peeling away the layers.

Reiki treatments tend to last anywhere between 40 minutes and an hour and are carried out with you lying in a comfortable and peaceful environment. There is no need to remove any clothing and you are often given the opportunity to cover yourself with a blanket to encourage relaxation and make you feel a little more comfortable.  The practitioner may gently lay their hands on different parts of the body corresponding with the Chakras or energy centres, working from the head to the toes.  You may be asked to turn over so the practitioner can work on the other side of your body too.

Reiki has its own intelligence and the practitioner will be drawn intuitively to those parts of the body where the Reiki needs to go.  The body automatically draws in only as much Reiki as is needed using it in whatever way is most appropriate at that time. The Reiki energy may be felt as a flow of energy, mild tingling, warmth, heat, coolness, other sensations, or nothing at all.  It is common to drift off to sleep and you are often encouraged to do so as it promotes a deeply relaxing experience, calming the mind as much as the body.

As for the ability to practise Reiki, well it  does not take years of training, nor is it dependent upon intellectual capacity; it is simply passed from a teacher to the student.  As soon as this happens, one has the ability to channel Reiki for the whole of one’s life and can be learned by anyone.  The attunement is a powerful spiritual experience and can increase psychic sensitivity.  However, like most situations in life, people respond differently and the Reiki attunement is no exception. 

There are three levels of study and they are all independent of each other. The first level teaches you how to use Reiki for your own personal self-development, self healing and also the healing of others.  The second provides you with additional tools to work with Reiki and enables you to become a registered professional practitioner.  The third level, where you become a Reiki Master, teaches you how to further your own interest in Reiki, where you simply ‘be Reiki’.  You can then go one step further and train to become a teacher yourself.

The attunement process starts a cleansing process that can affect you on all levels as many of the toxins that have been stored in the body are released along with feelings and thought patterns that are no longer required.  Each level of attunement tends to increase the strength of the energy, encouraging personal development, self -healing, greater clarity of mind, increased intuition and potential increase in levels of consciousness.

Over two years I undertook each level of training and I have been a Reiki Master teacher for some time offering Reiki treatments and attunement sessions.  Each level brought with it new insights and it has been an empowering experience, which has not only increased my awareness of the world around me but changed the way I perceive so many aspects of life. I have a far greater understanding and appreciation of healing, health and wellbeing, metaphysics, the Chakra system and the flow of energy within the body. 

Furthermore, Reiki has profoundly helped me on a personal level so that it has literally been life changing, incredibly empowering and transformative and helped me (and continues to help me) to find the strength, clarity, self-belief and faith to make significant life changes more in tune with my true self.  In addition, it has helped to support me through many life challenges, not only emotionally, but physically, mentally and spiritually too.

Reiki helped support me on my trek to Everest Base Camp, and the trials and tribulations that brought with it.  It’s been there on my all my travels around the world, helping to calm me when travelling on my own and ground me after flying. It’s been there every night, helping me to go to sleep, and during relaxation at the end of Yoga to assist me in resting. I believe that Reiki had a role to play in bringing my beautiful life partner to me as I used it to empower this dream.

I used it to empower my dream of having children too and Reiki was ever present during my IVF journey. I channelled Reiki onto my eggs growing in preparation for use in the IVF process. I channelled Reiki on the embryos growing inside me and throughout pregnancy so that I now have two Reiki babies. I was able to use Reiki before and after the caesarean birth of both my boys and in the special care unit on my second son when he was born premature and needed oxygen to be able to breathe properly.

Reiki was invaluable in helping me to heal from the caesarean sections, and in coming to terms with the manner in which my first son arrived into this world. I have no doubt that Reiki had a role to play in the lessons that I learned through my quest to have children and the journey that this took me on, spiritually as much as anything else. Reiki is there for me to use on my boys, the big one and the two smaller ones and on other family and friends.

Over time, my life has become much more aligned with my truth and with the gifts I’ve been given, so that my soul has greater expression. I am certainly far happier, healthier, positive and balanced than I was before I discovered Reiki.   I have become far more in touch with my intuition and truth plus much more sensitive to energy – both my own and other people’s - plus of course nature and the natural flow of things.

Needless to say there is absolutely nothing special about me.  People often assume I must tire from channelling Reiki to others, but this is merely a misconception of what Reiki is all about – I am not a healer in the “laying on of hands” type way, I am simply a channel for the Reiki energy.  In fact, treating others is as relaxing and meditative for me as it is for the client and independent research has actually shown that during a treatment the brain wave patterns of practitioner and client become synchronised in the alpha state, characteristic of deep sleep and meditation.

Life still continues to present its many challenges, but I believe Reiki helps us to have a greater connection with our sense of self.  Feeling more strongly connected to yourself means that you are less likely to feel so overwhelmed by these stresses and you are more likely to see them for what they truly are.  Furthermore, Reiki can help you to realise what it is you need in your life (which is not always the same as what you think you want) and as a consequence, it encourages you to take control by letting go of all those things you no longer need. 

Simply put Reiki – as both a personal development and energy healing technique -can be a life changing experience that helps to enhance your experience of life and make you feel more connected to all of life, recognising (without doubt) that we are all one.

Saturday's Reiki Level 2 attunement session

I had a fab day on Saturday attuning 5 lovely ladies to Reiki 2. This means that those 5 ladies are now Reiki practitioners who can practice professionally on the general public, spreading the light and love of Reiki.

I love Reiki attunement sessions and sharing my love of Reiki with others.  Reiki is amazing and has supported me so much in my life. Not only in terms of my personal development but also as an opportunity to heal myself and others. It's deeply healing and empowering and has also helped me to connect more fully with my intuition and learn to trust in this.  It's amazing!

There are 3 levels too Reiki.  Reiki Level 1 where you learn to channel Reiki and can use it to help to heal yourself, family, friends and pets, this level works more so on the physical level.  Then there's Reiki 2 where you learn 3 of the 4 symbols and this level enables you to obtain insurance to practice professionally.  Here you also learn about crystals and pendulum downing and this level works more so on the mental and emotional bodies.  You also learn distance healing.  Then there's Reiki Master level where you learn the 4th symbol.  This level works more so - from my experience - on the spiritual level.

I love introducing Reiki to students during the level 1 as it is all so new and they are often blown away by the sensations they feel in their hands once they are attuned. You can use Reiki from the moment you are attuned to it and your connection with it never goes away, although it is heightened the more you practice with it.

I love Reiki 2 too as here we get to learn about the symbols and play around with pendulum dowsing, which I love, and also look at crystals and how these can be used to enhance healing. Anyone who knows me knows I love crystals so it really is a delight to share these with others.

Reiki Level 1 and 2 attunement sessions follow a similar format.  We meet at our cottage and have a chatter over a cup of tea or coffee, getting to know one another a bit and sharing any experiences we may have had of Reiki - some have never received Reiki and this is perfectly fine, I'm also curious to find out what has brought students to the sessions.

Then we follow the manual and learn about Reiki relevant to the level we are studying.  We then stop and enjoy a biodynamic energy session and some gentle yoga to bring some movement into the day and to move energy and strengthen our energy channels.  I guide the students through a chakra balancing relaxation and help them to ground their energy before the attunement itself.

The attunement is a little like being tuned into a wave - the Reiki wave.  It's painless and simply means that while you are meditating - I try to guide you into a meditative state - I place symbols and mantras in your aura which tune you into the wave.  It sounds all esoteric and wacky on an intellectual level but its very real and you will start to feel the Reiki flowing from your hands when you then have the intent to heal. It's a special time and takes about 5 minutes per student.

After the attunement we enjoy a vegan soup or salad together depending on the season.  There is always some humus and cheese, and bread and rice cakes and various other seasonal delights. It's important to eat following the attunement, to ground our energy, but we also want to ensure its clean food.

After lunch we follow the manual again.  Reiki 1 we may learn how to channel Reiki to others and about healing crisis and where you may place your hands. In Reiki 2 we learn about pendulum dowsing and crystals and about the responsibilities of being a professional Reiki practitioner.

We then get the treatment couch out and have a go channelling to and receiving Reiki from each other. This is great.  I'm only sorry I don't get the opportunity to lie on the bed and have all those hands channelling Reiki onto me too! We share our experiences and just see what happens.

Then what better way to finish the day then with angel cards? I love my angel cards and they always have an appropriate message for the recipient, even if its not obvious initially.

You go through a 21 day cleansing period following the attunement so I send people on their way with a crystal to support this and also an encouragement to spend time in nature drink plenty of water and rest when you can.  Oh and to practice Reiki!

I'd just like to say a huge thank you to you lovely ladies on Saturday for sharing your beautiful energy with me, I was hyper by the evening and truly inspired by our learnings - much gratitude.

x

Reiki and pregnancy

Reiki works well in helping with all stages of pregnancy including conception and child birth providing emotional, mental, spiritual and physical support.

The Japanese word Reiki (pronounced Ray-key) means ‘Universal energy’ and is based on the free flow of this energy in a person. Eastern medicine has always recognised and worked with this energy, which flows through all living things and is vital to well-being.

Reiki is completely safe and the deep relaxation and peacefulness many people experience during and after a Reiki treatment can be of benefit to both pregnant ladies and those trying to conceive. Reiki may help to reduce stress, heal physical issues, deal with (old) problems and the accompanying emotions; deepen the relationship between mother and child (even in spirit) and increase the confidence in motherhood.

Juliet, who received Reiki during the latter stages of her pregnancy, commented, "I found the session very restful, it helped me focus on the baby and I felt calm for the rest of the day”.

Furthermore the mother’s body changes significantly during pregnancy and her energy balance – mentally, physically and emotionally – is constantly under pressure. Holly comments, “I had numerous sessions of Reiki with Emma during my pregnancy which I found incredibly beneficial. It was my first pregnancy and I have always used Reiki for grounding and general well being which I found I required even more when I was pregnant. The last session I had was the day before my due date and Emma commented that I was very grounded and balanced and sure enough Finley was born the next day on his due date”.

Reiki may also be very effective in helping to restore balance on all levels following the birth. Caring for an infant can be draining for both partners and Reiki can help to restore balance and energy levels as well as providing some much-needed serenity and nurturing (for both parent and infant) during this time.

REIKI - MY EXPERIENCE

These days most people have heard of “Reiki” but not many know what it is actually is. They often assume it is a form of religion or a form of massage and they often wonder if it dangerous. No, is the answer to all these assumptions. It is neither a belief system nor a physically manipulative technique and it is completely safe. Essentially it is a way of being true to yourself so that you do things consciously, with awareness, sincerity and intention.

I must admit when that when I went for my first Reiki session, I had no idea what was really involved. I recall lying on the treatment couch wondering what on earth was going to happen to me. Relaxing music played in the background and candles enhanced the natural light of the room. The practitioner talked about angels and fairies and when my stomach started to gurgle she told me that was a sign they were in the room. I couldn’t quite relax, any moment I was expecting to see apparitions and have a strange out-of-body-type experience.

In my ‘out-of-balance, want-to-be-balanced’ kind of way back then I suspect I was looking for a miracle cure that day. But of course it didn’t happen. After the session, I still felt like the same old me, a little out of sorts, a little unhappy. The only difference being the fact that I knew a little bit more about angels. The practitioner had told me that every time she drives into town she asks her angels to find her a parking space, and every time she goes to park the car there is a space waiting for her. This stuck in my mind and I started doing this myself and I must admit it certainly works – you have to believe however!

Regardless of whether I felt the effects of the Reiki during that first session, the seed had been sown. I was clearly drawn to Reiki for a reason and it was only a matter of time before it presented itself to me again – and the second time around, I had not gone searching. You see, quite unbeknown to me at the time, I started to attend a meditation class which was led by a Reiki Master teacher. Most of the meditation attendees were Reiki attuned and there was often much chatter about Reiki and the Reiki courses led by the teacher. I would listen to them talking about metaphysical energy, auras, crystals and Chakras and wonder what on earth it was all about – it was a different world to the one I lived in at that time.

But times change and only a matter of weeks later I came across an advertisement pinned to the notice board at work advertising Reiki treatment sessions with – coincidentally (and this is something that becomes more prevalent in the Reiki world (coincidences that is) - the same lady who was leading the meditation classes. I was fascinated as I read the advertisement; it mentioned how Reiki can encourage and support positive personal changes, helping to balance the emotions and free us from restrictive mental attitudes and behaviour patterns. It explained how Reiki can help to improve the quality of our relationships, help us to de-stress, reduce our need for alcohol and tobacco, improve our diet and help us to respond more calmly to situations and events in our lives.

This resonated with me immediately and while I still knew very little about the ‘how’, I was at a point in my life where I was willing to give anything a go. This is often the nature of Reiki – you may not be aware of it at the time, but it tends to come into your life when you need it the most; you just simply have to be open to receiving it. Of course, this is the other thing with Reiki, it cannot be forced upon you, you are either willing to go there or you aren’t and no amount of pressure from family or friends will change that – all they can do is plant the seed by making you aware that it exists in the first place.

From my own experience I know that Reiki offers a great many benefits. Essentially it is a holistic relaxation therapy that focuses on the root cause of conditions rather than merely on the symptoms. Thus not only can Reiki be used to induce a sense of deep physical relaxation but it can also be used to promote the healing of a wide range of ailments. These include everything from stress related complaints such as insomnia to joint aches and pains (such as arthritis), headaches, stomach aches, depression, backache, menstrual problems, anxiety, asthma, colds and flu etc.

The Japanese word Reiki (pronounced Ray-key) means ‘Universal Energy’ and is based on the free flow of this energy in a person. Eastern medicine has always recognised and worked with this energy, which flows through all living things and is vital to well-being. It refers to an ancient hands-on healing art developed by Dr Mikao Usui in Japan in the early 1900’s for personal development and the passing of healing energy onto others. Dr Usui believed that by clearing the body energetically it was possible to feel more connected to life, more relaxed, physically healthier and less unbalanced emotionally.

The second Reiki treatment provided a very different experience to the one I had experienced only a few months earlier. Practising Reiki tends to enhance the intuition of the Reiki practitioner and this Reiki practitioner was certainly intuitive – not only that but I felt more of a connection. She was able to feel what was going on for me, beyond the ego and the conscious thought patterns, and articulate these feelings to me in such a way that I could not have said them better myself. It was a liberating and enlightening experience as I finally started to acknowledge a few of those things I had pushed down and tried to push away.

After the session I felt quite emotional and the practitioner assured me that this is not unusual. The practitioner explained to me that it is a little like peeling an onion – the more you receive Reiki, the more you remove the layers, and the closer you come to your core, your true self – I guess it is a little like discarding the baggage, step by step, a fantastic form of personal development. Of course it is different for everyone - some people may only want one session to merely relax while others will want more sessions to continue peeling away the layers.

Reiki treatments tend to last anywhere between 40 minutes and an hour and are carried out with you lying in a comfortable and peaceful environment. There is no need to remove any clothing and you are often given the opportunity to cover yourself with a blanket to encourage relaxation and make you feel a little more comfortable. The practitioner may gently lay their hands on different parts of the body corresponding with the Chakras or energy centres, working from the head to the toes. You may be asked to turn over so the practitioner can work on the other side of your body too.

Reiki has its own intelligence and the practitioner will be drawn intuitively to those parts of the body where the Reiki needs to go. The body automatically draws in only as much Reiki as is needed using it in whatever way is most appropriate at that time. The Reiki energy may be felt as a flow of energy, mild tingling, warmth, heat, coolness, other sensations, or nothing at all. It is common to drift off to sleep and you are often encouraged to do so as it promotes a deeply relaxing experience, calming the mind as much as the body.

As for the ability to practise Reiki, well it does not take years of training, nor is it dependent upon intellectual capacity; it is simply passed from a teacher to the student. As soon as this happens, one has the ability to channel Reiki for the whole of one’s life and can be learned by anyone. The attunement is a powerful spiritual experience and can increase psychic sensitivity. However, like most situations in life, people respond differently and the Reiki attunement is no exception.

There are three levels of study and they are all independent of each other. The first level teaches you how to use Reiki for your own personal self-development, self healing and also the healing of others. The second provides you with additional tools to work with Reiki and enables you to become a registered professional practitioner. The third level, where you become a Reiki Master, teaches you how to further your own interest in Reiki, where you simply ‘be Reiki’. You can then go one step further and train to become a teacher yourself.

The attunement process starts a cleansing process that can affect you on all levels as many of the toxins that have been stored in the body are released along with feelings and thought patterns that are no longer required. Each level of attunement tends to increase the strength of the energy, encouraging personal development, self -healing, greater clarity of mind, increased intuition and potential increase in levels of consciousness.

Over two years I undertook each level of training and I have been a Reiki Master teacher for some time offering Reiki treatments and attunement sessions. Each level brought with it new insights and it has been an empowering experience, which has not only increased my awareness of the world around me but changed the way I perceive so many aspects of life. I have a far greater understanding and appreciation of healing, health and wellbeing, metaphysics, the Chakra system and the flow of energy within the body.

Furthermore Reiki has profoundly helped me on a personal level so that it has literally been life changing, incredibly empowering and transformative and helped me (and continues to help me) to find the strength, clarity, self-belief and faith to make significant life changes more in tune with my true self. I have since changed occupations and am far happier, healthier, positive and balanced than I was before I discovered Reiki. I have become far more in touch with my intuition and truth plus much more sensitive to energy – both my own and other people’s - plus of course nature and the natural flow of things.

Needless to say there is absolutely nothing special about me. People often assume I must tire from channelling Reiki to others, but this is merely a misconception of what Reiki is all about – I am not a healer in the “laying on of hands” type way, I am simply a channel for the Reiki energy. In fact treating others is as relaxing and meditative for me as it is for the client and independent research has actually shown that during a treatment the brain wave patterns of practitioner and client become synchronised in the alpha state, characteristic of deep sleep and meditation.

Of course life still continues to present its many challenges and its fears, but I believe Reiki helps us to have a greater connection with our sense of self. Feeling more strongly connected to yourself means that you are less likely to feel so overwhelmed by these stresses and you are more likely to see them for what they truly are. Furthermore Reiki can help you to realise what it is you need in your life (which is not always the same as what you think you want) and as a consequence, it encourages you to take control by letting go of all those things you no longer need.

Simply put Reiki – as both a personal development and energy healing technique -can be a life changing experience that helps to enhance your experience of life and make you feel more connected somehow.

Photography by my gifted cousin Nick - see www.nickdespres.com for more images