Health-n-Wellness

Reiki: Have you tried it? What did you think?

January 26, 2021 / 6 Comments

I don’t really know what reiki is, but I’ve decided to try it! Here’s the back story:

Last week, I finally made time to do 5 minutes of yoga and another 5 minutes of meditation. It was the first time I had done it in our new house, which means I hadn’t done it since at least mid-November.

At the end of my 10-minute mini-session, I lay prostrate on the ground and burst into tears. It was such a relief to reconnect with my body. I realized I give nearly 100% of my time and energy to my brain.

I believe our bodies are full of wisdom. The body is just as valuable as the brain. I mean, they are ultimately ONE! And yet I go through the day just taking my body for granted. I don’t tap into it. I don’t slow down to listen to it.

In that moment, I decided to seek out a reiki healer.

Is that what they are even called? I honestly know so little about reiki! I generally know that it has something to do with energy. I’m not sure why reiki flashed through my mind. But it did, so I signed up for a 90-minute session!

Here’s the description of the session:

My goal is to create a safe space of comfort and healing so that it is easy to trust, relax, and rest. When the physical body is comfortable the energy body will be open to receiving the nurturing support of Reiki. For your session you will lie on a warm table, fully clothed, and covered by a blanket. I will place my hands on your shoulders, head, and feet to channel Reiki through your body. You may feel a sense of pushing or pulling from my hands and you may also feel like you are floating. There will be time for discussion before and after your time on the table.

Your session will vary depending on your needs. While you are receiving Reiki you may also experience soul retrieval, the removal of harmful attachments and the release of traumatic energy.

I’m so intrigued by the idea of releasing traumatic energy from my body and doing soul work. First I had a traumatic childhood. Then I brought more trauma into my life by launching a school with a 1 year-old and a 3 year-old. And now I’m living through more trauma as a school administrator who is responsible for making life and death decisions for staff, families, and children. I also have trauma from trying to parent an explosive child. It’s a lot. Therapy helps, but my therapist is very cerebral. I love him for it and will continue to work with him, but I want to expand my self-work to focus on my body.

Have you tried reiki? If so, what did you think?

If not reiki, what else do you recommend to release trauma from the body and to reconnect with the innate wisdom in our bodies?

6 Comments

  • Luisa

    January 26, 2021 at 4:10 pm Reply

    I tried reiki once. I was pregnant with my daughter and she was in the transverse position. I was worried that I would have to have a c-section* as a result and discussing this with my birthing class instructor. She is a reiki healer and offered to do a quick session. It was really interesting and I felt very calm afterwards, and more at peace with the idea of welcoming any kind of birth. I definitely experienced the sensations of pushing and pulling as well as a lot of warmth. Aside from the reiki session, I ultimately had a successful ECV to flip my daughter, so I was able to deliver vaginally. *(I also want to note that I completely support all styles of birth and think c-sections are such an important way of delivering many babies. I was personally hoping to avoid one due to a previous birth trauma.)

    I’ve also heard about grounding as a way to release trauma from the body. While I haven’t done it myself, I did the 52-hike challenge last year with my infant daughter, and that was a wonderful experience, that I imagine might have had some similar effects to grounding (though I didn’t hike barefoot, and I believe with grounding you are supposed to be physically in contact with the Earth.)

  • Olivia Jane

    January 26, 2021 at 8:16 pm Reply

    When I was recovering from a c-section with my first, a volunteer came into my room and offered me reiki. (In a major DC teaching hospital — love it!) I recovered SO quickly. With my second, my surgery was much more intense due to scarring and other issues, but I also didn’t have reiki. If I have a third, I’m going to make sure I have reiki sessions before and after. At some point I do want to explore it more — I have a feeling I’m meant to train as a healer, but the time hasn’t been right. So glad you’re making time to care for your physical being and help process your trauma.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *