Several years ago, I knew only one thing to be certain. I knew I wanted to be a nurse. I had never heard of the word “holistic healing”. The words alternative healing and complementary modalities were not in my vocabulary either. I just knew in my heart of hearts there had to be a better way to go about healing then merely chasing a symptom with a pill, and never getting to the root of the illness.
I had come to this opinion from my experience from having a chronically ill child. My son’s illness was Asthma. Through the years of his illness we merely treated the symptoms. All the while his lungs grew more and more scarred with each passing Asthma attack. This was back before the internet existed. The age of information had not arrived for the lay person. I followed doctor’s orders, which was status quo, never questioning what I was told, and yet feeling fear and dread in my heart that I was losing my son to symptoms that I did not understand. My son passed away from status asthmaticus in the fall of 2002.
It was his passing that started me on the journey to find a better way than the status quo of treating symptoms. I soon came to find that I did not want to treat illness as much as I wanted to promote wellness.
I wanted to be about the business of empowering individuals to find healing within themselves. I wanted to do all that was within my power to make sure no mother had to go through what I had gone through. I had no idea where to start on this journey. Much like Dorothy looking for the Emerald city, I needed people to point me to the yellow brick road in order to begin my journey. And as with Dorothy, the guides showed up for my journey at just the right time.
I first heard of Reiki several years ago in the holistic nursing magazine, “Healing Touch”. The notion that you could touch someone and heal them was a biblical concept to me due to my upbringing in the Southern Baptist church; however I had never witnessed this put into practice. In my world faith healers were filed away to biblical times and not relevant for modern times.
I read the article in this nursing journal and found my curiosity was sparked to discover more. In fact this healing modality resonated so strongly with me, the hairs on my arms were standing up. As is often the case in our lives, once a truth is brought into our awareness it is not long before we are given the means to affirm this truth for ourselves in practical ways. Before I knew it, there were several people who came across my path that were Reiki Masters. I was elated that I had become acquainted with individuals who could point me in the right direction.
Through my new friends, I learned that Reiki is based on the theory that unseen life force energy flows through each of us. When our energy is low, or off balance, we become easily stressed, which makes our immune systems less effective and put us at risk for illness. When our energy is high, or balanced, we are content, and peaceful. Our immune systems offer a strong defense and we are not prone to illness.
Reiki or hands-on healing is administered by the practice of laying on hands in order to restore our bodies’ depleted energy. Many different cultures and faiths throughout history have practiced this technique in order to restore not only a person’s physical but also spiritual health. For us, here in the west, the most prominent example would be in the Christian scriptures. Jesus practiced this healing art, as was demonstrated many times when he and his Apostles would lay hands on the sick in order to heal them. Most people who practice Reiki would agree that the power of touch is simply a catalyst which triggers the client’s own healing abilities.
Reiki has been used to reduce stress and pain levels, as well as relieve the symptoms of many illnesses such as, headaches, stomach upsets, back problems, gynecological disorders and yes, even Asthma.
Reiki has become so popular here in the U.S. that many hospitals are adding Reiki to their list of patient services. As a result physicians, nurses, and support staff are becoming trained as Reiki practitioners. It is important to note that Reiki should never be used as a replacement for medical treatment. Reiki is a powerful complimentary therapy, to be used alongside conventional medicine.
In the fall of 2010, I started in my first semester of nursing school. By this time I had had the opportunity to take part in several Reiki healing circles. In class one day we had an assigned reading project about alternative healing practices. I was thrilled beyond thrilled that my very own text book listed Reiki as a respected healing modality that was being used in Health practitioners offices and hospitals across the nation.
In the spring of 2011, I received a Reiki level one attunement from Johanna, at Shambhala Wellness. During this process Johanna showed me how to create an “open” channel for the universal life energy. I call this energy the great divine. I felt this energy flow through me from my head and go all throughout my body.
This summer Johanna will guide me in the process of obtaining a level two. I hope to be a Reiki Master by this time next year. As I go though each level I will blog about it here at www.Shambhalawellness.com.
I welcome any positive comments from our readers experiences with Reiki.
To learn more about Reiki practicing and or experiencing in Denton Texas, contact Johanna, by visiting ShambhalaWellness.com.
By Melanie Whyte
