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I suddenly felt an urge to share a bit about my path to Reiki and energy healing. Maybe because I’m sharing it with more people. My cozy home office is finally set up to welcome clients. Which makes the memories of my own journey feel particularly relevant and present. I’m truly excited to offer this type of healing for others- it brings me joy and lights me up. But, if you’d told me 15 years ago I would eventually become a Reiki-Energy Healing practitioner, I would have laughed in your face. I was very logical and science minded back then. Because we have to be, right? If we aren’t, then we are branded ignorant fools. Modern culture and society tells us we simply can’t embrace science and the spiritual- you must choose. Well, I call BS on that one. I use both, and my life is more full, meaningful and joyous than it’s ever been.
When I first started on my healing path, Reiki wasn’t even on my radar. Though I certainly wasn’t a newbie to holistic healing approaches when I finally decided to give Reiki a go. But if I’m honest, the logical, scientific side of my brain was 100% skeptical. And the other creative, intuitive side was deeply curious. I was exposed to energetics and the "woo" during my three years studying Clinical Herbalism at Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, which my fellow students and I affectionately referred to as "Hogwarts". It was truly a magickal experience and turning point that transformed my life. It was also a rigorous and integrative program that balanced both the science and energy/magickal approaches to healing. As I worked more and more with plants and with clients in clinic, I found the language of energetics to be eloquent, compelling and real. And it wasn’t that I used it to the exclusion of science and empirical evidence, but in balance and conjunction with it. So I had opened my mind to possibility. It no longer “either or”. It was now “yes and.” Alchemizing both the rational and the spiritual resulted in impacts beyond what I could fully comprehend.
During that time, I found the courage to schedule my first Reiki session. And I
must say, it was mind-blowing and completely changed my perception of
healing, and even reality. It was truly unlike anything I’d experienced before. I can recall the feeling- it felt like a warm ocean of love and light flowing over my body and my heart. I left the session feeling deeply loved, supported and connected to the world around me. Everything took on a glow, a shimmer, a sparkle that had been missing. I felt a new spring in my step. And it was something I didn’t find in the other therapeutic approaches I was using at the time. And something I suddenly realized I had been needing.
There was nothing wrong with the holistic tools I'd patch-worked together- I did find some of my answers and transformation there that were real. But they only got me so far before I hit a wall. I knew something was missing. Reiki was a game-changer. It showed me how important it is to pair the spiritual and energetic level of healing with the already evidence-backed physical, mental & emotional strategies. When all these aspects are balanced and addressed, the synergy and power created is life altering.
A couple years after my first Reiki experience, I felt called to learn Reiki for myself and found a teacher in Nicole Ananda. I then paired Reiki with the
strategies I was already using (like herbs, nutrition, supplements, yoga,
meditation, and working with a therapist). That’s when the real magick
happened. I saw huge shifts in long-standing patterns and health concerns that I'd never experienced before with any other approaches. Symptoms that had been with me for 10-15 years disappeared over weeks & months. I also noted that my capacity for self-love and care increased exponentially over time. I began to make healthier choices in my lifestyle, career and relationships with far less difficulty. My life began to transform in big and small ways. Some of those changes were truly painful and difficult- letting go of places, possessions, people, beliefs and stories that had been with me for a long time. But the things that were no longer nourishing melted away, and my body, my mind, my heart and my spirit felt more whole and balanced through that process. And that experience was the spark that led me to want to share this practice with others.
You can say Reiki is all woo-woo and non-scientific if you like. That it's just the placebo effect. (And that’s cool if you feel that way. You do you. I’m honestly not here to convince anyone that isn’t interested in possibilities.) If it is the placebo effect, I’ll just offer that the placebo effect should then not be underestimated, because it is freaking powerful. Our minds are awesomely powerful. The thing is, vibrational frequencies are real- quantum mechanics and our ability measure and quantify these things is catching up and revealing that all matter is really energy. And if that’s true, then energy is all we are ever working with. So it makes logical sense that working at an energetic level can produce real effects at the physical, material level. Even if the exact mechanism is still veiled in mystery (for now).
While we may not be able to fully explain or measure why Reiki and other energy healing practices work quite yet, there is evidence and personal experience pointing toward the fact that it does indeed have beneficial effects. Whether you consider it a magickal spiritual panacea, the power of the mind and placebo effect, simply the impact of receiving safe touch and loving care (when so many of us feel alone, isolated, or experience abuse), or allowing quiet time and space to relax our overtaxed nervous systems, I believe Reiki has an important place in supporting our health and well-being.
I’m not special or chosen- everyone has access to Reiki if they desire to cultivate it. I choose to work with and continue to hone my skills with Reiki and energy healing methodologies because:
I find it consistently valuable to supporting my own well-being.
It brings me joy, love and meaning and feels absolutely amazing.
I feel my purpose in life is to be love personified. Reiki is just one of my ways to be of service. It is my offering.
I invite you to embrace deep relaxation- to allow yourself the space to truly surrender and to receive. To allow yourself to be LOVED. At its most basic, I believe that’s what Reiki offers- a reminder of our true value in simply being, our wholeness, and of the love that the universe has for the wild, messy, beautiful, miraculous human that is YOU.
I'm offering reduced-cost Community Reiki-Energy Healing Sessions on Monday & Wednesdays. This is a wonderful opportunity to experience Reiki at an affordable investment. I may also incorporate sound, crystals, tarot and other modalities as appropriate- each session is tailored to you and your specific wellness goals. Sessions are held in my home office in Renton, and distance and phone session are also available. If you are curious, this is a chance to dip your toe in the waters-of-woo and see what it is all about without breaking the bank. I would be honored to partner with you in your healing. And I would also truly love to hear your feedback about the experience.
Advanced sign-up required. You can register for your Reiki-Energy Healing Session here.
I also offer free Discovery Calls if you have questions about Reiki and whether it might be right for you, or if you just want to get a feel for me. The relationship with any healing practitioner is important, and it should feel supportive, nourishing and aligned for you. I may not be your cup of tea, and that’s ok! I may also know of another practitioner who would be right for you as I'm constantly building my referral network. Its a win-win either way. You can book a call here. Wishing you much love and many blessings in your day.