This is somewhat different than what I usually discuss in my blog posts, but I am so excited that I wanted to share it with you all.  The New York Times is currently running a reader-submitted photo essay called “Documenting the Decade,” which showcases photos and short essays of important moments of the last decade.  My friend and former co-worker Lisa had submitted a photo and when I complimented her on it, she said that she had wanted to submit a photo from our 2003 trip to Hyderabad, India to train teams to do co-sourcing work, but realized that all the best photos she had were ones I’d taken!  Wow – quite a compliment coming from a rather accomplished amateur photographer! 

So, I looked through the many photos taken from five separate trips to India.  I wanted to find one that expressed how the old and new have been comingling and colliding in India since the growth of Western companies and influence over the past ten years.  It was in a group of photos taken in that original three week trip in 2003 that I found it: a Coca-Cola sign juxtaposed against a series of columns and statues of deities at Bhadrakali Temple in Warangal, India:

It was amazing to me, even seven years ago, how this iconic sign of corporate culture could be found anywhere, even in a small, dusty town where locals saw relatively few Westerners.  I was greeted with intense scrutity and curiosity the entire time.  I was the only non-Indian, along with my companion, who rode the claustrophobically crowded “Krishna Local” train from Secunderbad to Warangal just to visit the Thousand-Pillared Temple, which had stood for nearly a millenia, and Bhadrakali Temple, where the photo was taken.  If I were to travel back there, would things look pretty much the same or would there be additional signs of “Westernization” I could hardly anticipate at the time of my first visit? 

India is a very special place for me, as it is (among other things) the place where I experienced the miracle of energy healing for the first time.  I also learned how spiritual practice is an ingrained part of everyday life for the Indian people, and not something relegated to the holidays or a specific day of the week.  These experiences changed me and informed my own spiritual growth and development.  It seems only right to share this photo, seven years after my first visit to this amazing, beautiful and always-surprising country.  Namaste and Happy New Year!

Check out Dragonfly Reiki’s January 2010 newsletter…information on moving my practice to Candler Park Chiropractic, the upcoming donation Reiki clinic on January 9 and the Reiki Level I training on January 23.

http://eepurl.com/geiR

I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas, no matter how you decided to celebrate the day. I especially enjoyed watching how excited my daughter was about the impending visit from Santa Claus. My husband took a hilarious video of her talking on the phone to Santa (actually my father-in-law) where she puts in a good word or two for our dog, Jazz.  It was heart-warming to see her absolute belief in the power of goodness, as well as her desire to share that goodness with others. 

There’s been a recent trend in parenting where it’s not “cool” to let kids believe in Santa because he isn’t “real,” but my husband and I feel that it’s important for children to believe in the power of miracles and dreams-come-true.  As reknowned pediatrician and parenting guru Dr. Sears says, young adults may resent their parents for many things, but tricking them about Santa isn’t one of them.  Santa is a metaphor for selfless, loving giving and the belief that positive actions can exist beyond our power to explain and control them through conventional means. 

 A Course in Miracles reminds us that miracles “occur naturally as an expression of love. The real miracle is the love that inspires them. In this sense, everything that comes from love is a miracle.”  I have been a witness to and recipient of many big miracles in my life.   But by the same token, keeping in mind that love inspires miracles, think of just how many small, seemingly ordinary events or actions can also be considered miracles.  These could include a kind word heard at just the right time to lift the spirits, someone who sees you have fewer items in your hand and lets you ahead of them in line at the store, a neighbor who brings over fresh-baked treats to share or a spontaneous hug from a child.  It would be a great exercise to name as many miracles as we could come up with…perhaps the subject of my next blog post!

With the arrival of 2010 comes change.  For Dragonfly Reiki, change means a new location.  As of January, I will be working out of Candler Park Chiropractic in Atlanta.  I will have access to a more dedicated space in which to hold private Reiki healing sessions, the monthly donation clinic and classes.  It is very important to me that clients feel they are in a comfortable, secure environment with minimal distractions while receiving Reiki treatments.  Dr. Lynn recently expanded her practice, which gave me the opportunity to return and offer my healing services along side other talented and dynamic healing professionals, including Dr. Lynn, her two wonderful massage therapists, Bridget Marshall and Toni Hale, as well as Jennifer Savage, a licensed acupuncturist.  There is going to be lots of positive energy flowing!  More to come soon!

My sincere appreciation to Drs. Jamie Galperin and Liliana Warner for allowing me the use of their space at Lotus of Life Chiropractic for the past 15 months.  They have a terrific practice and are also quite talented healers.  I’ve learned a lot from them and look forward to collaborating on future wellness events. 

And in other news…look for my new print ad in the Atlanta edition of Natural Awakenings magazine!  My husband did a beautiful job of designing the ad for me, just as he did with my Dragonfly Reiki logo.  If you happen to pick up the magazine see it, let me know what you think. I know he’ll appreciate positive feedback for all of his creative efforts.

The following testimonial comes from my friend Laurie, who I sent Distance Reiki to several times last week to see if it would help with her knee pain and swelling. Laurie experienced dramatic relief from her symptoms and wanted to share her story with others.

My experience with Dana has been and continues to be amazing. I have a torn meniscus in my right knee. I have had a cortisone shot, steroid medication as well has pain medication. None of these things have given me any relief. I had never had Reiki before and decided I would let Dana give me Distance Reiki since I live in Florida. I was at the point that I would try anything. I was so amazed with the results after our first session. After a couple of sessions I was feeling great. So much so that I could get up and do all my normal activities PAIN FREE – something I hadn’t been able to do for months!

What was really moving for me about our Reiki experience was how much I realized I was able to discern about what was going on with Laurie during our Distance Reiki sessions. I have done some Distance Reiki work in the past but felt sort of like I was sending Reiki into space – I couldn’t get a strong sense of connection to the person I was working with. I trusted that Reiki was working because my experience showed me that it does even when I can’t always sense it very strongly, but I still didn’t have a lot of confidence to offer it very often.

However, as Laurie told me what was going on with her knee, I felt very strongly that I should try sending her Reiki. She did not have health insurance and her doctor was recommending surgery if her symptoms did not improve with the treatments that were prescribed. She was very open the idea of receiving Reiki, as she was in a lot of pain and none of the treatments had given her much relief.

As I began channeling Reiki to Laurie, I could visualize and connect energetically with her quite easily. It was almost as if she was in the room with me! I did an energetic scan of her body and sensed quite clearly that in addition to her knee, she was carrying a lot of tension in her shoulders and upper back. So, I focused on sending Reiki to her upper back and knee. After our initial session, I described what I had noticed and Laurie confirmed she often has a lot of pain and tightness in her upper back.

I asked Laurie if she had noticed anything different during the session and she reported that she felt warmth in her knee and at one point, actually felt as if someone/something was physically manipulating it! The next day, she said her knee felt better than it had in weeks. Encouraged by this, we set up time a couple of days later to do another session. The following day, she reported she was actually able to get around and do some housework, which she had not been able to do in quite some time! I also sent her a Reiki-infused 7 day rainbow candle to continue to facilitate healing after our Distance Reiki sessions.

I know that Reiki is amazing, but it always excites and fills me with gratitude each time I facilitate a Reiki session and someone has such a profound healing experience. One of the things that was so key here for Laurie was how open she was to the healing process – it makes such a difference in how effective Reiki can be. As I always remind my clients, the healing begins with YOU!

What I also appreciated about working with Laurie was how it made me realize how much my discernment (chiryo or, inner guidance) has developed from facilitating in-person Reiki sessions (over 200 since practicing Reiki professionally over 18 months ago!) I was able to feel present with Laurie even though she is several hundred miles away. It was a gift to me to gain more confidence in my ability to facilitate Distance Reiki sessions – and will allow me to offer additional Reiki healing opportunities to people who need it.

My love and gratitude to Laurie, who wanted very much to share her healing story here.

May the healing and light of Reiki be with all of you!

I came across this wonderful quote and wanted to share it, because this is very much in line with what I believe about the healing process and Reiki’s role as as a tool for facilitating our healing journey:

The human being’s ability to heal is extraordinary. The power of love and intention a person can generate for healing is remarkable. Using the power of your mind and heart is in complete alignment with the law of nature. Bodies regenerate themselves naturally. Sometimes we need to help our bodies remember how to do that healthily and if we choose to do this consciously, we embark on a healing journey. – Misa Hopkins,  The Root of All Healing

Many of these same concepts are captured quite beautifully in Louise Hays’ classic book, You Can Heal Your Life, which I’m reading now.   I know from my own personal experience that the more I learn to let go of incorrect, outdated or negative beliefs about who I am, the more I am able to love, receive love without fear and experience increased forgiveness and compassion for others – and myself.  This is key to healing, emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually.  Reiki has helped facilitate much of that healing, but I also credit my studies on spiritual philosophies and practices, meditation, yoga and prayer for their role in my healing journey.  They all form part of what I like to call my “healing toolkit.”  What’s in your healing toolkit?

Today is World AIDS Day, where we acknowledge and send our love to the millions of people living with HIV/AIDS, while also remembering those who remain with us only in spirit.  While we are so fortunate that advances in medical treatment have allowed many to deal with HIV as a manageable chronic health condition, there are still far too many people without adequate access to HIV medication and health care, especially in developing countries.  Those of us with a friend or loved one with HIV remember the dark fear in the pit of our stomachs at the announcement of the diagnosis.  Twenty or so years ago, those announcements were met with terror, because the vast majority of those infected with the HIV virus succumbed to the disease within months or a couple of years.  I am so grateful that the development of HIV medications and treatment have made it possible for so many people, including beloved family and friends of mine, to live with dignity, vitality and a good measure of health. 

I came across a good case study on the efficacy of Reiki for the treatment of HIV/AIDS symptoms that I wanted to share.  The first is a report by Robert Schmehr, CSW entitled, Enhancing the Treatment of HIV/AIDS With Reiki Training and Treatment, published in the peer-reviewed journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine.  He is the Director of Complementary Therapy at the HIV Center of St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital in New York City and a Reiki II practitioner.  The report discusses a person living with HIV who received Reiki treatment and also was trained to do Reiki self-treatments to help overcome substance abuse and psychological distress.  Schmehr states that the ”patient’s physician and former psychotherapist have repeatedly described the patient’s belief that Reiki self-treatment as the single greatest factor contributing to his successful behavior change.”   Those of us who practice Reiki also know that once a person is no longer dependent on drugs, and experiences reduced anxiety and psychological stress, significant healing can occur.  Indeed, Schmehr mentions that the patient’s viral load and CD4 count, while still detectable, was much improved, an indication he is thriving and experiencing greater quality of life.

Another study I wanted to share with you was conducted by Pamela Miles, Founding director Institute for the Advancement of Complementary Therapies (I*ACT) and a well-known Reiki Master Teacher.  The report, Preliminary Report on the Use of Reiki for HIV-related Pain and Anxiety, also published in the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, focuses on the use of Reiki for treatment of HIV-related pain, anxiety and depression.  Like the previous study, the study also focuses on teaching the patients how to do Reiki self-treatments.  As with the previous study, the results were favorable:

In an evaluation of the program, it was noted there was a decline in reported pain after the Reiki treatment; on an 11-point scale, the average pain rating dropped from 2.73 to 1.83. Results were similar for the anxiety scale, with mean anxiety dropping from 32.6 to 22.8. There was no significant difference in pain or anxiety reduction as a function of whether the Reiki was self-administered or administered by another.

I have also read of similar success in the article, “Reiki for Veterans,” published in the Winter 2008 issue of Reiki News magazine, where returning war veterans suffering from PTSD were trained to administer Reiki self-treatments and experienced decreased pain, anxiety and other symptoms associated with PTSD.  It is very empowering for people to be able to literally put the responsibility for healing into their own hands and in conjunction with prescribed allopathic or therapeutic treatment, experience relief from chronic or debilitating symptoms and have improved quality of life. 

Please contact me if you would like to learn more about how you or a loved one can utilize Reiki as an adjunct, complementary therapy for relieving symptoms associated with many chronic health conditions.