I’m featuring a guest blog post by one of my Reiki students, Kim Frazier Shaughnessy.  I appreciate that she agreed to share her Reiki story here with all of you.
 

I don’t recall the first time I heard the word Reiki, or if I wondered what it meant. I do know that it slipped into my consciousness and bounced around for a number of years until one day I found myself searching for someone to show me.
 
One day was a few months ago and that someone was Dana Lisa Young.
 
I did what everyone does. I Googled it. I then allowed my intuition to help me find the doorway to what I was certain I needed to do next. When I saw Dragonfly Reiki, I knew I was knocking on the right door (Dragonfly was my mother’s favorite movie and one of the last movies I watched with her). When I read Dana’s bio and saw her photo, I knew the door was open.
 
Simply put, I heard the call and I answered it. I walked through that door and I haven’t looked back since. Not only have I not looked back, consequently I haven’t looked forward. I am right here in this moment and I am sharing my experience in hopes that it will help you to decide if Reiki is right for you.
 
If you’re reading this, you’ve heard the call. Whether or not you respond is up to you. Like anything else in life, Reiki is a choice.
 
When I chose Reiki and the teacher, I chose so many unexpected things. For instance, I’ve always been more aware of my spiritual nature. I have meditated off and on for years – alone, in groups and with another. And I have seen things in some of those meditations that made everyday life look like a joke to me. As a result, I haven’t been very grounded. In a sense, connected and yet still lost. I can honestly say I no longer feel lost. And even though I’ve had Reiki experiences that would lead some to believe I’m just plain crazy, I am now very much here – more in tune with everyday life than I have ever been. The balance is not perfect, but my feet are more firmly on the ground…even when my head is in the clouds.
 
What has my life been like since my first attunement? Well, I’d be lying if I said it was suddenly a bed of roses. I don’t look ten years younger and I haven‘t won the lottery because my energy is now attracting only good things. But you know what? It’s okay. As a matter of fact, it’s so okay that I woke up one morning and decided to stop coloring my hair. Just like that. I have never enjoyed that process and decided it was no longer a worthwhile use of my time or money. Why bother when I’m just going to have to do it again in a few short weeks? This may sound silly to you, but it has been very liberating for me. In a more general sense, I’ve noticed a significant decline in my stress level. My attitude towards family, friends and co-workers has shifted and I now have a better sense of what to say, when to say it and, more importantly, when to listen. I don’t always get it right, but that’s okay too. I am noticing that those less-than-perfect moments no longer have the same power over me and as a result the negative thoughts and emotions do not linger.
 
If you asked me to describe a Reiki self treatment, I would tell you that the moment I raise my hands and ask for what I refer to as “Reiki Rain,“ I feel an instant surge of energy that I would compare to the feeling you get when a storm is coming. The atmosphere is charged with electricity and anticipation. When I put my hands together, repeat the admonitions and set my intention that same electric energy surrounds me like a warm blanket. My hands become heavy and I slip into an easy groove of acceptance of healing and a feeling of gratitude. It is that simple.
 
I’ve only had one moment of fear during a self treatment, but having made the commitment I chose to let go of that fear and trust the process. Without going into too much personal detail, I felt the strong presence of another. I let them stay and the experience was one I will never forget. I saw colors in a way I had not seen them before, like a camera with the shutter wide open and a dust-free lens. By the end of the session I was crying, but that was okay too. I was not upset.
 
If the “presence of another” confession leads you to believe that I do fall into the “just plain crazy” category, I understand. But if it makes you feel better, it isn’t usually like that. More often than not, it’s just comforting. Like a good massage on a non-physical level. Sometimes I get up from the table and I feel sleepy, so I know I need to rest. Sometimes I get up and feel energized, so I know I need to do something. And sometimes I’m just more content to go about the routine of daily life.  I might add that I’m a wife, a mother, a grandmother and a staff agent for State Farm.  How normal is that?
 
As for sharing it with others, I am learning that the experience is a little different for everyone. I have channeled Reiki for my youngest daughter who experienced relief from anxiety, but continues to struggle with a deep sadness so our sessions are infrequent. It is too much for her right now. On demand, I channeled Reiki for my middle daughter who described it as itchy and hot. She was curious and thanked me afterwards. She’s straightforward like that. My husband also described it as itchy and was certain that I pinched his ears. Not surprisingly, he has trouble with his ears. When he got up, he was yawning and I was glad to see him relaxed since he is typically hyper. He also told me that mornings would be better for him. A friend and her daughter both described heat and that night I learned that Reiki is truly in charge. My friend was feeling a lot of tension in her shoulders that did not respond to my hands when placed in that area. Instead, she felt a warm rush and release in her shoulders when I touched her feet. Go figure.
 
To date, the most touching sessions have been with my granddaughter. She is five years old, sweet, sassy and everything in between. She lets go in an instant and I am honored by her trust. One night she was so agitated and out of control that I informed her we were going to the table. She didn’t argue. She wanted to go. She kept her eyes open that time and we whispered to each other.
 
$150 for Reiki I: a day to remember. Time, energy and commitment to daily self treatment: beginning to see results. $160 for a Reiki Table and another $30 for music: a more comfortable place to do Reiki. $170 for a beautiful, soft sage room divider: privacy, so people walking around in the kitchen don’t stare into the sunroom and make fun of you while you’re lying on a table with your hands up in the air! Seeing a sweet smile on your granddaughter’s face when she places her own hands beneath yours and whispers “I can feel it, Grammy!”: priceless.
 
Okay, so I paid Dana with a check. You get my point. And truthfully, I’ve spent less money than I did on my hair last year.
 
If you choose to share the experience of a Reiki attunement with Dana Lisa Young, you will not choose – as someone so aptly put it in a testimonial – an “airy fairy.” Dana presents the gift of Reiki in a concise and intelligent manner. No frills, no nonsense. And with just the right amount of humor.

My advice to you? If you hear the call, answer it. I assure you, it’s okay.

Reiki is a healing art from Japan that uses light touch on or just above the body to help facilitate deep relaxation, balance energy levels and promote an optimal state of well-being.  The gentle nature of this bodywork is especially beneficial for expectant and new mothers because it helps prepare women for the physical, emotional and spiritual changes necessary for a “centered” pregnancy, labor and post-partum recovery experience.

Reiki healing is especially useful for relieving the physical discomforts of pregnancy.  The hormones associated with pregnancy – human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and estrogen — contributes to gastric distress. Reiki relaxes the gastrointestinal walls and can reduce or alleviate the sensation of nausea.  It also provides relief from round ligament pain, as well as hip, back and nerve-based pain (sciatica and carpal tunnel are two common conditions) typically experienced as pregnancy progresses.  Reiki can be so deeply relaxing that people often drift off into asleep – and as any pregnant woman knows, sleep is a valuable commodity! 

Many pregnant women are juggling demands associated with careers, expectations from their families, changes in their relationships with their partners, and of course, in their bodies. These factors can exacerbate fatigue and mood swings.  Reiki can help expectant mothers reduce stress and remain more grounded emotionally.  A Reiki treatment is, first and foremost, time for women to reorient themselves and their bodies during a time when they may no longer feel like it belongs to them.  Reiki, along with other supportive practices such as chiropractic, prenatal massage and prenatal yoga, can have great benefits for a mother-to-be and her developing baby.

The soothing energy of Reiki provides a non-invasive comfort measure, relieving pain from contractions and reducing anxiety during labor.  The use of Reiki may reduce or eliminate the need for an epidural or other pharmaceutical pain relief.  Spouses, partners, doulas and other childbirth professionals trained in Reiki can be a valuable source of support for laboring women:

The birth partner has the very specific role during labor, delivery and post-birth of giving the mother and the baby Reiki, creating that Reiki space of peaceful, deep relaxation that assists the mother in flowing with her body and the baby throughout labor. – “Reiki and Sacred Childbirth”, Summer 2010 issue of Reiki News Magazine 

Assisting a laboring mother with Reiki can provide the space and support for her to experience a centered, empowered birth experience. It can be tremendously gratifying for the spouse or partner to be able to provide an additional source of loving and energetic support, creating a deep shared connection between the couple.

Reiki is also helpful for post-partum recovery.  Women’s bodies undergo tremendous change to support the new life growing inside them; it takes a while for the body’s organs and processes to return to a normal non-pregnancy state.  Healing is still occurring inside a mother’s body after her baby is born, even after an easy or uncomplicated birth. Reiki can help new mothers maintain energetic and emotional balance during those first weeks of adjustment.  This is especially important for the percentage of women who may experience post-partum depression. 

For those women who had a difficult labor, or had a cesarean birth, Reiki can help facilitate healing on physical and emotional levels.  Recent clinical studies show Reiki to be effective for reducing anxiety and post-surgical pain in hospitalized patients.  Women recovering from surgery or birth trauma can certainly benefit from this additional source of compassionate, palliative support. The medications used to relieve post-surgical pain often have unpleasant side effects, and the discomfort from the incision can make it difficult for women to hold or breastfeed their babies.  Reiki augments the physical healing process, enabling women to get back on their feet sooner.  Energy-based therapies, such as Reiki, emit extra low-frequency (ELF) signals, which have been shown to stimulate tissue repair and nerve regeneration:

[Dr. John] Zimmerman found that the pulsing field produced by the hands of practitioners is not steady in frequency, but varies from moment to moment.  The frequency sweeps up and down through the very same range of frequencies in the ELF band that medical researchers have identified as being effective for jump starting the healing process in the various tissues. –  Science and the Human Energy Field, Oschman, James L. Ph.D

Reiki also works on emotional levels, helping women integrate their experience, alleviate PTSD symptoms and allowing them to experience wholeness and well-being again.

Reiki honors the women we are: our bodies, our emotions and the spirit within that give us strength and purpose.  Please contact me if you are expecting a baby, and would like to find out more how Reiki can help support you in a healthy, happy and centered pregnancy. 

 Photo credit: Storyvillegirl

“Practice being gentle, respectful and loving towards the life force in all things.  In other words, behave as if the God in all life really mattered.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer

Several days ago, my husband left for work in the morning as usual.  About 5 minutes later, he returned, carefully holding a bag that was rustling in his hand.  “We have an event,” he said.  Inside the bag were two tiny, pink, hairless possum babies.  Someone had hit the mama possum at the end of our road, and my husband stopped to respectfully move her body over to the grass.  As he did so, he saw the babies outside their mama’s pouch. 

Although my husband was not entirely sure what to do, he knew he couldn’t leave them there.  So, he picked them up and brought them home immediately.  We placed them inside a shoebox lined with an an old t-shirt and placed the box on top of a heating pad set on low.  I called our vet and the Chattahoochee Nature Center to see who might be able to care for these babies.  They referred me to For Pet’s Sake, a veterinarian’s office specializing in avian and exotic species, because they work with a wildlife rehabilitator.  The office is located not far from my home and I was already familiar with their practice.  Years ago, I owned a cockatiel whose wing became infected and Dr. Hutcheson helped me nurse him back to health. 

My husband had to leave for work, so I took the possum babies over to the veterinarian’s office.  I drove with one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the shoebox.  I gave Reiki to those babies the whole way.  The energy was very strong.  They were mewling softly, but still active.  We have no idea how long it had been since the mother possum died, but the babies were clearly hungry. 

It was a very emotional experience, connecting to these babies with this spiritual energy.  It brought back memories of holding my infant daughter in my arms, feeling Reiki flowing from me to her effortlessly.  These little beings no longer had their mama and needed all the help they could get simply to survive.  I was praying for their well-being, while trusting that Reiki would work for their highest good. 

As I was about to make a left onto the road where the office was, a car suddenly appeared in front of me with the license plate: BLSINGS.  I began crying because I knew I’d been sent a sign that Spirit was present and working on the babies’ behalf.  I also believe it was Spirit that led my husband down the street in the opposite direction he usually takes to go to the office in order to be of loving service to these animals. 

I brought the possums into the office and the veterinary assistant immediately whisked them into the back to place them in an incubator.  After examining them, she told me they were a boy and a girl.  They required tube feeding, because their mouths weren’t even fully open yet.  (To get a sense of just how small they were, see this story about a bushtail possum baby that was rescued in Australia.) The assistant added that we could call later that day to check on their status, which I really appreciated. 

Sharing Reiki with the babies was a profound moment of bonding.  Dr. Wayne Dyer says:

Being gentle, respectful and loving to one other person or creature has major significance for you and the other.  The energy of love is sent out into the universe and connects with the same loving essence that is in all things.

The possum babies are now with the wildlife rehabilitator.  I’m hopeful they will survive and thrive to where they can be released.  Having the opportunity to assist in their rescue was humbling and touching.  It was a very direct experience of being interconnected to a species we otherwise have little contact with, since possums are nocturnal and naturally shy. 

In the space and spirit of Reiki, there is no other.  There is only us held in the midst of the healing, affirmational energy of love.