Reiki Can Do No Harm or Can It?

Members of Laura's team performing Reiki (c) 2010-2014 All Rights Reserved

 

Reiki can do no harm or can it? Just as in any profession, there are many wonderful reiki professionals who do amazing work and many individuals receive the many benefits of reiki. However, there are also downsides that are not often discussed in the industry.  So, before I answer that question, I want to tell you a story.

I was teaching an anatomy and physiology class at a college in Boston. There was a section in one of the chapters talking about links to stress related illnesses and the benefits of meditation as a treatment option. I went on my normal tangents talking about how reiki, acupuncture, and other alternative therapies have benefits as well. I elaborated on each on what benefits, for what purpose and cited types of studies and research done.

I also discussed my professional experiences teaching and practicing meditation and reiki in a medical environment as well as how I teach them and why I teach them a certain way. I also discussed my volunteer work with trauma victims especially, but not limited to, domestic abuse survivors.

During break I had a few students inquire and ask questions about alternative therapies and about reiki in particular. At the time, I assumed their questions were out of curiosity.

A couple days later I received an email from one of my students through one of the websites I have written articles for. She wanted to know if reiki could help her because she was a survivor of child sex abuse and for the last 20 years everything she has tried has not helped her.  She had tried reiki once before about 5 years ago, but she said it felt like "someone put voodoo" on her. She talked about the class and how what I said made sense to her. She wondered if "this reiki thing" could really help her to finally heal and move on with her life.

Why am I telling you this story? This story is one of many stories of survivors of abuse having a negative experience with reiki. It did not matter if it was an alternative healing night, a referral from a psychiatrist or physician, or a student. The stories began to stack up as to why these individuals never sought reiki again until they met me. It always puzzled me, but also knew there was a reason even it I did not know it at the time.

So now back to the question. Reiki can do no harm or can it?

Reiki itself can do no harm. It is a Japanese energetic touch therapy with roots that go back to Ancient Tibetan Buddhist healing as do many other alternative therapies.  Reiki works with the electrical conduction system of the human body, BUT with the wrong practitioner it may give the appearance it can do harm.  The problem is not with reiki, but with the unqualified reiki person working with trauma victims.

In the case of my student, the reiki worked. It was the lack of training by the practitioner that caused the problem that exacerbated the healing crisis she felt making her feel as if “someone put voodoo” on her.

Sadly, over the years, I have seen too many reiki practitioners take a 6-8hr workshop and want to profess their expertise in reiki. That is not reiki, but ego talking. If you are teaching this or have been taught that, there is a misconception, and it needs to change.

Working with trauma victims, requires more than just reiki training. You must know the clinical signs and symptoms of trauma and in my opinion, have some sort of clinical or medical training in one or many areas such as trauma, abuse, first aid and cpr, psychology, grief, post traumatic stress, etc.
There is a lot of scientific data research citing the many benefits of reiki as a treatment option especially for diagnoses such as anxiety and depression which tends to plague many victims, and speaking as a survivor of abuse myself, reiki does works. 

Reiki is also used in medical offices and hospitals all over the country as part of an integrative therapy approach. Boston area hospitals that offer reiki as part of their programs include: Boston Children's Hospital, Dana Farberand Brigham and Women's. Nurses are also able to get CEUs. So you see reiki itself, has become a viable treatment options for many within the medical community.
A study done in 2007 by the National Health Interview Survey indicates that 1.2 million adults and 161,000children received one or more sessions of energy healing therapy such as Reiki in the previous year. According to the American Hospital Association, in 2007, 15% or over 800 American hospitals offered Reiki as part of hospital services.

Out of ignorance, I see so many well intentioned reiki teachers and practitioners exacerbating serious medical problems and shedding a negative light on the good reiki can do as viable healing modality by preaching that anyone can do reiki on anyone as reiki can do no harm. Again, it is not the reiki doing harm, but the unqualified reiki practitioner.

How? With an unqualified reiki professional, a victim who already experiences fear, mistrust, and guardedness, these symptoms can significantly worsen.

A qualified reiki professional does the proper client intake, knows when the client is ready for actual healing to take place, there is proper communication between practitioner and client, and if healing crisis takes place a qualified practitioner knows what to do and knows where to refer the client if medical intervention or treatment is required.

With statistics such as, one in three women experience abuse in their lifetime, the chances a reiki professional will encounter a client with trauma is great.  Domestic abuse has hit epidemic proportions in this country andis expected to remain steady until the economy improves, laws to protect victims are enforced and resources to organizations that work with victims are improved.

This is not taking into account other traumas from events such as our military servicemen returning from war or Hurricane Sandy or 9/11.

Of the 1.7 million veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, 300,000 (20percent) suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression.[i]   Accordingto the VA, about one-in-five female veterans have post-traumatic stress related to "military sexual trauma," a catch-all category that includes everything from sexual harassment to rape.[ii]

For 9/11 survivors, “at least 10,000 firefighters, police officers and civilians exposed to the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center have been found to have post-traumatic stress disorder.”[iii]

“Statistics say that only 5% of those who survived 9/11 in New York City went on to experience symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). But in the case of Hurricane Katrina, 33% later suffered symptoms. This is a very high percentage, even for an extremely traumatizing event.”[iv]

With these numbers and statistics, it is imperative, the manner in which reiki is utilized needs to be given much consideration.

The reiki practitioner who looks out for their client first, will set ego aside and do the right thing by referring those clients to a professional better qualified to work with those individuals. A reiki professional treating a serious medical condition should also have the appropriate medical credentials to so.

If you have ever experienced some form of trauma in your life whether it be abuse, rape, natural disasters, loss, war, or the like, then please understand that not all reiki professionals are the same just like not all doctors or therapists are the same. Seek out a reiki professional with training or professional experience in the related fields you seek and ask questions.

Reiki has so many wonderful benefits. This article was intended to help educate both well intentioned reiki practitioners as well as educate the general public on why choosing the right reiki professional is critical to your overall health, healing and overall wellbeing.

I sincerely hope the information given served as informative and beneficial. 

ABOUT LAURA

Laura is a psychic medium, metaphysical and holistic health practitioner and teacher. She is also a Registered Certified Medical Assistant, Reiki Master Teacher. She has over 15 cumulative years in the holistic and allopathic health fields and has incorporated energy medicine and mind-body medicine therapies in her line of work over the past 6 years.

Laura’s Psychic Mediumship and intuitive skills runs in her family.  Her grandmother was a tea leaf reader and her aunt was a palm reader and used their healing abilities and Mediumship to help others. Her mother and father used them to heal patients in their respective healthcare fields. However, it wasn't until a traumatic divorce did Laura’s intuitive gifts flourish. 

Laura has been a guest medium at many of the local Spiritualist Churches throughout New England, The Wig-i-wam Spiritualist Camp in Onset and many area South Shore venues and celebrity charity events. She has also been a featured guest with WBZ legend, Bob Lobel on WBZ 1030am radio, Girl’s Night out Sponsored by Radio 104.1, Marshfield Public Access Tv, as well as the Patriot Ledger. She was also featured in an article on Top Leaders Under 40 by New England Business Bulletin regarding her charity work with survivors of interpersonal violence and wellness communities.

Laura offers compassionate and alternative forms of healing and spiritual growth and guidance. She offers a variety of Mind-Body Medicine Therapies, Holistic Health and Nutrition, and Psychic Mediumship. Laura believes that no matter what you are seeking, balance is key – mind, body or spirit. If any of those three areas are out of balance, your whole system will be out of balance. She has found this to be true in all aspects of the services provided and she strives to provide the very best services, classes, workshops, & events. She volunteers her time helping those healing from abuse, and also volunteers services to her church.  Laura’s goal is to have a positive impact in this world, make a difference in people’s lives and find simple preventative cures for complex problems. Laura's unique style to energy medicine can only be witnessed.

Laura has published articles on various health and healing topics such as Stress, Spirituality, and Meditation, My Journey Boston Strong, on various sites such as SelfGrowth.com , Blogger, Hubpages, and Take5.com.     

ICRT Reiki Membership Association - Affiliate Member
We are an Affiliate Member of  ICRT, and follow a code of ethics, and standards of practice.  Its purpose is to maintain a professional image for our members while at the same time preserving the spirit of Reiki and assisting members in creating a thriving Reiki practice. By becoming a member, we'll be associating with an organization that has the reputation of providing accurate, up-to-date information on the history, practice, and scientific study of Reiki. Affiliate members must abide by the following requirements: Use ICRT class manuals purchased from www.reikiwebstore.com when teaching Reiki I, II,ART, Master and Karuna Reiki® classes. One manual must be provided to each student. Abide by the RMA Code of Ethics. Abide by the RMA Standards of Practice. Place the RMA logo on member’s web site home page (if member has a website).Affiliate members must be Usui Reiki masters. Reiki training must have taken place with teacher in person. (no Internet, distant, CD, or book only training accepted).    Contact us in Quincy, Massachusetts, to learn more about Reiki treatment for stress reduction, spiritual healing, and relaxation.


Facebook:  http/www.facebook.com/LauraHealingWithSpirit
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©2010-2014 Laura Healing With Spirit. All Rights Reserved. This information is for general educational uses only. It may not apply to you and your specific medical needs. This information should not be used in place of a visit, call, consultation with or the advice of your physician or health care professional.  Communicate promptly with your physician or other health care professional with any health-related questions or concerns.  Be sure to follow specific instructions given to you by your physician or health care professional.


REFERENCES:

[i] RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research, Invisible Wounds of War, 2008
[ii] J. Kitfield, National Journal, 2011
[iii] Anemonia Hartocollis, 10 Years and a Diagnosis Later, 9/11 Demons Haunts Thousands, TheNew York Times, August 8, 2011.
[iv]by SusanneBabbel, Ph.D., MFT, Bridging the mind-body gap, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder After 9/11 and Katrina, PsychologyToday; September 12,2011.

Reflections in Divine Synchronicities

4/4/14

It was a beautiful Tuesday morning, April 4, 2014.  I decided to take the back country roads to take care of some personal business per court order by Brockton Family Court Judge Lisa Roberts. While enroute travelling west, I was reflecting on all the tragedies and especially triumphs in my life when the song, "The Broken Road", by Rascal Flats came on the radio at the same time I passed by four swans at approximately 12:42pm.

I'm not a big Rascal Flats fan, but this song is beautifully written and very symbolic of my life and all my friends and family who have been my life lines as I have battled a war for survival from repeated domestic abuse and now legal abuse. The system and the family courts are repeatedly failing to see or acknowledge the abuse despite police reports, medical records, DCF records, and witness testimonies documenting the abuse. I encourage you to listen to this song and to the lyrics as well. 



There is no coincidence the song and the appearance of the swans happened simultaneously. 

Swans are waterfowl that are generally very territorial. I was amazed and surprised to see four of them nicely congregating in a very small area of a large pond.  We generally perceive swans as graceful and elegant with a close connection to water. They live harmoniously with three out of four Aristotelian elements.  With the element of earth, we are reminded to ground our self.  With the element of air, we are shown the ability to soar to great heights. With the element of water, we are shown grace and beauty.

I am also reminded about the tale of Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Anderson that I read as a child. Just like the Ugly Duckling, I have been mislabeled, bullied, outcasted, and abused by those I thought I could trust and believe to protect me and my family from repeated abuse. These swans are reminding me that I will emerge a strong, beautiful and graceful swan as well with the help of great relationships.  I am grateful for each and every one of my friends and family who have been by my side through thick and thin as I attempt to permanently sever the ties with my abuser once and for all. Despite my repeated attempts, I view my abuser like a pit-bull that just will not let go of his bite or grip. 

These strong majestic swans appeared today for a reason just like the song "Broken Road".  Since swans are very loyal and they will mate with the same swan sometimes over a life time, they served as a reminder to have faith in the blessings soon to come. Just like in the fairytale, these new nurturing relationships have been helping me to become stronger again, to be set free and transform into the majestic swan.  Both the fairytale and the symbolic meaning of the swans serves as a reminder of our inherent glory. I am reminded to have unwavering faith with persistence of heart while pursuing the truth and gifts I was born with confidence and grace. 

The 12:42 is another divine message that this 10+yr karmic life cycle is about to come to an end.  The date 4/4/14 is confirmation symbolically to know that I am divinely protected. Both sets of numbers are telling me that now is the time to faith God more than ever before, because positive change is afoot. Believe it.

I don't believe in coincidences, but I do believe in divine synchronicities. As the song "Broken Road" goes "This much I know is true,  That God blessed the broken road,  That led me straight to you."

And today was very synchronistic of my reflections, this song, and the swans.

Have a blessed day. Namaste.

And As the song "Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts goes ...

"I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you

[Chorus:]
Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
(Yes He did)

I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true.

[Chorus]

Yeah.

Now I'm just rolling home
Into my lover's arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you.

That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you. "

My Spiritual Encounters Preparing For Court on 4/15/14

Thoughts to ponder: As I sit in awareness recognizing the internal things I really need to prepare for not the material preparation for some life changing events occurring the following day. This is about building awareness, messages from spirit, a turkey vulture, facebook glitches, and messages in numbers from Spirit.

 

As I sit here reflecting on today's events, I sit in awareness recognizing the internal things I really need to prepare for tomorrow's big court day and recognizing it is not the material aspects like documents, paperwork, photographs etc. Today I have been preparing for a very big life altering day tomorrow in Brockton Family Court that can affect me in all areas of my life and the life of my family.

I am currently threatened with incarceration of 6mo or longer due to the lack of financial capabilities to comply with current orders despite my diligent efforts and despite the fact the current order is 2x above current child support guidelines. My abuser has repeated pushed for incarceration to punish me despite he is directly attributed to many reasons I have failed to secure gainful employment which I will not belabor here. My abuser has NEVER been criminally charged, sanctioned or penalized for any violations of law despite his arrogant admissions to the Family Courts.

While I was attempting to prepare for court, at times I felt very organized in thought and process and other times I felt scattered having a very difficult time gathering and organizing the required information and documents required for tomorrow's big day due to what I believe were post-traumatic stress episodes I was experiencing due to repeated domestic abuse and legal abuse.

Earlier today, I saw a turkey vulture this morning as I was leaving my house. It was flying in the wind unsteadily lower than normal as if it were about to crash land on the windshield of my truck. This turkey vulture was not graceful nor gliding with ease as it normally would have been literally preparing for the storm ahead but still pursuing forward into the direction it sought. I never saw a turkey vulture fly like that before, but knew nothing was a coincidence and took it as a message from the Universe.

In general, bird symbolism deals with the element of air and air is symbolic of the mind and thoughts. The turkey vulture is one of the largest of bird species and is generally symbolic of patience, grace, and resourcefulness with great vision. As I watched in awareness, I took mental notes of what was happening. In my situation, the turkey vulture was reminding me to surrender to Great Spirit and the impending storm and to glide effortlessly using my own energy. Know that changes are imminent and that I am more divinely protected more than I realize despite all the recent messages from loved ones on the other side stating so clearly to me over the past several months approaching this day.

I had been frustrated with obstacles and clarity needed to try to find a solution to end this repeated cycle of domestic abuse by proxy and legal abuse. The turkey vulture is a reminder that instead of working so hard at working hard, it is time to open up all the heightened senses to assist in navigating through this current situation or impending storm tomorrow. Know that the turkey vulture will assist in uncovering the truths sought and clarify any previous misconceptions. It is time to rise above ... to stand firmly ... and soar with confidence, purpose, and a heightened vision. It is time to break through the barriers and limitations and awaken within without fears or limitations.

I later noticed even Facebook had some glitches. Did you experience that yourself? I noticed especially on one particular post talking about light outshining darkness and the phoenix rising from the ashes a pattern of repeating comments. The post I am referring to is here:

• "Looking forward to an easy breezy springy week after tomorrow's big day in Brockton. Lots of changes happening. Darkness can continue to attempt to extinguish the light, but in the end, the light ALWAYS outshines any darkness. The light always triumphs. Rising Phoenix is birthing right now and lovingly divinely protected by a much higher power. Looking forward to closing this chapter and starting a new one."

Some of the comments on this post repeated anywhere from 2 to 10 times over despite my constant deleting of repeated posts. At first I thought these errors were due to a phone or app glitch, but noticed other people's comments were repeating over and over totaling over 77 comments from only four individuals. This is a little extreme you think?! However, once I acknowledged this maybe a supernatural subliminal message from spirit in itself, the repeating suddenly stopped. Once I saw this occur, I acknowledged the message given to me from Spirit.

All day, without much effort, I was presented with these continuing messages from spirit. I took it as needing to be bopped over the head to knock my anxiety and ADHD way of thinking off its rocker and pay attention. Even mediums such as myself who spend our time communicating with spirit to help others in their spiritual path and healing, sometimes, we as mediums need much stronger or more signs to see the messages when they are for ourselves. We are not immune to basic human nature.

So the messages continue next with a "1:11" with my acknowledgement message thanking Great Spirit for this day and reminding me to stay focused and positive and that I am listening and open to receive their divine guidance.

Later on that evening as I prepared for to go to a new job, I was still contemplating on a strategy for tomorrow's big day. Upon arrival, I had been considering today's pluses and minuses as well as today's achievements and setbacks and taking all of what the day had to offer in all aspects.

As I was doing this, a young man walked towards me. He giggled as he looked at his watch and said "wow it's 7:11" He then laughed and walked away. I instantly knew it was another message from spirit even though he apparently was clueless to the importance of the message ... or was he? After I saw the "7:11", I received the next message from spirit to "stay positive. The truth shall prevail. Keep the faith and your thoughts positive ... NOTE TO SELF: Do the same. Namaste"

The messages continued like an open flood gate despite my acknowledgement of their presence. Clearly Spirit wanted to ensure I saw these messages short of knocking some literal sense into me or was it Spirit's own advertising campaign to get me to see the message clearly and to digest it. Again, without effort, I saw "10:10" with the direct message from Spirit telling me "The cycle is ending. A new path is emerging. Hold on tight for the changes ahead. You have come so far, and your time is emerging."

So the message that I am taking from this experience today is to not over prepare for tomorrow in the material sense. However, to mentally prepare by allowing Spirit to guide me; balance me; and work with me. Everything I need is internal. I need to connect with God, my angels, my guides and those on the other side waiting and willing to assist me in tomorrow's endeavor. I need to surrender to God and what is and to trust in God more.

Let the light come through and shine so brightly that all evil and negativity just falls away to nonexistence during tomorrow's big day.

I hope you enjoyed my ramblings and lessons from Spirit while on my spiritual quest. Namaste. Your comments and thoughts are important to me.

Reflections in Divine Synchronicities

Took the back country roads this morning taking care of some personal business reflecting on all
the tragedies and especially triumphs in my life when the song, The Broken Road by Rascal Flats,
came on the radio and I passed by four swans.

Swans are very territorial and surprised to see four of them nicely congregating in a very small area of a large pond.

I'm not a big Rascal Flats fan, but this song is beautifully written and very symbolic of my life and all my friends and family who have been my life lines. I am grateful for each and every one of you. I don't believe in coincidences, but I do believe in divine synchronicities.

And today was very sychronistic of my reflections, this song, and the swans.

Have a blessed day. Namaste.
12:42pm
travelling West.