Sarah: I didn’t know how it was going to work out. What I did know was that I felt the crisis and sending Reiki gave me something that I could actively do to help. True, I couldn’t be in the car with them. I couldn’t make the traffic jam part. I couldn’t do any of those things, but what I could start doing in my mind’s eyes, I could start seeing that the doctors and medical staff preparing. That each person had had a good night of sleep the night before, or that they were ready for this particular case. I began to see they would know exactly what to do and how to do.
Sarah: And I’m super excited share several years later, this child is excelling once again! In that space of me wanting to walk alongside my friend, hearing her voice, knowing that they were in crisis, there wasn’t anything physically in that moment that I could do. And yet, Reiki gave me something that I could actively do to support them.
JC: And if they’re afraid, when they come to you, how do you help them get past those fears.
Sarah: I just walk them through telling them exactly what I’m going to do. I think find that when we tell somebody that “it’s garbage day and it’s going to be loud outside today, so when hear the garbage truck go by, it’s going to move you to a quieter place.” If they know this ahead of time, they’re totally fine with it. Then I will lead them in a guided meditation that helps them to ground and center their energy. It also helps them to hear my voice. Some Reiki practitioners like to use crystals, rocks, essential oils, weighted blankets, or music. There are a whole bunch of different kinds of things that people can use while Reikiing. When somebody has never had a Reiki session before I’m not going to use any of those things.
Sarah: I also tell people that they are fully in control of the full experience. So, what I feel in my hands sometimes is a tremendous amount of heat or super cold, or it can feel like stringy spaghetti, or like sharp rocks. The client may be feeling exactly the same thing, but they may feel it be feeling something completely different. And so, I also say “if at any point you feel uncomfortable, (if it’s hard to swallow or my hands feel too hot), just tell me to move on. Of all the hundreds of clients that I’ve had, I’ve only ever had one say “I almost told you to “move on”, because my neck just felt so intense. And as soon as I got ready to say something, it shifted and then you moved.” And so, whatever it was shifted.
Sarah: And then, JC, you asked another really important question: Will it work for me? And I believe that the body knows how to heal. I believe that the body knows how to find its way home. I also believe that there are things that as a Reiki practitioner I can do to help. Following a Reiki session, the vast majority of people will have a really good night’s sleep. Now they may have super vivid dreams that first night, like following a first salt room experience, because Reiki does work on the pineal gland. Pineal means is the old Greek word for pinecone. When someone is super stressed the hormones don’t necessarily secrete the same way. So, they may, after having their first Reiki session, have vivid dreams. Not scary ones. And I always kind of laugh and say, it’s like elephants and pink tutus kind of dreams. I want people to know that tomorrow I’m going to check in if this is their first time, just because I want to know how they slept, but I also want to know how are they doing? How was their experience? Because it’s important that I’m not just there in that particular moment for the Reiki session, whether it’s in person or virtually, it’s also important that people know that they have support, they have access after.
 JC: And can you give me an example of someone that you helped?
Sarah: I have a client who has been coming to me for close to five years. She would arrive either super up or would hardly be able to make it through the door. No matter how she came, we’d start each session with a bit of conversation.
Sarah: I could see we were making progress on a consistent basis, but I wasn’t really quite sure all of her background or what had also taken place. What I love about Reiki is you don’t have to talk at all. You can, but you don’t have to. And this is somebody who found talking to be helpful. After she started talking about her life experiences, she called me in serious crisis saying, “I’m so afraid that they’re going to put me back into the hospital, but I can’t sleep.” For me as a practitioner, I couldn’t get her energy to stop, to slow down when she wasn’t sleeping. It was just like a waterfall. After her sleep was re-established, she fully understands how important it is for her to get sleep. And that is a huge priority for her in her own journey.
Sarah: She is doing incredibly well, but that was a space, where she wasn’t sleeping. That was a new experience for me. And it was opportunity also then for me to continue to walk alongside, continue to be curious, to continue to be asking questions to my mentors, to continue to be growing.
