For the next several weeks, I'll be collecting items on behalf of the NELA Helping NELA program started by the owner of K York Studio, a wonderful design store across the street. I'm collecting food items (through 11/25) to be donated to the Northeast Mental Health Center. Gifts (collected through 12/20) will be given to Hathaway-Sycamores Child Services.

Please consider bringing a donation when coming in for your Reiki sessions this November and December. Thank you very much for helping people in need in the NELA community.  11/2013

A client of mine has been trying to get pregnant for 5 years. She's "tried just about everything" including a support group.  After multiple IVFs and no success, she heard about Reiki and called for a session. We discussed what concerns she might have about carrying a child and being a parent, discovering some that may have contributed to the issue. After just 1 Reiki session, she's 8 weeks along (Sept. 2013) and very happy about this new chapter in her life.

Another client had tried getting pregnant for a year but had given up about a year before I started working with her. She originally just wanted to have Reiki help her reduce stress and anxiety. She became pregnant shortly after her first session and loved it so much, she had sessions throughout the pregnancy. I even sent energy to her remotely while she was in labor. She's now the happy mother of a healthy baby girl. 

A friend asked me to do an emergency remote Reiki session for her family member in Kentucky.  Peggy was scheduled to have a mastectomy and we had one day left to squeeze in some healing time.  I worked on her for 30 minutes while she relaxed in her darkened, quiet bedroom.  I focused of course on the right breast where the lump was located and noticed a strong sensation in one of my fingers about half way through.  I pulled the energy out and held a focused, personalized intention for her the whole time.

When we spoke after the session, she said that she saw images of her father and grandmother's faces, and felt comforted since they were very positive influences in her life.  She said she breathed very deeply the entire time, and couldn't recall the last time she did that. She also felt a pain in the breast I was working on which she'd never felt there before.  I explained that it was probably blocked energy coming out and may have been connected to the strong sensation I experienced.  She said at the very least she appreciated the opportunity to lay down in quietness more than I could imagine (she's been surrounded by so many friends and family members who want to take care of her, that it could get a bit frantic and overwhelming).

Without attachment or expectations, we created the possibility of her getting to the hospital and finding out the lump was completely gone, and talked about how amazing that would be.  But if it wasn't, she wouldn't be disappointed, it was just an empowering context to stand in.  She courageously went in for her surgery and was happy and relieved when they decided to do a lumpectomy instead of a mastectomy.  They told her the tissue around the lump was healthy and I just got word she's completely cancer free.

In 2011 I took a Karuna course which, when added to Usui Reiki, is quite powerful. I realized just how powerful it is when I used it on a client that came to me to address years of stored up trauma and block an entity that kept attaching itself to her.  She was also stuck in certain areas of life and suspected that Reiki could help with all of the above.  When she arrived we talked about her lifestyle and childhood - she realized that she's always been a victim in some way.  It had become part of who she was, what she expected and how she approached her life.  

I asked her what her life would be like if she didn't always have to be a victim, even in small ways - what if she could live a life free of being a victim of anything or anyone?  I could see the shift in her just from hearing that question.  She became completely ready to release the years of anxiety, trauma and victimization and create a new way of life for herself that was happy, fulfilled and thoroughly hers!

On the Reiki table, her legs and arms started to twitch and shake.  Several times her torso would rise to a 45 degree angle, she would shake forward and back like she was sobbing and she would lay back down.  But there were no tears, sad facial expressions or crying sounds.  This continued for 2/3 of her session until her body relaxed.  After the session she said she could tell that her "cells were weeping" but she wasn't sad.

The Karuna tools I used worked exactly as intended - she released old, painful, emotional energy from her body and heart, but wasn't feeling sad, seeing images from the past or experiencing the emotions associated with the incidents.  Her commitment partnered with my intentionality and use of Reiki and Karuna energy replaced what was there before with intentions that serve her best interest.

The next week she made several thousand dollars in her business and she's clear it was because of her session and what she let go of that day.  

In reference to the client in my previous blog post titled “Reiki Helps with Arthritis” I spoke with the client again today (over 1 year later) and she was excited to report that in just one session her arthritis was healed completely. She left the session totally pain-free and was able to get back to work. She added me to her phone contacts so she can refer people and schedule sessions for any physical issues that come up in the future.

I just want to take a moment to acknowledge the people I've done Reiki for and talk about willingness.   So many of them have been open, willing and courageous enough to let go of the issues that they've struggled with.  They listen carefully as I explain the mind/body/spirit connections, they trust that I can help them, trust that Reiki energy healing works and together we explore their situation and life dynamics so we can get to the bottom of the issue and resolve it for good.

It's imperative to me that people get what they came for and it's so fulfilling when people get up from the table happy and relieved.  Part of doing Reiki is making sure they're willing and ready to heal. The conversations I have with people before and after their sessions are intended to get them to that place and reveal the emotional challenges the clients are facing.  I then show them how that can show up in the form of physical challenges.   

If a person is open to seeing how emotional issues are manifesting in physical ways, they can actively cause their healing session to be effective - I know this firsthand.  I used acupuncture to quit smoking in September 2005.  The acupuncturist told me she would interrupt the chi that keeps my addiction intact.  I really wanted to quit smoking so with each needle she inserted into my ear, I said in my mind "I will never smoke again".  The first session killed the addiction. When I saw people smoking that night, I was neither repelled nor craved a cigarette.  I had finally broken free and couldn't believe how easy it was.  

What I realized later was that MY participation was the deciding factor.  How do I know this?  Because I've done acupuncture for other reasons but didn't get the results.  Upon further reflection, I saw that I simply wasn't committed to healing yet.

Because I'm committed to making a profound difference and know that I can, I tell people that their job is to simply be receiving healing energy and allowing it to work, to allow their thoughts to come and go, and to see what they can learn from anything they visualize, feel or think during the session.  It's all perfect - just look to see why something may have come up for you and what you can learn from it.

I can tell as I work on people that they're really fully releasing energy blocks during the sessions.  I can feel energy surging through my hands and/or arms or feel little "squiggles" of energy working their way out of the body. 

Most people take my suggestions to purchase crystals specific to their issues.  I usually send them off to Crystal Matrix in Los Angeles or Crystal Image in Laguna for stones that they can carry or use when they sense they need to use them.  

I'm thrilled that more and more people are trying the various healing modalities out there.  They've been around for centuries because they work, and if one isn't effective, another probably will be.  You may be tuned into one version vs. another because of the things or people you've encountered so far in life.  Some of my clients have tried acupuncture, eating raw food, meditation, etc. The path to wellness really starts with being willing to be healthy, to trust and to explore the mind/body/spirit connections and how they affect each other.

I don't want to step over a point that this brings up:  Sometimes we actually aren't willing to heal. Consider that sometimes we want to hang onto self pity and suffering.  I know that may sound crazy but just chew on it a while.  I bet you can find an illness in your past that you got some sort of "payoff" from.  My experience in coaching helps me walk through this with people so without blaming themselves or feeling bad, they can simply acknowledge and take responsibility for their past and create a new future for their health.

My secret wish is this:  that as the U.S. health care system evolves, Reiki energy healing becomes so popular and the results so proven that it reaches a tipping point and becomes common knowledge, such that doctors send referrals, it’s used to prevent illness and is readily available across the country.

Thank you!  For your trust, willingness and courage to let go of that which stops you!

A very vibrant, authentic makeup artist came over for a Reiki session to get help with her arthritis.  She needs her right hand to make her living so it's imperative that she finds relief or it's very difficult and painful to work.  Pain killers can help, but she prefers not to use them, plus they don't address the energetic imbalance or the cause of the pain < this is what I help people get to the bottom of.  We talked about some of the possible emotional and mental issues that could be contributing to her condition and she was ready and willing to have Reiki work for her, which is the key to healing her.

During the session (about an hour) I noticed that there was a very powerful surge of energy releasing from her right elbow.  My hand felt magnetically attached. I pulled the energy block through my arm and had it exit my elbow.  When the regular session was finished, there was still more work to do on that area (not uncommon) so I continued to break up the blocks and disperse the energy, sending it far away from her.  It shifted its location slightly and reduced its intensity. At one point, when just a little pain remained, she was relieved but still willing to tolerate a low level of pain.

That just didn't work for me and here's why: 

1. We humans just love to suffer sometimes even if it's a little bit.  It's like we're willing to have our life be good, but not that good.  In the end, it really doesn't work to hang onto even a tiny bit of pain, does it?  We talked about that and she realized that her payoff for suffering was feeling self-pity (she actually realized this as we were talking).  

2. The other reason it doesn't work is because I know that this painful energy stuck in her arm can actually be fully removed and I couldn't let her leave with even a little bit of that pain.  

Her willingness to see that she was indulging in self-pity was pivotal in her ability to be healed. I continued to work on her, doing some very special work and removed the energy until it was completely gone, all the while getting her feedback on changed in its shape, pain level and feel.  She said she was very pleased, and of course I am too.  It's a wonderful thing to be able to help someone to that extent.  It's amazing to me that something this effective and powerful isn't more popular.  Now that's not to knock drugs and surgery, by all means they have their place.  I just know that there would be a lot less of these if everyone started with Reiki energy healing.  Can you imagine if people flipped their thinking and used western medicine as a last resort?  Is would sure make a dent in healthcare costs!

This is a quick but inspiring post.  Recently I checked in with a client to see how his mother was doing.  She has a brain tumor and had suffered from severe chest congestion with phlegm consistently coming up.  She was dealing with this for months and the facility she stays at really wasn't doing anything about it.  I did a special form of Reiki for her as well as the usual chelation session and her son happily reported that within 3 days the congestion was completely gone.  I love making this kind of difference for people!

I'll never forget a doctor/healer I met about 5 years ago who knew the body-mind connection so well that by listening to a person's symptoms, he knew what type of incident or experience the person had.  When I told him about my lung collapse in 2000, he knew that something that had happened to me as a child and actually described the situation, noting my age, who was there and my reaction as a young girl.  All of a sudden the puzzle pieces snapped into place.  By discovering the root issue, my confusion disappeared and I was able to accept healing, follow his instructions on how to improve my breathing and learn the importance of nurturing myself.

That experience sparked my interest in the mind-body connection and in becoming a healer.  

When I meet a new person who wants a Reiki session, I believe that is that this is the only time I will work on them for a long time, until a new health issue arises later down the line.  The reason I say this is because my sincere intention is to heal them and leave them so empowered and equipped to nurture themselves, that they just don't need to come back anytime soon.  Frankly I'd rather have them send me referrals so I can help the people in their lives as well.  Even better if they're inspired to become a Reiki practitioner or other type of healer.

I realized recently that by combining my Coaching experience with Reiki, people can understand the root cause of their issues, so the healing process can be much deeper than just relieving the symptoms.  If the root cause isn't addressed, it's obvious that the symptoms are likely to return. 

We start the session by talking for a while about their health issue, and then look into what's happening in their life.  In coaching, I help them see their own solutions and epiphanies so they clearly distinguish what wasn't working and create new ways of being that are inspiring and most importantly, become habitual.  When Coaching is combined with the healing energy of Reiki, there can be a fundamental shift in how the person relates to that area of life.  And thatis the difference I'm out to make for people.

I listen carefully and ask what would make the difference for them in that area of life and make some recommendations on how to manage it mentally.  I also recommend some wonderful ways to nurture themselves and get back in touch with who they are, what they want and what life they're committed to having.

Crystals have been known as powerful healing tools for centuries, in countries the world over.  Below are some of the crystals I use to balance and activate the main 7 chakras in the body.  In case you're not familiar, Chakra is Sanskrit for "wheel".  A chakra is a spinning energy center in the body.  They affect each other and specific body parts / organs and can become imbalanced or blocked.

In learning where the chakras are located and reading about specific health or emotional issues the crystals address, you may gain a new level of insight into the connection between your mind, body and spirit. You may even say "Wow, that makes sense".  

Chakra 1 (red)

Smoky quartz dissolves negative energy and patterns and is very grounding.  Hematite helps to "sort out" things in the mind, and realize the only things that limit us are in our minds

Chakra 2 (orange)

Carnelian enhances perceptiveness, dispels sorrow and apathy, provides awareness of the association between the emotional state and the inner condition of the self.

Chakra 3 (yellow)

Tigers eye helps with clarity, stability, peacefulness, being grounded and 

practical, can bring optimism to the user. Citrine dissipates negative energy, 

stimulates mental focus and endurance, helps with clarification of problems 

and provides emotional balance, aids in digestion, circulation and thyroid.

Chakra 4 (green)

Rose quartz is all about love and reinstates self-love, calmness, clarity,

excellent for healing emotional "wounds", helps with the heart, lungs,

thymus, and kidneys. Aventurine balances male/female energies, helps

with motivation, decisiveness, leadership and balance.

Chakra 5 (blue)

Blue Calcite helps the body remember a state of perfection during disease so it can return to health/balance, specifically helps with kidneys, pancreas and spleen, calcification/assimilation of calcium. Turquoise strengthens and aligns all chakras and meridians, brings communication skills to emotional issues and love to all issues, healer of the spirit, protection, balances energies, induces wisdom, enhances trust and promotes romance.

Chakra 6 (violet)

Amethyst is the stone of spirituality and contentment, transmutes dysfunctional energy in the body, known as nature's tranquil-izer, helps with insomnia, headaches, teeth, stomach, endocrine glands, skin, nervous system, and many more, also helps with sobriety and reasoning.

Chakra 7 (white)

Clear quartz promotes perseverance, patience, calmness, energizes, brings about harmony and enhances the use of most other stones and crystals.

I worked on an actor who suffered from an 8-day long fever. Western doctors said he wasn't contagious and that they didn't know why his fever wasn't breaking. He was frustrated, concerned and unfortunately he was missing out on some very important auditions.  

I went to work on him that day and within 5 minutes his headache was gone. He also became more relaxed and was great about taking in the healing energy I was providing. When I checked in a day or so later, he said he was 100% better and was very thankful.  

It's wonderful to be able to help someone so fast and thoroughly and makes me wonder why Reiki isn't more popular. I'm very grateful to have learned Reiki and look forward to healing many more of you in Los Angeles and beyond.

My neighbor Joanne was in a coma with no movement or consciousness, diagnosed with bacterial meningitis. I spoke to her husband Mickey about Reiki and he said that she would be open to it, so he asked the doctor if I could come work on her. The doctor said that Reiki is "hogwash" and to "just call in the family".  

Mickey wasn't satisfied with this answer so he had me go to the ICU. I did 30 minutes of Reiki for her. That night Joanne squeezed Mickey's hand, opened her eyes, tried to speak and her fever broke. She went back into the coma and on occasion moved her legs and responded to Mickey's foot massages. The doctor was replaced by a more compassionate one and I continued to send her energy remotely. She passed away the following week, but Mickey was grateful to have been able to connect with her even for that brief moment.