SUPPORTING YOUR HEALING SINCE 1994
Our family became involved in Reiki training and healing in the fall of 2001. I saw the article in the Post-Gazette Health and Science Section. The article stated that Reiki was gaining acceptance in local hospitals. It featured Nancy Murray and described Reiki as a form of energy therapy. I had never heard of it (Reiki) before then. It was one of those defining moments for me - that feeling that you get when you know that your prayers are being answered – all you have to do is take the path that’s been pointed out for you. I made the call that day and Nancy and I talked for about ten minutes. I told her everything about my situation and how I felt that I was “supposed” to be trained in this method. She used a word that has stuck with me ever since – “Serendipitous”. That word has now become part of my vocabulary.
Both of my children had been diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder a few years before. PDD is another (in my opinion – ugly) way of saying that your child has Autism. Autism or PDD is an extremely complex syndrome, but if it were condensed into three critical deficits it would come down to sensory processing difficulties, speech/language delays and impairments, and whole child/social interaction issues. I was devastated. This news profoundly affected my spirit and everything I thought I knew to be real and true and just. Doctors told my husband and I that medically there was nothing they could do and that this was a lifelong disability.
I was trying many different alternative therapies at the time that I met the Key Stone Reiki crew, some of them very invasive and upsetting to the dynamic of the family. We did special diets, supplements, chelation therapy, sauna therapy, auditory programs, speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and N.A.E.T. (Nambudrapad Allergy Elimination Technique). I’m sure there are other things I’ve forgotten to mention, the point being that I was trying everything and the kids didn’t seem to be making any progress. I was desperate, worn out and very depressed about the fate of my once beautiful family. I recognized the signs – It was grief. Grieving for the family I knew now that I would never have. ENTER KEY STONE REIKI.
So what is it like working on family members for their betterment and healing? My first instinct was to try to learn this really quickly and manipulate the healing process to what I thought their needs were. It’s tempting to go there when working on loved ones because you know them so well, especially when it comes to a mother and her children. Wrong! I learned in Reiki Level 1 that the energy has all the control. It will go to where it needs to go. How freeing that was for me to allow that process to happen. A nice bonus was that I got part of the healing too. In our particular case it has brought us all closer together, creating a bond that is meant to be in a family. My kids are more focused and calm after treatments. After five years they will tell me where they want the Reiki energy. If they get hurt they will come to me and expect my hands to go to that particular spot like a band-aide.
Physically it may be difficult to find a spot in your home in which to practice Reiki. It takes some time in a busy household to find a place free of distraction, especially if you live in a small space like us. Our living room usually serves the purpose. The décor has changed over the years from strictly Country to a more eclectic mix. Now I find myself surrounded by more warm soft colors, nature objects and framed artwork completed by my children.
I would like to conclude by mentioning how Reiki complements other treatment methods. Good teams work together. As it turns out, Nancy Murray and my friend and NAET practitioner Julie Caryl are colleagues and often times work together in a holistic approach with patients. I have been blessed to know these women and benefit from their knowledge. They have been instrumental in helping me to recognize my children’s gifts and highly evolved spirits – instead of focusing my attention on their shortcomings. All in all, I know that we are spiritually more enlightened since Reiki entered my family’s life – in the words of Tanmaya Honervogt, author of The Power of Reiki: Remembering who we truly are is a key to self-healing. We are all beings of light embodied in a physical form, at one with the Universe and God. Reiki brings harmony to individuals so they can share a deep love and understanding with others. What could be better than that in your home?
By Leslie
Sept 2006
Using Reiki in the Home Environment
