Reiki....Honestly!

by Tracey Golder
(Oxfordshire, England)

PEOPLE OFTEN ASK ME ‘WHAT IS REIKI?’. WELL MY BEST ANSWER IS TO SHARE MY OWN JOURNEY:


From around 2010, my life seemed one traumatic experience after another. Slowly at first, but soon gathered speed and my life became unbearable at times. I had my beautiful daughter in 2012, after which left me with post-natal depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. In this same time frame cancer crawled its ugly fingers into my family and caused (and is still causing) deep pain and anguish for us all.


I hit rock bottom, and stayed there awhile! My brain whizzed around at 100 mph. I felt tired, ached all over and had panic attacks at the thought of leaving the house. My speech slurred, I couldn’t make decisions and I couldn’t stop shaking. This was very frightening, especially having a baby to look after.


Of course I saw doctors, took medication and had counselling, but I knew I needed extra help. I decided to look into some holistic therapies, and my first experience was a Reiki treatment. I didn’t know what to expect. I was a little apprehensive but was reassured that it was a gentle therapy. I was greeted with a warm, friendly smile and felt immediately welcomed.


The therapy itself was wonderful. I was told that the body had seven main energy hotspots called chakras. These seven energy hotspots were aligned through the centre of the body from the base/root chakra found at the base of the spine, up to the crown chakra at the top of the head.


I felt very intrigued and I was told to lay down and relax on my chosen Reiki practitioner’s therapy bed. I was fully clothed, and she enveloped me in a fluffy blanket. There was a beautiful smell of lavender swirling around the room from the oil burner, and soft relaxing music filled my ears. I began to feel relaxed for the first time in ages!


She began the therapy by placing crystals on my chakra points and then laying her hands on various points on my body. She began at my head, then moved around to the neck/throat area, upper chest, solar plexus, lower abdomen, hips, knees and ankles, then returning once again to my head. This was a slow, gentle process spaced over an hour.


In the beginning I kept peeking out of one eye to see what was happening. My Reiki practitioner had her eyes closed and I soon realized there was nothing to see! I then placed my focus on what I could feel. I was told that I may experience different things: warmth, cold, tingling, see colours etc. Again I soon realized that lying there waiting for something to happen was fruitless, and began to enjoy the relaxation.


It was then I began to realize how alien having time out for myself was. This hour out of my hectic life allowed my brain to catch its breath and I was me again, just for a little while. This followed, at the end of the treatment, by floods and floods of tears. In fact, I felt like lying on the floor punching, kicking and screaming but I managed to keep that bit inside!


So that was my first experience, and I was so thankful for that time alone afterwards to cry and reflect on the realization that health is far more important than I had ever given it credit for. This first Reiki treatment left me exhausted, especially after my emotional meltdown, and I slept well that night!


I followed this first treatment with several others, all slightly different experiences, but each one felt incredibly beneficial. One day my Reiki practitioner told me she was moving away and I was devastated! It seemed that my small ray of light went out I returned to coping the best I could.


The turning point for me was over the Christmas period of 2014. I stood at the end of a hospital bed, my poor old Dad in traction from a broken hip, riddled with cancer and suffering deeply. I felt so helpless, and from this moment I felt compelled to help others in any way I could. Empathy washed over me for all the terrible illnesses and deaths I had witnessed, and changed my perspective on life.


Since then I have dedicated much time into mind, body and spirit healing. I have learned to meditate and be mindful to help self-heal. I have been attuned to a Reiki practitioner’s level and I have taken crystal healing courses, and many workshops on positive thinking and self-esteem.


My life is much better now, and I have developed an awareness of life on a deeper mind, body and spirit level. I have started to make my own natural aromatherapy products, and I am looking forward to gaining an aromatherapy massage diploma, and attending some psychic medium workshops this summer, after I have finished my current studies with the OU.


My self-healing is an ongoing project, but I have certainly come a long way from my frightened agoraphobic self. I owe so much to Reiki, and my wish is to help others understand that we are much more than a physical body. Reiki is not an overnight cure, but it works in such a kind, gentle, subtle way prompting the body’s ability to self-heal. It releases deep emotions that are holding us back in life. I have since come to understand how our energy body works, and how disruption unfolds when blockages occur. Reiki is a therapy that channels a high vibrational life force energy through the body to clear these blockages and help restore harmony physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally. Reiki is a complementary therapy used alongside modern medicine, and anyone from any background, any age or with any illness can benefit from this wonderful energy healing.



Written by Tracey Golder, Violet Skies Reiki Healing.

30/03/2016