Sound Reiki: My Path as a Reiki Empath

Students who enroll in my classes are often empaths. An empath is not to be confused with someone who has empathy for others. Empathy allows one to experience

heartfelt joy or sorrow in response to another’s good fortune or distress. Empaths, on the other hand, often have a paranormal ability to detect the emotions,

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“It’s my party, and I’ll cry if I want to.”

It dates me, I know, to admit I danced to this song when it became a Pop hit in 1963. The vocalist, Lesley Gore, is crying over a lost love, but, as we all know, there can be myriad reasons for crying.

I grew up in a family that valued stoicism over emotional display, and I was the family member who found it impossible to adhere to that creed. I cried. My tears

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Dewey and the Difference We Make

Dewey interrupted my thoughts and said, more cogently than I had heard him speak in some time, “Your coming in here makes half the difference. Maybe all the difference.” I thanked him for telling me, and silently promised, “Okay, Dewey, I’m with you until the end.”

On June 16, 2011 I began weekly Reiki sessions for a client who resided in an assisted living group home, his body and mind impaired by Parkinson’s and Lewy

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Sound Reiki: How Does “Wow!” After A Session Become “That Was Nice”?

After a session a client will sometimes declare: “Wow, Wow! I don’t have words for what I just experienced!” A few weeks later, I may encounter the same client and get this comment about the session: “That was nice.”

I puzzled over how “wow” became “that was nice” until I repeated the experience to two friends who are psychotherapists. When I asked them for their thoughts, both immediately responded, “Integration.” As a Reiki practitioner, “integration” is exactly the outcome I desire most.

Because my hands-on sessions last two hours, there is time and space for a great deal to happen energetically. The client may or may not be aware of what is happening, depending on how aware they are of their own energy. I had the delight earlier this week of a session with a client who “sees” energy in full color and could describe the changes she witnessed as they happened. “The energy on my right side was a dark, red-orange. While your hands were there the color changed and lightened, until, finally, it was white. That is when your hands moved from the position.”

Shifts such as this one take place routinely in a Reiki session. Awareness of this movement can produce the “Wow!” reaction. However, energy is still in flux following the session. Typically, energetic changes require several days or longer to stabilize and become integrated into the energetic patterns of the body. Once this integration takes place, memory of the session changes from “wow” to “nice” because the shifts are woven seamlessly into the client’s energy system on all levels: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. The client responds to situations, conditions, and life in general in a way that reflects the new energetic order.

“Wow!” Indeed. What a privilege it is to do this work!

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See also: What To Expect From A Reiki Treatment
How To Get Your Money’s Worth From A Reiki Session

©2018 Marianne Streich, Reiki for Living. All rights reserved. For reposting permission, contact Marianne.

Marianne is a Seattle-Area Reiki Master Teacher and Practitioner. She is the author of 

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