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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Sound Reiki: Can Reiki Impact Cancer Remission?

A chance encounter and an inspiring Reiki story.

I had the good fortune of receiving a total ankle replacement on November 27 at Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center, one of the premier facilities in the country for treatment of trauma and injury. Self-treatment and distant Reiki from my students and colleagues created a deep sense of calm and peace as time approached for the procedure. After the surgery my pain level was easily managed with minimum medication and Reiki.

When the shift changed on the second morning of my hospitalization, the morning nurse asked me about a report from the night nurse: “Michael tells me you are managing pain with some kind of meditation?” I responded that I was giving myself Reiki to control pain. Her eyes widened and her face lit up. “I believe in that!” she exclaimed. Then she told me this story:

Several years ago a young woman on this unit of the hospital was dying of cancer. She was given comfort care, as she was expected to live no longer than a few days. A Reiki practitioner came to give her Reiki, and her vital signs improved enough that she was able to return home. Hospital staff felt she would be more at ease spending her last days in familiar surroundings. Two years later, to the astonishment of the nursing staff, she walked into the unit and greeted her former care team.

I have no idea what the intervening years were like for this young woman, whether she continued to receive Reiki daily, intermittently, or not at all, or what other therapy or treatment she may have undergone. There is no way of knowing all of the contributing factors in her cancer remission. However, what I do believe is that Reiki played a part in turning the tide for her at a critical moment.

In my own work with cancer patients, I have found that Reiki can reduce pain, mitigate the side effects of chemotherapy, assist patients in coming to terms with their illness, and bring greater peace, no matter the ultimate outcome of the condition.

How does distant Reiki work?

What Can Reiki Heal?

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© 2017 Marianne Streich, Reiki for Living. All rights reserved. For reposting permission, contact Marianne.

Marianne is a Seattle-Area

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Sound Reiki: Fall Into Good Habits

Fall into good habits for increasing your Reiki time and harvest the benefits.

Even a few minutes of Reiki can make a difference in your sense of well-being and help bring balance to a busy day. Committed, consistent Reiki over time can result in significant improvements in overall health, according to a 2010 survey of more than 500 practitioners

Habits to cultivate:

  1. Begin your day with a brief self-treatment before getting out of bed. Morning Reiki helps me wake fully, feel centered and better prepared to start my day.
  2. Treat yourself before going to sleep at night for a more restful night’s sleep. If you are wakeful during the night, use Reiki to ease back into sleep.
  3. Quietly place a hand(s) inconspicuously on your body at odd times during the workday—during a break or a meeting, for instance—and allow Reiki to flow. This can reduce stress and aid in re-centering when you feel out of balance.
  4. If you have a formal Reiki practice, or a dedicated Reiki area in your home, prepare the space just as you would to receive a client; get on the table and treat yourself to the session you give clients. These are the best sessions I give myself. Afterwards I feel deeply rested and refreshed.
  5. Exchange sessions with another practitioner(s) on a regular basis. Working with a committed exchange partner(s) consistently over time can be life changing. It has been for me!
  6. Attend Reiki Circles/Shares. The brief treatments received and given during a Circle can bring about significant shifts for participants.
  7. Schedule a hands-on or distant session with me. Longer sessions (2 hours for a hands-on session and 1 hour for a distant session) help to facilitate the deepest healing on all levels—mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual.

I invite you to share ways you work Reiki into your self-care regimen. Thank you for your comments!

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©2017 Marianne Streich, Reiki for Living. All rights reserved. For reposting permission, contact Marianne.

Marianne is a Seattle-Area Reiki teacher and practitioner. She is the author of 

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Sound Reiki: Healing the Healer

As my Reiki practice has deepened and expanded, so has my own healing journey.

I believe if I am to reach my fullest potential as a healer and be of greater service to those who come to me for healing, I must be deeply committed to healing myself.

Reiki has revealed to me again and again its power to heal and its infinite wisdom in bringing that healing about. The more I recognize its potential for healing others, the more fervently I want to claim greater healing for myself. For much of my life, my desire for healing was a vague and unfocused hope that some force “out there” would wave a magic wand and cure my ills. Reiki helped me to understand the nature of the healing process and my responsibility for it.

As the practice of Reiki began to transform my life, my hope for healing became a deep yearning, and I found the courage to do my part. I learned that for healing to take place I must claim it, accept it, and complete it. The following conditions facilitate the process for me:
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