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.
© 2017 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 Reiki, A Guide for the Practice of Levels I and II and a former editor, contributor, and columnist for Reiki News Magazine (2004-2010). See her current class schedule.