Sometimes a positive attitude can be negative.
A long-time client teared up as she entered my treatment room last week. Worried about a health issue, she lamented, “I’m trying to be positive about this, but I don’t feel positive.” As she moved back to a chair after the session, tears welled up again. “I always feel good after Reiki, but I don’t feel good now, I feel awful.” I responded, “Maybe what you need is a good cry.”
Her comment as we said goodbye was, “I’ll try to have a better attitude the next time I come for an appointment.” I assured her that any attitude she brings to my treatment room is acceptable to me.
I believe our desire to be positive can sometimes get in the way of healing. We feel guilty about our true feelings and attempt to force an optimism we don’t feel. We try to paper over and rush through what, for me, is an important part of the healing process. Sometimes, I need to cry, stomp my feet, shake my fist at the universe, and wallow in my misery a bit. When I’m in this stage of my process, it is usually not helpful for friends to offer solutions, suggest that I “look on the bright side” or ask what I have learned from the situation.
The key, of course, is not to build a condo in misery’s neighborhood but to use feelings of distress as a bridge to the next step—whatever that may be. Accepting the situation or condition, looking for solutions, exploring options, and, yes, embracing the gifts and the opportunities for learning that arise from life’s challenges. Come as you are! Reiki supports you, no matter where you are in the moment.
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©2017 Marianne Streich, Reiki for Living, All Rights Reserved. For re-posting permission, contact Marianne.
Marianne is a Seattle-Area Reiki 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.