Healing Trauma with Reiki
Trauma is a big and complex topic which has many layers to it, it can have different meanings to people depending on their experiences. As more and more information comes to the surface about trauma it’s evident that it is more common than we were previously aware of. We used to think that trauma victims were soldiers and civilians that had been through wars. However now the word trauma is commonly used for traumatic experiences for example; different forms of abuse (mental, emotional physical, verbal, sexual) grief, shock, developmental, racial, natural disasters, witnessing violence, medical trauma, transgenerational trauma and so on.
Reiki therapy is a gentle, non-invasive, nurturing energy healing modality that helps to release stuck / blocked energy. Reiki healing works on 4 levels: mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual.
Can Reiki help heal trauma?
Yes, this is both my strong belief and my personal experience. When we experience trauma, our bodies go into fight and flight or in freeze mode, this creates a low vibrational energy that can stay stuck. This stuck energy becomes heavier and denser emotionally and physiologically.
As Reiki is an energetic modality it gently disperses the heavy and dense energy releasing the trauma held in the 4 levels (mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual) treating the individual holistically. Because Reiki is deeply relaxing it activates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest & digest) enabling the individual to relax. People who have experienced trauma find it difficult to access a state of relaxation due to the fight flight and freeze response and are functioning from the sympathetic nervous system which guards us from dangerous situations. This is ok when it is short lived however the long-term effects of being in flight and fight and freeze state leads to issues with anxiety, depression, overwhelm, etc. When we are in constantly exposed to stress there are high levels of cortisol (stress hormone) in our bodies which adds to the flight and fight response, it is like we are always running away from the tiger.
How learning Reiki has been a huge part of my healing journey.
I have so much respect and gratitude for Reiki healing. If it was not for me discovering Reiki over 30 years I do not know if I would be alive right now! It has helped me heal childhood traumas of abandonment, rejection, low self-esteem, confidence, gaslighting and much more. Having Reiki as a self-help tool has been an immense gift. It has helped to heal and recover from narcissistic / abusive relationship, heal whilst going through Breast Cancer 10 years ago, be present, open doors to spirituality and much more. With this healing I gained so much insight, awareness and empowerment read my story. Link. Insights and awareness have enabled me to make changes, break old patterns of behaviour and more importantly have a kinder and more compassionate relationship with myself.
What is Reiki?
Reiki is a type energy healing technique that was first discovered by Dr Miako Usui In Japan over 100 years ago. It then bought to the Western part of the world by a Grand Master Hawayo Takata Reiki and soon gained popularity in the US. Reiki is a Japanese word; Rei means universal and ki life force energy that lives in all living things. Reiki is not a religion; practitioners have free will to believe and practice any religion they wish to. Interested to read more information about Reiki.
How does a Reiki session / treatment work.
Reiki practitioner or Reiki Master is trained to be a conduit for the universal life force energy to flow through them, and this then is transferred to the recipient's physical body and their energetic body. The process of training is involving is called attunements, opening the chakras crown, heart, hand and third eye to be able to harness this energy.
What happens during a Reiki therapy session?
You lie down fully clothed and the Reiki practitioner will lay their hands on your body or just above starting with head. They will then work down the front of the body and this format is continued on the back of the body.
How long and what to expect from a session?
A session can be anything from 60 to 90 mins. The more consistent you are with your treatments the more you see and feel the benefits of the session. Everybody experiences reiki healing differently. Some feel warmth from the practitioners’ hands, energy moving in their body, get awareness, insights and deep relaxation.