My personal & professional Reiki Healing Cancer Stories
My personal & professional Reiki Healing Cancer Stories
I will never forget the night I found the lump in my right breast. It was a Friday evening and I decided to go to bed early and read my book as my eldest son had some friends over for his birthday. I could hear them laughing & enjoying themselves as I laid on my left-hand side reading my book, then I heard a voice saying “feel your breast.” I remember taking my right hand to my right breast and there it was a lump that felt as if it was quite big, like a nodule. I kept touching thinking I was imagining it, surely it must be a lymph node I kept telling and reassuring myself.
The next morning, I phoned the surgery and go an appointment to see a GP the following week, which led to a referral to the Breast Clinic. After that I was on a fast train. The consultant said it was divine intervention that led me to find the lump. My husband and I were astounded with the choice of words our mouths were on the floor! Wow, he was using my language, I felt so guided and held. The consultant prepared us for the dreaded news and spoke about the next steps; a scan, biopsy and wait (the dreaded wait) for the results. My husband and I could not believe what was happening, it was very triggering for both of us as his mother died a few years before of secondary breast cancer.
Fast forward 10 days, I was officially diagnosed with stage 3 Breast Cancer and the journey began along with other cancer patients. As soon as I got the news, I put my Reiki Master hat on, got proactive about how I was going to do this breast cancer treatment and my Reiki and breast cancer journey started. I contacted a Reiki Master friend to receive Reiki treatments to support me with the pain and anxiety I was feeling. As a Reiki Master I am aware of the power of Reiki treatments and receiving Reiki regularly I was going to have improved quality of life whilst being a cancer patient. When I got my treatment plan: surgery, 6 months of chemotherapy and 1 month of radiotherapy my anxiety was off the charts, I knew that complementary therapies were going to be the way to support myself emotionally and physically. I also used acupuncture and talking therapies alongside Reiki, they all helped me get present with what was going on, to get in touch with and deal with my fear. I would also really recommend focusing on a healthy diet to support yourself through the effects of the cancer treatments.
Reiki Healing for Cancer Patients
Reiki Healing is a complimentary treatment and is available now for cancer patients in many cancer centres and in hospitals. It can help with the physical pain of the side effects of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, post-surgery, and any other interventions like PICC Lines etc. It can also help with emotions like anxiety and fear, bringing balance and calm to the mind and body. Reiki practitioners place their hands gently on or just above the body, it is non-invasive, perfect for cancer patients. I truly know from my own experience and supporting people going through cancer that reiki treatments support and improve quality of life whilst going through cancer treatments. There are many Reiki practitioners and many Reiki Healing and cancer stories out there, my advice would be choose someone that aligns with you and that you feel safe with emotionally. I know from experience that you feel you have no control over what is happening to your body, so do things to bring back the control, empower yourself with Reiki healing to support your well-being on all levels.
From my personal and professional experience, I can see clearly that although the hospital treats the body you have to find ways to cope with the psychological aspect of the process. From the shock and trauma of your diagnoses through to the invasive nature of the treatments it’s all very stressful and you become on high alert with stress hormones coursing through your body. There is a huge lack of control in the process that you have to navigate. It can leave you very traumatized with PTSD like effects.
Reiki treatments provide a space for you to come and relax, to allow your body to relax and to get in touch with yourself. The power of touch and the power of Reiki energy calms your nervous system and helps you process what you are going through.
When working with people I often get asked many questions one of them being, how many Reiki sessions will I need? Everyone’s Reiki healing cancer stories are unique and personal to them, not one size fits all! I would suggest you find what works for you and do what is comfortable for you in terms of how often and for how long you wish to continue.
Even when your treatment finishes and you have good outcomes the emotional journey of cancer isn’t finished. We end on a high but we are often left with a great deal of fear: Will it return? What ongoing medication do I have to take? What about the side effects? Supporting yourself in reconnecting with your life, living with the fear and embracing the future is a challenge. I have found through my own experience Reiki healing can support healing from your cancer story in the long term. For example you might consider learning Reiki to support your well-being. Your Reiki healing story does not have to end when your conventional treatment ends.
Read more about Reiki and Cancer Treatment from Cancer Research UK
Read what the Reiki Federation says about Reiki Healing for cancer patients