Healing thyself...

With thanks for this item from Bobbe Bramson, published by Reiki Digest on 19/3/10.
I have reduced the content to change the context to a general caring for yourself, rather than Reiki self-healing. The full article can be found at: http://reikidigest.blogspot.com/2010/03/healer-heal-thyself.html


If I had to pick the one lesson that has been the most prevalent in my soul’s journey it would be this: learning how to take care of myself without guilt, without justification, without apology.

Like so many women of my generation, I was taught to sacrifice my own needs on the altar of everyone else’s, to hide my dreams deep down where they wouldn’t be found, and to tamp down the spark of my unique self lest my light offend or overwhelm those who took care of me. To protect myself I became hyper vigilant, reading facial cues from those around me to tell me when and how I should act and stifling my own self-expression. This was not an environment that fostered feelings of confidence, deservedness, or self-love. Bottom line: Take care of others first. Put thyself last.

As the black sheep of my family I took on other people’s projected hurts and adopted the errant (heir-ant) belief that if I could just fix their problems then I could finally attend to mine. I was indoctrinated early and well into patterns of self-neglect and I have spent a lifetime learning how to undo them.

I do not feel unique in this regard. In my experience many people who become healing professionals have similar stories to tell, and many are much more harrowing than mine. Let’s face it - we caretakers are great at giving-giving-giving and not so good at being on the receiving end ourselves.

My entrenched patterns reached crisis proportions in my late 40’s. I had overworked for decades in a career that I’d come to by default and didn’t enjoy, all the while pursuing fame and fortune writing songs that went against what I believed in. Almost everything I did was either fake or done for the wrong reasons and it was bleeding me dry. Still I chose to ignore the warning signs until finally my body gave up the charade and literally bled out. Surgery saved my life, but I knew that something else horrible would happen if I didn’t address the root of the problem: chronic self-neglect. I simply did not know how to listen to or serve my own needs.

What followed was a very dark night of the soul and it was my attunement to Reiki that brought back the light, a lifeline that I grabbed hold of, praying that it would bring me back to my true self: it has never let me down since. It thrills me that it is dependable beyond any measure I could fathom, infinitely available to me just for the asking. It opened a space within that would allow me to love me, wearing down the hard rock of my self-neglect and melting away my resistance to getting better, my fear of being seen and heard in the world.

I love this quote:
"The perfect man of old looked after himself first before looking to help others." (Chuang Tsu c.360BC-275BC)
While it would seem completely logical to look after our own well-being first before attending to others, most of us don’t. And it doesn’t help that we live in a culture that judges such behavior as selfish and in fact encourages overworking and busyness to the point of exhaustion.

Imagine yourself and your precious energy as a high-yielding savings account. Now imagine that every day you withdraw money from this account, but never once put in any deposits. Pretty soon the inevitable is going to occur; you go in to take out your money and, whoops, there’s not a cent left. I’m exaggerating, of course, but this is exactly what we do when we give to everyone else and don’t take the time to "make a deposit" into our own account. What does it say about us when we counsel others to take better care of themselves while not doing it for ourselves? How can we expect our clients, loved ones, and co-workers to do their healing work if we don’t?

So what is it that keeps us from making an investment of time towards our own healing? There are lots of reasons, but some common rationalizations are "I’m too busy," "I have to do these more pressing things first," "I’m tired now, I’ll do it later," "I can’t do Reiki now because (insert your own)". I think the core reason we don’t, no matter what guise it takes on, is that we don’t feel we really deserve it, or that somehow we aren’t good enough to warrant that kind of loving attention. Here is the truth: any time we give ourselves a Reiki treatment, any time we put our hands on our bodies and run the energy we are participating in a radical act of self-love.

Is it okay for us to give to ourselves so that we can feel good and be more at peace even if around us others are struggling, miserable, or have lives filled with chaos? I would advocate for its being not only okay, but imperative. It’s really very simple: The healthier we are the more we have to give. The more we use Reiki on ourselves the more ki there is flowing through us all the time and the stronger channel we become. Reiki fills in the gaps and clears the places we block our light, and when our light shines other people benefit from its clarity and warmth. The more we are "being Reiki," the more grounded and calm we can be in the midst of life’s storms.

Some of the ways to weave Reiki into your life:

Put your alarm on snooze: but don't snooze - give yourself 10 minutes of Reiki
Add intent when meditating, going for a walk, doing yoga
When in the shower give yourself a "Reiki shower"
Traffic jams, red lights, waiting in supermarket queues: it doesn't have to be a long session, just invite the Reiki in.

Want to learn Reiki? If you're in Sydney I commend to you my Reiki Master, Erica Bagshaw of The Alignment Group at North Sydney. For elsewhere contact the Australian Reiki Connection.

Sailing through life

Following is somemore beautiful life philosophy:

It all began with a thought -- a thought in the mind of a 12-year-old boy, more than 40 years ago.

"I was about twelve when I decided that I wanted to build a boat and travel the world," Reiki Master Teacher Gordon Brown says, "This desire never left me." He's 54 now, and this week, after all those years, all that dreaming and all the ways the distractions of life can get in the way of those dreams, Gordon's finished boat, the Amnesty, made it into the water at last. Reporters from local Massachusetts newspapers showed up for the launch, and the next day the front page featured a photo of Gordon at the helm in a victory salute.

Victory, yes. Mission accomplished? Hardly -- this guy's just getting started. He's going for more: a victory lap around the world, accompanied by a flotilla of others who, like him, have survived cancer.

Gordon's dream-come-true reminds us that whether any of us ever takes to the high seas, whether we journey to exotic lands or spend our entire lives in one neighborhood, we all are traveling this world in a vessel of our own making.

Gordon didn't build his boat entirely from scratch -- he bought an empty hull and then spent five years building it out into a vessel worthy of circumnavigating the globe. That's kind of the way it is for all of us: at birth we start out with a vessel, our body, that isn't capable of traveling on its own. But after some time, effort, and care, we build ourselves into self-sufficient vehicles that can go just about anywhere and do just about anything we care to do.

He also didn't build the boat alone. Two years ago when he was diagnosed with cancer, Gordon nearly gave up on his dream. He put the unfinished boat up for sale, and the first potential buyer who showed up not only convinced him to keep going, he also volunteered to help.

As all sailors know, the boat may be ready at the moment, but it's going to need constant maintenance, nearly all of it preventive. The same person who built the boat, in this case, is going to have to keep rebuilding it constantly during the voyage. So, too with the rest of us and our own vessels.

Gordon's sailboat may only have needed five years to get ready for its voyage, but it's taken him an entire lifetime (so far) to prepare: not just all the years since he first got the idea as a boy, but the 12 years it took before the thought first occurred to him. And for all of us, whether we are conscious of it or not, a lifetime of experience goes into our every thought or action. And those thoughts and actions then create our future experiences. The Amnesty's voyage has barely begun, and it's going to take many more of those thoughts and actions to get her around the world and home again.



More on Gordon & Amnesty can be found at

Item sourced from The Reiki Digest
http://reikidigest.blogspot.com/2009/09/setting-sail-with-reiki.html

Life guide

Just for today:
Do not anger
Do not worry
Be humble
Be honest in your work
Be compassionate to yourself and others.

The guidelines above are what Reiki practitioners try to follow every day: the Reiki precepts (as translated from the original Japanese).

You don't have to be a Reiki practitioner to follow those precepts -- they make sense for everyone.

New Location!

I've said good-bye to Sydney and am settling in nicely to east Lake Macquarie and, as of this morning, have a clinic to work from! Details are:

Location Address:

Wellness Massage
Shop 10, Swansea Arcade
172 Pacific Hwy
Swansea NSW 2281

it's located behind the Amcal Chemist, opposite the Post Office and there's a carpark out the back. All very handy.

Phone: 0419447224
or book online at

Operating hours for massage and reiki:

Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri - 12noon – 7pm (earlier appointments available by request)

Saturday – 9am – 2pm

Wednesday – mobile appointments only 9am – 12 noon

Sunday – closed


Rates:

30 minutes - $40

45 minutes - $50

60 minutes - $60

90 minutes - $80

EFTPOS & Credit card (Visa, Mastercard only) available

10% pensioner discount available, please advise at time of booking and bring your pensioner ID to your appointment.

Of course my long-standing referral and loyalty fee will still operate, with only a little change. I'm now offering:

* 10% discount off your session when someone you refer to me has taken a session: this is accruable if you wish; and

* Purchase and pay for a block of five sessions to be taken within a six month period and you get 10% off the total value.

I look forward to seeing you at the clinic soon.

Online bookings available

I've just signed up with ClickBook so you can now book your session with me online!
.... of course, phone or text will continue to be accepted.

Find me at www.BALM-ENERGY.clickbook.net

A bit about Reiki

What is Reiki?
Pronounced ray-key, Reiki is a laying-on of hands healing technique thousands of years old and rediscovered in the 1800s by a Japanese Buddhist, Dr Mikao Usui.
Simply put, Reiki is the healing energy of the Universe. Your practitioner works as a conduit of this energy to restore the balances of your body, mind and emotions. This channelled energy then activates your own healing processes.
Reiki is always beneficial and never causes harm. It will work to improve the effectiveness of other types of therapy, acting to reduce any negative side-effects, shorten healing time, reduce pain and stress and help create optimism. Reiki can be given 'hands-off' so people with skin conditions or illnessess that disallow massage can receive the benefits of Reiki.

What Can I Expect in a Typical Session?
In some ways, there is no typical Reiki session—no set protocol or length of time. Reiki can be administered by anyone who has taken at least First degree training: I have trained to Level 3 (Advanced) Reiki. Moreover, there is no typical setting: a quiet place is preferable, but Reiki can be done anywhere, no matter what else is happening either around or directly to the recipient. Moments of touch from a Reiki-trained practitioner can bring comfort in an acute or emergency situation, such as the onset of the flu, or after an injury or surgery.

What is the setting?
A quiet setting where you are not disturbed is always desirable. Professional Reiki practitioners have a dedicated treatment space or are experienced in creating that space when making house calls. They frequently play soft music during the treatment as a way of masking ambient noise, but let your practitioner know if you prefer silence.

Those receiving Reiki in a hospital, hospice, nursing home, or other healthcare settings may have a shorter treatment (15 or 20 minutes), while some private practitioners give 90 minute treatments. Most sessions are somewhere between.

Is there an intake process?
Some practitioners have intake forms and/or conduct a health interview, especially if the practitioner has other training in healthcare or manual therapies, such as massage. You may be asked to sign at least a consent form.
The practitioner will explain the process, and ask if you have any specific needs. Be sure to let the practitioner know if you have a health condition that might impact your lying flat on your back or front or if you have any areas that are sensitive to touch.

What does the treatment consist of?
A complete Reiki treatment is offered to a fully clothed recipient who is lying on a treatment table or sitting comfortably supported in a chair.

Most commonly, Reiki treatment is offered through light, non-invasive touch with the practitioner’s hands placed and held on a series of locations on the head and front and back of the torso. The placement of the hands should never be intrusive or inappropriate, nor should there be any pressure.
Additional placements on the limbs can be done as needed (for example, if there is an injury or surgical scar), and some practitioners routinely do so. The Reiki practitioner can hold her hands just off the body if needed (for example, in the presence of an open wound or burn), and some practitioners always offer Reiki in this way.

What might I experience?
These are some of things people typically say after a Reiki treatment:
“I feel very refreshed and seem to be thinking more clearly.” “I think I fell asleep.” “I can’t believe how hot your hands got!” “I feel more relaxed than even after a massage.” “My headache is gone.”

The experience of Reiki is subjective, changeable, and sometimes very subtle. People often experience heat in the practitioner’s hands, but sometimes the practitioner’s hands feel refreshingly cool. Other common experiences are subtle pulsations where the practitioner’s hands are placed or cascading waves of pulsations throughout the body.

People often comment how comforting they find the experience of Reiki to be. An interesting study reported that recipients frequently feel that they are hovering in a threshold state of consciousness, simultaneously aware of their surroundings and deeply indrawn. Some people fall into a deep, sleeplike meditative state. Sometimes the experience of Reiki treatment is dramatic, while for other people, the first treatment in particular may be uneventful, although they feel somehow better afterward. The most common experience is an almost immediate release of stress.

Reiki treatment is cumulative and even people who don’t notice much the first time usually have progressively deeper experiences if they continue treatment. Besides the immediate experience of the treatment, you may notice other changes that continue to unfold as the day goes on: perhaps stronger digestion, a sense of being more centered and poised and less reactive, and sleeping deeply that night.

What should I do during the session?
Once you have taken the time to find a credible practitioner with whom you feel a rapport, what can you do to be comfortable during your Reiki experience? Not much, but here are a few suggestions:
• Ambient music is often played. You can request silence if you prefer.
• Use the rest room before your treatment so that you are able to lie down comfortably.
• Especially if you have any shyness about being touched, ask your practitioner to show you the hand placements before starting the treatment so you are very clear what to expect – or request “hands off” if you prefer.
• Let the practitioner know your needs before you start the treatment. For example, if lying flat is uncomfortable, say so. Or mention if you have had surgery recently and don’t want to be touched where the scar is still tender (the practitioner can float her hand here). If you are pregnant or have digestive complaints, it may not be feasible to lie on your stomach. Inform your practitioner.
As the session progresses, you will feel more relaxed. If you become uncomfortable, you can adjust your position at any time. Be sure to ask for anything that will add to your comfort, such as additional support under your knees or a blanket. This is your special time and your practitioner is there to help you.

Receiving Reiki is a wonderfully passive experience. Don’t try to relax, just let Reiki relax you. Your state will shift quite naturally as the treatment proceeds. Meanwhile feel free to daydream, enjoy the music, or simply observe your breath or the sensations of the treatment. Don’t fight sensations, feelings, thoughts – let your body work through them, it’s all part of the healing process.

What happens after the treatment?
Do not expect a diagnosis, as that is not part of Reiki. Some practitioners may make common sense suggestions for after-care, such as drinking water and following your body’s needs.

Although people typically leave a Reiki treatment feeling refreshed, sometimes they notice feeling more tired in the evening than usual. This is not viewed as an adverse reaction, but rather as the body’s natural healing response, something to be heeded. People commonly report a sense of calm and mental clarity and sleeping well after a Reiki treatment. Occasionally you may feel unwell – this is part of the healing process, so don’t worry, just be kind to yourself.

How many treatments should I receive?
Your practitioner may suggest a series of treatments. Four treatments is a traditional recommendation and gives you time to evaluate what benefits you are receiving. Discuss with your practitioner how best to space the treatments to suit your needs and your schedule.

In the presence of a serious health challenge, Reiki practitioners often recommend four treatments over four days. These need not be given by the same practitioner.

References:
Content sourced from: http://takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/therapies/reiki/expect
Contributor: Pamela Miles, Reiki Master; Reviewed by: Deborah Ringdahl, RN, MS, CNM, Reiki Master. Date: April, 2007