Lessons I learned from a prickly client

Quite a while ago, I had what I would consider my most prickly client. There were two friends who came together and my communication with them to organise the treatments was a little odd, I remember. They came from work on a weekend, and were late. When I met them at the door, I asked whether one of them was going to go for a walk during the other’s treatment, or if they wanted to stay in the room. They said they wanted to be together.

They kept speaking between themselves in another language, which is fine, though something didn’t feel very good about it to me. They decided which one would go first, let’s call her Sharon, and so I asked my usual questions of how she was feeling and whether she’d had reiki before. She hadn’t but her friend had. When she was on the table and we were about to begin, her friend, let’s call her Bev, pulled out a laptop computer from her bag and opened it up to start to work.

‘No,’ I said. ‘I’m sorry but you can’t work on your computer while I’m giving a treatment.’

‘Don’t you have a waiting room?’ she asked, accusingly.

I was rattled. I offered to get her a chair and she could work in the area outside of the reiki room. It wasn’t ideal as I could still hear her working away and I thought what an odd situation it was. Sharon finished her treatment and said that she could feel something and that it felt good. So, I let them swap places, and Sharon went to sit outside the room.

‘So, Bev. I understand that you’ve had reiki before.’ Her energy was closed up so I was struggling to talk in a relaxed way. ‘If you’ve come back for another treatment, I’m guessing you had a good experience with it?’

‘Well, I haven’t had reiki from YOU yet,’ she replied.

I think it was only five minutes into the treatment, maybe ten, before she said, ‘I feel nothing. Absolutely nothing. The last time I had reiki, I started crying immediately and was very emotional.’

‘Do you want me to continue?

‘No.’

I charged her a discounted rate; I certainly wasn’t going to give up my time for free when I had offered the treatment in the same way as I always had. She continued to talk (about me, I was guessing) to Sharon under her breath and I did finally say: ‘I don’t think you were in the right space to have a treatment. You were working on your computer until only a few minutes before we started.’

‘Maybe you’re right.’

I escorted them out of the apartment as they continued to talk to each other in their own language, and I closed the door, not angry, but confused and drained. I was still annoyed by the thought of it for a long time afterwards.

Now, looking back. I’m grateful. From that time, I learned to be very clear that if someone is to stay in the reiki room during a treatment for someone else, then they will need to be quiet. They can read, or read their iPhone, but certainly not type or work. I put more information on my blog and website that Reiki Surry Hills is located in a private apartment. No, I don’t have a waiting room.

Most importantly, I really try to set the context better for treatments. If a client is new to reiki, I tell them that every treatment can be and feel very different, and sometimes I say that you might not feel much of anything at all, except quiet and relaxed. If a client has had reiki before, I tell them that this treatment might feel very different. I encourage clients to be open to whatever might happen, and not have particular expectations.

It’s also in the back of my mind, though I haven’t had a chance to try it out, that if I feel that someone is coming only as a favour to a friend, or that they don’t really want a treatment, or don’t feel comfortable, to try and catch that and be proactive and say, ‘you don’t have to have a treatment.’ It would be better for the both of us to not even begin.

Another lesson was that while I used to believe that reiki would help anyone, whether they believed in it or not, and whether they could feel anything, I’ve changed my views on that. Some people, or some people at certain times of their life, will not be interested in or open to a treatment and I’d think that if they felt a benefit, they’d ignore or not recognise it, or maybe they really wouldn’t any benefits at all.

These were all useful lessons for me to learn, so it’s good to now say: Thank you, prickly client. You’ll never know the ways that you helped my practice!

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment. Since 2011, I’ve given 1,000 reiki treatments.

Clients come to relieve stress, anxiety and for many other issues, or to just give reiki a try to see what it does for them. Folks come from all over Sydney and elsewhere to see me. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

Almost famous: Reiki Surry Hills

Here is what I think is a fabulous video from January 2017:

I’ve thought for the last year that they (I won’t mention the name in case they’ve got alerts!) would delete the video but it’s still up so I might as well share it more officially with you.

You see, I got a call before the video, where they said they do neighbourhood guides, and that Reiki Surry Hills would be a nice sort of service or business to fit into it, as it’s a bit different.

So, I had this super-professional and beautiful woman drop by, Rachel Billsborough, with a very excellent camera guy, and they filmed this video (which was later edited).

Afterwards, they asked me to rent it from them for promotional purposes. I can completely see how this would work for some businesses. Videos can apparently be a really effective marketing tool, which gets way more attention than a static image or set of words. I didn’t have to arrange this or script it. It really was amazing to be given the opportunity to use this video to promote Reiki Surry Hills.

The problem though is that I don’t really have such a big business. It’s part-time work, which I fit in with my other professional work, as an editor of reports and documents, and I don’t charge a ton of money (like some places…) for the treatments. Plus, I’m getting as many clients these days as I want. So it didn’t make sense to invest money into using this video to promote my business, when I’m happy with how it’s going, and my Google Business profile, Bookwell appointment system, word-of-mouth, and repeat clients are keeping me as busy as I’d like to be.

Still, it’s a great video, isn’t it?

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment. Since 2011, I’ve given over 900 reiki treatments.

Clients come to relieve stress, anxiety and for many other issues, or to just give reiki a try to see what it does for them. Folks come from all over Sydney and elsewhere to see me. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

 

Gentle, general healing (vs specific blockages)

A client forwarded me a video by Abraham and Esther Hicks. I’ve some mixed feelings about what I know of their work. It was basically stolen from them and made into the best-selling book, ‘The Secret’, and while I think that setting an intent is a good idea, both ‘The Secret’ and the work of the Hicks seems to imply a much stronger link. Ask for what you want and you’ll get it. Like the very popular work of Louise Hay, who specifically links disease to emotions and past trauma, I think these writers and thinkers need to be challenged.

On the other hand, I found this video quite interesting and helpful.

It’s 15-minutes long so I think most people won’t have the specific interest and the time to watch it, so let me give you a summary: a reiki healer is worried when her clients ask her to clear specific blockages. She’s confused about the way that other healers talk about these blocks. She’s worried that she can’t feel them (I think this is what she is saying).

The answer from the Hicks really matches what I believe, and then goes further. They say that the energy that all energy healers work with is the same, it’s the ‘source’ energy. They say, as energy healers, we are not beaming energy from us into a client. We are creating a healing space, and allowing the energy of our clients to be in touch with our energy, which, through our practices and meditation, is closer to ‘the source’. The aim is not to feel blocks or diagnose, but create ‘a more allowing state’ for that energy to flow.

They said that when people feel they are out of balance or have blockages, they have already set the intention to feel better; they know what needs to be fixed; and are working on that practice on their own. The ‘source is on the case’. So, if they can’t solve the problem on their own, if ‘source’ can’t do it, then a healer won’t be able to either. They say that there is a possiblity that if the client is really correct about what needs fixing, and the healer focuses energy towards this, that this specific practice could work.

But the Hicks say being general is better. To provide gentle, general and genuine healing, it is not about projecting ‘blockages’ or focusing on them. It is better to say something like, ‘I don’t have absolute knowledge of the energy that is flowing, but I can feel it.’ We don’t have to figure out what that energy is, or what it is doing. The energy holds the intelligence to know what needs to be done. Our work is to allow the energy to flow as this energy always helps.

What the Hicks say in the video really does match what I’ve been taught my Frans Stiene, my teacher, and what I believe. I just don’t think it’s helpful to believe that we have blockages and imbalances, and especially for other healers to tell people their heart chakra or head chakra is blocked. We know when we’re feeling bad, and there are lots of reasons for it. Working too hard. A difficult relationship. Not eating right. An injury. Feeling lonely. All of these things we can work on, in different ways. But who knows how to ‘remove a block from a heart chakra’?

If you come to a reiki treatment for your chakras to be cleansed or for your energy to be balanced, isn’t it simply saying that you want to feel better, to be more closely in touch with yourself and your core energy? As I always tell clients, the more specific problem you have, the more difficult it might be to solve. But will a treatment generally make you feel better, and give you some space to relax and reflect? Yes, I think it will.

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment.
Clients come from all over Sydney to see me, and I’ve also had clients who are visiting Sydney from Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast come and see me while they’re here for business, conferences or meeting families. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

Why I’m not a Reiki Master

Sunset on trees, Nelson Bay

When I was first learning about reiki from my brother, I was surprised and disappointed to find out that reiki is like any other system or school or practice. After it started, people started created their own variations, and because conflict is part of human nature, people from the various systems of reiki can criticize each other and fight with each other, which is … not really the point of reiki. But those are humans for you.

In most Western systems of reiki, the teachings are divided into three levels: Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 (in Japanese traditional teaching, these are called okuden, shoden and shinpiden). Generally, after doing Level 3 or shinpiden, reiki practitioners are considered able to teach others reiki, though some of us don’t teach, and just use our practice to treat others and ourselves (and as a personal spiritual practice).

It is also after this level that generally, around the world, people refer to themselves as reiki masters. I’ve always been uncomfortable with this term. I think the reason why is that the word is often said with a mocking tone by people who think reiki or the idea of a reiki master is a bit silly.

The thing is: I agree that the phrase sounds silly. The word ‘master’, in common usage, means that someone possesses particular skills or experiences that give them mastery in an area. But my problem, when this is applied to reiki, is that it is not that difficult to simply do the classes. While you should do one level at a time, with time for the teachings to settle in between, these days I’ve heard of people who do the levels very quickly, or all at the same time. There are no particular tests to prove that someone has absorbed the knowledge. As long as you have the money for the courses, and take the time to do them, you too can become a ‘reiki master’.

But what I’ve learned from my teacher, Frans Stiene, and from practising reiki for over twenty years, is that reiki is a spiritual practice and a daily practice that includes meditation and chanting and trying to live a life according to the reiki precepts, to ‘just for today, not to worry or be angry, to be compassionate to ourselves and others, and be true to our way and being.’

Some people who do reiki courses do not continue to practice reiki regularly, so in this case, I’m not sure that the title of ‘reiki master’ is very meaningful.

Most importantly, to me, the title ‘reiki master’ can interfere with a reiki treatment. Used in the wrong way, or said in the wrong way, the term implies a superiority, a wise guru and expert who has masterful powers. But my role as a reiki practitioner during a treatment is not to DO something to my client, and not to wield magical powers, but to open a healing space in which both practitioner and client work together. The aim is not for me to be superior to my client.

For these reasons, I prefer using the term ‘reiki practitioner’, which is kind of a mouthful to say, but it suits me best. I’ve heard people use the term ‘reiki therapist’ but to me, therapy is associated more closely with clinical treatments and counselling. The term ‘reiki healer’ is not too bad, but I read too many fantasy novels in my younger years and tend to think of ‘healers’ as wearing long white robes using an arsenal of potions and a magic wand. So, for now, reiki practitioner it is … and that’s why I’m not a reiki master!

(As an addendum, which is somewhat related but I don’t want to do a separate blog on, a LOT of people seem to find my website while searching for ‘spiritual healing‘ or a ‘spiritual healer‘. While reiki works at an energetic level that is tied to a particular philosophy and sense of spirituality, I don’t define what I do as spiritual healing. A quick search on Google and I’m still confused. I know there are spiritualist churches (where people talk to the dead) and I have heard the expression before, ‘spiritual healing’, but I’m not sure, when someone calls themselves a spiritual healer in Sydney, what they actually do or offer.)

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment.
Clients come from all over Sydney to see me, and I’ve also had clients who are visiting Sydney from Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast come and see me while they’re here for business, conferences or meeting families. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

Reiki Surry Hills newsletters

Since starting Reiki Surry Hills, I’ve tried to keep in touch with clients. A newsletter seemed to be a good way to try to do this, and the rather amazing program Mailchimp allows individuals and businesses to easily create and send out newsletters and to maintain a list of contacts.

Of course, one doesn’t always meet one’s own expectations, so while I hoped to get out three or four newsletters a year, I managed to do two in 2016, two in 2017, and have now done a third (and last one for 2018).

Maybe this is good. I am bombarded with spam and junk mail every day, multiple newsletters from stores and businesses that I’ve used, and worst are constant entreaties to Reiki Surry Hills as a business. Most of them say, ‘I must say – your website is very impressive’ and then go onto to tell me I need them to get to the top of google rankings (or use them to create videos, or buy a doormat with my logo). So, I don’t want to ever come across as one of THOSE people.

So, I hope 3 or 4 newsletters a year is not too much. In the meantime, my latest newsletter is available. If you didn’t receive it directly and would like to read it, it’s here. I believe from that page, you can also subscribe to the newsletter if you haven’t already… or if you want to unsubscribe, please do so! I don’t want to annoy you by sending you information you don’t want, but I hope you keep in touch!

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment.
Clients come from all over Sydney to see me, and I’ve also had clients who are visiting Sydney from Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast come and see me while they’re here for business, conferences or meeting families. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

What if anxiety is our friend?

The most common reason clients come for a reiki treatment is for anxiety. So I found this recent New York Times article by Alicia Clarke interesting: how can we harness anxiety and see it as something that is useful?

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/16/well/mind/how-to-harness-your-anxiety.html

The article says that too much anxiety isn’t healthy, but no anxiety at all is not good (sociopaths for example).

She recommends that we think of anxiety as a signal, a useful one, to pay attention to what is causing us stress, and look for a solution.

We can also relabel ‘anxiety’ to think of it in a more positive way. If you’re nervous about something, you could think of it as nerves about how WELL it might go, rather than how badly.

Finally, she advises to aim for the ‘sweet spot’ where we use our anxiety as a friend (for example, to meet a deadline, or do something we’ve been putting off) rather than letting it overwhelm you.

I think it’s all good advice, and an invitation to look at the big picture. If a client comes for anxiety, and the cause is, say, a bad boss at work, or having to move apartments, then reiki alone isn’t going to help.

Still, I have had clients report back that a reiki treatment may help them be more relaxed, or deal with the anxiety better, or even have some inspiration about how to deal with it.

If you do have problems with anxiety, I encourage you: Ask if anxiety can be your friend. Try to allow some anxiety be useful for your life. And then for the anxiety that is uncomfortable and painful and not useful: explore different options so that you can find the set of solutions that will help you feel more calm and capable of dealing with life’s regular pressures and stress.

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment.

Clients come from all over Sydney to see me, and I’ve also had clients who are visiting Sydney from Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast come and see me while they’re here for business, conferences or meeting families. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

Note to self: keep doing your thing.

My teacher, Frans Stiene, from the International House of Reiki, posted this on Facebook a while ago, and it struck me how perfect it was for what I was feeling at the time.

It seems to be attributed on Pinterest and elsewhere to Nanea Hoffman who has a website called Sweatpants and Coffee (though I can’t find this post on her website).

There are many components that make a good reiki practitioner. Studying with a good teacher will help. A regular practice of meditation and reiki is essential. And I also think that we need to learn to have the right attitude and philosophy.

Even if I have good intentions, and want something specific for a person (say, to heal their broken heart when they’ve told me their heart is broken), me trying to control the energy and treatment gets in the way of the healing.

Similarly, if someone has specific expectations for a treatment, that they will feel a certain way, or that it will be exactly the same as a previous treatment, then that gets in the way of a treatment too. What if you are expecting a treatment to feel hot or for you to cry, and think that the treatment is only effective that way? Perhaps you would miss a different kind of healing that happens, that might be more subtle, or might feel different than what you expected.

For me, as a note to self, I can’t control what a client feels, and taking on disappointment if someone doesn’t get what they expect, or even have what they think is a bad experience, well, that’s not so helpful to me. It is something to be learned though, and a lesson that I think is a pretty good one for everyone, not only reiki practitioners.

The people around us are going through their own stuff, with their own reactions and expectations. We can’t control it. Just keeping on doing what we are doing, with as much love as we can do it with… that seems like a pretty good path forward.

The International House of Reiki’s Facebook page is here.

And if you haven’t visited lately, my Facebook page is here.

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment.

Clients come from all over Sydney to see me, and I’ve also had clients who are visiting Sydney from Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast come and see me while they’re here for business, conferences or meeting families. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

Reiki Surry Hills in the news!

I’m very happy that Reiki Surry Hills has been featured in an article in the Femail section of the Australian edition of the MailOnline. The MailOnline is the online version of Britain’s Daily Mail, and is the most visited English-language newspaper website in the world! It has homepages for the UK, USA, India and Australia. Check out the article here:

Is natural energy healing the secret to relieving stress for good? I tried Reiki for the first time – with surprising results

It came about when a wonderful Irish journalist named Alice Murphy put out a request to come for three reiki treatments and then write about it. While originally the article was meant to be matched with another story about another form of energy healing, that one got delayed, so I get a whole feature article myself!

I think it’s great, clearly written and features Reiki Surry Hills nicely. I like that the article is just a straightforward look at her experiences. She sets out the possible problem, and how she felt before, and then, along with a useful overall explanation of reiki, she talks about how she felt after the treatment. Some of my reviews are included from the website, a photo of me, and my husband even sneaks into the article (posing as a client).

I’m curious how many more treatments this will translate into, though this week (the article was first posted in the wee hours of the morning on Sunday), I have had a lot of bookings and as of the Friday, the page says there have been 1,200 shares!

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment.

Clients come from all over Sydney to see me, and I’ve also had clients who are visiting Sydney from Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast come and see me while they’re here for business, conferences or meeting families. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

More reviews of Reiki Surry Hills


It’s always such a pleasure to share feedback with you, and I’m so grateful to my clients who took the time to write these words:

Reviews from Bookwell (the online booking service):

Greta – 5 stars – visited September 2018

Thank you, Andy, I instantly felt comfortable with you in your lovely place. After walking in stressed and rushed and not in a great place emotionally I walked out feeling much calmer and peaceful. During my reiki session I was able to think about some things that cause me worry in a more positive and calm way. G x

Scott – 5 stars – visited September 2018<

Holly – 5 stars – visited August 2018<
Andy is a miracle worker. Very professional and kind and clearly committed to delivering quality service. 🙂

Steven – 5 stars – visited August 2018
Andy provides a very professional service and the treatment was both powerful and nourishing.

Reviews on the Reiki Surry Hills Facebook page:

Betty, August 29, Amazingly healing. Andy is very talented and a calming energy. Highly recommended.

Anthony, August 28, I recently had a Reiki session with Andy and the entire experience was very positive. He was courteous and attentive throughout the session, listening to my concerns and explaining the Reiki process to me… The treatment itself was relaxing and I have felt more balanced and aligned within myself since. I will likely return to see Andy again in the future.

Amritha, August 9, I had an amazing reiki session with Andy, and would highly recommend him!

Reviews from Google

I currently have a 5-star rating on Google from 19 reviews! The latest:

Ciara, September 2018: It’s so hard to describe the positive benefits of reiki with Andy but they are 100%. I thoroughly enjoy my sessions and always feel uplifted and energised after. I would highly recommend!

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment.
Clients come from all over Sydney to see me, and I’ve also had clients who are visiting Sydney from Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast come and see me while they’re here for business, conferences or meeting families. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

Reiki brain waves: What happens in Frans’s brain?

In last week’s blog post, I gave a little introduction to the idea of how brain waves, and their different speeds and vibrations, relate to healing and to reiki.

What inspired me to write these were some amazing articles that Frans posted on his website, and which were also posted on LinkedIn. The article on LinkedIn is a summarised version, easier to understand for those new to the material, I think, but missing some fun illustrations.

The article on LinkedIn

So, if you want to read the full article, the better version is here on the International House of Reiki website.

Judith Pennington does scientific research on brain waves. Her very interesting website can be found here. Using an EEG machine, an electroencephalograph (say that ten times fast!), she looked at healers to examine the brain wave frequences that I reviewed in the previous blog: beta, alpha, theta, delta and gamma waves.

In a series of studies in 2011 with modern reiki healers in New York City, she found that while giving reiki, they produced brainwave patterns that reflect higher states of awareness, patterns only seen in meditators, energy workers, spiritual seekers and highly creative people.

Biophysicist and inventor of the Mind Mirror (an EEG designed to study brain waves), Max Cade identified the Awakened Mind pattern and describes it as the shape of a human. He also said that the appearance of a “higher-state brainwave pattern such as the Evolved Mind stabilizes lower stats such as the Awakened Mind”. This says to me that the more work that I do on myself, the more awakening and evolution I achieve, creates building blocks, meaning I could get into the higher states more easily or frequently. Come to think of it, I think this would be an argument for reiki clients who feel that reiki helps them to have regular treatments; and that it should be easier for the body to tap into the same healing energy as previously rather than, say, starting from scratch.

In any case, when Pennington studied Frans in 2011, she saw something she’d never seen before: whether he was healing or telling a joke, his brain wave showed the slowest delta waves, with only the slightest display of theta, alpha and beta waves, a ‘yoga nidra state’, or a ‘psychic sleep’. So, it was energy from the deepest place of meditation, a dreamless sleep. When I looked at the picture of this, the ‘no mind’ state, it was so simple that I didn’t really pay attention the first time. It’s simply this pattern on the left!

Apparently, this pattern can be seen before someone enters transcendence and their brainwaves go into an open circular pattern, an ‘evolved mind’ (pictured above).

I don’t know if it’s useful but these days when meditating, I sometimes picture my mind simply turning into a circle, the brain waves stilling to this perfect form … In any case, Pennington sees this place as one where an exchange can take place with the ‘collective unconscious’ or ‘the field’.

Here’s a little video of Frans and Judith chatting about the experience:

Pennington concluded at the time:

[R]eal healing is occurring through Reiki. We know this because brain wave frequencies are not confined to the brain, but cascade via harmonic wave motion into every cell and atom in the body … The frequencies conducted by the healer jumpstart the “body electric” and instruct repair systems to do their repair work. In the process, light flowing into every level of one’s being carries intuitive insights into the mind, love into the heart, and illumination to the spirit.

Researchers have shown that an increase in the strength of brain waves, whether from the awakened and evolved mind patterns or gamma waves, increases the output of energy from the fingers and this energy ripples into infinity, with the consequence of healing the world. While this is a precious service to humanity, just as beautiful is the ability of energy work to heal and evolve the healer’s consciousness as much if not more than the person being healed.

Of course, no one needs to see brain wave patterns to know that healing has occurred. We can feel, experience and know this. And yet, it’s always good for the doubting ego to logically understand the process, so that it can unreservedly believe, trust and surrender to the divine Light which so deeply loves and heals us and all things.

In 2015, Judith returned for more brain testing on Frans. What she discovered is that Frans’s continued daily practices of meditation and healing had increased his theta waves, and increased his gamma waves: “increased amplitudes of gamma at 30-38 hertz and newly visible gamma amplitudes appearing at up to 64 hertz”. In her report, she describes this as evidence of neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to change itself (a topic which I’ve read about and has interested me over the last years). She also reports on Frans’s experience in 2011 of, what some people might call, enlightenment. I found this a fascinating story but perhaps we’ll explore it another time!

In her first reports, Pennington drew a distinction between the healing brainwaves that she found in modern reiki healers (and other healers) and Frans and a few of his other students from the International House of Reiki, where she found the former’s healing brainwaves were operating at the theta and alpha speeds (meditation, and presence in the ‘now’) as compared to IHR practitioners’ brainwaves which showed evidence of the slowest waves, beta, the deepest meditation, just before the entrance to the collective unconscious and gamma waves, the fastest waves, associated with universal love and guidance.

In a video made after the first experiment, Frans would describe the reason for this as a focus by traditional Japanese reiki therapy on spirituality and on daily practice to embody reiki in every moment of our lives. It is an internal practice to be as often as possible in an open, interconnected space, more than just meditating or being in the present (though these practises are good and admirable too), and cultivating oneness and a lack of separation. Instead of seeing healing between a reiki master and a client, we become one. We create a healing space recognising our connectedness, and tapping into the universe.

Judith described that she requested some healing from Frans, having just been through surgery and being in pain. She described afterwards being in no pain and her mind being “sharp, clear and flowing with higher awareness”. She also noted “The best thing about gamma is that once it is experienced for a sustained period of time, it can return.” This explains for me, in a way I didn’t quite understand before, why the effects of reiki often carry out for many days after the treatment (and can even create a permanent shift in energy and being).

Pennington finishes her 2015 article with advice for achieving your own neuroplasticity: meditating can help the brain evolve by developing your attention and eliminating negative thought patterns; then, she says, remember a time when you were happy, inspired and filled with bliss and creativity – this represents your awakened or evolved mind. Remembering and reliving these experiences can lead to being in touch with your gamma brainwaves and a “leap in your consciousness”.

Sounds good to me.

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment.
Clients come from all over Sydney to see me, and I’ve also had clients who are visiting Sydney from Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast come and see me while they’re here for business, conferences or meeting families. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.