I read the first paragraph of this Glamour article on Reiki energy healing, and instantly fell in love:
Reiki Helped Me Heal From the Trauma of Sexual Assault
I’ve recently become one of those people who are into Reiki—aka “energy healing,” a form of alternative medicine. This is a complete shock to me. I generally raise my eyebrows at mentions of “chakras” and “attuning”—but I’m now that girl. Whenever it comes up in conversation that I’ve not only tried Reiki but find it really powerful, I tend to get one of two responses (both of which involve raised eyebrows). Version one goes, “Oh, I’ve always been interested in trying that!” Version two goes, “Oh, wow,” accompanied by a studious sip of a drink.
–By Krystin Arneson
Why did I fall in love with this article?
Because author Krystin Arneson captures what drew me to The Woo and what kept me from exploring it for so long.
In all honesty, I didn’t want to be that girl. I was a girl who wanted to get good grades, have a good career, and live a life filled with close friends, family, and my husband.
But this narrow path that I’d put myself on began to unravel in my 30s. In fact, I actually tried energy healing in my late 20s/early 30s when my job as a journalist, which required stressful hours in front of a computer and very few breaks, was causing chronic pain in my shoulder and neck.
After nerve block injections didn’t alleviate the pain, my doctor sent me to a woman who specialized in The Alexander Technique movement therapy … and energy healing.
While the Alexander Technique was helpful, I was more intrigued by the energy healing. I’d lay on a massage table, with my eyes closed. I’d inhale various essential oils while my therapist would hold her hands over me. It sounds similar to the Reiki treatments Krystin received. I don’t fully know what transpired while my eyes were closed, but I always felt better, more relaxed, and calm after a session.
Eventually, I stopped seeing this therapist, and I slowly stopped giving this energy work much thought. I moved on with my life even though my physical pain persisted, as did my struggles with mild depression and negative thinking.
But you know what they say in The Land of Woo — what you ignore only gets stronger. It took much more serious health issues to bring me back to The Woo, to make it an integral part of my life, and to start gaining the confidence to talk about it.
So, Does the Woo Work?
What I love about this article is that it doesn’t hide the fact that doctors have yet to fully grasp why Reiki may work. But that hasn’t stopped mainstream hospitals like Johns Hopkins, Yale New Haven Health, Cleveland Clinic, and UCLA Health from offering the treatment.
Maybe, some doctors speculate, Reiki works because it relaxes people. Perhaps, some doctors guess, Reiki works because it quiets the fight-or-flight response.
Or maybe Reiki works on some level we have yet to understand, cannot grasp, or will never be able to pinpoint.
The important thing is that Reiki does bring relief and healing to some people. And that is why I am becoming that girl.