One of the most rewarding aspects of being able to channel Reiki is that it can provide comfort and help to those in need. If one of my children come to me in tears, I love being able to soothe and restore them with a healing cuddle. A very important but less discussed aspect of being attuned to Reiki is the act of self-healing; something that is often overlooked but is actually an essential part of the practice.
Healing isn’t just for other people; in healing yourself, you become stronger in your ability to help others. Over time, I discovered that this was true.
Using self-healing less and less
When I started learning Reiki my teacher explained that I would have to self-heal every day for 21 days to allow the attunement to integrate fully. The new energy needs time to work on each of the seven chakras: a full day for each one and the cycle repeats itself three times. As a new student, I diligently stuck to this and I kept this up for much longer than three weeks because I was so excited to learn more.
Eventually life got in the way, and after a few years I noticed I was only managing it a few times a week. I knew that I would always be attuned to reiki so I didn’t worry about it too much, it wasn’t as if I could lose this ability. In the meantime, I continued to give treatments to others.
As I got older my responsibilities increased, I now had three children and a lot less time on my hands. I was constantly juggling school runs, homework, after-school clubs, social activities, work, study and never-ending chores. Trying to fit in time to care for myself was not easy, and modern life means that we all expect a lot of ourselves. We are all supposed to make time to meditate, enjoy hobbies, spend time outside, exercise and learn more to better ourselves on top of everything else! Self-healing with Reiki was still there, but only when I could fit it in!
What happened when I didn’t self-heal often enough?
The result was that I was channeling less Reiki.
Gradually I realised that I could hardly feel it anymore when I was giving treatments. In the beginning, I always perceived Reiki energy as an intense heat coming out of my hands, and clients would comment on how hot it was. That sensation was very validating for me, I needed to know that it was working and that I wasn’t imagining it. Now that I wasn’t feeling it so much I was starting to get worried. Why was this happening?
Re-opening the healing channels
I wrote to my teacher and she advised me to self-heal with Reiki every day and not to worry, as the ability was still there.
Conscientiously, I began to give myself healing every single night. By forcing myself to do it daily, I realised that I could fit it in; I just needed to find a regular time. For me, this was as soon as I got into bed, and I could even do it while I was chatting to my husband. It really relaxed me and helped get me to sleep. This meant that I didn’t always finish giving myself a full treatment, but before I began I made an intention for the energy to continue even if I was unconscious.
Over time I could feel the Reiki channels opening, as if they were streams turning into rivers. The energy seemed to glow and flow more powerfully than ever before.
Stronger Reiki flow
I can’t remember how long it took, but it was after about a month or two of regular self-healing with Reiki that I got my power back. I noticed that heat was coming out of my hands again and it felt quietly forceful; it flowed and pulsed with a much higher intensity than before. When I put my hands on myself I could really feel it. The next test had to be on someone else.
It wasn’t long before I had a lovely client who described my hands as being a ‘reverse iron’, because the heat from them was creasing his shirt! I had to admit, it was a particularly powerful healing and my hands felt so warm that my client said he could feel the heat from several inches away. This man had never experienced Reiki or any other type of energy healing before, so this was proof to me that self-healing made a difference to my Reiki practice.
Ways fit self-healing into your day
If you are attuned to Reiki, do you self-heal most days? If not, here are some tips for fitting this into your routine more easily.
Think about your daily schedule and the times when you are sitting/lying still and you can place your hands on yourself. For example:
- lying in the bath
- getting ready to fall asleep in bed
- watching television
- meditating
- waking up
You don’t even have to be thinking about Reiki for it to be effective, so doing it while watching a film might not be as relaxing but will still work.
Using distant healing on yourself
Have you thought about sending Reiki to a virtual ‘energy bank’? You can ‘withdraw’ healing when it suits you, as long as you ‘top it up’ now and then. If you have Reiki 2, you can use the symbols and imagine sending it to a place of your imagination, like a piggy bank or huge vault of energy with the intention of being able to use it when necessary. At times of stress and hurry this can be a good method, but to get the most out of this you should find a quiet moment to receive it.
A second way of using distant healing is to use a proxy. This means a teddy bear or cushion will stand in for your body. This is really good if you can’t comfortably place your hands on areas that need healing. A lot of people think you can only do this for others but it works on yourself too!
Conclusion
If you are attuned to Reiki, self-healing should be an important part of your day. If you can do it daily, that is fantastic, but please don’t feel bad if you can’t manage. The road to healing is a journey and as long as you head in the right direction, that is what matters.
However, if you have found like I did, that the energy is not as it should be, healing yourself is a great way to bring it back. You just have to find a method that fits into your schedule. I hope some of my tips help you get back on track.
Have you found any other ways to self-heal? Let me know in the comments below and please share!
