My Father was a Healer

As it was Father’s Day this month, I thought I would write about my father, who was an NHS GP and psychiatrist working in Coventry.  In many ways he was ahead of his time in his
approach.  He knew that people’s thinking affects their health generally.  He would have approved of the movement for Social Prescribing, started by another GP, Dr Michael Dixon, who saw that those who repeatedly attend the GPs surgery often have some social need, such as loneliness or poor diet, so that other solutions are needed to support them, rather than the pill they are asking for. 

My Dad also knew that medication was not always the answer.  Sometimes he would prescribe Smarties – to be taken 3 times a day – because he understood that the ritual of taking ‘medication’ could be as powerful as the actual medication.   He also foresaw the danger of antibiotic misuse and has been proved right, with anti-biotic resistant bacteria and the potential damage to the gut bacteria, the general health consequences of which are only now being fully understood.

Dr Dixon has written² about his concerns about the decline in a human approach to medicine as technology has increased and doctors and nurses have become busier and forced to follow systems that reduce time spent with patients, impacting how they can care for them as individuals.  There is research that shows the benefit of this listening and care to patients¹ and current NHS systems often don’t allow time for this. 

My Dad certainly understood the need for listening to people and that’s why I think he was more than a doctor, he was a healer.  He was famously late for family appointments – if he was supposed to be somewhere at a certain time you could add half an hour before he would get there.  The reason for this was his care for patients.  He found the 10 minutes allocated for surgery consultations too short and, in those days, doctors still frequently did home visits to their own patients after hours.  A friend recently commented that he was asked why he still needed to visit when the patient had died, his response being that the family still needed support.

He had a particular interest in helping people recover from drug addiction, helped to set up medical services for students in Coventry and did training for the Samaritans, in particular the Festival Branch which was one of the ways of getting in touch with people having drug problems.

Sadly, he died before I learned Reiki.  I asked my mother what he would have thought about it.  She said he would have been interested, because he sometimes went to a spiritualist church where they did healing.  I agree with her, not just for that reason, but also because he was a doctor who did more than analyse symptoms and dispense treatment.  He tried to understand the needs of each person, taking a holistic rather than mechanical view.  He understood, as we do in Reiki, that the underlying cause of physical illness lies on the mental and emotional levels and that effective healing addresses these as well.  He also understood the importance of touch and spirituality.  I think he would have been supportive of the movement towards integrative health which Dr Dixon is at the forefront of and which I hope Reiki will be part of.  

¹ Neurophysiology of human touch and eye gaze in therapeutic relationships and healing: a scoping review https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6382052/

² The Human Effect in Medicine: Theory, Research and Practice by Dr Michael Dixon

Lasting Healing in 2021

One of the teachings of Reiki is that for there to be lasting healing, there needs to be a change at the non-physical levels of mind/emotions and spirit.  As we begin 2021 with a worsening Covid-19 situation in the UK, I have been wondering how this teaching applies to this situation.  In the same way that a serious illness can change the direction of a person’s life in a positive way, could this pandemic be the wake-up call that changes some of the assumptions and old patterns in our world, so that we can become healthier? 

I have seen in my own health how, when there is no change at these unseen levels, old patterns will repeat and although there may appear to be healing on the physical level, these symptoms will return because the cause is still there.  Just like when the virus seemed to have gone away because people

were not spreading the infections so much, but returned when people returned to their previous habitual patterns of behaviour before and during Christmas. 

I have experienced this in healing my type 2 diabetes – I can reduce my blood glucose levels by cutting out sugar for a while, but when I go back to old habits of eating high carbohydrate foods, they rise again.  To maintain healthy glucose levels, I needed to change my thinking and remember the consequences of eating more sugar.  Decisions made based on unconscious habit will simply result in a relapse, so I need to be aware of what I’m eating and find other ways to be comforted that do not involve cakes and bread!  It is also helpful to heal the underlying need for comfort, which is where Reiki self-treatment is wonderful, being carbohydrate free and soothing!

So what sort of change is needed for the world to heal from the coronavirus?  I would suggest that our only way out of the repeating patterns of reduction then increase of infections is for there to be change in people’s thinking, emotional and spiritual state.  Why do some people find it difficult to follow the guidance that protects us from catching and spreading the virus?  Do they really not care about the well-being of others?  Or is it that they lack the capacity to think beyond their own lives and understand the consequences of their actions?  What is the mental/emotional/spiritual state that causes this?

What can we, as Reiki practitioners, do to help the world to heal?  The Reiki Principles invite us to change our thinking and emotional state, so one thing we can do is to remember and act on them.  Our Reiki practice encourages self- responsibility and also care for others, so we can remember these qualities too in all that we do.  I have also found that simply by giving and receiving Reiki treatments change happens – often quietly and simply, through the shift from stress to a relaxed and creative state of being. 

I believe this pandemic is a tremendous opportunity for our world to change and heal on many levels.  My wish for 2021, therefore, is for global healing that comes through change that fosters greater consciousness and a willingness to engage with difficulty to expand our capabilities, so that all humans can thrive.

Accessing the Unseen

Reiki practice offers me a way to connect with the unseen, including emotions, mind and the spiritual energy that I believe flows through and connects all things.  It is understandable that some people are sceptical about this, yet we all have some experience of things we can’t see, hear, touch, smell or taste.  We are all very accustomed now to the invisible waves that connect us via the internet and mobile phones.  Such invisible things also exist in Nature – Reiki is how the Japanese would describe the energy you feel in a beautiful forest.  The understanding that what is unseen can affect the physical world has long been understood by spiritual teachers.  Buddha, for example, said: “We are what we think.  All that we are arises from our thoughts”. 

In the current situation we are facing a virus invisible to the naked eye that has had the power to change all our lives.  Some are sceptical about it, because if you rely primarily on an understanding of the world that is based on your senses, this virus is beyond comprehension.  Similarly, it is understandable that some are sceptical about Reiki as an energy that can be transmitted between people at a distance.

Love is an invisible energy that the current situation is showing us that it can still be shared and felt even when we are not able to touch or even be physically in the same space.  We can still send our love out into the world, in the same way Reiki can also reach any part of the planet.  Perhaps it is when relatives are able to comfort a Covid-19 patient, so that they know they are loved, that gives them a better chance of survival.   It is the one factor doctors have no control over that may explain the differing survival rates of those who are most ill.

At present, unable to give Reiki in person,

I feel blessed to be able to continue to offer comfort and support through distant Reiki treatments.  It can take a leap of faith to accept that receiving Reiki from any distance is possible, yet experience over many years has shown me that, like love, it can be sent through space and time and is safe for all concerned, even with Covid-19. 

The Reiki Association Care Service is available for members to request distant Reiki treatments from a team of volunteers.  We have received many reports of positive outcomes, unexpected by doctors.  We frequently hear of the healing, comfort and peace of mind these treatments bring, including at the end of life.  I’ve received similar reports from the treatments that the Community Clinic volunteers have been doing.  These reports include better sleep and reduction in need for pain medication. 

I am always looking for ways to develop my Reiki practice so, following an inspiration during a self-treatment, I now offer distant Reiki treatments via a live Zoom link, which means that I can be present with the person I am sending to through their treatment via an internet connection and they can be aware of what I am doing.  I don’t even need a photograph to send Reiki but meeting via Zoom we are able to see each other and talk before and after the treatment (we can also talk on the phone).  Reiki offers many ways to explore the unseen and I am enjoying this time and the opportunity to expand my distant treatment practice.

A Lesson from a Flood

Many people have been affected recently by flooding.  We were fortunate that the only water that came into our house was down the chimney.  The last time this happened in July 2007 it inspired me to write an article

comparing dealing with the deluge to a healing process…

"The rain came down our chimney in such quantities that it created a minor flood. It ran behind the range, behind the sideboard and out into the next room. While the floor of the first room is tiled, so not difficult to clean up, the room it ran into has a wooden floor, so the black sooty water would stain it.  Aarghh!

As I was cleaning it up, I thought about how it was like the healing process people often go through with Reiki. The sooty water about to stain the floorboards was like when a crisis point is reached in our health so something must be done. I began my cleaning there – making sure the water didn’t stain any further, limiting the damage. Similarly, with Reiki, I help people deal with the immediate crisis that has pushed them into seeking help.

Once that was done, I stood back for a moment and saw that the sooty water was seeping back, so I needed to clear up the puddle

behind the sideboard to prevent it running into the next room again. Similarly in a healing process, once the immediate symptoms are

dealt with, you often find some underlying cause that will make the problem recur if not treated. For example in the case of a painful

knee: having relieved the pain somewhat you might find that the immediate cause of that pain is tension in the hip.

Cleaning up behind the sideboard involved a bit more effort: I had to move the furniture. Similarly in a healing process there can be a point when something needs to shift for healing to continue. It could be a physical shift or it could be mental or emotional – such as allowing yourself to rest more.

Taking time to breathe and review the situation again, I realised that the water was just going to keep on coming unless I did something about the large quantity behind the range. Similarly, in a healing process there can come a time when you realise that the real

cause is something deeper and will keep on causing the same problem to recur unless you deal with it. For example, a horse I treated had been badly treated in his past. His reactions to present events were therefore coloured by this experience, making him difficult and unhappy. Over a period of time Reiki healing helped him to release the painful memories and so react to the present in proportion to what was really happening.

It took a lot of effort to mop up the pools of water behind the range: getting to it was awkward, uncomfortable, difficult, and time consuming. A healing process can be just the same! Eventually the flood was under control – but it was still raining – just as life continues to happen and we have to go on dealing with it!  I arranged a bucket under the drips, which is like having the occasional ongoing treatment to help cope with life and continue the healing process.

Finally I had finished and there was a great feeling of satisfaction. The same good feelings can be experienced when you have made progress in your healing!"

Wishing you Good Health in 2020

January is often a time when I reflect on the state of my health.  After all the temptations of Christmas I   For many years I would spend the next months trying to get back into balance.  I also assumed that the lack of energy, aches and pains were all signs of ageing and not to do with general poor health.  However receiving a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes made me pay more attention to my health and how I was maintaining it or otherwise through my lifestyle choices.  I am grateful for my Reiki practice which has, I believe, helped me to achieve much better health and to discover that energy levels can improve and pain be a thing of the past, as well as feeling happier.
usually find that my waistline has expanded and my energy is low.

I find that the daily Reiki self-treatment is a time in which I can pay attention to the subtle messages my body is giving me.  I have learned that my body has great wisdom if I am willing to listen, but it often speaks quietly at first.  As my mind becomes calm thanks to Reiki, I become more aware of the voice of my intuition.  Listening to this wisdom has enabled me to make better choices.  Reiki has also helped me to want to make those choices.

A good example is that when I first learned Reiki about 30 years ago, I used to smoke.  I had unsuccessfully tried giving up a few times.  As I gave myself Reiki treatments and received them from others, I began to be aware of the way smoking was affecting my lungs.  I also began to have the feeling that I didn’t want to do that to my body any more.  It was then easy to let go of the habit and I stopped smoking for good.

I have also learned how important sleep is to good health.  I now find that I really notice the difference when my quality or quantity of sleep is less.  Reiki is helpful to get to sleep if my mind is busy and I have had reports from several students who suffered from insomnia that a Reiki treatment at the end of the day helps them sleep peacefully through the night!

One of the other things I have learned about achieving and maintaining better health is that it takes consistency.  Once again my Reiki practice helped: through having something in life that I practice most days (my self-treatment), it was easier to introduce other healthy habits, such as walking every day for 30 minutes (as recommended by Reiki Grand Master Hawayo Takata).

Receiving Reiki also enables me to be less stressful, another key to good health.  I still find Reiki’s ability to calm my mind and bring me into a meditative state – including when giving treatments – quite amazing.

So in wishing you good health in the coming year I wish you good sleep, less stress and a growing ability to listen to and act on your body’s wisdom so that your life can be more joyful.