Reiki

Today’s post was inspired by a country song.

That’s not a sentence I ever expected to type! I’m not a country music fan, but I sometimes find the lyrics to be creative, colorful, and utterly relatable.

This song was about attempting to drown sorrows, but failing as they (the sorrows) had learned to swim.

We can safely assume that “drowning sorrows” in this context involves a large amount of whiskey.

But that doesn’t really work, does it? It can help you avoid a problem for a short amount of time, but often stirs up entirely new problems, such as a hangover or the consequences of decisions made while inebriated.

Believe me, I fully understand the impulse to escape the uncomfortable feelings. I’m well versed in a wide variety of strategies for doing exactly that. The reason I have so much experience is because it never works, so you have to keep the distractions coming, like a never-ending parade.

I wonder how many sorrows I’ve caused for myself in the pursuit of escaping sorrows. How many layers of suffering did I create for myself in these misguided attempts to avoid pain? I think it’s safe to assume that I’ve more than doubled my struggles in the name of “feeling better”. But it wasn’t better that I was feeling- it was just a temporary numbing.

Let’s just assume that all sorrows can swim. There is no drowning them. Not with whiskey or wine, shopping or scrolling, cookies or ice cream.

Rather than wasting precious life-force to avoid experiencing the full spectrum of emotions, what if we turned to face them?

It requires some courage and moxie to do so. Having some support such as a kind friend, spiritual advisor, or practical tool to help you stay present and grounded can make all the difference.

Reiki is one such tool. Not the only one, just the one I’m most familiar with as I’ve used it daily for the past 23 years. It helps with emotional and nervous system regulation by fostering a sense of peace and calm within. It neutralizes my urge to run away when things get tough and allows me to stay connected with my higher self. It builds harmony, clarity and balance so that I’m better able to meet the sorrows when they appear, but don’t get stuck wallowing in them.

Reiki helps me to be with grief, anger, upset and disappointment as well as joy and peace (which can be equally as uncomfortable if they’re unfamiliar).

These days I experience emotions like clouds in the sky. They come and go, but do not define me. Some days are stormy, some cloudy, some sunny. If I don’t like the weather, I can just wait a few minutes and it will change naturally.

Wherever you are in the world and on your healing journey, I’m willing to bet that Reiki can help you face your sorrows if you’re ready to try something new.

This is a judgment-free zone. I work with people with all sorts of issues, big and small, mystical and mundane, common and bizarre. I’ve yet to meet an emotion that Reiki couldn’t help metabolize when the recipient was truly willing to meet it.

Today is a great day to take a step towards wholeness by reclaiming all the life-force that has been invested in avoiding feelings. Get yourself some Reiki or join a training so you can learn to give yourself daily treatments.

There’s no need to drown sorrows when you can instead become adept at sitting with them and watching as they gradually lose intensity.

The side effects of Reiki treatment are feeling relaxed, at ease, at one with self and purpose, patient, compassionate, and joy-full. You already know the side-effects of several escapism strategies that are doomed to fail.

Those sorrows are not going to drown, no matter how much alcohol you use. Let’s stop this madness and try a holistic approach that cultivates wellness instead of headaches and regrets.

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Reiki classes

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The Problem with Drowning Your Sorrows

Today’s post was inspired by a country song. That’s not a sentence I ever expected to…
We’re gearing up over here for the next level 1 training. YAY!

Reiki 1 is the beginning point for anyone, yes I do mean anyone, who wants to gain access to the healing energies of Reiki.

There are no special skills required, no magical powers, no experience in the healing or mystical arts.

Reiki is a natural energy and a Master Teacher performs an attunement ritual that opens a student’s capacity to connect to this energy.

It’s as simple as that. Reiki itself does the work of opening energy channels. Never has it failed. Anyone can do Reiki once attuned.

It’s perhaps my all-time favorite thing, watching folks go from ordinary person to Reiki practitioner in the course of an evening. We spend the rest of the classes discussing the foundational topics such as where it comes from, what can and cannot be treated, and how to use it. But it’s the attunement that initiates.

Reiki, when applied consistently and intentionally, can shift even the most stuck issues. It’s an amazing remedy for stress and pain relief, anxiety, overwhelm, fatigue, and digestive issues. It can be used to support personal growth and spiritual connection, healthy relationships and free-flowing abundance, address old wounds and outdated coping mechanisms.

If you’re interested in learning how to connect with this spiritually-guided life-force energy, or if you want a jumpstart for your lapsed practice, we begin on May 7.

Details can be found here.

Reiki 1 Certification

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That’s me with messy hair and a crooked smile. I’m just a regular person who has devoted her life to being a transmission of healing energy. You could too!

Reiki 1 Certification begins May 7, 2026

We’re gearing up over here for the next level 1 training. YAY! Reiki 1 is the…
This is a very common question from new clients. They really notice the warmth that seeps from my hands during a session.

Short answer? It’s Reiki. Or, more accurately, how many people sense Reiki, a natural healing energy.

I think it’s important to make the distinction because not everyone experiences it this way. Most of us are not (yet) adept at noticing the subtle energies, and some don’t feel anything at all.

That doesn’t mean that nothing is happening- just that’s it’s beneath their sensory capacity. Kinda like how a dog whistle can’t be heard by human ears.

There’s a story about Mrs. Takata, the woman credited with bringing Reiki to the US in the 1940’s, that might amuse. When she began receiving treatments, she supposedly accused the practitioners of having some hidden heating device!

Nope. No tricks up my sleeve.

If you’re not feeling any sensations during a session, don’t worry. You don’t need to feel it; it’s definitely working. You don’t feel prebiotics when you eat them, but the benefits accumulate nonetheless.

Hot hands are a nifty side-effect for sure and I definitely appreciate them in the winter and when menstrual cramps appear, but they aren’t nearly as wonderful as being immersed in healing life-force energy. And that’s what Reiki brings, even if you can’t feel the heat.

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Why do my hands get so hot?

This is a very common question from new clients. They really notice the warmth that seeps…
12 Reasons to Learn Reiki

Reblogging this gem about some of the more popular reasons for learning how to connect to spiritually guided life-force energy, AKA Reiki.

The next certification training begins in December. If you’re in the Philly area, we’d love to have you join us!!

Reiki 1 Class Begins Soon

Reblogging this gem about some of the more popular reasons for learning how to connect to…
The next series of in-person level 2 training is coming up!

We meet for 6 Thursday evenings, 5:30-7:30 in my Mt. Airy (neighborhood of Philly) studio.

November 6, 13, 20 &

December 4, 11, 18.

I’m predicting a snowy winter, so we’re also reserving January 8 & 15 in case of any weather-related cancellations.

This workshop is for anyone already attuned to Reiki 1 who wishes to deepen their practice.

You’ll learn three sacred healing symbols and how to use them for a variety of purposes. We cover enhanced self-care, treating others in person and remotely, and how to bring Reiki into your daily life in addition to a healing practice.

It’s a great joy and tremendous honor for me to teach this class in a way that encourages retention and integration of the material and personalization of your practice.

If you’re interested in joining us, you’ll find more information by clicking the button below. Space is limited, so don’t delay!

Reiki 2 Certification

Contact Pamela

Reiki 2 Certification

The next series of in-person level 2 training is coming up! We meet for 6 Thursday…
It’s easy to think that we’re all at the mercy of invading microbes, but it isn’t that simple. There are so many factors that influence our body’s capacity to defend itself against disease.

Some of the factors fall under our personal influence. And this is where our power lies.

True, I cannot completely control my environment and circumstances, although this doesn’t prevent me from doing my best. Just because I can’t achieve 100% success doesn’t mean I sit on my hands and do nothing.

My definition of empowerment is doing everything that I am able to cultivate the life I desire. If I want optimal health, I’m going to address every factor that is within my power.

While the chaos happening in the world is beyond my scope of influence, I do have a fair amount of sway over how it lands in me. I can’t escape stress entirely (although I take a good stab at minimizing it as best I can!), I am all about metabolizing it so it doesn’t leave me in a state of chronic fight or flight.

Not only is that uncomfortable given the resulting tension and anxiety, but living in survival mode drains the body’s resources, rerouting energy that would otherwise be used to keep ourselves healthy.

Sure, there are supplements you can take to boost the immune system. If you’re forever in super-stressed-out mode, though, your digestion and assimilation is impaired and you won’t be able to absorb them and they won’t be particularly effective.

There are tons of ways to address chronic stress. My favorites are spending time in nature, bouncing on the rebounder, laughing, meditation, tai chi, mantra, and Reiki. These practices all soothe my nerves and help me to move the energy so it doesn’t get stuck in my system.

So before you go spending a small fortune on vitamin C and such, find a way to release the tension held in your body and cultivate an internal sense of peace and safety so your nervous system can relax.

If you’d like some support, I’ve created a remote Reiki treatment exactly for this.

Immune boosting Reiki special

Stress and the Immune System

It’s easy to think that we’re all at the mercy of invading microbes, but it isn’t…
Reiki is an ancient healing practice that allows initiates to tap into universal life-force energy and direct it with our intention and attention.

The form of Reiki healing as it is commonly practiced here in the west has its roots in 20th century Japan. Usui Sensei, beloved founder of the practice (not the energy, the energy was/has always been available in nature), had a spiritual awakening while fasting and meditating on a mountain.

Reiki was the result of this awakening. He developed a style of accessing and utilizing this life-force energy that was very useful. I call it “traditional” Reiki.

It is a very linear process. Step A, B, C, etc. It works very well for people who like structure and want to know exactly what comes next.

Fast forward 100+ years and jump over to a very different culture, a different landscape, a different pace, in a world with very different needs; traditional Reiki, while still amazing, can feel constrictive to many.

Usui was a student of Buddhism, of meditation, of awakening the vast consciousness found in stillness. Some would call this a masculine approach to spirituality.

Not because it’s for men. No, this has nothing to do with gender. But because in the system of polarity, consciousness, linear thinking, working with the mind is considered to be masculine.

It’s one part of the puzzle of healing, but leaves those of us who revel in the feminine, the dance, the mystery, the depths of emotion and intuition can feel left out.

Neither is right or wrong. Just like night and day, they are both important, yet very different.

I teach a blend of the traditional, formulaic approach and the intuitive approach that has organically emerged in my practice.

I believe that there is something here for everyone and it’s my goal to help students find their own unique style.

Recently I told a student (who is finishing Master Teacher training with me after doing levels 1 and 2 elsewhere) that I almost always start a session at the feet.

She stared at me, mouth hanging open for a moment before sharing that her instinct is to do this too, but she had been chastised in her earlier training that this goes against tradition.

Yes. Yes, it does. Tradition says start at the head. This doesn’t make sense to me for many reasons and I find that beginning at the feet provides much-needed grounding and a less in-your-face start to a session. Literally.

I’ve done it this way for twenty years and it works well for me. My clients seem to enjoy it.

The history of Reiki is riddled with similar stories of evolution: students breaking the mold that was handed down but never really fit.

I offer something different. Let’s call it a buffet. On the buffet you’ll find a structure that you can use to get your bearings. Like training wheels. Then, maybe you learn to let go of the support when it becomes unnecessary over time. You can either continue going in that same direction or allow your intuition to guided you.

For me, this is a very personal practice. The more authentic I am, the more healing energy can flow through me.

If you’ve been trained in a strictly traditional fashion and feel too cramped, I invite you to spread your wings and experiment. The most important thing you can know about Reiki is that it can do no harm. Even when you start at the feet. I promise!

If you’d like to learn a different, less traditional, less restrictive way, what I call a natural evolution for those of us who aren’t monks in Japan in the 1900’s… well, I can teach you.

There’s a level 1 training coming up in Philly. I also teach virtual classes. Live classes, in real time, not recorded. I’m happy to discuss setting something up if that appeals to you.

In-person Reiki 1

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Reiki Classes: Evolved for Modern Needs

Reiki is an ancient healing practice that allows initiates to tap into universal life-force energy and…
Just yesterday I was thinking about getting a class on the calendar. Today someone emailed me to ask when the next class starts. For someone who operates on intuition, it doesn’t get much clearer than that!

A fire was lit and the next class has been scheduled. Everything fell together so easily.

I’ve decided to make this a 5 class series as students always want more time to practice and I don’t like to rush.

So if you’re interested in learning how to access spiritually guided life-force energy (AKA Reiki) for healing body and mind, heart and soul, this is the starting point.

We’ll meet on 5 Thursday evenings, 5:30-7:30 at my studio, in the Mt. Airy neighborhood of Philly.

September 4, 11, 18, 25 & October 2.

I’m offering a $25 discount off of the $400 price through Sunday 8/10. Use the code EARLY-BIRD at checkout.

If you want to read more about the class, here’s where to find all the details.

Reiki 1 Certification info

And here’s the link to register.

Register Reiki 1

Reiki 1 Certification Class

Just yesterday I was thinking about getting a class on the calendar. Today someone emailed me…
Seven is my lucky number. In honor of the seventh month, the seven chakras (as portrayed in several traditional systems), and the particularly potent full moon on the day I’m posting this, I’ve designed a new treatment.

It’s a remote Reiki session for cleansing, charging and balancing the energy centers.

I love Reiki because it is powerful, yet gentle, and never invasive. It always gives each client exactly what they need in that moment because it works with their bodies’ wisdom rather than attempting to impose some prescribed protocol.

By focusing in on chakra healing and removing the chatting element of a session, I’m able to offer this 40 minute treatment at only $77.

I recorded a six minute video to explain the how and why of remote Reiki for chakra healing. I could have gone on and on, but really tried to reel myself in to cover the basics. There’s a lot to be said about working with the energy centers and I’d much rather DO it than yammer on about it.

You’ll find buttons below for scheduling if it feels right for you.

Book Chakra Healing

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Chakra Healing Treatment

Seven is my lucky number. In honor of the seventh month, the seven chakras (as portrayed…