Last week a potential client asked me what my success rate was.
Ummmm…
I really had to give that some thought! I am 100% successful at delivering Reiki and/or massage to the clients who request it.
But that obviously wasn’t what she was looking for. She wanted to know how many of my clients were relieved of their symptoms, but that’s not a question I can accurately answer. I’d estimate that 95% of the time, people feel better when they leave my office. What happens after that is generally out of my hands.
Imagine you were seeking treatment for insomnia. Reiki and massage are both fabulous at calming the nervous system so people can fall asleep more easily and stay asleep. I can do my very best work, you’d feel calm and rested when we parted, but you could go home and drink a pot of coffee before bedtime. You probably won’t sleep very well, but you still received many of the wellness benefits anyway.
Holistic healing is a lot like not drinking a pot of coffee before bed. Or getting out of debt by curtailing spending and taking up a side job. All of our choices are affecting our progress.
My clients who switch to decaf after lunch experience tremendous results. Those who rely solely on me while continuing to drink coffee at bedtime get temporary relief.
There’s no judgment here. Anybody can get a session and feel better. Those who want to continue feeling better work with me. We become a detective team, exploring the options that they face every day to pursue or decline wellness.
Success rate? Here’s a more accurate question, one I wasn’t quick enough to express on that phone call. Are you willing to adapt your behavior and make healthier choices that support your goals? Your response is directly correlated to the success rate you can expect. And my services will mostly definitely support you in the process.
Whether or not you’re wanting to participate in your wellness pursuit, gentle massage and Reiki treatments can promote vitality, peace, calm, creativity, and health. Schedule a session without any guilt or shame about your habits. We don’t have to discuss anything you don’t want to!
I recently had a chat with my friend’s husband. He said he doesn’t get massages because the relaxation doesn’t last. As soon as he returns to work, the stress is waiting to pounce.
Fair enough! I appreciate honest feedback and it gives me a chance to address an issue that is likely common, but generally unspoken.
First, I want to point out that the health benefits of massage and Reiki remain even after the peaceful feeling wears off. Just like all deposits to your bank account are important, even if that money flows out immediately, so do all deposits to your wellness account help.
I can get nerdy and talk about nervous system regulation, neurochemistry, oxytocin and healing touch. I’ll just say for now that every investment, big or small, towards your health counts.
Second, there are ways that you can plan your session to get the most out of it. Why not set yourself up for success as much as you possibly can? It’s an act of kindness toward yourself to protect the yummy, relaxed sensations that massage and Reiki are famous for.
Here are some ideas:
If possible, schedule your treatment on a day off or after work. Many of us practitioners have evening and weekend hours. Sure, there is no punching out for parents or caregivers, but do your best to choose a time when you’ll have minimal responsibilities.
Give yourself some time afterwards so you’re not rushing to your next appointment.
Leave your phone on silent mode when you leave.
Avoid the news, emails, and social media for as long as possible.
Tell your people in advance that you’ll be unavailable for a few hours except for emergencies. Define what an emergency actually is!
Have a meal prepared, or at least planned, so you’re not wandering the grocery store aisles or the GrubHub menu in a foggy, hungry state.
And if none of that is possible, know that the relaxed feeling is just the tip of the iceberg of the benefits of massage. The majority of the benefits are much more subtle. The reduction of stress chemicals in your bloodstream, the boost to parasympathetic resilience, the increased circulation of the lymphatic system and blood, enhanced assimilation of nutrients, detoxification… I’ll stop there or else we’ll be here all night.
Third, an interesting point is that when you get bodywork on a consistent basis, you’re training your body and mind to relax more easily and quickly. There’s a sort of knowing that happens on an unconscious level for the folks who visit me regularly, that when they step into my office, the magic is already happening. It’s like a Pavlovian response- seeing the massage table triggers the benefits before the actual session begins. Clients frequently comment on this. So much so that I’ve considered adding a “napping” service to my menu so people can take a break from the real world.
Finally, I’ll wrap this up by saying the wellness effects DO last and we can work together so that the tangible effects do too. It’s always wise to engage in stress management. Not to make it miraculously disappear, but because we deserve some support in a stressful world. No treatment is going to erase the stress from our lives, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t enjoy the moments of relief that are available to us.
If you’re ready to schedule a massage or Reiki session, I’m here to help!
Many of my recent posts have detailed the importance of having a healthy relationship with our bodies. I call this befriending the body, as opposed to treating the container that houses the soul as an inconvenience, a burden, or even an enemy.
Healing means accepting ALL of ourselves.
Including cellulite.
And wrinkles.
Grey hair.
Achy spots.
And body fat.
I made a short video of one of my favorite, super simple practices for befriending my own body using the infinite well of compassion that resides in the heart center.
I hope you’ll give it a try and perhaps consider making this a regular peace offering to yourself to cultivate greater health and happiness.
Reiki can supercharge practices such as this by infusing them with spiritually guided life-force energy. If you’re interested in having lifetime access to healing energy at your fingertips, consider attending my Reiki for Self-Care and Empowerment online training beginning 3/23/23. For those who want to actively participate in co-creating their highest and most joyful good, it’s a game changer.
There seems to be a common misconception that receiving a remote Reiki treatment is some sort of pathetic consolation prize for folks who can’t make it to the office for the real thing.
Nothing could be further from the truth!
In fact, I often find the potency of a remote session to be even more powerful. As if I can plug into the energetic grid directly without having to first sink through the layers of flesh.
Sure, it’s nice to get out of the (possibly chaotic) house and enter the serenity of a professional space. To have pleasant surroundings and a comfortable place to lie down where you won’t be disturbed for the duration of the treatment. I can’t argue with that. But the environment is just the icing.
Reiki is not dependent on the setting in which it’s received.
Healing life-force energy surrounds us all, all the time. Sadly, as a modern society, we have become disconnected from nature’s rhythms and energies. That which was likely an organic and harmonious relationship for our ancestors has become estranged these days. For a trained Reiki provider, however, accessing this energy is simple and connecting it to others, near or far, couldn’t be easier.
Just as an automatic deposit into your checking account is no less valid than personally depositing a check at the bank, getting a Reiki infusion from the comfort of home is just as potent as an office visit.
Particularly for people who are too busy or not well enough to travel. You can get your medicine delivered to you, wherever you, at the times when you most need it!
Clients often wonder what they will feel during a session. That depends. How attuned are you to feeling subtle energies? Most of us have zero training in this realm. It’s common not to feel anything. For those with a devoted meditation, yoga, tai chi or qi gong practice, there might be some awareness of sensations like warmth or tingling. Perhaps not. Not feeling anything doesn’t mean it isn’t working. It just means we haven’t developed our feelers.
So how does it work logistically? That’s easy! Contact me to arrange an appointment and let me know what your goals for the session are. There’s absolutely nothing you need to do during the session itself. (There is no link, no recording. There’s nothing to see.) You can set yourself up for a period of relaxation if that feels good, or you can go on about your business. Reiki requires nothing from you other than the willingness to receive it.
I’ll connect Reiki with your energy field and open to guidance from a combination of Reiki itself, intuition, and directions from your higher self, or soul. Afterwards, I’ll send a message outlining the work I was led to do and follow-up suggestions, if any come through.
It really is that easy!
To make it even easier, I’m offering a Spring Special. The 4 for 3 Bundle. 4 Remote Reiki sessions for the price of 3 if purchased before June 1, 2023. You’ll have a year to use the sessions, so you can space them out accordingly.
Some people like to get biweekly or monthly treatments, others wait for special occasions or particularly stressful events. They could also be used as extra doses in between in-person sessions. It’s your choice, but I will just mention that consistent application is more likely to make noticeable shifts in wellness than sporadic application. Just like exercise and dental hygiene.
30 or 45 minute sessions are available.
Four 30 minute sessions = $150
Four 45 minute sessions = $225
That’s a 25% savings!
If you’d like to purchase a bundle as a gift, we can arrange that as well. I can provide a PDF gift certificate for you to email the recipient.
It’s my goal to make Reiki as accessible as possible to people who want to receive it. Next to taking a class and giving yourself daily doses of medicine (get on my mailing list if that’s your preferred route and keep in the loop about upcoming trainings), this is the most affordable option on my menu.
Remote Reiki -it’s just as powerful as in-person sessions.
As soon as I posted my blog on Reiki, the Vagina, and Holistic Healing, a followup began to emerge. That post was pretty lengthy and I decided to keep it readable rather than sharing everything I have to say on the topic. I thought that an exploration of the mental, emotional, and energetic patterns that contribute to lack of wellness in the reproductive and sexual organs would satisfy the assignment Spirit had given me.
Not so.
My new assignment is to cover the nature of our relationships with our bodies. I’m here to suggest that befriending the physical body is a means to creating wellness and accessing inner wisdom and power. Heretical? Maybe! Uncomfortable? Absolutely. Worth the effort? Hell, yes! We cannot be whole (healed) while rejecting any part of ourselves.
Living in the modern western world, we’re taught to identify with our minds, thinking that Logic and Reasoning are the bomb. We’re taught that the physical body and the emotions are messy inconveniences, best avoided until they complain too loudly, and then silenced with any number of harmful behaviors or substances so that we can get back to our planning, thinking, and analyzing.
We expect the body to perform as a vehicle, carrying around our heads with very minimal support. We berate it for needing so much sleep and nourishment, we criticize it for not complying with our wishes to be a certain shape or size, for aging, for aching and eventually breaking down.
As women, we’re taught to compete with insanely impossible Beauty Ideals and to judge our worth in comparison to photoshopped, waif-like, supermodels who have a team of professionals tampering with their natural appearance. Body dysmorphia is common as a result.
It’s quite normal in this day and age to have a very dysfunctional, neglectful, even abusive, relationship with one’s own body! Sadly, the body receives these disparaging messages and responds defensively. It senses danger and activates survival mechanisms that wear it down over time.
Imagine how you would react if someone were constantly yelling at you, complaining about you and lamenting your very being. You’d want to run away, hide, or lash out, right? Self-criticism chronically activates the fight/flight/freeze response and creates a toxic chemical soup that encourages inflammation.
Can you see how such a relationship would ultimately disrupt the flow of life-force energy? Since the vagina, vulva, and reproductive organs are not essential for survival in the face of immediate danger, these areas are among those that are most affected by the disrupted energy flow. If you want to heal yourself, it’s important to look at any habits that cause the body to think it’s in danger (including self-criticism). Then… just stop. Stop berating your body with negative self-talk and then wondering why it’s not healing.
Learning to befriend the body might seem like a radical suggestion if you’ve been treating it as your archenemy for decades. What would it be like to listen to your body’s sensations and learn to respond the same way you would to a friend?
To eat when you’re hungry, and maybe even eat the foods that your body is requesting?
To rest when tired?
To empty your bladder at the first signal rather than waiting till you’re about to burst?
To move in ways that feel good rather than pushing yourself to do vigorous workouts when fatigued?
What if you learned to honor your body as the expert on what it needs, rather than relying on externally imposed dogma?
Let’s go one step further and tune into the vagina (or whichever parts are asking for your attention). I bet there are specific requests about what and what not to be inserting in there. Overriding these requests is the opposite of honoring. At the very least listen and acknowledge her.
Yes, I refer to my vagina as “her” and listen to what she has to say.
I’m not asking you to perform the heroic act of loving your body. That’s master level kung fu. Let’s start with not being a bully. Maybe you can work your way up to compassion eventually. I often repeat the phrase “May I be kind to myself.” as a reminder of my intention to befriend my body.
I can also recommend Dr. Rick Hanson’s book “Hardwiring Happiness” as a source of helpful and very doable techniques for changing habitual thoughts and behavior patterns.
And since I’m a devotee of the Reiki system of healing, of course I believe that it can be a supportive tool to help repair any neglect or abuse that has damaged the body as well as helping to create new healthier habits of listening and honoring.
Because building new neural pathways requires consistent attention, I highly recommend finding a daily practice to support your efforts. If you are interested in learning how to give yourself daily doses of Reiki, I have an online training coming up that’s just the thing.
Recently I wrote about my choice to heal a knee injury holistically. It prompted some questions about what holistic healing actually means.
First, a disclaimer.
I’m not a doctor and have no intention of providing any medical advice. I’m just sharing my story. I’ve been in training for the past 30 years, learning to listen to the wisdom of my body, my intuition, and divine guidance. This makes me particularly well equipped to go on such adventures.
I feel qualified to give this a go without medical intervention. I am able to walk freely, use the stairs, and put on my own socks. There is only mild inflammation in the joint, and no swelling or edema elsewhere. No discoloration or zingy nerve pain, tingling, burning, or numbness. Having treated hundreds of clients with injuries over the years, I feel confident that I’m within the realm of what I can handle.
Should I one day get a nudge to see a doctor and get X-rays or whatever, I will grumble for a few moments and release the attachment I have to doing it my way. I’m not too proud or too stubborn to get the help that I need.
Disclaimer complete.
To me, “holistic” means looking at the entire being, correcting any imbalances, and addressing ALL obstacles to wellness. This includes physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, energetic and circumstantial.
Rather than looking at the one joint that is complaining, I’m looking at every possible factor that affects this joint.
That means investigating the stability, strength, and flexibility (or lack thereof) of the feet and ankles. ALL the muscles that attach near or cross the knee (on both legs, they work as a team), particularly the quads and hamstrings, glutes, adductors, abductors, lateral rotators, and my frenemy, the psoas.
It means getting quality sleep, developing better body mechanics when I’m working, providing the nutrients that my body requires to repair tissue and heal. And flooding my entire system with Reiki frequently.
I’m also looking at my internal chatter and directly addressing the feelings and thoughts of irritation, annoyance, and impatience that arise around the situation. I’m not suppressing any of these, but I am actively engaging in cultivating acceptance and compassion as my default zone.
I’m seeing this event as an opportunity to do some internal inquiry and have found a deposit of old resentment that may not be related, but is definitely doing me no good. I’m letting myself feel the underlying hurt and disappointment while letting the energy move and release so that it will no longer impede the flow of life-force.
I’m also looking at the yin-yang (im)balance in my life. Am I overly focused on doing at the expense of being, am I relying on thinking more than feeling, or giving out of proportion to receiving? Do I need to slow down even more, stop and smell the roses, sit my butt down and be still?
A trusted friend has recommended barefoot shoes. I think that’s what they’re called. Shoes with a minimal sole. He makes a good argument and his story is compelling. I found myself utterly resistant as last year I bought FIVE new pairs of shoes. (I realize that might not be a lot for some people, but for me it really was.) Apparently, at age 50, my feet had grown (what?!) and I needed to replace a lot of my footwear. I went with cushy soles on all of them.
Then I caught myself- am I resisting a potential remedy simply because I’m highly invested in something else, something that might be less than helpful, and potentially harmful to me? Sheesh. That would be a YES. It’s so strange catching myself doing something so very human, yet so utterly ridiculous!
Which highlights the practice of examining attachment to the way things are and resistance to change. That is a pattern that can really inhibit mobility, particularly in the joints. Can I change my mind about something despite having spent a lot of money on it? Am I committed to continuing on my current path just because I don’t want to admit I might be going the wrong way?
These are the areas I’m exploring on this healing journey. I’m playing detective and investigating anything that could be contributing to the imbalance that causes this pain. Should I decide medical intervention in the form of a shot or pills would be helpful, I’d continue my sleuthing to get to the root of the problem, knowing that suppressing the symptoms is a temporary fix at best, and can sometimes mask deeper issues.
It’s been over a week since I started writing this article. I got sidetracked and am finally returning to put the finishing touches on the words I wrote many days ago. In that time, discomfort has decreased drastically and I’m able to move more freely. There are some movements that are still unmanageable, but there is definitely progress.
Whatever treatment you pursue for whatever ailments you may experience, I hope you’ll also make the effort to look at the bigger picture as well. These things tend to recur if the underlying conditions aren’t resolved. I hope I’ve managed to demonstrate that “underlying conditions” can mean any sort of imbalance- physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, energetic, or circumstantial.
At the very least, it will give you something to ponder while you’re resting and waiting for the body to heal.
If you’d like to learn how to use Reiki to support endeavors like this, it’s last call for my Reiki for Self-Care and Empowerment online training. We begin on March 23. Having access to healing powers at my very fingertips is what makes all this possible.
Taking good care of ourselves can be a radical act in this day and age. Tapping into our inner wisdom, choosing to stay present with ourselves, and responding with compassion is downright revolutionary.
I’m not talking about tropical vacations, spa days, bath bombs, mani-pedis or goopy facial masks. (Unless that’s your thing.) There’s nothing wrong with pleasure-full indulgences, but that is not the heart of self-care.
What I’m talking about is committing to a daily practice of caring for yourself in only the way you can.
The simplest, safest, yummiest, and most impactful way I know how to do that (and I’ve been exploring for nearly 30 years!) is Reiki.
Anyone can learn how to do Reiki. It’s simply the art of connecting with universal life-force energy (which surrounds us all the time) and using intention and attention to direct it for well-being or any other goal that is aligned with your highest good.
It can be used to support magical and mystical studies, but in and of itself, it’s a very practical technique. There’s no need to have any woo-woo inclinations whatsoever (unless that’s your thing). The power is in the application. Meaning, when you make time to give yourself consistent Reiki treatments, over time you’ll see tremendous benefits.
It doesn’t require any special skills or pre-disposition. No fancy setup, music, crystals, oils, or herbs are necessary (unless that’s your thing).
All you need is a desire to experience something different and a willingness to take consistent action.
You’ll notice that I’ve used the word “consistent” several times. That’s because the work of healing means restoring balance in a world that is constantly promoting imbalance and integrating body, mind, and spirit in a culture that values the mind at the expense of the rest. Changing patterns against the tide requires devotion.
But it doesn’t need to be hard or even time-consuming. 10-20 minutes per day, most days of the week can contribute to amazing results. If you truly desire change, that’s a small price to pay!
I’ve created the most compact training for ordinary folks who want to participate in cultivating their own wellness, happiness, and creativity. My Reiki for Self-Care and Empowerment Class is coming up soon. It’s three 90- minute online classes. It’s the most convenient, affordable, accessible class I teach and it begins March 23, 2023.
Check out this amazing 10 week meditation program my teacher is offering! I’m choosing to sit this one out as I’m already enrolled in her 8-month program which overlaps this one. She provides so much content and support that I don’t have the time for both. But I can wholeheartedly recommend Eva Beronius as a guide who is quite capable of showing you the realm beyond identification with the mind, and the freedom available to all of us who are willing to do the work.
I’ve copied and pasted the latest email from Eva below. I hope you’ll at least check it out, maybe get on her mailing list or listen to her podcast. I have no financial affiliations here, I’m just sharing the work that has shifted my trajectory dramatically. Plus there’s a significant discount available until the end of the month.
Here’s what Eva has to say.
Pamela,
9 years ago, I didn’t know how far away from feeling alive I was.
I thought what I was experiencing was living.
Because it seemed to be how most people around me were living.
I felt tired, drained of energy, and uninspired.
I experienced episodes of anxiety and panic attacks.
I had reactions in my relationships that I didn’t understand because none of them felt truly like me.
Insecurities, jealousy, and anger that I felt ashamed of after they appeared.
Reactions, patterns, and emotions that I wanted nothing to do with.
So I tried to escape.
By managing them with control and distraction.
Diving into work projects. And life projects. And working out.
I got addicted to the dopamine and the satisfaction that these projects gave my ego, and my mind would drive my body hard.
With no energy left for being, for enjoying.
Without connection to what I truly wanted or trust in myself.
And the emotional reactions would still bubble up – often stronger than ever when they managed to surface.
Do you recognize this, Pamela?
Reactions that seem scary and out of control?
Negative mind chatter that is weighing you down?
Escaping into work or distractions?
Lack of energy and no trust in life or what you want?
And even when you have started growing your awareness, changing beliefs, and have found self-awareness and healing work…
…the voices have morphed and are telling you that you:
👉 have to practice more
👉 will feel bad if you miss your morning meditation
👉 should do more journaling
👉 should be further along by now
👉 are failing when you’re having an uncomfortable emotion
👉 are failing when you’re making a judgment
And every time your mind is telling you this, or something like it, you can feel your body contract, your stress levels going up.
The impulse to fix, to do better, to work harder.
Or to pull a blanket over your head and give up.
Even though you are trying to counter with breathing and gratitude.
That old program of protection, “shoulds”, and “musts” is still there, just in a new form.
And you feel beaten down by it.
Trapped in your head.
Stuck in analyzing and trying to figure it all out.
Struggling with feeling and connecting with your emotions.
Struggling with connecting with what you want.
Are you willing to keep paying the price of identifying with your mind?
Or is this a time in your life when you feel ready to make a deeper shift in how you relate to your mind?
Often, the price of making the investment in commitment, time, energy, intent, and money to make the change, is a fraction of the investment you’re making in managing the old structure.
The investment you’re making every day into believing lies.
Today, I know that 9 years ago I was living without magic.
Disconnected from the magic inside that had been there all along.
I was identified with my thinking mind, and therefore, believing its view of the world and myself.
Today, life is still this strange, un-knowable place with pain and struggles at times…
The difference is that I truly and fully love it.
Every moment of it.
That I feel alive.
That I feel consciousness inside me and in everything around me.
That I feel what I want and navigate from there.
That I allow all experiences – especially the hurt and discomfort – to crack me further open.
I want you to experience that too.
That’s why I share what I share, in the best way I can at the moment.
So I encourage you to invest in magic.
In feeling fully alive.
In changing the relationship with your mind.
And I celebrate however you make that investment.
You move through the practices in your own time, and the monthly live sessions will keep going, so you could get it now at the discounted rate and start working through the course content whenever it suits you.
For the past few months, I’ve been making videos about how I approach common maladies with holistic and energetic techniques. Life gives me consistent material and I simply record what I’m doing for myself. There are a number of very simple tools that can be used for a wide variety of challenges.
Awareness
Compassion
Slowing down
Reducing unnecessary stimulation
Breath
Sound
Movement
And my all-time favorite, Reiki
If you experience overwhelm, you can get relief in just a few minutes. Better yet, you can minimize overwhelm’s frequency, duration, and intensity by aligning your behavior with your values and vision and regulating the nervous system.
The most effective and affordable approach I know it to learn how to give yourself Reiki treatments. If the do-it-yourself suggestion triggers even more overwhelm, consider booking a session. Relief is just a few clicks away.
This is a fair question and one I hear frequently. People want to know before they begin treatment what to expect and how many sessions they’ll need. I made a short video to explain why it’s difficult to answer.
If you were to ask me how long it would take to get out of debt, I’d ask for more information.
How deep in the hole are you?
What size payments are you making?
How much do you spend frivolously?
It’s very much the same when it comes to life-force energy! If you want to heal, it will likely be beneficial to stop engaging in the activities that contribute to the underlying imbalance and get involved in activities that promote balance.
Makes sense, right? I can’t say for sure how long healing will take because your willingness to participate is a variable that is known only to you.
Regardless of your degree of involvement, Reiki CAN help. There are numerous ways to proceed, depending on how much effort you want to make. You can lie back and simply receive a session, go the DIY route and take a class, or somewhere in between. I’ve got something for everyone!
Luminous Heart Reiki & Massage 