emotional healing

I’m not sure if it’s the approach of summertime or some astrological event, but I’m hearing a lot from clients and acquaintances who lament their struggles with food cravings. It just so happens that this is an area where I’ve done extensive research. It seems like most of my adult life I was plagued by strong compulsions to eat things that were counterproductive at best, and self-destructive at worst.

While I’m not 100% free of this inner demon, I’ve learned quite a lot that allows me to live more peacefully most of the time, and to get to the root of the problem when it rears its ugly head. I’ve found that immediate application of Reiki really takes the edge off of most cravings. This is one of the reasons I advocate so strongly for learning Reiki; there’s nothing quite like having medicine at your very fingertips. It’s really quite simple. I place my hands on my heart and belly, set an intention to release the urge to eat half a family-sized bag of pretzels, activate the healing energy, and breathe deeply for a few minutes.

Relief comes instantaneously most of the time. Sometimes there’s a real physical need behind the craving and I am able to tune into this once I’ve calmed down a bit and am no longer compelled to violently shove my way to the snack aisle. Occasionally I will recognize that I’m actually hungry and my body is wanting carbs. That’s an easy fix and I’m often able to reach for a healthier option. (It’s horribly unfair that I love pretzels so much when eating them causing me back pain! For some people pretzels might be the healthier option. I’m not here to disparage them; they just aren’t good for me!)

More often than not, I recognize that the need behind the urge is emotional. It’s become my personal practice to return to this awareness when I have time to explore what’s really happening inside me. This is where the real power of Reiki healing lies. I just sit quietly contemplating the origin of the craving and open up to insights. It’s really just that simple. Getting present and listening while flooding myself with Reiki is the magical formula.

What I’ve noticed over the years is that the underlying cause is usually an energetic imbalance (feeling a lot of excitement or extreme fatigue) or any variety of emotional upset. It could be disappointment, anger, loneliness, worry, or … well pretty much anything! Once I acknowledge this precious information, I’m better able to make a plan that will meet my emotional needs and/or balance my energy.

If I’m feeling lonely, there is no chocolate chip cookie that will fix that for more than a moment. But calling a friend could do the trick. If I’m feeling sad, I have numerous strategies that can be helpful. However, I am absolutely certain (remember my extensive research!) there is no bowl of pasta or pint of ice cream that will be an effective remedy. Using Reiki helps me clear the source issue and voila! The cravings fade away.

Of course there’s nothing wrong with treating symptoms. I spent many years working on eliminating cravings. It was a huge improvement over the constant struggle to manage them or the shame cycle that resulted from giving in yet again. But the freedom of acknowledging my deepest needs, wants, and desires has been truly transformative. Now that I waste less energy failing to soothe my feelings by stuffing my face, I have more energy to invest in healing and creative projects.

Emotional healing is one of the amazing gifts Reiki has to offer. It’s fantastically simple and easy to learn and use. If you’re tired of relying on willpower to battle your cravings, please consider taking a beginners Reiki class so you too can enjoy the relief of getting to the root of the problem. I think you’ll agree that it’s a much more enjoyable way to live.

Reiki for Cravings

I’m not sure if it’s the approach of summertime or some astrological event, but I’m hearing…
I’m trying something new this year. 2018 is the time for me to feel all my feelings. It doesn’t sound all that impressive, I know. Yet it is a huge undertaking! The vast majority of my emotions have been ignored, suppressed, or deflected for decades. They’re still buried within, waiting to be experienced, digested, and released. It seems that this is the process that needs to be allowed for true healing to occur.

There are several key components that I’ve committed to in order to support this endeavor. I’ve recently realized that lasting change requires all of the pieces to be in play simultaneously.
- Gathering a team of compassionate, understanding, and supportive friends who can witness my journey without judging, blaming, shaming, or advising.
- Eliminating self-medication strategies such as alcohol, sugar, and processed foods and limiting time spent on social media, watching TV, and engaging in meaningless chit-chat.
- Devotion to spiritual practices that release blockages and reroute that freed energy for a higher purpose.
- Willingness to be radically honesty with myself about what is coming up in each moment.
- Commitment to stillness when uncomfortable emotions arise.
Ugh! It’s so much easier to eat something, to distract myself with electronics, or to check out with a nice pint of beer. I’ve become a master at using yoga, dance, and Reiki to shift the energy of discomfort. I now recognize this behavior as misusing these powerful techniques to avoid the work of healing by preventing emotions from rising to the surface for processing. Discomfort cannot be avoided in the healing process. Ugh!

Perhaps the most valuable lesson I’m learning is that there are multiple ways to use Reiki for emotional healing. First, it can be a remedy for getting through difficult situations by providing comfort in the moment. Second, it can be used to prevent emotions from becoming festering wounds that develop over time through neglect and abandonment. And thirdly (perhaps most importantly) it can be used to muster up the courage and willingness to sit quietly in loving awareness with whatever is true in each moment; without moving to escape or repair it.

So here I sit, prepared to experience whatever arises; willing to feel all my feelings despite great discomfort and the urge to flee. It might not sound impressive, but when I am able to allow complete emotional honesty, the liberation I experience is phenomenal. While the rewards are mostly internal, they are truly transformative. And that is more valuable to me than sounding impressive.
Emotional Honesty

I’m trying something new this year. 2018 is the time for me to feel all my…
I get this question a lot from clients, often when they are in great pain; either physical, psychological, or spiritual. They come seeking relief, having been sent by a friend or Google search, correctly informed that Reiki and massage are powerful, holistic healing techniques. Recently a young woman jokingly requested that I vacuum out all her anxiety. If only I could! Alas, healing does not work this way.

Human touch and muscle manipulation are potent vehicles of healing, as is the universal life-force energy transferred during a Reiki session. They can provide the nudge that the body or psyche needs to return to alignment with the Spirit. They can also offer the boost in motivation to follow through on lifestyle changes, the release of self-sabotaging beliefs, and the comfort of remembering that we are not merely broken bodies with problems struggling alone in an unfriendly universe. Reiki and massage are some of the most powerful healing tools that I’ve ever come across in my twenty plus years of spiritual awakening.

And yet it is up to each of us individually to decide if we wish to receive the many benefits these tools have to offer. We are ultimately the ones in control of our own healing and well-being. Providers like myself can offer support to our clients, but until emotions have been fully acknowledged, felt, and released there is no shortcut. Our pain is very often an indicator that we have gotten off-track. It serves the function of reminding us of our greater purpose, our true nature, and our mission in this lifetime.

My compassion allows me to dream of taking away the discomfort everyone experiences, but my inner knowing counsels that this would indeed be a disservice to the evolution and ultimate wellness of others. Being human is a difficult job. But we have been blessed with countless systems of support, transformation, and integration. If you’re wondering if a treatment with me might be helpful, please check out my website! I offer a free 15 minute phone consultation for this very reason. If you’re just not into massage or Reiki, that’s cool too. I hope you seek out one of the other alternative options so readily available today.

Can You Fix Me?

I get this question a lot from clients, often when they are in great pain; either…
Note: in this post, I’m referring to refined sugar; products of the sugar cane plant, as well as all its nefarious aliases and chemical substitutes. According to UCSF there are 61 names for sugar! No doubt this list will continue to expand as consumers get savvier and manufacturers get trickier. I’m not interested in the naturally occurring sugars found in whole foods which will be included as grams of sugar on a product label; I am strictly interested in the list of ingredients for this article.

I’m participating in a panel discussion through Weavers Way Coop in Mount Airy, Philadelphia on the topic of sugar addiction. Event details here. I will be sharing the stage with a nutritionist and a life coach, both of whom will provide valuable information. As a Reiki practitioner and massage therapist, I’m not qualified to discuss the effects of sugar on the body. As a recovering sugar addict and facilitator of body-mind-spirit healing, I do however bring a great deal of experience and awareness of the emotional component of changing one’s diet.

I think at this point we all know that sugar is not healthy for us. No one wakes up in the morning thinking, “I’m going to eat healthfully today, where are the donuts?” In fact many of us have a plan in place to avoid sugar, pack well balanced snacks and lunches, and nonetheless end up succumbing to the sweet temptress despite our best efforts. If you’re one of those rare people who can take or leave sugar, more power to you! Perhaps you can sign up for medical testing to see what secrets your body knows that could benefit the rest of us.

This is the piece of the puzzle that captivates me: why do so many of us fail when we try so hard to avoid harmful sweets? Yes, sugar has indeed been shown to be addictive; some claim it’s more addictive than cocaine. It’s certainly more readily available; in certain environments it’s downright difficult to avoid. Most every gathering I’ve ever been to was centered around some variation of cake. Ack! I will leave the proof of the addictive nature of sugar to the nutritionists and scientists. If you’re doubtful, check out the movie, That Sugar Film. It’s morbidly fascinating and deeply disturbing. But better to know the monster that lurks in your cupboards than to allow it to control your behavior from the shadows. Right?

In addition to the biochemical nature of addiction, I notice that many of us (myself included) are compelled to eat sugar for emotional reasons. It can be a balm for a broken heart, a celebration, a distraction from upset, and an attempt to soothe stress. Name an emotion, and I’m pretty sure I’ve used dessert to commemorate, numb, or avoid it. The problem lies in the fact that these strategies are hugely unsuccessful! Sugar does not alleviate stress; if it did, Americans would be the most relaxed people on the planet. When we stress eat, the result is a stimulating chemical reaction in our bodies and quite possibly guilt or shame in addition to the original stress.

From my point of view as a holistic practitioner, the path to breaking the sugar cycle involves emotional healing and being prepared for the inevitable cravings. This is where the healing power of Reiki comes in. Reiki can support us in becoming aware of our feelings, allowing them to surface, and processing them in a healthy way. It can help open intuitive pathways that guide us on the journey and connect us to the wisdom deep within. And perhaps most importantly, it can provide comfort and support in the moments we become triggered and would normally turn to a cupcake or ice cream, or my personal favorite, chocolate chip cookies, for solace.

While the process of examining, handling, and releasing emotional discord can be messy, takes time and effort, and is by no means the popular route; it has the potential for deactivating the landmines that send us running to the pseudo-comforting arms of sugar. It is certainly more effective than white-knuckling it through every party you ever attend, or relying on will power and the knowledge of the damaging effects that sugar has on your health. If you’re interested in a free 15 minute consultation or booking a Reiki session, either remotely or in person to kick that pesky sugar habit, I’d love to hear from you. Check out my website for more information about the services I offer or to contact me.

Reiki and Sugar Addiction

Note: in this post, I’m referring to refined sugar; products of the sugar cane plant, as…
In addition to private sessions and teaching classes, I’ve been offering community Reiki in center city Philadelphia for the past several months. While being quite a different format than traditional treatments, I’ve come to really look forward to these events. It’s a great opportunity for those who are curious about Reiki to experience the healing energy in a super-affordable way. While Reiki is always gentle, being in a community setting seems to diffuse the energy making it less intense, although it is just as powerful. Think sprinkler, vs. hose. Both get the job done, but the delivery method is extremely different.

I’m really pleased to partner up with Paige Chapman, owner and operator at Mama’s Wellness Joint to present another Community Reiki on Tuesday, March 29 at 7:30 pm. What a great way to unwind and get some support during the middle of the week. We’d love to have you join us and get “soaked” by the Reiki sprinkler! Wear comfy clothes and arrive a few minutes early to get settled in and set yourself up to relax on the floor with blankets and bolsters. $10-$20 suggested cash donation.

If you’re wondering what the heck Reiki is and why you’d want to experience it, check out my website for more information. It truly is a magnificent technique for healing on all levels: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. It works well with all other treatments and is safe for everyone. Best of all it creates a sense of deep inner peace that is simply divine. Put it on your calendar and come receive some healing energy.

Community Reiki Clinic

In addition to private sessions and teaching classes, I’ve been offering community Reiki in center city…

emotional healing

Reiki for Cravings

Emotional Honesty

Can You Fix Me?

Reiki and Sugar Addiction

Community Reiki Clinic