healing

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…
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…
Another great talk from Tosha Silver.

If you’re too busy to listen for 10 minutes, here’s what I want you to know.

Believing that giving is better than receiving is like thinking exhaling is more important/righteous/spiritual than inhaling.

NOT sustainable!

And a recipe for depletion, burnout or even illness.

I see it in my Reiki practice all the time. People will allow themselves a session to receive compassion, attention and healing energy when everything falls apart and they just can’t go one more step on their own but won’t come in for feel-good or even preventative care.

They’ll let me fill up their tank and then they’ll go give, give, give, scraping the bottom of the barrel giving the last crumb kind of give, wait another 2 months until they can’t get out of bed, and then contact me.

Can you relate? If you’re reading this, I bet you can!

Tosha offers a simple prayer: Turn me into one who can receive as well as give. 💕

You can start rewriting your story and become a balanced giver/receiver no matter how entrenched you are in the old narrative.

And if you want some Reiki support, I’m happy to comply. I can tap into the universal supply and share it with you in a session- either in my Philly office or a remote session where you don’t have to get dressed or go to yet another appointment.

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Are You Over-Giving?

Another great talk from Tosha Silver. If you’re too busy to listen for 10 minutes, here’s…
Walking through the woods this morning, I was enchanted by the multiple shades of green. In addition to all the oxygen provided by the plants, I also notice a healing sensation in my heart whenever I’m amongst trees. In the traditional chakra system, the heart center is represented by the color green. Green also refers to ecologically friendly choices, such as walking rather than driving.

Photo by Felix Mittermeier on Pexels.com

I was on my way to the farmers market to buy… yup, greens. The freshest, most vibrant leafy greens are to be found on Saturday mornings straight from the farms. I make this trek whenever possible not just to get the best quality produce, but to support local farmers financially with a different kind of green and protect the environment by choosing green agricultural practices.

Buying organic foods benefits my health, but also the air, water, earth, and all sorts of critters by preventing toxic chemicals from being sprayed and eventually consumed and making their way up the food chain. Supporting local businesses helps spread prosperity in the community rather than lining corporate coffers.

Finally, I head to my studio, where I will see several clients today. Offering therapy that comes from my heart and hands (an extension of the heart) and the universe itself, without any chemicals, in exchange for heartfelt gratitude, and cash.

There’s a good chance that I’ll pop out on my break to get a juice from the local shop. I’m sure you can guess what color it will be! Celery is said to have numerous health benefits and gives me a nice little energy buzz.

Saturdays have always been one of my favorite days, but not for the conventional reasons of sleeping in or not having to punch the clock. My musings on the trail this morning helped me to hone in on how I’ve precisely aligned the day with my values, so many of which are green.

And now the question is, how do I spread this energy into the rest of the week?!

Happy Green Saturday

Walking through the woods this morning, I was enchanted by the multiple shades of green. In…
Karen: Can you explain how “free will” and Reiki work together? Is it possible to surrender free will so that Reiki fixes everything?

Pamela: Yet another intriguing question! This is a fascinating topic for me. From my perspective, free will is a universal law, like gravity. It just is. Everybody has the power to make their own choices within the circumstances they’re in. These choices help influence future circumstances.

When it comes to healing, each person is free to decide if they wish to receive it or not. This is an important distinction when it comes to long-distance Reiki treatments. When students first learn how to send Reiki to those who aren’t in the same room, they are eager to share it with family and friends, near and far. The issue is that some of those folks aren’t all that keen on being Reiki’ed.

While some teachers demand that you first receive permission before sending Reiki, this isn’t always possible. For example, if I’m in a coma or a hurricane or otherwise unreachable, I do wish to receive all the healing energy possible! I teach that first we must tune in with our hearts to check if our motivation is selfless, and tune in with our intuition to see if the recipient is willing. I imagine that we each have a gate keeper; an aspect of our higher selves who stands watch protecting our free will.

Even when someone has asked for help, I sometimes feel a resistance to healing a particular chakra issue. That’s the higher self saying, no, not yet. I simply move on to a different area, and sometimes when I return, the resistance has dissipated. Sometimes not. I could try to force my way through, but it would be both invasive and pointless. Instead I choose to respect this boundary. Reiki cannot supersede universal law.

Can we surrender our free will entirely? I’m not sure. I don’t think I’d want to! Perhaps that would be the ultimate expression of faith. I’m not there just yet. What I do instead, is surrender on a case by case basis. 🙂 If I’m struggling with worthiness, and intending to receive Reiki for healing this nonsensical belief that any spiritual being could ever be unworthy, I can surrender in that moment to that particularly healing. I do often pray to be shown the way to my greatest good, and will surrender to the keys that arise in that regard on any particular day.

You’ve really got me thinking! Is it possible to surrender my free will to the infinite, divinely guided healing energy of Reiki? How could that not be for the greatest benefit of my health, happiness, and life purpose? Is there any reason other than my ego’s need to feel a sense of control that prevents me from doing so?

This subject deserves some thorough research! I’m going to experiment on myself and observe. When I check in at this moment, fear is what holds back. Fortunately, I can use Reiki to excavate this fear, see what lies underneath and repair the foundation of any faulty thinking that may be the source. And I’m totally willing to surrender to that.

Reiki and Free Will

Karen: Can you explain how “free will” and Reiki work together? Is it possible to surrender…
This morning I find myself procrastinating. I know I’ll feel better on my yoga matt and most definitely I’ll feel like a new person after practicing. Yet I’m dragging my heels. I felt into this resistance and there’s no substance to it. It’s not a message from my body saying “rest” or from my heart saying “listen”. It’s actually a stubbornness arising from my inner three year old who is stomping her foot and saying “You can’t make me!”.

Funny, that’s not where I thought I was going two minutes ago when I sat down to write this! But I’m going to roll with it and acknowledge her presence. So it seems there is a message after all! I could easily override this sweet child and Just Do It. I was ready to ignore her, but the willingness to tune-in to my resistance seems to have opened up the channels of communication.

So what I’m going to Just Do, is sit down and receive what she has to say, show this girl some empathy and really hear her. I’m guessing she needs some reassurance that her needs are important and that I care. I will take the time to do that and explain my reasons for wanting to do yoga; that it is a gift I offer myself because I love how it makes me feel, not because someone told me I have to do it. Or because I need to do it in order to be worthy of approval. It’s not an assignment needing to be accomplished to please anyone else.

As I’m sinking into this awareness I notice the resistance is melting away. While I still plan to have that conversation, I’m astounded by the realization that I often do put pressure on myself to get my self-care activities done so I can cross them off my list, boost my ego for having done so, and move on to the next seemingly necessary achievement. Once again, I’m reminded that intention is everything, and that just like anything else, self-care activities can be distorted to feed the ego or distract myself from the real job of expressing kindness to myself and others.

Be loving. Just Do It. Everything else appears to be questionable!

Radical Self-Care, Just Do It Already!

This morning I find myself procrastinating. I know I’ll feel better on my yoga matt and…
Such glorious words to hear from a client! It’s pretty common for people to show up for their first appointment with me in pretty rough shape. Pain is a powerful motivator, and is often what drives people to seek help from the healing arts. While the vast majority of people feel better after one treatment, the effects begin to fade over time as stress once again drains their wellness reserves. I endeavor to find the rhythm that supports people to stay ahead of that stress. For many, this is mean scheduling a treatment once or twice per month.

I have observed that when people begin to actively manage their stress (through meditation, yoga, tai chi, massage, Reiki, acupuncture, diet, etc.) that many of their chronic pains begin to disappear. I have four clients that I currently work with who are learning to avoid debilitating headaches. One was even able to reduce the headache prevention medication that made her forgetful and feel foggy-headed. True, headaches are not a life-threatening illness, but anyone who has ever suffered from frequent bouts understands that one’s quality of life is greatly diminished.

It seems we all have a threshold of stress that our individual bodies can tolerate. When we cross that threshold, the body sends us messages, sometimes in the form of pain, to get out attention. These painful signals are cries for help. When we heed them and seek balance, very often the pain disappears as it is no longer necessary; just like the fuel warning light on the dashboard of a car disappears when we fill the tank with gasoline.

When we give the body what it needs (adequate rest, oxygen, nutrients, hydration, movement, pleasure, and expression) it is able to function more smoothly and can often heal itself. Ideally this would be our normal state. However, we live in a world that is faster and busier than suits most nervous systems. This ongoing stress takes its toll on our body chemistry and eventually our muscles, joints, organs, and glands. It seems we have three choices: move to a tropical island, suffer from chronic pain, or support our wellness by managing stress. I, for one, have happily chosen the third option, and delight in reporting to my support system, “I had a great month!”

“I Had a Great Month!”

Such glorious words to hear from a client! It’s pretty common for people to show up…
I’ve been rereading Louise Hay’s masterpiece You Can Heal Your Life. Again. This is the book that has changed my perspective, and subsequently my life, more than any other. She teaches that our thoughts create our reality, that we are the only thinkers in our heads, and therefore we have the ultimate power to heal our lives by choosing new thoughts. I’ve seen evidence of this again and again in my own life as I uncover and surrender beliefs that no longer serve me.

Taking this one step further, it is evident to me that we can only heal ourselves. No matter what therapist we visit or which treatment we recieve, the true responsibility rests on our own shoulders for shifting our thoughts. No one else can heal us. This realization occassionally causes me to despair; what is the point of devoting my career to the healing arts if I’m unable to actually heal anyone? Am I deluding myself about the transformative power of Reiki?

The truth is that as much as I’d love to heal people, their own free will makes it impossible for healing to be imposed from the outside. Rather than feeling discouraged about this fact, I’ve come to rejoice in the freedom it reveals. I’m not responsible for anyone else’s healing. Just my own. Whew! However, I am indeed able to support them in the process. Flooding one’s being with universal life-force energy (ki) not only encourages relaxation, but also a deep sense of safety and belonging. From this space it is much easier to become aligned with our true nature and uncover false beliefs that hold us down. Once we become aware of our disempowering thoughts we can begin to replace them.

Reiki is like windshield wipers on a drizzly day. They help clear off the muck that gets stuck to the wet glass and make it easier for us to see where we’re going. We can then decide if we want to carry on straight ahead or need to make course corrections. Reiki is not driving the car; our thoughts continue to do that. But when we can see more clearly, it’s a whole lot easier to get where we want to go.

The Power is in the Thinking

I’ve been rereading Louise Hay’s masterpiece You Can Heal Your Life. Again. This is the book…
As a teacher, I have always felt the importance of clarifying to my students that as Reiki practitioners, we’re just the hose- not the water. It’s pretty easy to get carried away by the amazing results we witness time and time again when working with clients. It’s not unusual for people to get up from a treatment claiming to feel better than they have in decades or that the weight of the world has been lifted from their shoulders. It’s equally common for them in this blissed-out state to believe that we have magic hands or work miracles.

As lovely as it is to be appreciated and have one’s work be so well received, those of us who have learned to allow this healing energy flow through our hands must remember that we are merely humble conduits. In actuality, I am nothing special. Reiki, on the other hand, is quite spectacular! It always knows where to go and when to stop. Because it is divinely guided it can do no harm. This is the miracle! We practitioners are simply facilitators. While it’s true that the higher our vibrations are, the cleaner our pipes are, and the more strongly the energy can flow through us. Yet I must give credit where the credit is due, and in this case it is abundantly clear that all accolades belong to the water, not the hose.

Just the Hose

As a teacher, I have always felt the importance of clarifying to my students that as…