Reiki in Philadelphia

I had an epiphany last week, spurred by a bagel of all things.

Not a “the earth revolves around the sun” kind of epiphany, yet still pretty fascinating. To me at least. 🙂

It will sound silly at first, but hang with me. In truth, it really has nothing to do with the bagel; just as gravity has nothing to do with apple trees. It’s really about the message, not the messenger.

For the first time ever in my 52nd journey around the sun, it occurred to me that I could (perhaps should!) put the bagel’s cut surface down in the toaster oven. You might already know that this produces a much improved end result.

Not exactly groundbreaking news, I know.

But what it points to is the questioning of autopilot behavior. I consider myself to be a reasonably intelligent and self-aware person. But somehow I live for decades without even considering a simple alternative way of doing something so very basic.

I was reminded of a transformative lightbulb moment I had in college. Sitting in the dorm lobby one day, I met a girl who blew my mind.

Melinda. She was a good friend of a good friend, a self-proclaimed Dead Head who dressed the part. Melinda’s leg were unshaven. She’s probably telling the story of this weirdo girl who stared at her legs in disbelief so many years ago. But until that fateful day, it never ever, not ever, occurred to me that it was possible for women to simply not shave their legs.

Shocking, right?! Liberating too. My inner rebel had a field day.

That was my introduction to the concept of how cultural programming shapes our minds and limits what we believe to be real about the world.

But the bagel was different. We didn’t have bagels when I was growing up. Or a toaster oven for that matter. I never watched anyone in my family or community, or TV for that matter, toast a bagel.

Curiously, I discovered bagels’ crispy delightfulness about the same time as I met Melinda in the NYU dorm. And now these two seemingly unrelated events are forever linked in my mind as exposing my assumptions about “this is how we do things”.

Not a big deal in and of itself. But consider the implications! How much of my life is run on autopilot? A lot, and mostly that’s a good thing. Imagine needing to use the same level of concentration every day that you did as a kid when you were learning to tie your shoes. Or write a sentence with legible penmanship or drive a car. We’d be so focused on the simple, everyday tasks that nothing important would get done!

Autopilot isn’t a bad thing. Neural network grooves help us concentrate on the trickier, more advanced aspects of adulting.

Yet, somewhere in between mechanical compliance and re-inventing the wheel, there lives a middle ground.

I’d like to spend more time there, questioning the limiting beliefs and behaviors that I’ve adopted, often without query. It seems to me that these are the potentially pivotal moments when transformation is truly possible.

Having a daily Reiki practice is what has helped develop my sense of clarity and wonder. If you’re wanting to have Reiki superpowers to use for getting out of your own ruts, join my mailing list to be informed of future classes, both online and in-person in the Philly area. Or sign up for a session and let’s see what we can shake loose together.

Join Mailing List

Book Now

Bagel Magic

I had an epiphany last week, spurred by a bagel of all things. Not a “the…
Check out this interesting article! Some of the action steps are oversimplified, IMO, but there’s still a whole lot of good info here about psychological stress and how it impacts the body in a way that cultivates anxiety.

The Life-Changing Link Between Anxiety and Muscle Tension

In my work with hundreds of clients experiencing anxiety over the past 20 years, I’ve seen how stress amplifies anxiety. When people learn to mitigate the physiological effects of stress, very often anxiety diminishes greatly or even disappears altogether. Imagine a garden in which you stop watering the weeds. Only the most tenacious, deeply rooted buggers will persist.

It’s amazing to me how non-invasive, safe, gentle and natural treatments such as massage, Reiki and movement education can so profoundly impact a condition that is so disruptive to so many people and so very poorly treated by the medical system. (I’ll spare you my rant about that! Hint: follow the money.)

When the nervous system is regulated and we’re not constantly receiving “DANGER” messages and flooded with adrenaline, it’s easier to access clarity, cognitive abilities and inner power making many seemingly overwhelming challenges much more manageable.

Holistic treatments look at the whole being, including the mental and emotional components, as well as the physical and bio-chemical factors. Those of us in the healing arts are well aware of how complex health is because of the seeming illogical responses people may have to circumstances that trigger the fight/flight/freeze/fawn response. Deactivating the triggers requires us to first uncover them and treat them with compassion rather than attempting to suppress or atack them.

Back to the article… From this same website, “Clinical somatics is neuromuscular education… to retrain muscle memory and relieve pain.” It’s a practice of noticing where muscles are chronically and unnecessarily contracted and teaching them to release. Easier said than done, it’s true! But effective for those who have the determination to stick with it.

If building new neural pathways and learning how to use your body more efficiently just seems like too much work, consider booking a Reiki-massage if you’re in the Philly area or a remote Reiki session, wherever you may be. I’ll do all the work and you can just lay back and soak it up. Sometimes healing is more about undoing than doing.

Book a Session

Somatics Approach to Anxiety

Check out this interesting article! Some of the action steps are oversimplified, IMO, but there’s still…
A theme popping up in sessions lately has been TRUST. Can Reiki be used to heal trust issues?

Well… that depends what you mean.

Reiki cannot, thankfully, allow us to trust indiscriminately. Sometimes people come to me wanting to be more trusting of their romantic or business partners. In my eyes, not everyone is deserving of our trust. It could be that our deeper senses are picking up on clues that our intellect is not catching. If your gut is suggesting suspicion, Reiki will not override that. Nor would you want it to.

What Reiki can do is help us trust ourselves, our guides, the flow of life, and Source (by whatever name you choose to call it). Reiki can help us to see clearly, to value ourselves, and to maintain healthy boundaries. It can help us notice and heed red flags and see the truth in another’s behavior, rather than clinging to their perceived potential (one of my specialties! Ugh) or getting caught up in believing empty promises.

It can help us trust that we will be ok, perhaps even better off, without certain people or circumstances in our lives. That whatever is truly ours cannot be taken away and what is not ours cannot be kept without significant struggle and suffering, and probably not even then.

If we have difficulty trusting entire groups of people (for example: men or lawyers), Reiki can help clear up our projections and heal wounds from the past that taint our perceptions. It doesn’t mean we’ll trust all men or all lawyers; rather that we start from a neutral position upon meeting and allow trust to be earned when available and our Spidey senses to inform us when to walk away.

Reiki will only offer what’s in our highest good. What a relief! It’s easy to get caught up when we think we know what that is, but aren’t seeing the big picture. Often our idea of what is best is colored by unhealed trauma, unexamined desires, unmet needs and unexpressed emotions. For those of us whose motivations are not 100% clear, the waters can often be murky and our choices less than stellar.

So, no, Reiki will not help you trust that internet date or mechanic or whoever unless they deserve to be trusted. It will, however, help you make decisions based on your values and reality instead of desperation and fantasy. It will help you trust that you can do what needs to be done, no matter how difficult and painful it may seem, and that Life has your back. Anything else is not going to make you happy in the long run.

Ready to start working on developing healthy trust and a solid connection with your intuition? Book a session or get on the mailing list to stay informed about upcoming Reiki classes.

Book a Session

Join the Mailing List

Reiki for Healing Trust Issues

A theme popping up in sessions lately has been TRUST. Can Reiki be used to heal…
Summer holidays are not my thing. Particularly July 4th. Why do fireworks need to be so darn loud? What about the poor animals? Where does all that debris go?

And…

I get cranky when it’s hot and humid.

Mosquitos love me.

I am uncomfortable in crowds.

This makes the holiday a nightmare for me.

This year I decided to work and invited several of my clients who have difficulty finding time to come during my normal hours.

I was tired at the end of the day plus all of that other stuff I already mentioned. Heat, insects, crowds, and loud noises. UGH!

And…

It’s been over a decade since I’ve seen a fireworks show. I wanted to have some kind of Independence Day experience.

I sought out some sparklers and took them to my front porch. Instead of feeling like I was depriving myself of the typical experience, I created a miniature magical version that delighted my inner child.

Isn’t it amazing what a shift in perspective can do? Sometimes during the healing process nothing much changes on the external level, but how we relate to whatever is happening can change and all of a sudden our experience is completely altered.

If you want some help finding a new perspective that will be more supportive for your overall wellness, consider booking a Reiki session. That’s the tool that’s helped me the most over the past 20 years. It’s gentle, but powerful, and can help us get to the next level of clarity and comprehension.

Book a Session

Perspective

Summer holidays are not my thing. Particularly July 4th. Why do fireworks need to be so…
Sensitivities seem to be running high these days. If you’re someone who consistently finds yourself absorbing other people’s energies and suffering for it, I have a few tips.

First, start with the brush off to remove any unwanted energies. It doesn’t matter where or when they came from. If it’s time for them to go, let ‘em go. Laura Bruno, my Reiki Master Teacher, suggests doing this twice daily, at a minimum.

Perhaps more effective is keeping yourself from getting slimed in the first place. I use an easy technique to keep my energy field so full there is no room for anything else to glom on. If you have Reiki, you can add it in, but Reiki is not necessary to make an Energy Bubble.

Also, I’ve written about the book, The Empath’s Survival Guide before. So helpful! Just understanding what’s happening and why you sometimes feel drained or angry or upset for no seeming reason is a relief, and there are lots of tips for how to live your life more easily.

If you feel like you want more tools, consider taking my Reiki for Self-Care training if you’re in the Philly area.

If you want a professional intervention, consider booking a Reiki session. Remote sessions can be received from anywhere in the world! In-person sessions are available in the Mt. Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia.

How to Protect Your Energy Field

Sensitivities seem to be running high these days. If you’re someone who consistently finds yourself absorbing…
Over the past few weeks, four mothers have contacted me to schedule treatments for their teenage children. I couldn’t be more delighted! How wonderful that they have the opportunity to learn the value of listening to and honoring their bodies and emotions at a young age. I feel like I’m inducting them all into a revolutionary counterculture club in which cultivating health includes creating body/mind/spirit balance and freely flowing life-force energy.

I love teaching them that bodywork is much more complex than pushing hard on a tight muscle or rubbing where it hurts. I wish everyone knew this! I’m thrilled to introduce such a radical concept to anyone anytime, but the idea of someone starting off their bodywork experiences knowing this little gem can set them up for amazing results over time.

What’s most exciting is educating them about their autonomy during a session. (Yes, I meant autonomy, not anatomy!) They get to say what they’d like to work on and what they need to be comfortable. They can tell me to avoid anything they don’t like, and I will, even if I think it’s important to the treatment. We might have a chat about it, but they get the final word. They have the power to end the session immediately without needing to explain why. They can say “ouch” or “no” during a massage if they want less pressure or for me to move on to another area.

It occurred to me while discussing this with a young woman that these guidelines apply to people of all ages, but I don’t usually take the time to discuss them with adults. I assume that grown-ups know. But there is a seeming power differential in the treatment room where the professional can be seen as the expert. We’re standing, the client is lying down. We’re fully dressed and they, at the very least, have taken their shoes off. These factors can make it look like we’re in charge.

But we’re not.

The client is always the expert on their needs. Always.

However old you are, I hope you’ll hear me when I say this! You’re the boss of your session. OK, there are limits, and you won’t get a great treatment by micromanaging your therapist. We do have extensive training and many of us years, decades even, of experience. But “no” means no during a session. If your practitioner will not honor that, find one who does. There are plenty of times in life when we are not fully in control of our experiences, but healing treatments should not be one of them.

If you’re a caregiver for a child who needs some support, please contact me to discuss treatment options.

I wish everyone knew this about bodywork…

Over the past few weeks, four mothers have contacted me to schedule treatments for their teenage…
Reiki is really helpful for cultivating our ability to remember. It supports the deactivation of our survival response, also called the fight/flight/freeze mechanism, which blocks access to our ability to think clearly or retrieve memories. When we’re not perpetually stressed, memory can come back online.

What’s even more interesting to me, is that Reiki (more specifically the mental/emotional symbol taught in Reiki 2) can help cement new memories.

Many years ago, I heard someone (can’t remember who, but the impression is of a doctor or researcher) say that part of the problems we face in the chaotic, fast-paced world is that we are just not paying attention enough to what we’re doing to actually make new memories.

Can you relate?

I can! Especially now that I’m wearing reading glasses. I haven’t yet gone looking for them while they’re on my head, but they do get misplaced sometimes.

So for those pesky, maddening experiences of not being able to find your keys or wondering if you left the iron on at home the moment your plane takes off for a distant land, there is hope.

I had a scare a few years ago when on a hike with a friend. I was certain I’d return and find my apartment burnt to a crisp. It didn’t really matter than in my decades of adulting, I’d never ever left a candle burning or the stove on, I was freaking out.

Of course, I got home and everything was fine. But for weeks, every time I went somewhere, I was worried about having forgotten to turn the stove off.

It didn’t matter that every time I came home, sometimes immediately and inconveniently because I just couldn’t deal with the discomfort of not knowing, never ever did I find what I feared to be true.

Then I realized that I was not creating new memories of turning off the stove or oven, blowing out the candle, or locking the door.

A new strategy arose. One much more effective than circling back each time I went somewhere to double check my home.

Before I leave, I stand at the stove, check all the knobs and say, “off” while taking a mental snapshot of the stove indeed being off. This same technique can work for any situation. “Keys”. “Glasses”. “Candle”. Whatever.

A week after I started doing this, my out-of-the-home panic diminished greatly and about a month later I didn’t need it any more. I had effectively cured my paranoia. I only do it now if I’m going out of town or some unusual circumstance has me out of my routine.

Anyone can do this. It’s simply a matter of turning your attention for just a moment to that which you’d like to remember. If you have Reiki super-powers, use SHK to stamp your memory in deep. If you’d like to have Reiki super-powers, get on my mailing list to be in the know about upcoming classes.

Join my mailing list

Reiki and Memory

Reiki is really helpful for cultivating our ability to remember. It supports the deactivation of our…
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!

Your Healing Session

Success Rate of Healing Treatments?

Last week a potential client asked me what my success rate was. Ummmm… I really had…
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!

Learn More
How to Get the Most Out of Your Healing Session

I recently had a chat with my friend’s husband. He said he doesn’t get massages because…