What is energy work?

What is energy work, as it pertains to healing?  I had a client ask me this the other day and I told her about how I came to learn about energy and using it in my life and to benefit others.

We all use energy daily and are probably not aware of it.  One example is when you get hurt and the first instinct is to put your hands on the injury to make it feel better.  Other examples; we pet our animals and feel calmer and they do too.  By focusing on your breath, you become calm, centered and more grounded.  You instinctively feel whether you are safe or unsafe in the presence of a stranger.  You know when you are being watched.  You put on quiet music to sooth your nerves, etc.  This goes on as to the many small ways energy is part of our daily lives.

When I look back, Cesar Milan, The Dog Whisperer, was my first teacher of energy.  I have a passion for working with dogs, especially the fearful and aggressive dogs.  I studied videos of his show, read his books and watched the DVDs several times.  I practiced with the dogs I was working with at home and at a kennel I was working at during that time.  I began to understand that energy could be controlled and how to use it to change a situation with animals or people.

About that time I entered massage school and Reiki was offered as part of the curriculum.  Reiki is an energy work that was rediscovered by Dr. Mikao Usui in Japan during the early 1920s. I was curious about the class and needed the credits to finish, so I enrolled in the course.  The Reiki Master was also my massage instructor so I had a great amount of respect for her, but was pretty skeptical of this whole “healing energy” thing.

She related a story about her husband and how he had accidentally cut himself with a chainsaw in the upper thigh and ended up with a raging infection.  The doctor had little hope of getting it under control and thought he might lose the leg.  Being newly attuned into Reiki, she sat down and laid her hands on his leg and after awhile the heat and swelling from the infection started to lessen.  She kept working on him and his leg ended up healing just fine.

In class, she had us partner up with another student to practice what we had learned and also to experience the work for ourselves.  My partner was pretty skeptical too, so it was really exciting when both of us experienced the same sensations as I was working on her.  It was the same when we changed places.  After that I practiced using Reiki on myself, my animals and my plants and used it at any opportunity I could.

I had several incredible situations, such as the time one of my chickens got attacked by a visiting dog and I used Reiki on her for several minutes and she came out of shock and her injuries healed quickly.  I have been part of a healing circle and there have been several cases of people with cancers, tumors or heart problems that healed or became healthier than expected.

Now that I teach Reiki, it is always interesting to watch the students as they go through the process of learning, initiation and practicing the use of energy.  They tell me the reasons why they have attended and usually leave having exceeded their expectations.  I especially love hearing about their experiences in using their skills.

What is the difference between Reiki and the healing energy that we are all born with?  Reiki has attunements included in the initiation process and you learn to focus the energy on different parts of the body. Reiki can be used to heal body, mind or spirit in this dimension, the past or the future.

Reiki is just one form of energy work;  Quantum Touch, Healing Touch, Sound Healing, Cranio Sacral Therapy, Love & Gratitude, Karuna Reiki, Rainbow Reiki, Zero Balancing, just to name a few.  My recommendation is to ask your friends if they have experienced this type of work and who they recommend.  There are many talented healing facilitators out there and who knows; maybe you will be one of them too!
For more information about Reiki, visit www.reiki.org

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