When trust becomes the key to healing

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” - Lao Tzu

Occasionally, after receiving a Reiki treatment, especially if it is their first time, recipients may report feeling worse a few hours later or the next day. This is nothing untoward. In fact, when someone shares this with me, I take it as a sign that the Reiki is working at a deep level: shifting energy, stirring what has been buried, and beginning to heal in ways that may be unexpected.

Starting the healing process can feel challenging and uncomfortable, whether the healing is physical, emotional, or mental. Yet deciding to begin is often the hardest step, and certainly the most important. From there, it becomes about staying with the process: doing the inner work, noticing what rises to the surface, facing it, and being mindful of the next steps. Healing is a commitment to the self, and to the soul.

Think of it like a dinner plate. If you never cleaned it, but kept piling food on top, eventually the grease and remnants would build up. At some point, you would have to scrape away the layers to reveal the smooth, bright surface underneath. The same is true of the energy body. Reiki helps to clear away what we have resisted facing: grief, childhood trauma, disappointment, or other experiences we have pushed down, yet still carry around with us, like rocks in a backpack. As those blockages shift, emotions and memories may rise, sometimes painfully. But this is cause for celebration, because only then can true healing begin.

Another way to picture this is like a window. If the glass is clouded with dust and dirt, the light cannot shine through clearly. Cleaning the window allows brightness to flood in, illuminating what was hidden. Reiki works in much the same way, helping us clear what obscures our inner light so that clarity and growth can emerge.

If this resonates with you, I encourage you to persevere. You have already taken the brave step of beginning. Watch your body, mind, and heart. Step back and observe, as if watching someone other than yourself. Yes, it requires trust, and letting go. But you have come this far, and the results will be worth it.

“We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”  - Joseph Campbell