What I learned early on from patients' experiences with Cushing’s disease is that it often follows an unpredictable path and leaves a person in an immediate reaction response, unaware of the next curveball it might throw their way. Since Cushing’s syndrome is a rare disease, you are left with many unanswered questions and finding the correct treatment becomes a stressful job.
As I sat with Marie and her son, week after week, I listened to how Cushing’s was like a tornado ripping through their mental, emotional, and physical livelihood. Marie had brought her son to counseling. She wanted someone to help him navigate through this intense Cushing’s storm that had already brought so much damage. What I learned early on from patients' experiences with Cushing’s disease is that it often follows an unpredictable path and leaves a person in an immediate reaction response, unaware of the next curveball it might throw their way. Since Cushing’s syndrome is a rare disease, you are left with many unanswered questions and finding the correct treatment becomes a stressful job. While Marie was trying to accept, react, and learn more about Cushing’s, she also had to manage her own emotions in addition to creating a sense of stability for her family. As I listened to Marie’s experiences , my head was spinning... I could only imagine what it felt like to be Marie. I wanted her to have a break, a break from the high winds that kept swirling at intense speeds around her. That was when I recommended Reiki.
When in reactive mode, self-care becomes a requirement and is no longer optional.
What I noticed is that Marie was lacking a direct route into the eye of the tornado to catch a quiet, calm break where she could restore herself. It was equally as hard to step out of the high winds and see the tornado from a bigger, clearer perspective.
In life, it’s imperative to see a situation from all angles and understand obstacles that will inevitably present themselves. Reiki helps me to go inward, to the eye of the storm (or tornado), to catch a break, a momentary period of relaxation, and it helps me to zoom out and see things from a different perspective. Because of this restoration, I then leave with a more profound understanding. The end result for me is that I feel restored, refreshed, and renewed emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. This is what I wanted for Marie who was working so hard to restore her sense of balance.
Traditionally trained, I hold a Master’s degree in Counselor Education and I work as a Licensed Professional Counselor at In Balance Studio, specializing in Play Therapy and Animal-Assisted Play Therapy with Children and Adolescents. I explored Reiki for my own personal needs, but quickly realized that it provides great supplemental value to mental health treatment as well as physical health treatment. I now offer Reiki as a treatment option to my clients and have teamed up with other professionals to expand the opportunities for children and animals to partake in the Reiki treatment benefits. .
Reiki (pronounced ray-kee) is an energy-medicine technique used for relaxation, stress reduction, promotion of healing and restoration of balance to one’s body and energy system. Energy medicine aims to restore the natural flow of energy by removing any energetic blocks. Energy blocks reduce the natural healing abilities of our bodies, and by removing these blocks, it is believed that our immune function grows stronger. Energy blocks can be caused by emotional pain, trauma, stress, illness, and physical pain (to name a few). Small studies have shown that Reiki can reduce pain and symptoms of illness. Reiki is not a replacement for traditional medical treatment but instead a complementary treatment to aid in your medical treatment protocol. More importantly, it is time-out from the storm and self-care for the mind, body and soul.
Typically, Reiki is offered in a peaceful office setting with relaxing music playing in the background. The client is completely clothed and may sit in a chair or lay on a massage-type table. The Reiki practitioner lightly places her hands (or hovers her hands) gently over specific areas of the client’s body. A full Reiki treatment is typically 60 minutes long, but may be longer or shorter given the setting or client’s need. During a Reiki session, the client will draw what energy they need in order to restore balance and to release energy that is not for their highest good. Reiki energy flows from the palms of the practitioner’s hands to the areas needing most attention in the client’s body. Area of attention is known as the source of the difficulty which could be physical or emotional in nature. It is also important to note that you can go to a professional for Reiki sessions and/or you can take classes to learn how to do Reiki on yourself. Anyone can do Reiki!
To learn more about Reiki or to find a practitioner/teacher near you, please check out the following website (word of mouth from friends, family and colleagues is also great):
International Association of Reiki Professionals
Wishing everyone the gift of peace in the eye of the storm and the unique perspectives of higher wisdom found outside the storm.
Love and Peacefulness,
Jamie Brett Moniak, MS, LPC, CPP-AAPT, CRMP
www.inbalancestudio.org
Jamie@inbalancestudio.org
