How Reiki changed my life – 7 reiki practitioners tell their stories.

I always knew there was something missing in my life. I had a good job at a corporate firm, but I felt like I was just going through the motions. And then, a year ago, I hit rock bottom. I was experiencing deep burnout and depression to the point where I was having suicidal thoughts. The cause of my burnout was likely a combination of factors. I was overworked and overwhelmed, trying to keep up with the relentless demands of my job. And, at the same time, I felt like I had very little control over my work or my life in general. I was also struggling to maintain a healthy work-life balance, which meant that work consumed most of my time and energy. These factors combined to create a perfect storm of stress and exhaustion. That was when my life changed forever. It was through Reiki that I found my calling. I had always been drawn to healing practices, and as soon as I discovered Reiki, everything fell into place. I realized that this was what my soul had been looking for all along. Reiki healed me in a way that nothing else could. When I took my level 1 Reiki course, it was just to continue healing myself. But as I learned more and more about this incredible practice, I knew that I wanted to integrate it into my career. I began studying diligently, determined to deepen my knowledge and expertise. With each new discovery, my confidence grew. And then, it happened. Opportunities began presenting themselves to me. My passion for Reiki led to an entire career shift, one that promised to bring exciting new prospects for the future. I knew that this was what I was meant to do, and I couldn’t wait to share the gift of Reiki with others. Through my own experiences with burnout and the healing power of Reiki, I have a deeper understanding of the importance of self-care and finding balance in life. I am grateful for every step along the way that has brought me to where I am today, and I am excited to see what the future holds.

I had received reiki a couple of times in my teen years, but forgotten about the experiences. My mom later reminded me… But I came to it more intentionally at the end of a breakup. I felt I needed energy clearing—that so much of what I was feeling and carrying wasn’t mine. I just didn’t know how to release it. I went to a workshop for empaths downtown NYC and ended up sitting next to a woman who offered reiki. I saw her once a month for the next six months and every session we had together was powerful, intense, and full of magic. The first session, I was given a vision from an animal, Dyl the sea otter: driving along a coast, stopping at every lighthouse along the way to paint them in an art pad. The message was that I was painting self portraits, that I am here as a lighthouse meant to shine my light to help guide others through the darkness on their journeys home. Another session I had a past life regression where I had fallen off a horse in battle, the left side of my body paralyzed. My daughter in that regression, was my recent ex’s niece. She nursed me during my transition into death. And helped me see how connected the soul family is in different ways. I received my level 1 training from that practitioner. My level 2, I received when I got back from a life changing trip to India and Bali. I had still been nervous to charge for my services, but started working at an ayurvedic spa/hotel after I moved upstate NY in 2021. The first session I was ever paid for, the entire room was filled with this woman’s ancestors and guides. Like, stadium seating support. And as I moved through the session, she noted that she felt someone place their energetic hands on her when I moved on. I picked up on a loss she was grieving. She cried and also felt validated and relieved. At the end of the session, she told me she was a reiki master and that the session was incredible. I invested in a 7 month shamanic reiki master training program after that, and graduated April 2022. I incorporate chakra balancing and sound healing into my sessions, as well as utilize my training in coaching and meditation modalities. I’ve had passed on ancestors come through to have me channel messages as a situational medium, Angels and Goddesses make themselves known, removed entities, and had people connect with parts of themselves long forgotten. Sessions have been so powerful and each one so different—even with returning clients. This has been such a magical and potent medicine in my arsenal. One I take very seriously and am also constantly amazed by. I thoroughly enjoy offering sessions—one of my favorite things to do. Practicing reiki has helped me more deeply connect to my gifts and trust in myself as a vessel for Divine wisdom to be shared.

I was introduced to reiki at the age of 12, after we have just immigrated. My mother found a reiki practitioner in the area. No idea why my mother decided getting me THAT kind of help was a good idea, but boy am I happy she did! When we started the very first session, I had NO idea what to expect. She barely put her hands on my chest, and within minutes I started feeling tingly sensations and warmth all over my body. I couldn’t explain it, but for the first time in a very long time (or even forever!) I felt safe and loved deep inside. After the session, I was asked to stay lying down and sure enough, I fell into a super deep sleep, like wow. As the sessions continued, whatever emotional baggage I was carrying at the time really started dissipating. I realized then, wow I don’t need to talk to some strange therapist about my issues, simply receive reiki and shit goes away! haha That’s when I took my very first reiki class at the age of 13. Since then I’ve continued to levels 2 and 3. Although I mainly practice other modalities these days, Reiki for me will always be a staple go to therapy, and I would not be the same person today without it!

I was first introduced to reiki during a very difficult time in my life. My mother had died and my sister physically attacked me which resulted in us not speaking anymore. I was in a lot of pain and couldn’t feel relief in speaking with my husband or my friends. I felt like I was burdening them and didn’t realize how much my grieving was affecting my daily life. I was feeling the stress of having two young children and a full time job and feeling as if I needed to just get on with life but I was not functioning. I was not myself and I needed help. My good work friend had received Reiki (from Inge ) and when she suggested it, and I tried it for the first time, it opened me up to many concepts that had felt true in my heart but couldn’t quite understand clearly such as energy exchange and holding space for someone. I found human connection through receiving reiki and finally felt like I was able to relax around someone like never before. As I child I was never allowed to cry I was threatened not to cry as I would be given something to cry for. A child punished for being needy, I learned not to show my emotions for constant fear of punishment. But now I was finally in a safe environment where I could express myself in ways I had never felt comfortable to. Receiving reiki is like receiving love and nurturing. An emotional release allowed me to shed tears and not feel shame. My experience is that I felt safe to release my pent-up emotions and feelings around difficult subjects and relationships in my life. I was finally able to formulate my thoughts into words to speak my truths and feel safe to prioritize myself in my life. Reiki is a gentle reset. I had realizations that came to me in a digestible way. By learning to tap into a more relaxed natural state we can listen to what our true selves are saying to us and how to prioritize ourselves. I am now able to recognize when I need a reset or when I am being triggered and then react better than I may have in the past. I am now equipped with new ways to handle difficult situations and feel more confident to do so. Since receiving reiki I felt called to help others in the same way and I am now a level 3 reiki practitioner with the intention to become a reiki master under Inge’s guidance one day. Everyone can benefit from Reiki and I recommend everyone try it at least once. I believe reiki no matter what your life experience can help you heal your nervous system and benefit you in one way or another. I now practice reiki in order to be present and my best self in all aspects of my life and to help me come back to myself after the many roles and demands I face. I come back to myself to feel safe and loved.

As a child, I remember thinking there has to be more to this world. I always felt disappointed at the lack of imagination and magic in the mundane reality. Every marvel, vivid dream, or synchronistic experience was invalidated or deemed meaningless by the adults surrounding me, even though I could sense the importance of these moments. It wasn’t until I discovered the energy arts and, more specifically, Reiki that I could begin connecting my external world and what I was experiencing internally. My journey with Reiki proved that we were more than just physical bodies but vibrational, multi-layered, holographic systems of matter and energy. Unlike going to the doctor to have an expert diagnose and treat ailments, in Reiki, the clients were the experts. Each session invites us to recall thoughts and impressions we are continually sending out into the world. That we are, in fact, no different from the power that created the universe. We influence the energy around us. This was an introduction to a new perspective. In this case, I unlocked pathways and possibilities to see my worthiness and Importance in the world. My experiences and situations were sending me feedback so that I could shift into a healed and more aligned version of myself. Reiki has the power to unearth pain and retune the low vibrations held within. Once this realization was made, I saw magic everywhere. As though everything around us was being generated from us and happening for us, with us at the nucleus. Without this awareness, many of us spin out of control as our thoughts, feelings, and hidden beliefs all weave together to create a reality that only reflects our pain and fear. As a student of Reiki and a healer to many clients, my work is to evoke the power to become masters of our lives, creating our own magic around us. Reiki helped me understand that every experience has meaning and relevance, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. It taught me to trust my intuition and follow my inner guidance, even when it defied logic. But most significantly, it showed me we have this beautiful, profound power. That we are the creators of the magic I sought as a child.

My personal growth path started around 2016 when my wife left me. I had moved to Canada from Mexico in 2012, and by 2017 I was experiencing deep periods of anxiety, depression, insomnia and developed a persistent pain in neck, all due to the stress of the divorce process. This pain was so deep that I couldn’t turn my head to the right side. A friend of mine in Mexico suggested me to take a Reiki session. At that time I didn’t know what Reiki was, nor someone with whom to take a Reiki session. So, I did my research over the internet and I found Inge’s website. I booked a discovery session and explained to her my situation. The following week I took my first 90 minutes Reiki session with her. After the 90 minute Reiki session I was so impressed by what Reiki did to me, the neck pain completely disappeared, I was able to turn my head from right to left without any pain. At that time I felt a call inside my heart to follow my path to learn about Reiki and help others with their healing process. One year later in 2018 I took Reiki I with Inge. Since the first level, Reiki has become until today in 2023 one of my biggest blessings to open my heart and the connection with my higher self and archangels. That is why I am grateful that Inge came to my life to share with me the beauties of Reiki.

Reiki came to me at a time when I was deeply lost. 22 years old, graduating with a degree with zero practical applications, and in an emotional and relational clusterf*ck fueled by massive social anxiety. At the time, I was up for anything, and while Reiki was way out of my comfort zone, I kept meeting people who were talking about it and figured “OK, why not. What do I have to lose?”. It turns the answer was “A LOT”. Reiki, in all of its unconditional gentleness and love, deeply confronted my very worldview and took me on a wild journey that is still unfolding to this day. I lost the notion that I have to “earn love” and have to “hustle for my worthiness”. I lost my belief that “if it’s not scientific it’s not valid and doesn’t exist”. I lost the strategy of “never show vulnerability” in my relationships. I even lost 95% of my social anxiety. Learning Reiki was much more about unlearning for me and in the process, I learned to deeply trust myself, my intuition, my basic goodness, my dreams, my desires and my power to create. Thirteen years later, almost a mother of two, traveling 4 months in the year, running a business that inspires and challenges me daily all in partnership with a good-hearted and creative man, I can honestly say I’m living a waking dream. And Reiki had more than a little to do with it.