Tuesday 18 April 2017

Reiki Rocks!

Whatever helps, is okay by me, when it comes to MS. Whether it's massage, marijuana, acupuncture or communing with pixies from outer space. If it helps, then it must be okay. However, what's good for the goose is not always good for the gander. In other words, not everything helps everyone

I know that many people with MS swear by hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Recently I tried it, and found no benefit whatsoever. I was disappointed. However, life often has a funny way of putting you in just the right place at the right time unexpectedly. That's what happened to me, when I tried Reiki therapy, instead.

My very first session blew my socks off! I had so much energy for 3 days, that I had trouble getting to sleep. This is a woman who normally nods off in front of the telly by 8 PM. My muscle spasms were about 80% better!  My body went through a 3 day detox, I drank like a fish, yet went to the toilet normally.   I couldn't believe how much the Reiki affected me.

So what actually happens during a session? Well, my therapist, Sabina, treats me while sitting in my wheelchair. Sometimes she puts her hands on me, and it's amazing to feel how hot and full of energy they are. At other times she simply hovers her hands a few inches from my body. It's as simple as that!

For me, having Reiki is a bit like being struck by a lightning bolt, but in a good way. The therapist is like a lightning conductor:channelling raw energy, converting it into something helpful and healthful, and skilfully directing it to where it is most needed in the body. When Sabina holds her hands a few inches from my eyes, I feel the heat and energy from her hands particularly intensely.
With my eyes closed, sometimes at this point, I see colours or I am aware of a bright white light bathing my whole body.

Afterwards, I feel like I have had 2000 volts of energy pumped into my body.  People tell me I look 'fantastic', if a little wild-eyed (pupils dilated, looking very ''awake'). I find that I can then slowly release that energy throughout the week, until I see my therapist again, for another charge.

One of my biggest problems, as an MS sufferer, is fatigue and lack of energy. This tends to accumulate throughout the day. By the evening, I am always in bed, and usually nodding off in front of the telly.

Therefore all the extra energy that Reiki sessions are giving me, is so very welcome. I find that I am able to be awake, alert, and talkative, way into the evening. This has greatly improved the quality of the time I spend with my son and daughter who usually visit me in the care home in the evening.

Since having Reiki as well as having far less fatigue, I have also experienced many other benefits: general body detox, reduced muscle spasms, improved bowel function, improved skin condition (sometimes the skin on my bum threatens to break down due to sitting in my wheelchair for long periods).

We respond to treatments in different ways. Others may not get the same  wide-ranging benefits from Reiki that I experience. However, one thing I can say, is that if whatever works is okay, then Reiki is more than okay by me


April 2017