Reiki Sessions & Classes

Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.

A. I see many people seeking stress relief and relief from over-thinking and worry. I see children and high school and college students, as well as mothers, daughters and mothers with a young child who share the session. I also have several clients who have uncommon diagnoses, some brain-related. They're searching for pain relief and some way to move out of the seriousness of their illnesses. Other clients come to re-evaluate their lives and work with intention to improve the quality of their experience on earth.

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. Check them out as far as whether they're certified through a legitimate bodywork and massage association. If they offer Reiki, do they also have other training and licenses or certifications: for instance, are they a Reiki Master rather than a Reiki 1 practitioner? Are they a licensed massage therapist (LMT) somewhere, who have an outlook that supports western medicine and energy science?

If you're looking in Ohio where Reiki is a spiritual service, find out whether they're a minister because that's a requirement for this state. Find out how many years experience they've had and how much hands-on training in addition to whatever schooling.

Last but maybe most important for you is their personality. How do you feel when you talk to them or at the very least, how do you feel when you look at their website and read about what they offer? Do you feel supported by their outlook?

Q. What important information should buyers have thought through before seeking you out?

A. What they value in their lives and how they see themselves. Is the service they're seeking a luxury - one-time once a year? Or do they support themselves for the long haul and know they need rest, relaxation, time for themselves to honor and celebrate who they are?

Other information might be... 1) Do I like disrobing and so will feel comfortable with massage? 2) Do I want pressure, kneading and manipulation of my muscles so that I might choose massage or acupressure? 3) Do I prefer staying clothed? 4) Do I want to play an active role in my healing and growth so I might choose Rosen Method Bodywork or CCT-crystalline consciousness technique or Reiki?

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. What I most like is helping people. I've loved the children and young people I've been able to assist in doing better in school and gaining more confidence in themselves. These are the most unusual kind of sessions as they're rarely done on a massage table and seem like we're just talking together.

Q. How did you decide to get in your line of work?

A. I had no idea about massage and bodywork. I don't think I'd even had a massage before and as a dancer that's unbelievable in this day and age.

I actually asked a friend in New York City what behavioral or talk therapy she'd experienced that she felt was the best thing she'd ever done. I wanted to change my life and improve my confidence.

She had lived in California as well and I valued her judgment. She said Rosen Method Bodywork was amazing and shared a practitioner's name with me.

Rosen is a psycho-spiritual bodywork developed by a German physical therapist who used questions, light touch and watched the clients' breath. I had many sessions, joined a group who shared sessions under a Rosen teacher, then went on to study it. I still love it and wish there were someone locally to see. I really could see and feel its benefits.

I decided I wanted to do it but also wanted to know the body. So I decided to attend the Swedish Institute College for Massage & Allied Health Sciences in New York City. It's world-renowned and has an arm of acupuncture now that had been slowly developing.

Training there is the early 1990s, I discovered I loved shiatsu, which is highly meditative. I think that's why I then gravitated to spiritual energywork. The rest is history.

Q. Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?

A. I always do continuing education training and am eager to find CEs for the training I select. I look for hands-on massage and energywork.

I have a profound interest in Oriental medicine and also study on my own by reading the latest information, questioning the acupuncture provider I see. I always keep abreast of information coming in from Japan so that my Reiki practice and teaching are up-to-date. I'm proud to have an alliance with Reiki Masters all over the world so I can keep learning and growing.

I actually need a certain number of hours to keep certifications so I go to Michigan, Chicago and New York City for training once or twice a year.