Reiki and Death Doula Work

Example of 'no touch' Reiki

When I was a girl growing up in Seattle, I remember being enlisted as the 'nurse' to care for the wounded in my neighborhood. The neighbor kids played a pretend game of war with sticks and fingers shaped into a children's version of weaponry with amazing sound effects.

We had a large front porch, and when anyone was shot or hurt, they'd run up to where I crouched so they could get back into the game. I'd then put my hand on wherever their pretend wound was and say the magic words, "Fix! Fix! Fix!" It had to be three times... three is a magic number, you know. Little did I know, this had a kindergarten connection to Reiki.

My skills sparkled in the fantasy world, but as I grew older, I felt drawn to healing and helping others, including my pets, the animals around me, and the many people I have encountered. I like to help when I can.

I've explored work that would put me closer to the amazing healing skills of those in the medical field, such as veterinarians, physicians, and nurses. But I am too squeamish for those front lines. I opted to help in other ways, such as being a reference/research librarian. And as a hospice volunteer and end-of-life doula.

All my life, I have wanted to alleviate needless suffering as best I can. One way is through knowledge - that's where my library work helps. It's good to know of reliable, credible sources of information so that we can review laws, options, community services, and resources.

The other way is through our innate healing power that can be activated during Reiki. While Reiki does not profess to cure ailments, it certainly has a profound effect upon someone who is experiencing pain, stress, and anxiety. Reiki is non-religious and non-invasive. It can be performed on a person in a chair or lying down, and even from afar. It relaxes the mind and body, and in this way, a person who has been struggling with pain might feel enough relief to fall asleep (this is common).

For further details, the history and workings of Reiki, please review credible resources. Such as:

1. The International Association of Reiki Professionals: https://iarp.org/what-is-reiki/

2. The Cleveland Clinic's review of how Reiki works, and considerations from a medical point of view: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/reiki

3. Cancer Research/UK talks about its benefits with cancer patients: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/treatment/complementary-alternative-therapies/individual-therapies/reiki

4. National Library of Medicine's articles and research, such as David McManus's 2017 report: "Reiki is Better than Placebo and Has Potential as a Complementary Therapy" : https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5871310/

In the coming months, I have the opportunity to provide Reiki sessions to hospice doctors and nurses. It's been a profound service to share with clients, family members and friends.

I'm still driven to 'fix, fix, fix' all the suffering I see around me, but I'm old enough now to realize the reality of my place in the world. I'm here to help. That's what I can and am driven to do.