What’s it gonna be, Eastern or Western Medicine? Which table do you prefer to lie on—the exam table in your doctor’s office or the Reiki table of your practitioner?
I am both a registered nurse AND an alternative healer. I’m here to tell you it’s OK to lie on both. It’s easy for me to say but not as easy to accept, for some people. I found out the hard way.
Practicing Reiki for over 15 years has been one of the greatest joys of my life. It never gets old; having someone come to you in agony, whether it be physical or emotional pain, and leave with a smile you can’t wipe off their face.
This isn’t arrogance because I am not the one doing the actual healing. All the honor, praise and/or credit goes to the Source of my healing energy. I am simply the conduit.
So, what does a “healer” look like? The thought of that ever mattering never occurred to me, until I was asked to fill in for someone one day. I arrived at the home of a “Sarah, with an h”, who did not want to come to my office for her session. “No offense’” she said, “I’d just rather be in my own home”. I was fine with that. Her current practitioner was away so I was glad to help out. As I stood at her door waiting to greet her with a smile she opened it and her face dropped as quickly as an elevator with a broken cable. Sarah didn’t sugar coat her words either.
“You’re the Reiki person? You don’t look like the Reiki person. I’m not sure this is going to work.”
I am used to this reaction. It was evident that this woman was more interested in her notion of what a “healer” was in her head than she was of the healing process itself. Her face had shown she was so hoping for someone arriving in flowing robes, lots of eye make-up and even a turban for good measure. Yet, there I was standing at her door looking like I fell out of an LL Bean catalogue. When working in the hospital I at least would have a white lab coat on to distinguish me from the public, for identification, but here I didn’t even have that-I was ordinary, very ordinary. How could I possibly help her?
I wasn’t about to apologize for my appearance and knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that I could help this woman if given the opportunity. I decided to make a proposal, I would provide a Reiki session and when finished, if she wasn’t completely satisfied with the session she didn’t have to pay me. We would amicably part and neither be any worse for the wear. Reluctantly, she agreed.
The session was great. Confident in my training and years of experience I knew she would be satisfied. By channeling the energy I needed from Source and combining it with lots of TLC from me, all of her doubt quickly disappeared within just a few minutes.
I don’t believe this woman was judging me personally, she couldn’t, we had no history. We had never met before. What I do believe was going on was her inability to recognize that someone trained in conventional health care delivery was also capable of delivering holistic healing.
This works both ways. Up until very recently, hospitals and other health care institutions found no room for holistic health on their campuses. Alternative practices were often, and unfortunately at some institutions are still viewed, as “woo-woo practices” to be performed in someone’s basement. I write this off to lack of knowledge and maybe a little reluctance to grow. Fear of the unknown can be risky, scary. However, in order to grow and progress we must take risks. If institutions aren’t willing to change on their own, they may be forced to incorporate alternative programs into their repertoire of services anyway. The public will demand it.
It doesn’t have to be one or the other, Eastern or Western. You don’t have to choose. This is a big world, there’s room enough for both. Each approach has great value but together their healing power can be unstoppable. How about you? What do you think?
Can these two schools of medicine work harmoniously together?
Julie Gray is an RN and Reiki healer. A lifelong New Englander, she lives with her husband, the youngest of their two sons and their two basset hounds. She is passionate about enabling people to live their highest quality of life and has helped hundreds of patients cope with their diagnosis and work through their challenges with a holistic approach encompassing mind, body and spirit. You can learn more about her at www.salubriousshift.com
10 Responses
! great article , it confirm that our hands are instruments of God’s healing power , pledge of a nurse helping hands …thank you .
Hi MaLilia!
Thank you for writing and for your kind words. They are deeply appreciated.
Hugs-Julie
Being a nurse myself I love your position on healing. I did wan to ask while reading the info. on the Sacred Science adhesions were mentioned once but I can’t find anything regarding treatment of such. (abdominal and pelvic in my case)
I agree that different forms of healing can be used side by side, complimentary to one and the other. I am a certified Healing Toucha Practioner with Healing Beyond Borders.
Hi,
A great read, thank you Julie. I have been practicing and teaching Reiki since 1991 and enjoy the multi-level changes in language that has occurred over this time when talking about Reiki. In particular, the use of ‘integrative’ and ‘complementary’ rather than alternative has opened many doors. I know that if I ever needed any mainstream health care I would be thrilled to receive from a Reiki trained professional!
I am not wise, but I do believe in alternative medicine and less and less in the official one. The reason is that the latter relies too much on products created by the pharma industry from chemicals like petrol. It is above all a money-making industry and not really interested in healing.
I’m a healer too. And have been doing it for 23 years.
After reading your touch healing, it made me remember my own understanding of chi. And there are different kinds which manifest it self through breathing exercises.
Being a Hospice Chaplain and energy worker has brought me joy for over 30 years.
Thanks for a great site.
I was an RN for 47 years, have had a few experiences. However, don’t laugh, I detect problems in motors. The 2 that I’ve never forgotten: In the 1960s, I was on a flight from TN to MN, window seat over the wing. The motor wasn’t right, I told the stewardess several times. She looked at me like I was crazy. Shortly thereafter, the motor caught fire. She then avoided me. The 2nd one was in the 1990s. On patrol with the USCG Aux, the boat motor “blew up”. The skipper was freaking out. I told him not to worry, it was just a small thing, but hidden, and it was. Go figure.
Julie’s 2015 article appeared in my mailbox today in 2022. Never surprised! Perhaps that explains the “shhh…” don’t tell anyone: she’s an RN who “does Reiki!”
I’ve been an RN since the early 60s, was introduced to Dr. D Kreiger’s work, Therapeutic Touch, in the 70s and have been using energy field work since that time in my practice. Yes! As a night nurse or behind closed curtains in the 70s and early 80s!! Forty years later and my cohorts continue to refer to “that woo-woo thing!” But today it’s with a chuckle and a knowing smile because they’ve seen first-hand the results The Work produces. As do patients and their families.
Health and Healing are both derived from the ancient Anglo word “hale,” the meaning of which is “whole,” and implies the Whole Human: body, feelings, mind & spirit. Until all aspects are addressed no “healing” happens! I gave up shushing about wholeness in my practice as an RN, and I’m glad that Julie has as well.
It’s Time, healing for the planet and Her inhabitants, has come! Hop on board!