By Rebecca A. Wright
For me, Reiki was first associated with pregnancy because that is when I discovered it and gave it a try.
In my second pregnancy, I began to look into new ways of caring for myself and preparing for birth. I was excited for this pregnancy, but also life was so different – I was more aware of how hard labour could be, and yes, I felt fear about that side of things (a kind of fear I hadn’t felt preparing the first time around). I discovered Dr. Gowri Motha’s book, Gentle Birth Method. Amongst the complementary therapies she talked about was Reiki. It seemed interesting, especially as it is safe at all stages of pregnancy, even in the first trimester. I found a local practitioner, Jeannie Wake, who could help me not only with Reiki but also many of the other therapies Dr. Motha recommends through pregnancy. I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was suggested that some people might not feel much, so I thought that would be me. Instead, I found Reiki not only very relaxing and comforting, but in the middle of the treatment, I felt a huge weight lift off me. Although much of the rest of my time with Jeannie focused on reflexology and Bowen, I always remembered Reiki (and brought my daughter to Jeannie for Reiki following traumatic surgery to help with healing, which it did).
I returned to Reiki just after the birth of my third child. I decided I wanted Reiki to be a bigger part of my life, and I made the lucky discovery of Reiki Evolution. From Taggart King, I began to think of Reiki in a new way, not as simply a complementary therapy for treating others, but first and foremost as an on-going path of self-healing and personal growth that could also be shared with others.
The time after my third birth was particularly challenging for a lot of reasons – I’d had a very difficult pregnancy, was under a lot of pressure as a mother alone with three young children, experiencing a traumatic marital breakdown. Reiki is the single thing that I can pinpoint that kept me strong and able to care for my children through that time. It brought me much needed clarity, as well, about my situation. My daily practice transformed my life.
Since that time, I have continued with my practice, but also have been privileged to share Reiki with others, most especially the mothers and families who I work with as a doula. Quite often, we use Reiki in pregnancy, whether for general relaxation or because mothers have specific challenges they would like support with. We use it in labour, again, sometimes for a specific reason, sometimes for general support. We use it postnatally as a support to healing and recovery. Best of all, postnatally, mothers and babies can experience Reiki together. Dads love it too! After all the support they give in labour and all they do before and after, sometimes they really need it!
Of course it is great for doulas or other birth supporters – self-care and staying well is so imporant.
When I say that some people ask for Reiki due to a specific challenge, I’d like to clarify that Reiki doesn’t claim to ‘cure’ any particular conditions – but it can bring powerful healing (as I have myself experienced and witnessed in my doula clients), and can always be used as a support alongside other measures. It is simple, powerful, and safe. I can’t put the details of what Reiki is all about any better than Taggart King of Reiki Evolution already has, so I refer you to his site.
I’ve been hearing that lots of doulas also have experience of Reiki and use it with their clients.
I would love to hear of others’ experiences with Reiki – generally, but also around pregnancy, birth and postpartum healing. I also believe it can be a great help in healing trauma, as with my daughters recovery from trauma resulting from her life-saving surgeries as a toddler.
Republished with kind permission from http://rebeccaawright.com
