Discovering Reiki (it's not only for gathering leaves)!

One of the nicest "touches" (no pun intended) that we provide as part of our Hospice program are complimentary therapies, the most common of which is Reiki, something my sister, Karen, specializes in. She also refers to it as "energy work" and "healing touch" but don't confuse this with your standard massage at the health club. It is very much a two-way process: if you are not open to it, your success with it will be quite limited. On the other hand, if you are recovering from achilles tendon surgery and a very tender, sprained left arm, you find that you will try anything to feel like you are doing SOMETHING during a time when you have been told to basically do nothing but sit.

I have always had somewhat of a push me/pull you relationship with stuff like this. While I am very much a believer in psychotherapy and the social work I do, I draw the line with things that seem too far out in left field to me. That said, I am very comfortable talking with patients and families about such things as "nearing death awareness" and the most famous Hospice oxymoron of all time: "actively dying". I guess I am a walking contradiction at times: I consider myself quite the liberal, however I have my conservative slants as well, preferring that something "make sense" when, very often, there is no logical explanation for why it does.

All this said, I have pledged to myself to have this time away from work and my usual routine be one where I open myself to things that are not always comfortable for me, e.g., accepting help, being passive and attended to and, most difficult of all, remaining in one place for hours on end when I am itching to go out and enjoy a beautiful autumn day. When Karen visited this past week, she very lovingly took care of me, put up with my insane pickiness (you cannot just "warm something up" for me - it has to be so hot, the flesh inside your mouth melts!) and, best of all, she truly eased my pain. For this to happen, though, I had to let her which took some doing! Every evening, with Sarah Brightman's "Eden" CD playing in the background, and the lights dimmed in my living room, Karen did Reiki on my aching neck, shoulders, back, arms and, well, my whole being. I have not had much pain (other than my left arm and elbow and a dull ache in my neck and shoulders from using crutches), but I have been incredibly fatigued much of the time. Each night, when she was finished, I felt like I could just curl up and go to sleep....even in a subway station...and nothing would bother me!

She used certain crystals, a subtle touch, gentle pressure and a calm voice that basically was all I really needed. Pain killers and heating pads were not going to help me the way these treatments did each and every night she was here and I eagerly looked forward to them. The really interesting (but not surprising) result was that I had a reduced need for food (especially snacks that are usually my downfall) most of the week (that is, until today which is when she left!) because I was being nourished and fed in a much more effective way than a handful of Milk Duds could ever accomplish. So, if you are hurting, whether it be from recent surgery or not - consider treating yourself to some energy work, Reiki, healing touch or whatever some kindhearted person can offer you. When your body is working overtime to heal like mine is right now, it's not the Percocet that eases your pain, it's the love.