By Tim Gannon
I served for 20 years in the United States Air Force. I was the guy in the barracks who listened to everyone’s woes. I listened compassionately and empathetically but was frustrated because I had nothing to offer in return except my attention. In hindsight, I recognize that these people were searching for healing. This continues today. Complete strangers come up to me and just start talking about what’s on their minds. I sometimes wonder if there’s a sign on my forehead that only others can see. They too are seeking healing. Now when people come and talk to me, I have the gift of Reiki to offer. They experience a blessing as I hold up my hands sending healing. I experience a daily blessing as I send healing to the world and everyone I know. It is an essential part of my daily spiritual practice.
Since my retirement, I have been plagued with many ills that accompany aging. Traditional Western medicine offered very little. I just wasn’t feeling good. I was stiff all over and always tired. This led me to search for alternatives. I have found many helpful alternatives. Acupuncture, Rolfing, and physical therapy are all very helpful. They all started me on the right track. Yoga and Pilates were part of the picture. But the overwhelming success factor was my introduction to Reiki.
My friend, Dr. Peggy DuFon, PhD, a Reiki master here in Chico, treated me two or three times with good result and then offered training in Reiki to me. After my training and attunement as a first-level Reiki healer, I began practicing on friends, family, and other willing participants. My wife, Daniela, comes home and asks for healing relief from headaches and stress. We are both surprised by how effective it is.
Reiki is something I can do for myself. When I’m not feeling well, I can give myself a Reiki treatment. I can either focus on a specific location that is painful or uncomfortable or I can work through my whole body. It even clarifies my mind and its anxieties. I highly recommend seeking a Reiki master and receiving training and attunement to get greater control of your health.
About the time I received Reiki attunement, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. It is a low level of cancer so no Western therapies were considered useful or necessary. A nagging feeling of dis-ease remained. Reiki has proved an invaluable support to my happiness with life and ease with my body as I age.
Reiki is an effective treatment for pets. I give Reiki treatments to my two elderly indoor cats. They both suffer from the chronic diseases of aging, kidney insufficiency, and thyroid insufficiency. The medication for their conditions helps, but they both look happier after Reiki treatment. One has become very teenagerish despite her poor blood-work laboratory scores. The lab work says she is very sick; her activity around the house says, “Life is great!”
William Lee Rand is the most comprehensive and articulate spokesman for Reiki in the United States (www.reiki.org). He has done great service to the world to demystify the origins of Reiki and offer a plausible explanation of how and why it works. His explanation is similar to those of other medical and scientific investigators. Our bodies have a basic electromagnetic component that is aligned by the Reiki practitioner.
Until science can verify the electromagnetic theory, the theory of mind-body connection is a very powerful explanation of how Reiki works. The effects of our mental attitudes on our health are well documented. Reiki is a powerful method to move the mind to heal the body. It heals the body emotionally and spiritually. With Reiki, we can take responsibility for our health by how we keep ourselves aligned spiritually and energetically.
One of the things I learned while exploring the many adjunct treatments available is that what works for one person doesn’t work for the next. Lots of friends and acquaintances had remedies and suggestions. I tried most of them. A few worked for a month or so and then didn’t. Some didn’t work at all. Reiki works for me. I hope you find that it works for you. In any case, keep looking and experimenting till you find what’s best for you.
Reiki, as an adjunct to other therapies, shows great promise in resolving a wide range of problems that are difficult for traditional Western medicine. The UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento uses Reiki as an adjunct therapy for cancer patients. As a veteran myself, I know that all who have served have a reservoir of unresolved psychic pain. This therapy should be encouraged for those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Children also suffer from a wide range of illnesses not well addressed or understood by Western therapies and benefit from this nontraditional healing treatment. Reiki is a promising solution for the gap between Western therapy and a happy life.
Tim Gannon served for 20 years on the USAF and has a MA in Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin. He can be reached at 680-1314 or through his website: http://timgannonreikihealing.weebly.com.