by Julee LePera 

One afternoon in 2016, a tall and lanky middle aged man arrived at my alternative medicine practice with skin that looked gray and drawn. He sat across from me and explained that he had felt sick for months, and after enduring test after test, specialists still could not determine why he did not feel well. His wife suggested alternative medicine, and while he was skeptical, he decided to try anything that could offer him some relief.  

I explained to him the protocol that I follow when practicing Reiki therapy—that I would place my hands on each of the main seven chakras that ran down the center of his body, with the exception of the root chakra where I place my hands on the hips. If he could imagine in his mind’s eye the seven energy centers that run down the core of his body, these act much like the circuit breaker in his home. When a circuit is tripped, that area of the home is without energy.  My role would be to turn this “tripped energy” back on. 

His immediate reaction was that he wanted to know what this would feel like. Although there is never a way that Reiki can hurt anyone, each person experiences the energy in their own unique response. One person might feel extreme heat or cold, either in the area I am working on, or anywhere else in the body. There might be surges of energy in the body, or perhaps even a certain body part could start to twinge.    

These are all normal sensations, I explained, and that if he felt any of them, he should allow that area of the body to twinge or move without holding back or restricting these movements. This is just the energy held in the body attempting to be released. In certain circumstances, the patient might feel absolutely nothing over the course of an energy treatment, but those people still feel extreme restfulness and can even feel lighter than when first they came into the office before treatment. 

During this particular session, I noticed that tremendous heat was coming off his body in almost all the energy centers. Afterward, he reported that he had felt this heat and also some twinges down his arms where energy had been released. To his delight, he also exclaimed that he had not felt that soothed and relaxed in six months. It is hard to ascertain what happened—could it have been the result of the energy work?  All I know is this: I was astounded that not only did he sound stronger in his voice, but his whole demeanor had shifted too, and he seemed confident and hopeful. His skin was still gray but not as ashen as before. 

He returned a week later for another treatment. When I opened the door to the waiting room, he stood before me doubled over and in intense pain. He even had trouble breathing. He was grief stricken that he had received a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. He could not walk upright as he passed me to enter the treatment room.   

When we were finished with our session. he arose from the treatment table and, to my amazement, stood completely straight upright and he had more color in his face than I had noticed there before. Again, whether it was the result of the treatment or not, all I know is that he felt stronger at more at peace—even if just temporarily.  

Many hospitals are now hiring Reiki therapists to work on patients in their facilities, as well as in hospice centers. This is a wonderful idea to meld Western and Eastern practices in order to serve patients more holistically. There are so many other stories of remarkable changes that energy healing has done to enrich lives physically, emotionally and spiritually—stories from people experiencing difficult times and needing assistance to better cope in their lives. If you or a loved one need this assistance, please contact Boju Integrative Bodywork.   

Julee LaPera's career background is Corporate Meeting Planning where she specialized in high-profile and c-suite events for Fortune 100 companies for over 25 years. Looking for ways to relieve the stresses in her life, she turned to Integrative Medicine for relief. As a second career, she received training from the Great Lakes School of Integrative Medicine and obtained her Massage Therapist License in Florida. She now operates her own five treatment room spa located in downtown Sarasota where her team assists others in enhancing their health and wellness through massage, energy work and facials. For more information, call 941-203-5857 or visit BojuBodywork.com.