This article is a reprint with edits of the one I originally posted on November 10, 2011. My original website had technical issues, and I lost every post and web page. Please note I no longer offer Gendai” Reiki Classes as of 2022 due to philosophical differences, but provide Japanese Style Reiki Classes that emphasize the traditional Japanese Reiki Techniques.
I want to share my experience regarding the profound changes I witnessed for a student. I had the immense pleasure and honor of sharing Gendai™ Reiki Shoden and Okuden levels with Jill*. Jill* is not the person’s real name.
Holistic Classes: A Negative Experience
I met Jill* in a Holistic Healing Class in San Antonio in 2010 that combined several Complementary Modalities. During the sharing portion, where each student reported their experience, one of Jill’s* fellow students reported that Jill* was unknowingly “sucking the energy from him” and that he “felt nauseated” during his session with Jill*.
Now mind you, each student had been worked on several times by other students, and Jill* worked on this person, who we shall call Nathan*, last. I suspect Nathan* had reached his threshold and was beginning to detox or was overstressed, which can happen. This was a Nathan* issue, not a Jill* issue. However, this kind of class was Jill’s first experience with using Holistic Healing Techniques. Needless to say, Jill* was not eager to take other classes or learn more about other holistic therapies after that experience.
Overcoming A Negative Experience
As a Reiki Teacher and owner of Spiritual, Health, and Wellness Center, I felt that Jill*
could benefit from taking Reiki classes and learning how to work with an energy healing modality like Reiki. Reiki is such a spiritual, gentle, non-invasive, and safe healing art that I wanted her to experience it firsthand and share it with others successfully. I invited her to a class that I scheduled. I explained that she should take the class to learn to work with energy healing and build her confidence. Jill* agreed and eagerly attended the Reiki Shoden Class.
Reiki Level 1: Shoden
During the first Reiki Shoden Class, Jill* was attentive, asked many questions, and took lots of notes. As a new initiate into all things “holistic,” Jill* reported feeling overwhelmed by all the new information. She knew nothing about Chakras, Auras, or Grounding. Jill* did note that her primary complaint, which was a painful lower back, had disappeared during the Reiki Session portion of the class.
We waited a few weeks before we took the Okuden Level Class, and Jill* came back with many questions. She reported that she had not experienced any lower back pains since the Shoden Class and that the few family members who let her practice on them had also received positive benefits. Jill* was excited to see Reiki Healing works and to witness it first-hand.
Reiki Level 2: Okuden
Jill* felt more confident in her abilities and knew that she would not hurt anyone doing the Reiki Method, and she was very excited to continue this journey. Some of the information presented during the first class still confused her, so we reviewed the information and built on that to continue her understanding of how Reiki Heals the Mind First, Then The Body. The Okuden Class prepares students to work on themselves and others on any level, whether physical, spiritual, emotional, or Long Distance. We discuss perceptions, how the Collective Unconscious affects us, and Archetypes.
We do many exercises and meditations in the Okuden class. Still, one thing I do is I have my students bring in a picture or a name of a friend or family member from whom they have received permission, and I have the students send Long Distance Reiki Healing to them.
Jill* has a friend that lives in another state and has a serious health concern. Jill* told her friend she would send her Long Distance Reiki Healing during the class. We performed that exercise and noted the time we sent the Long Distance Healing. Jill* spoke to her friend a few days later and discovered that when she sent Long Distance Healing to her friend, her friend felt an incredible heat in her ears. She had not told Jill* that she had problems with her ears. That experience was just another confirmation for Jill* that Reiki healing works and can be used to facilitate positive outcomes for herself and others.
Conclusion
As a teacher, seeing someone else bloom before your eyes is rewarding. To be so excited, they must share their learning with everyone they meet. This process doesn’t always happen this quickly, and students often don’t always share the profound differences they experienced. In most cases, the changes are so subtle that the student doesn’t always recognize them themselves. One of the reasons that I teach is to share the profound healing that can occur by using safe, non-invasive, complementary therapies. I enjoy helping others along their self-discovery path and encourage others to do so.