I recently had this article published by the NCT in Medway which I am delighted to share with you, it is my journey with Reiki and how it has helped me as a mum with my gorgeous children.  I hope you enjoy reading it.

‘I discovered Reiki 20 years ago, a work colleague and his partner had been trying unsuccessfully for a baby, she had tried a variety of fertility treatments and had then attended Reiki sessions to ease the grief and overwhelming disappointment of finding she was unable to conceive. They were amazed and surprised to find that she was pregnant and he was sharing with everyone the wonders of this Japanese ‘hands-on’ healing technique.

I was sceptical of this positive healing energy that could boost the immune system, relieve stress and tension as well as bring balance to the body. It sounded just too good to be true yet at that time I was working hard in an extremely demanding job, I was starting to feel the impact of the high expectations, time pressured results and long hours – I was stressed and Reiki sounded like an easy option to try out.

I loved Reiki! From the first session I felt more relaxed, more energised and better within myself. I kept coming back for more and I decided to learn as much as I could about Reiki, I loved that it didn’t matter what my personal beliefs were, that this was simply a flow of energy that seemed to dissolve the stress and calm the mind. I realised that it was time for a career change so I trained in Reiki and counselling too, I found that I started to see the world differently, I began to recognise the judgements and the pressures that I put upon myself to perform and be accepted by others and as I stepped away from them it made my life simpler, easier.

During this time I got married and a few months later fell pregnant.  Throughout my pregnancy I ran workshops and treated clients, I had Reiki treatments and gave Reiki to myself regularly, these helped me to connect and bond with my unborn baby, I could feel the immense love that we shared and the energy helped to release my fears around labour too.

I chose to have my baby at home. I asked my Reiki Therapist and friend to be my birthing partner and she was there with me throughout my son’s birth.  I would love to tell you a story of a calm and wonderful birth but in truth the fear did hit me, I reached a point where I felt scared of the pain, it was too much to continue to bear and I didn’t know what to do with myself, at this point my wonderful friend stepped-in, she brought the Reiki energy into the birthing experience and gently reminded me to breathe and focus on the energy within, as I did this I immediately felt myself calm and focus into the job in hand.  It felt as if the Reiki energy reminded me to trust that my body knew what to do, some few hours later my baby arrived safe and sound at home without any medical intervention or any pain relief, we had done it!

Of course that was only the beginning, those early days and weeks were an emotional rollercoaster and once again I forgot all about Reiki. I felt so utterly disappointed with myself when I failed at breastfeeding, I felt useless as a mother to be unable to feed my baby and I didn’t realise that his constant crying was a reaction to my own inner anxieties, he became colicky, he cried desperately to be fed only to then be sick and then cry with the pain in his tummy, he wouldn’t sleep and I felt shattered, lost and overwhelmed.  I didn’t know what to do. It wasn’t until the day my friend called to ask how I was doing and I sobbed on the phone at how hard it was that she asked me whether I was using the Reiki?

Of course, Reiki! I began giving myself and my precious baby healing, we calmed, he settled, his colic eased and I felt my beautiful boy and I connecting once again, our bond so strong, so clear and so wonderful.

Reiki has become a big part of my life, it supported me with my following pregnancies and childbirth, and it empowers me every day as a Mum to nurture and care for my family.’