By RUTH WOUDSTRA
How do you deal with pain or discomfort in the body? Often we automatically place our hands on the area of affliction. Reiki, literally translated from Japanese as ‘universal energy’, works on the same principal.
When Paula Cotton’s son, Daniel, experienced a serious head injury at the age of two, he suffered from intense post-hospital pain. After a few weeks of visits to a reiki healer, the family was able to discard pain pills and Daniel’s state of wellbeing improved radically. This personal journey inspired Paula to study reiki.
Reiki involves a practitioner laying hands on and hovering over the client’s body. The energy transfer occurs through the practitioner’s hands and allows the body to heal by re-balancing its energy system. “We have seven chakras – energy centres located from the top of the head to the base of the spine,” says Paula. “If there is an imbalance or blockage in our energy centres or pathways, it can inhibit our body’s natural healing ability.” She adds that the results of reiki healing, especially over several sessions, can be profound.
Paula is a wellness guide who has been practicing traditional Japanese Usui reiki for 12 years. Her clients have complaints ranging from simple sports injuries or physical illnesses to emotional concerns such as distress, depression and anxiety. She believes that no ailment boils down to one issue. Every case needs to be regarded as an interconnected system of the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being. “Even if an injury is caused by a simple accident,” she says, “one’s state of mind at the time, along with other environmental stressors, will influence one’s healing.”
Paula recommends meditation, which she defines as ‘listening to God’, in order to understand ourselves and our life’s purpose. In her reiki practice, she often works with colour, and says that during meditation, a particular colour may come up. Researching the symbolism of the colour in relation to the chakras may provide greater insight into healing possibilities.
The simple act of applying one’s hands to an area of pain is, ultimately, the basis of all energetic healing. Because it can be done by any person at any time, its power cannot be underestimated.
