IN THE FLOW
Lifestyle Editor Demeter Stamell puts reiki to the test…
Ahead of my reiki appointment, I was both excited and nervous. I’d always been curious about alternative therapies, but I’d never tried them.
After arriving for my session, I was immediately struck by how calm everybody was. I suddenly became hyper-aware of my own anxious energy.
I was given a tour of the centre, at which point scepticism kicked in. It all felt a little bit woo-woo, but I was determined to stay open-minded.
After being ushered into a treatment room though, everything changed. Sitting down opposite the reiki practitioner, Phil, I suddenly felt stripped bare. I broke down in tears and bared my soul to him. Thankfully, Phil was incredibly kind and patient, and listened intently as I talked.
He then asked me to lie down on a massage table, before starting the actual treatment. Unlike with a massage, Phil barely touched me. Most of it involved his hands hovering above my body aside from a few barely-there taps. Occasionally, he’d make a whooshing sound and got me to do the same, coaching me through my breathwork.
It sounds strange, but I could feel the energy moving through my body. Even though he wasn’t touching me, Phil’s hands emanated a warmth. I silently wept as waves of energy swept through me, before exiting my body. It was both exhausting and exhilarating.
Afterwards, I was ushered into another treatment room for a BodyTalk session with a di erent practitioner, Moena. I had no idea what BodyTalk entailed, but I was told it worked in a complementary way alongside reiki.
It started with another consult, before Moena instructed me to lie down. She then ran me through a series of visualisation exercises, which often drew upon my past, and as I spoke – and sobbed – she tapped di erent parts of my body.
At the end of my treatments, I was told to drink plenty of water and warned I’d likely feel emotional for a few days. I wouldn’t call it a comfortable experience – I felt exhausted and exposed – but I also felt lighter, calmer and freer.