Reiki and Seniors: Restoring Dignity to Aging

When I was attuned to Reiki 1 on November 11th, 2012, I couldn’t wait to share it with my mom.  At the time she was 92 and still living with my son and me.

I rushed up the stairs to her bedroom to share my experience and what I had learned about the healer ancestors in our family. She told me that my paternal grandmother was a very powerful healer in her village and people came from far and wide to get relief from their aches. I was told that my grandmother had very strong hands and was able to melt away any knots to encourage blood flow and bring on relief. Although my mother didn’t quite understand her technique, she did remember that on many nights, there were long lineups of people waiting outside their tiny house hoping to be seen. My mom knew that her mother-in-law had a gift. I was amazed, honored and humbled that maybe my grandmother had passed along some of her healing abilities to me.

What I did discover however is that everyone can be a healer.  The prerequisite is a strong desire to help and serve with a large spoonful of compassion and a bucket full of humility. Spreading this wonderful energy for not only pain relief, but to bring about peace, harmony, and love to those around you is a gift to humanity and everyone should experience it.

My very first offering of Reiki to my mom was an amazing experience.  For those who don’t know about Reiki energy, the palm of the hands can become very warm once the energy begins to flow.  Some practitioners may feel a tingling sensation and others perhaps a sense of coolness.  My hands became very warm very quickly.  I was still trying to get used to the energy as it flowed through me and found I was a little off balance but I felt simply wonderful as it flowed.

My mother instantly remarked at the heat and how good it felt.  She explained that it felt like a summer sun’s hot rays caressing her skin and penetrating into her achy muscles. Within a few moments, she was asleep.  When I was done, I gently tapped her on the shoulder and she almost refused to come out of her slumber as she said she was entirely and utterly relaxed. This I did not expect and wanted to learn more. I continued on my Reiki journey and by May 2013 I was attuned to Reiki Level 7.

The stairs in my home were becoming increasingly difficult for her to manage so she, with the support of the family decided it was time for her to move.  Since moving to the assisted living residence in 2013 my mother experienced 3 episodes of congestive heart failure that literally brought her to death’s door.  As I am the first to be called in case of emergency, I immediately rushed to her side at 1:00 am and while waiting for first responders, I went into reiki mode to at least try to control the symptoms.

The stairs in my home were becoming increasingly difficult for her to manage so she, with the support of the family decided it was time for her to move.  Since moving to the assisted living residence in 2013 my mother experienced 3 episodes of congestive heart failure that literally brought her to death’s door.  As I am the first to be called in case of emergency, I immediately rushed to her side at 1:00 am and while waiting for first responders, I went into reiki mode to at least try to control the symptoms.

The first episode appeared so severe and I had little hope for her recovery but while she was in the emergency room hooked up to wires and a large breathing mask,  I sent reiki continuously to her.  I had never seen my mom so ill, let alone in a hospital.  The emergency doctor on duty told me to prepare for the worse but I continued my work. By the next morning color had been restored to her face while mine was surely a “whiter shade of pale”.  I was exhausted but relieved when my family arrived and I went home to rest and administer self-reiki.  Over the next 3 days, she steadily improved amazing doctors and nurses.  Her sense of humor returned and was promising them homemade pizza and cookies if they let her go home!

The subsequent episodes were serious but not as the first. Still requiring emergency medical attention – always in the wee hours of the morning,  she bounced back quicker each time. Each time, I was by her side administering Reiki energy. After her first night in the Emergency Ward this second time, and feeling bored she would get up and talk to the other patients around her.

In her broken English, she managed to make them laugh.  My mother has many buckets full of compassion for any man, woman, child or animal in pain or distress. With a gentle touch of her hand to the patient’s arm, she wished them well and moved to the next one.  I sat waiting for her return in complete wonder and awe.

Fast forward to August 15th, 2015, seven days following my attunement to Reiki Grandmaster and Reiki Master Teacher, my mom became my first student.  She was spending her usual Sunday afternoon with my son and me, and I felt it was time. She had still been receiving Reiki from me since that first day 3 years prior and I thought that since she was extremely open and accepting of the energy, what better than to attune her to Reiki 1 so that she can self-heal. She was open to the idea, and with a fierce sense of independence and with an open heart, she accepted because now she may have some control over her health.  This changed everything for her!!

Since her attunement, my mom uses reiki multiple times a day.  She loves the independence and control that Reiki provides. She tells me that when she feels a little pang of discomfort in her chest she quickly raises her hands to the spot and the Reiki energy begins to flow. My mom claims that instantly, her pain is gone and she can continue on with her day. At the age of 96, she has achy knees, achy back, headaches, and ear pain just to name a few basic symptoms associated with aging.  Despite them, she uses Reiki energy wherever she feels she needs it and it always makes her feel better. That, in the end, is all that matters.  She continues to amaze her doctors with her good humor but she chooses to hide from them her secret weapon – REIKI!  She loves the idea that they think she’s a Wonder-Granny!

At the residence, she continues to reach out her hand to someone who could use a lift.  Mom knows that her hands are getting warmer and she prays her friend will feel some relief. She’s always been very compassionate but now she knows she can offer a little something more than a kind word or her famous cookies.

While riding in the elevator, or sitting around with the ladies, knitting, stitching or enjoying a cup of tea, she always manages to at least touch someone gently and long enough that maybe they may receive Reiki.

Living among many just like her, she has seen her share of loss over the past 3 years but she is grateful that she feels strong and most importantly because of Reiki feels she has some control over her aches and pains. She enjoys the mobility she gets from her walker with the large wheels and moves around easily and at times swiftly.  Despite her achy knees, she knows that reiki energy runs through her healing her every step.

Reiki is a wonderful energy which promotes total and deep relaxation. Once the body is relaxed and the recipient is in a semi-trance like state, the body can heal itself more efficiently and rapidly with no side effects.  Seniors, young children, people with disabilities and vulnerable immune systems can benefit greatly from Reiki energy. 

My mother is a perfect example of someone who has benefited from this beautiful energy.  I know I cannot remove all of her physical problems nor can I turn back time, but at the very least, Reiki can bring comfort and relief when needed. As Reiki treatments are cumulative with lasting effects, my mother believes that she may have been given more than just the gift of Reiki, but perhaps some added time too. Whatever raises her sense of dignity with aging, is all that truly matters.

If you wish to schedule an event with your senior’s group, please contact me. Meditation and sound therapy now being offered on site.  Schedule one today.