Frequently Asked Questions

Subtle energy both informs and transcends the faculties of the five senses. It is taken into the body via openings or energy centers (also known as chakras), and translated into a form of energy that the body can use, literally use, at the cellular level. Just as the pineal is the energy transducer for environmental information, the chakras are the energy transducers for subtle energy. Subtle energy is a healing energy that anyone can learn to perceive and utilize. It is a crucial, but often missing, component in health care. (The Scientific Basis of Integrative Medicine – PMC (nih.gov))

Human Energy Centers & Energy Body

When these energy centers become blocked, our system falls out of balance and is no longer receiving the necessary amount of energy it needs to operate and function at an optimal level. When our energy field becomes damaged or weakened, then our body’s natural firewall is compromised, and we are no longer fully protected against negative environmental factors making us more susceptible to stress and disease.

Human Biofield Captured by an Electrophotonic Camera (EPC) before and after Energy Healing – Copyright @ Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine

Reiki is an energy healing system which functions to remove any blockages from the body’s energy centers and to repair any damage done to the subtle energy field, so that the body can be restored to its optimal balance and its natural self-healing abilities can function.  Dr. James Oschman offers a simple science-based definition: “Healing energy, whether produced by a medical device or projected from the human body, is energy of a particular frequency or set of frequencies that stimulates the repair of one or more tissues.” (The Science Behind Reiki)

Reiki also serves as a technique for stress reduction and relaxation therapy, which aids to reset the body’s nervous system. It is a gentle and non-invasive practice administered by the practioner laying their hands on or above various energy points of the patient’s body.

Reiki was founded in Japan by Dr. Mikao Usui, and the word itself means “universal energy.” While Reiki is considered spiritual in nature, it is not a religion. It has no dogma, and there is nothing you must believe in order to receive or learn and use Reiki.

A Reiki treatment may do the following:

• Balance Energy
• Promote relaxation and stress relief
• Unlock and release suppressed emotions
• Promote inner peace and positivity
• Soothe emotional distress
• Bring on a meditative state
• Relieve pain and tension of all kinds
• Increase energy
• Relieve fatigue
• Promote natural self-healing
• Stimulate your body’s immune system
• Foster tissue and bone healing after injury or surgery
• Support the well-being of people receiving traditional medical treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and kidney dialysis.

Yes, several scientific studies have proven the efficacy of Reiki from a multitude of perspectives – touch therapy, energy healing, nervous system regulation, etc. A few resources are listed below if you are interested in further research. 

• The Science of Reiki – An overview of Several Scientific Studies by Bernadette Doran, BS, RMT

• Reiki Is Better Than Placebo and Has Broad Potential as a Complementary Health Therapy – David E. McManus, PhD

• What is the Biofield? Are Biofield Therapies Effective? – Dr. Shamini Jain

Additionally, there are multiple devices now which can capture the human biofield (subtle energy field / aura). A few examples are shown below.

• Electro-photonic Imaging (EPI) / Gas Discharge Visualization (GDV) , also known as Kirlian Photography, has been used to show the before and after effects of Reiki on the body from a Reiki treatment. (Electro-photonic Imaging – Measure Your Subtle Energy Level)

The effects have also been measured by Astera Manis, owner and founder of ATMA Biofield Therapeutics, using the Biofield Viewer. “The Biofield Viewer is a real time imaging system that is able to detect and visualize the subtle layers of light activity around living systems” (Astera Manis). The below scans are of myself, taken by Astera with the Biofield Viewer, one taken shortly after a traumatic event and the other taken after two months of weekly reiki sessions.

We advise using Reiki as a form of supplemental care. Reiki complements other types of medical and therapeutic treatments, and it can increase the efficacy of other types of healing. Reiki treatment should not be used as a substitute for the consultation of a physician or a psychotherapist in the cases of serious health conditions.

 Prior to Treatment:

In order to ensure the effectiveness of treatment and decrease detox symptoms, you should refrain from consuming any alcohol or recreational substances for at least 24 hours prior to your treatment, and refrain from caffeine or high sugar intake for at least 6 hours prior to treatment.

During Session:

During a Reiki treatment, all you have to do is lie down or sit down, fully clothed, with eyes closed and relax or be as present as you are able to in that moment. Relaxing music will be played in the background, I will walk you through a short breathing exercise to help initiate a relaxed state, and then you will feel me gently place my hands on or above different areas of your body.

Every single Reiki session is different, so your experience will be different every single time. You may experience a meditative state; you may feel different sensations in the body including but not limited to: heat, cold, tingling, twitching; you may have visualizations or see colors; you may not feel much at all. You may feel some minor and brief painful sensations if deep blockages must be removed, or you may experience a state of euphoria while in session.

All of this is normal and I have ranged from having out of body experiences to not feeling much at all when I was receiving Reiki myself in various sessions. Your body is extremely intelligent and has the ability to self-heal, so it will take in as much or as little energy as it needs that day to restore itself to balance.

After Treatment:

I say that Reiki is similar to a juice cleanse for your energetic body, and like a juice cleanse it may come with detox symptoms depending on what and how much was cleared during your treatment. As toxins are released from all levels of your being, you may experience one or more of the following physical symptoms: flu-like symptoms, fever, headache, sore throat, coughing, aching joints and muscles, tingling sensations, nausea, constipation, diarrhea and temporary changes in your sleep habits. You may also experience emotional detox as suppressed feelings and memories come to the surface and certain thought and behavior patterns are brought into awareness.

After treatment, it is recommended to drink LOTS of water, and take a bath with epsom salt (clears the physical energetic body) and baking soda (clears the emotional energetic body) if you are able. This will help to clear toxins faster and decrease the symptoms of detox. l offer guidance through this detox period when needed. Know that it is temporary and the more open you are to allowing these feelings to flow through you, the quicker and easier the process of transitioning to a healthier state of being will be.

Reiki is not a one-time quick fix. Depending on the specifics and severity of the imbalance encountered it may take multiple sessions to achieve full energetic balance. However, I do not wish to have you in a permanent state of continuous symptom management. I will work with you to find and treat the core issues which are causing imbalance, so that you can truly heal and learn to maintain your own energetic balance.

Treatment Location:

I administer Reiki in my office, virtually, or in certain situations I will travel to you if needed (this is for my disabled, elderly, and/or hospitalized clients).

For in office treatments – You will lie on a massage table in a gentle environment with soft music playing in the background.

For home / hospital / facility visits – I will bring my massage table and music, but you may also lie or sit in a location of your choosing if you prefer, whatever is most comfortable for you. We will work to create the best healing atmosphere in the environment you are at.

For virtual treatments – You will be asked to find the most comfortable and quiet location for you to sit or lie down. I send you music to play during treatment if you desire to do so. Prior to beginning treatment I will video conference with you, to connect with your energy remotely and gauge where you are at that day.

Studies have shown that chronic stress has a significant effect on the immune system that ultimately manifest an illness.

Chronic stress results in a long-term drain on the mind and body. As the autonomic nervous system continues to trigger physical reactions, it causes a wear-and-tear on the body. It’s not so much what chronic stress does to the nervous system, but what continuous activation of the nervous system does to other bodily systems that is problematic. Long term nervous-system dysregulation is at the root of several physical diseases and mental disorders. Thus, regulating your nervous system is absolutely critical to maintaining your health and well-being. (Stress effects on the body – American Psychological Association)

Reiki is effective in activating the parasympathetic nervous system, quantitatively measured as reduced heart rate, reduced blood pressure, and increased heart rate variability. The parasympathetic nervous system is one branch of the autonomic nervous system, the other branch being the sympathetic nervous system. In a healthy individual, these 2 branches are maintained in a state of dynamic balance, or homeostasis. This regulatory process is primarily controlled by the parasympathetic nervous system via the vagus nerve.

Thus, the vagus nerve plays a vital role in mediating both physical and mental health. Artificial stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system via the vagus nerve has been shown to reduce the perception of pain, reduce depression, and improve mood and quality of life. For patients with chronic health conditions, Reiki has been found to be extremely effective for reducing pain, anxiety, and depression, and for improving self-esteem and quality of life. (Reiki Is Better Than Placebo and Has Broad Potential as a Complementary Health Therapy)

For many people in the world, nervous system dysregulation is all they know, as they have grown accustomed to living in chaos due to trauma or chronic stress. We don’t even realize we are out of balance because we’ve never truly experienced balance. We are often not taught that uncured trauma and chronic stress is making us sick, so we go about our lives until our bodies and/or minds are screaming in pain, and then we go to the doctor who prescribes us medicine to numb that pain, without treating the root cause which is often times our emotional state of being and lifestyle. So much disease can be prevented by reducing stress and regulating the nervous system. In my practice, I will show you other quick and easy tools in addition to Reiki that you can use daily to regulate your nervous system.

Spirit Release Therapy (SRT) is a clinical treatment which falls under the broad category of Transpersonal Psychology methods, and is so named because it aims to release from the client, any disembodied consciousness of any sort. This treatment has been shown to be effective for many of those who have not responded to conventional psychotherapy or psychiatric methods.

 Spirit Release Therapy originated in Brazil when a group of Brazilian psychiatrists noticed a pattern where their patients that were healing the quickest and with the least intervention were those who were also being treated by the local shamans.

The psychiatrists studied the Shaman’s methods and then went on to develop a clinical version of this practice where a facilitator worked with a medium to review and clear the client. This clinical treatment bypassed preconceptions about whether or not other dimensional beings really existed, or their nature.

SRT can therefore be described as a ‘person-centered’ or as a ‘soul-centered’ therapy. (William Baldwin) It is fundamentally different from religious exorcism, where spirits are assumed to be ‘evil’, to be cast out.

Dr. Terrence Palmer, a British Psychologist, discovered the treatments they were doing in Brazil and partnered with Andrew Porter, a medium, to bring the practice to the UK and develop the standardized protocol that I am certified in and use today. 

The protocol includes but is not limited to the scanning and clearing of the following:

• Dark Force Entities & Other Attachments
• Outer Etheric & Inner Etheric Bodies
• Chakra Clearing
• Interdimensional Parasites
• Portals
• Past Life & Present Life Contracts
• Detrimental Cords
• Earthbound Attachments
• Self-Created Thought Forms
• Externally Placed Thought Forms
• Disassociated Sub-Personalities (Soul Fragments)
• Physical Body
• The session will conclude with guidance for the client moving forward.

• Sudden pain (physical, mental or emotional) that has no traceable cause from your present circumstances
• Hearing voices or sensing an unwanted presence around
• Seeing shadows or shapes that are out of place.
• Feeling threatened or uneasy while engaging in metaphysical or spiritual practices (meditation, energy work, shamanic work, etc.)
• Feeling depressed when at home yet okay when out.
• Paranoid about what others may be saying or thinking.
• Odd smells that appear and disappear.
• Strange noises and things going missing.
• Night terrors and nightmares.
• Ungrounded fears of doom and gloom.

Please be aware that clearing a person who is unwilling to take responsibility for their own energetic balance may not be as effective or the effects could be short lived. If the interference is due to actions, choices or behaviors of the client that they are unwilling to change, then the issues will return. This is especially true for clients with substance abuse issues. However, clearing attachments that were not caused by the client’s own behavior will be effective regardless of the client’s engagement or awareness.