I volunteer with people coming from all walks of life meaning some do know the benefits of Reiki, some don't, some are skeptical. The last 2 categories often lead to interesting exchanges. For instance, one day at a Veteran center we were offering Reiki to men and women who went to Iraq or Afghanistan and are in transition to their next assignments or next destination -- this tall, confident men came in the room, looking at us and inspecting the room, he asked "what are doing?" - we explained the benefits of Reiki and he could lay on the table if he wanted to try. His answer took us a bit by surprise as he said "Oh no! I am not laying on a table with only women in the room...etc..". So we let him be -- however he was still circling the room and obviously his curiosity was stronger than his fear. So a practitioner approached him and offered him to sit on a chair - to give him Reiki. He agreed and as the practitioner put her hands on his shoulders - we watched him slowly going into himself - letting the energy flow inside himself. After 20 minutes (which probably felt an eternity to him). He opened his eyes, looked at the room and said "wow..". That's all he said and left the room in a very quiet demeanor.

As a practitioner - this is the beauty of sharing a moment like this. Because you know - you helped this person find a place deep down of peace and tranquility, a quality of attention that we don't necessarily access in everyday life, especially when experiencing stress and past traumas. This place is in all of us -- it is a matter of being aware and letting ourselves experiencing these moments.


Story by Huntington Beach Reiki Member: Nadine