Joanna Bristow-Watkins is a highly experienced holistic healing practitioner and educator, with over 25 years in the wellbeing industry. She holds a BSc in Psychology and a PGCE, and her career has evolved from managing a chain of travel agencies to founding the Harmony Healing Training Academy. Joanna specialises in Reyad Sekh Em®, an advanced Egyptian healing system she developed, and is a certified Forest Bathing guide in the Surrey Hills. As a public speaker and tour leader, she shares her expertise on ancient wisdom, energy healing, and sacred sites, offering transformative experiences for modern living. MysticMag enjoys a conversation with Joanna.
Joanna, how did your journey from a career in the travel industry to becoming a healer and teacher of Reyad Sekh Em® Egyptian Alchemy unfold, and what inspired you to develop this unique healing system?
When I was 30, my father passed away while I was working in the travel industry, where I had been a trainer and was currently employed by him. We ran a chain of travel agencies, and his death occurred just after the invasion of Kuwait, a couple of months before the start of the 1991 Gulf War. The travel industry was severely affected, though not as devastating as COVID, but people simply weren’t traveling. At that time, Internet Conferencing (e.g. Zoom) didn’t exist, so our business, which catered primarily to business travelers, came to a halt. We had a turnover of £8 million and about 50 staff, but with no one traveling, we were effectively insolvent.
After my father’s sudden passing, we were left with a debt of around £250,000 in 1990’s terms, and our income had essentially dried up. My mother, unaware that her house was collateral for the company, faced the shocking reality that everything was at risk. The bank gave us a week to figure out how we were going to survive, and it was a deeply traumatic time. In the face of all this, I had to internalise my grief and get on with the business, as we also had a large funeral, and my sisters and I all spoke at the event, further heightening the emotional burden.
Later, we sold the company on the very day I had my eldest daughter by caesarean section, which was incredibly stressful. We knew that if the deal didn’t go through, the company would go bust in three weeks due to outstanding airline ticket payments. The firm buying us was Japanese, and there was the Kobe earthquake around that time, adding even more uncertainty. Somehow, everything fell into place, and the company was sold, though I was re-employed as a customer liaison officer. However, I was on maternity leave for the bulk of that time, eventually leaving work to focus on raising my children.
For a while, I drifted, selling Dorling Kindersley books. These were beautifully illustrated books designed to appeal to those on the autistic spectrum, particularly boys who typically didn’t like reading. I became quite successful at it, building a team of 30 people and selling over £100,000 worth of books. I was even asked to give a public talk, which I enjoyed immensely as I had a background in teaching public speaking. After the event, a man called Martin approached me and said I needed healing, which offended me at first, as I interpreted it to mean something was wrong with me. However, he proceeded to give me a quick Reiki healing, during which I felt an immense weight lift off my shoulders, like an albatross flying away.
That brief but powerful experience in 1998 left a profound impression on me, and I decided I needed more of it. With two young children at home, I arranged for Martin, and his partner Angela, to come to my house to do a day of healings for eight people. While the day was chaotic with kids everywhere, I experienced a healing crisis—a splitting headache that lasted three days—but something significant had shifted. The next morning, my mother, who had struggled with mental health issues for years, called me to say she had felt a sense of embryonic joy for the first time in 40 years. That was a turning point for me, and I realised the power of healing.
I decided to pursue Reiki more seriously, and when I saw an advert to learn Reiki for £75—cheaper than two sessions—I took the leap. From there, my life changed. During my Reiki training, I had profound meditative experiences, and my interest in healing deepened. Although my initial teacher believed in a slow progression, I wanted to advance faster, and he encouraged me to find another teacher when the time was right.
That’s how I came across Tera-Mai™ Egyptian Reiki, or Seichem, as it was otherwise known, and I learned up to mastery level and beyond with a new teacher. Seichem involved the elements of earth, air, fire, and water, and I felt a strong connection to it. My sister, Angela McGerr, who had been a business coach and suffered from IBS, also became a Reiki master, and we began teaching together. She later moved into angel healing and became a bestselling author, while I continued on my healing journey, deeply immersed in Reiki and Egyptian energy work.
This path, which began in the midst of a turbulent time in my life, ultimately led me to a transformative healing journey that shaped my entire approach to life and wellness.
Reyad Sekh Em® combines ancient Egyptian philosophies with modern healing practices. Could you explain how these ancient principles are relevant and beneficial to contemporary life and spiritual practice?
One thing that frustrated me about the Egyptian Reiki I’d learned, was that despite its name, the course materials didn’t mention Egypt at all! As someone with a background in travel, I felt compelled to explore Egypt for myself, not just to enrich the course notes, but to delve deeper into its ancient wisdom. This journey led me to Egypt multiple times, where I connected with Hakim. an indigenous wisdom keeper and tribal elder, who expanded my understanding of ancient Egyptian philosophies. He taught me that humans have access to far more than just the five senses we’re familiar with in the West—there are actually 360 different perceptions, many of which we don’t even have names for.
This discovery ignited my passion for opening up more of these senses, and it eventually led to the creation of Reyad Sekh Em® Egyptian Alchemy. While it wasn’t my original plan, I realised this path was meant for me. Interestingly, a well-known clairvoyant named Edwin Courtenay had told me years earlier that I would establish my own healing system, but I hadn’t believed him at the time. Yet, here I am, offering this unique blend of ancient wisdom and modern healing.
Reyad Sekh Em® is grounded in the ancient Egyptian traditions, dating back to when Egypt was known as Khem, before the Greek/Hellenic influence of Alexander the Great. The deities we know today, like Isis and Osiris, had different names in those times, and we honour those original names in this system. The core of my work is about bringing this ancient wisdom into the modern world, which is why my motto is “Ancient Wisdom for Modern Living.”
My work has expanded beyond just healing—I’ve incorporated elements like Violet Flame Alchemy, past life and aura reading, lunar cycle alignment, nature connection, angelology and Khemitian philosophies.
At the beginner level, Reyad Sekh Em® focuses on chakra rebalancing, using angels, crystals, toning and planetary energies, alongside the sacred symbols. From there, the system progresses through five levels, with each level deepening the healing techniques and knowledge, culminating in planetary healing at the highest level.
I’ve been blessed to work with students from all over the world, and I continue to be amazed by how this ancient wisdom resonates with so many people today. It’s been a deeply fulfilling journey, and I’m excited to see where it will lead next.
You mention that Reyad Sekh Em® opens up additional perceptions beyond the five senses recognised in Western society. Can you elaborate on these expanded perceptions and how they contribute to spiritual consciousness and healing?
Discussing the concept of perceptions is really important because I feel it’s integral to understanding how healing modalities work, including but not limited to Reyad Sekh Em®.
In my experience, my healing work opens up more than the traditional five senses. I believe most healers, as well as likely many readers of your magazine, have developed more than the usual five perceptions—perhaps 20 or 30, or even more. These enhanced perceptions are essential for working with, and reading, energy in others.
When I teach, one of my key objectives is to train my students to tune into sensations within their bodies that they might normally overlook. We’re constantly receiving signals, but our brains filter out what it deems unimportant. The process of opening these perceptions involves rewiring the brain, helping it to notice and interpret more subtle signals. There’s a scientific term for this rewiring, neuroplasticity, but the essence is that we’re teaching ourselves to become aware of the vast range of sensory input we typically ignore.
Each person tends to have a dominant perception(s) —mine, for example, is empathy and cognisance. Others might experience strong insights (intuition), hear messages (clairaudience), see visions (clairvoyance), perceive smells (clairolfaction), feel things empathically (clairsentience) or simply “know” things (claircognisance). All of these are part of a broader spectrum of perceptions, which I believe can be expanded not just through healing work, but also by visiting leylines and sacred sites as well as practicing mindfulness and meditation. These are just a few ways to enhance awareness and open the door to more profound understanding.
The Violet Flame of Amenti is a significant aspect of your work. How does this energy interact with the other elemental healing rays in Reyad Sekh Em®, and what role does it play in the overall healing process?
The Violet Flame, as I explain it, is an ancient source of alchemy, primarily used for transmuting negativity and cleansing karmic issues. It aligns closely with various healing practices, which is why it forms an integral part of Reyad Sekh Em®. In fact, the Violet Flame module is recognised as a healing modality in its own right by UK-based ‘Wellbeing Insurance’, and it’s a simple yet profound tool. It’s a highly adaptable modality, which blends beautifully with other healing practices, indeed people have even developed their own techniques with it, such as Violet Flame massage.
The specific Violet Flame I teach is known as the “Fire Flame of Amenti.” Amenti, in ancient Egyptian tradition, was believed to be the realm of heaven or the place one went after death. At the beginner level of Reyad Sekh Em®, I teach chakra rebalancing, which I do with the help of crystals (though I work with etheric crystals rather than physical ones), planetary energies, alchemical symbols, and angelic beings.
With the recent global challenges, you’ve adapted by creating a virtual academy and mentoring programs. How have these online platforms influenced your ability to teach and guide individuals on their spiritual journeys, and what do you see as the future of spiritual education in this digital age?
I’ve always found it fascinating that for years, people have been urging me to teach online. Since I began teaching in 2000, whist the majority of my students are British, I’ve had many international students, particularly from the U.S. and even a few Australians. While some were already in the country for other reasons, many expressed a desire for me to offer online courses. However, I was never particularly inclined, as I much prefer teaching in person.
Then, when the 2020 lockdown happened, I was working with the College of Psychic Studies in South Kensington, preparing to run a course that had to be canceled due to the pandemic. The College suggested I teach it over Zoom, and although I was hesitant, I decided to give it a try. They insisted on a professional Zoom account to avoid any interruptions mid-session, so I invested in it. Once that was done, I thought, “Why not transfer all my courses online?” So, that’s exactly what I did.
The response was incredible. I ended up busier than I had been in quite some time, with more clients than ever. What was especially lovely is how we used technology to build an online community. We now have a WhatsApp group, which around 30 of my core practitioner students have joined. It’s become a supportive space where, if someone or their loved ones aren’t feeling well, they can request healing from the group. They can also post questions, and sometimes fellow students respond before I do. It’s been a wonderful tool that emerged from this digital era.
What truly surprised me, however, was how effective the online teaching format turned out to be. Initially, I doubted that teaching students how to draw and interact with symbols—a key part of my course—could be done over the internet. But to my surprise, when I have a group of together on Zoom (or other virtual platforms), the connection is just as strong. We can sense each other’s energy, learn from each other, and share insights. During our healing practice sessions, we all tune into one volunteer who might be lying on a couch somewhere, and each of us imagines that person on our own couches. We then share what we’re feeling and observing, and the energy exchange is just as potent as if we were in the same room.
Of course, the participants are already open to the concept of distant healing, which makes this process all the more effective. I’ve also been offering Full Moon meditations online. These sessions, which I offer monthly for a small fee, allow people to experience how I work, using crystals and colours to move through all the chakras in my system. I work with 11 chakras, and it gives people a taste of my tutoring methods. For those seeking deeper healing, I also offer one-on-one sessions, distant or in-person (Greater London) which typically last around one to two hours respectively.
If you would like to find out more about Joanna Bristow-Watkins, please visit https://harmonyhealing.co.uk/
