This week, we had the opportunity to speak with Karen Caig, a Reiki healer from Reiki Institute. We discussed her beginnings, learned more about Reiki sessions, and what Karen loves most about her job.
When did you first know that being a Reiki healer was your calling and how did it come about?
As a teenager, I became aware that I could channel healing energy. My family would sometimes ask me to “hot hand” their back or shoulders. I would place my hands on their shoulders and envision divine love flowing down through the top of my head, filling my chest, and moving down my arms into my hands.
I also used my healing touch on animals throughout my life. One year after my father died, when I was a hot mess emotionally, I stumbled upon an article about Reiki, and I thought, “Hmm. Maybe what I do is a thing.” I was 49 years old, and I had been teaching writing and literature at the college level for 27 years. I was happy in my career; however, I felt drawn to take the class mentioned in the article.
My life changed. I began to heal old wounds from my childhood. My unhappy ten-year relationship ended. Everything shifted.
I was able to take the master class with William Rand in Glastonbury, England, the following year, and I received my attunement in the center of Stonehenge. I began teaching immediately. I knew I had found my true purpose.
After my mother died and my son enrolled in college three years later, I quit teaching college English and launched my full-time business, teaching Reiki and providing sessions.
How do you describe Reiki, and how does it work?
Reiki means “divinely guided life-force energy” in Japanese. Once practitioners are attuned to the energy (vibrating at the same frequency of the energy), they can channel it into a client’s energy field.
The Reiki flows to restore balance to the client’s biofield by breaking up any blockages and increasing energy to areas that need healing. Blockages occur in the biofield from emotional trauma. We hold that energetic pain in our biofield until it is released or until it becomes so dense that it manifests as physical disease in the body.
Could you describe one of your Reiki sessions?
Whether in-person or from a distance, all sessions are the same. The client lies down on a massage table (in-person) or on a bed/sofa (distant).
Sometimes the clients are sitting in a chair. I ground myself and invite the energy to flow for the client’s highest good and healing.
Sometimes I am drawn to a particular area to start after I scan the energy field. Other times, I place my hands on or above the body (or the proxy I am using for a distance session) and use the traditional Reiki hand positions to clear the aura and balance the client’s energy.
Sometimes, I pick up things from the client. I’m not psychic, but Reiki certainly enhances people’s intuition. Once, during a distant session, I had my hands on the client’s sacral chakra area, and I kept seeing a beautiful Appaloosa horse. After the session, I mentioned the horse to the client, and she said, “Yes, I know that horse very well. She kicked me in the stomach years ago.” Another time, I kept seeing strawberries and whipped cream as I gave Reiki to a client remotely. When I sheepishly mentioned what I picked up (I didn’t want her to think I was crazy), she admitted that she had had lunch with her friends, and one friend ordered a strawberry shortcake that she herself wanted very badly but couldn’t have with her diet.
Another time, during an in-person session, I kept seeing the client getting knocked over, as if someone had struck her violently. I didn’t know the woman, but I worried about her safety, so I asked her if she had been or was in an abusive relationship. She opened her eyes, looked at me, and said, “No.” I felt embarrassed. I tried to describe what I saw, like a movie running in my mind whenever I placed my hands on her. She drew in a quick breath and exclaimed, “Oh! I work in law enforcement and just finished some self-defense training. My partner kicked my butt!”
Most of the time, I just feel a block of some sort, such as in the throat. Once, I asked a client with a blocked throat chakra, “Is there something you are not talking about?” Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks as she said, “My brother died three months ago. I don’t talk about it.” I told her she needed to talk about it, go into the woods and scream about it, curse into a pillow. I spent most of the session on her throat.
At the end of the session, I “seal up” the energy in the client’s biofield and give thanks for the opportunity to help. Clients report feeling extremely relaxed. Some report seeing colors, feeling tingles, or experiencing warmth.
Some experience a sensation of hands on them other than where I am, and some twitch or jerk as the blocked energy releases. Each session is as unique as the individual receiving it. I am always amazed at how Reiki is not bound by time or space. It has shown me how truly interconnected we all are.
What can a person expect from a Reiki session?
People can expect to receive the healing they need most. I usually ask the client to set an intention for the session, but I don’t attach any expectation for the outcome. I know the clients will receive what they need if they are ready to release what needs to be released and receive the healing energy available to them.
Many fall asleep during the session. When that happens, I know they are receiving deep healing. Everyone’s session is different, but I have had client’s receive relief from chronic pain such as arthritis and fibromyalgia. I have had clients find relief from PTSD; others with ADD have found themselves more able to focus.
Many clients find relief from depression and anxiety. Some clients say things such as, “I feel ten pounds lighter!” or “I feel like I’m floating!” Reiki is not a substitute for western medicine, but many studies listed at www.pubmed.gov show it provides many benefits as a complementary therapy.
What is the most important detail in maintaining a relationship of mutual trust with customers?
The most important detail in maintaining a relationship of mutual trust with customers is openness. All of us are healing something; none of us are perfect. My clients know that I am simply a channel for the Reiki energy. My students know that they have the same ability to access the Reiki energy that I do. We are all on this Earth journey together–learning, healing, expanding.
What do you love most about your profession?
Many of my clients become Reiki students. As I train more and more people in this beautiful energy modality, I feel that I am literally spreading light in the world. Each student becomes a lit candle, igniting the illuminating power of Love in the world. What other profession can do that?
