I wasn’t paying attention.
Running a little late, I dashed in to greet colleagues at lunch before the opening of an international Reiki conference. There were lots of close hugs and shouted “hallos” across the big restaurant dining room. I hurriedly went through the buffet, made a sandwich, and turned to join old friends at a table. I didn’t notice that I had taken two steps up to a stage-like platform to get to the sandwich bar. I didn’t notice when I turned to leave either.
Bam! Suddenly, both feet flew out from under me. I landed with a splat, legs buckled under me in opposite directions. When I opened my clenched eyes, six Reiki practitioners had their hands on me—two on each leg, one on my head, and another hovering somewhere around my middle.
It was a spectacular fall. The roar of a hundred people lunching and greeting stopped in a stunned hush, then surged loud again with concern. Everybody saw it, including the restaurant manager. I was aware of a strong pain below the knees in both legs. Someone leaned over me saying softly but urgently, “They want you to have first aid.”
Moments like these reveal our places of trust. My rational mind was in shock, but I know very well from long experience that Reiki treatment is terrific first aid. So I said, “I’m okay. The Reiki will take care of it.”
I want to be very clear here. In the practice of Reiki, we don’t suggest that Reiki be used in place of appropriate, conventional medical care. But I have used Reiki many times in the last 22 years—on burns, cuts, falls, and bruises—and experience has taught me that it’s best to apply Reiki first, then check to see what is going on.
I knew what to expect as my initial shock began to subside. The pain seemed to increase at first and then, as Reiki went to work, it began to release.
“How’s your head?” a friend asked me. I noticed the soothing sensation of someone’s hands cradling it. “It feels fine. I don’t think I hit there.”
“Yes,” she said. “You smacked it pretty hard.”
Hmmm. I sure couldn’t feel it.
As the pain lessened, mild embarrassment began to rise. “Spectacular entrance, Barbara,” someone teased me. But I just grinned and tried to relax and accept the concern of so many people as a healing gift.
You know how it is when you get a sudden shock. It’s like your mind and body separate for a while. But as the treatment continued, I could feel myself coming back into my body.
It was time to take a look. I waved my friends’ hands aside to assess the damage. I expected to see black bruises on my shins where I had slammed into the floor. My legs sure felt bruised! But there weren’t any. A little redness, no bruises. “Good old Reiki,” I thought. After all these years, I’m still amazed.
The restaurant manager handed me a clipboard and said kindly, “We need you to sign a release form since you’ve refused medical treatment.” Oh. I hadn’t intended to refuse medical treatment, but I suppose, in relying on the Reiki, I had done just that.
Within twenty minutes, I was on my feet again. We found my sandwich, smashed flat under my back. I was still sore and favored my left ankle. A chiropractor in our group did an adjustment on both legs (which hurt as much as the fall!), and then I was on my way, ready to begin the conference.
For two days I was a little stiff and achy, but I got a full Reiki treatment each day. By the third day, there was no sign internally or externally that I had fallen at all.
The moral of the story: If you’re going to have an accident, do it in front of a bunch of Reiki practitioners.
No, only kidding.
The moral of the story is that Reiki really is effective for fast healing of acute injury. And the sooner you get treated after an accident, the more effective the treatment can be.
Once in a while I need a little reminder that the universe works in mysterious ways. Why and how Reiki works is still a mystery, but when you experience the benefits, “why” doesn’t matter.
I signed the release form, by the way. And I hear the restaurant manager is very interested in Reiki.
by Barbara McDaniel, founding partner in Reiki Healing Arts