If that car hadn’t hit me . . . if it weren’t for my partner and the way she . . . if my boss would only . . . if I weren’t so angry . . .
Ever been in situations where what’s happening is not what you want or like or even think is right? You’re thinking: How did this happen? How did I get here? You definitely want the experience to change or end. Soon.
If it isn’t quick to fix, you find yourself embroiled in the story. You may be replaying the details, what they said, what you said, what you wish you’d said. Or you’re thinking about the unfairness of the situation and the impossibility of finding a solution because of your responsibilities, or not enough time, or lack of resources.
And, maybe you’re watching yourself at the same time thinking, This is not getting me anywhere. But you can’t imagine any other response. You feel caught in a self-perpetuating cycle.
I found myself in a place like this last year. I wanted to resolve two challenging situations, yet I was telling myself the same old stories and getting nowhere.
In stepped Reiki. My husband and I visited friends for a week and we all decided to exchange treatments each day. These treatments filled me with a visceral sense of coming back to myself and gave me perspective. I discovered an internal point of reference that stuck with me.
A few months later, three Reiki friends—seemingly out of the blue—suggested we all do twenty-one days of distant treatments focused on one of these situations. As the four of us did our treatments, the imagined problem blossomed into an exciting and creative opportunity.
A month later, my husband, daughter, and I decided to do twenty-one days of treatment on the second situation. In addition, I was at a Reiki gathering where we exchanged Reiki treatments for another six days. Unexpected outside support began flowing our way and this issue continues to unfold positively and without much effort.
I’m imagining we all know we hold a remarkable tool in our hands. And sometimes, we need a lot of Reiki treatment in order to shift—maybe even more than daily self-treatment. This year brought me a gracious reminder.
Through treatment, Reiki connects us with our own innate wisdom—the sometimes-elusive part of ourselves that holds solutions or resolutions, opens us to needed next steps, and frees us from behaviors and thoughts inhibiting our fuller expression.
As the layers of fear and frustration fall away, space opens for ease, gentleness, and discerning to infuse our way of living. We’re able to see that our situation—painful as it may be—does hold an opportunity. And nothing is interfering with what is happening.