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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-10-01, Page 7The universe has many wonders, not all of them as obvious as other, some not meant to be understood. Opening one’s mind to the possibilities can be a revelation. Those willing to accept that one’s own body and mind can care for itself if properly trained or taught seek health benefits in a number of alternative practices. Reiki is a Japanese form of alternative healing, based on one’s own life force and the moving of energy through the palms, according to reiki master Jennie Schimanski. It originated in 1922, when Micao Usui ended a 21-day retreat on Mount Kurama that involved meditation, fasting and prayer. He believed that he had gained the knowledge and spiritual power to apply and attune others. “I know it’s one of those that can be difficult for some to believe, but I think the fact that it’s eastern, and that the man who developed it just happened to be a doctor helps. I tell people I’m an energy healer,” said Schimanski. “Our bodies are surrounded by energy. That to me is indisputable. When my mother died, we all noticed a gap of energy. It was different, very tangible and noticed even by non- believers.” Schimanski further explains this with a cliché as old as, well, reiki. “We all know what it means when you say you can cut the tension with a knife, and we’ve all felt it. That is absolutely energy. Bodies are energy.” Schimanski said that reiki is essentially the movement of energy, using universal energy with the person’s energy to heal. A treatment is totally non-intrusive. The recipient is under a blanket and the practitioner, after a few moments of meditation, place hands on the person or slightly above, in various positions. They may use fixed positions or be “guided” to problem areas. The treatment takes about an hour. Recipients may feel warmth or tingling, and report a feeling of relaxation and well-being. “It’s like water in the pool. If the filter is clogged the water’s murky. Our energy is the same. Take away the blockage and you’ll heal.” For Jay-Anne Rehkopf a shift in jobs and other pressures had her feeling out of sync with not just the world, but herself. Her husband had gone for a reiki treatment and she felt it might be something that could help her as well. “I just felt I needed a sense of balance, that there was a lot of negative energy buried.” Rehkopf noted a sense of lightness after her treatment that lasted a few weeks. “Some of the things Jennie knew about me during the session, and things she said, just made me feel at peace. If I could make reiki part of a regular routine I would.” If energy around the body is pure, said Schimanski, clear of physical, emotional, spiritual debris it will be less heavy on one’s physical body. So certain is Schimanski of this aspect of reiki’s potential that she makes a bold statement, without pause. “I don’t get sick anymore.” She stresses that reiki is not a replacement for traditional medicine when it’s necessary, but more a method for making it unnecessary or more effective. For instance, she said, if someone has high blood pressure, reiki may not be able to cure it, but it can help someone respond better and more swiftly to the medication. Liz Hickling first turned to her doctor when her seven-week-old daughter Madison was suffering from digestive problems with little effect. As someone who has herself been getting reiki treatments for a number of years, Hickling decided it might work for her baby. “After a night with a lot of crying I thought, why not try something different.” The reiki treatment, she said, definitely helped. “It seemed to get rid of some of the yeast that had been building up.” Skeptics might argue that this is simply a case of mind over matter, and Schimanski wouldn’t completely disagree. Reiki is a holistic therapy meant to heal not just the physical, but the emotional, mental andspiritual as well. Its principles arebased on living well, avoiding angerand worry, expressing gratitude,working with integrity and beingkind. “I would happily put myself out of business, if everyone could feel as I do now,” she said. People can self-treat said Schimanski. “It’s the lazy-man’s therapy because you lie there, you can meditate, and breathe in love, peace and joy, and exhale anger and resentment. Reiki teaching involves three degrees. Attaining the first degree means the participant can treat himself and others. Second degree enhances strength and distance so treatment can be done without the recipient being present. Third degree is the master training. “Reiki is about healing yourself first,” said Shimanski. After four years of study,Schimanski believes that reiki is “theultimate gift of love you can giveyourself. A pedicure pampers youand you know that makes you feelgood. This pampers your soul, thevery core of you. ” “I have always believed that there are other things out there, that we don’t always need medical intervention,” said Rehkopf. “You have to accept that life is not black and white, that there’s grey area. And negative energy has to go somewhere.” For the skeptics, Rehkopf can only offer one suggestion. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. “To walk out and feel this level of complete wellness is hard to explain.” “It’s amazing the things that we will carry with us through life. People who feel nothing have closed down,” said Schimanski. “Your body talks. Reiki helps you listen.” THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2009. PAGE 7.Reiki moves energy to help ‘unclog’ the filters Moving energy Reiki is an alternative healing based on one’s life force and the movement of energy through the palms. Jay-Anne Rehkopf puts herself into the hands of reiki master Jennie Schimanski. (Bonnie Gropp photo) BABY AND I PROGRAM CLINTON PUBLIC HOSPITAL October 2009, 10:00 - 11:30 CONFERENCE ROOM 2nd Floor WHEN ATTENDING FOR THE FIRST TIME PLEASE REGISTER IN ADMITTING PROGRAM TOPICS: Wednesday, Oct. 7 - Sibling Rivalry Wednesday, Oct. 14 - CANCELLED Wednesday, Oct. 21 - Pets & Your Newborn Wednesday, Oct. 28 - Feeding Your Baby For more info call Veronica Farquhar - 519-482-3440 Ext. 6304 Located 500 yds. west of Londesborough on County Road 15 551199--552233--99778811 50% OFF Trees, Shrubs & Perennials Large selection of Mums & Fall Planters FALL CLEARANCE By Bonnie Gropp The Citizen