The Moment I Knew I’d Found Another Piece of My Healing Puzzle: My First Reiki Session
I’ve always been curious about alternative healing — the practices that work quietly, beneath the surface, in ways we can’t always explain with logic alone. Reiki was one of those things that kept popping up in conversation and in my reading. People described it as calming, balancing, even transformative.
Still, I wondered: What actually happens in a Reiki session? And would I even feel anything?
Why I Sought Something Different
For years before I tried Reiki, I had been doing EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy to process over a decade of trauma — the kind of trauma that had, at one point, required me to be hospitalized. I lived with daily panic attacks, vivid nightmares, and was maxed out on multiple psychiatric and anxiety medications just to function.
I was suffering in more ways than I can count. Sleep felt impossible, my nervous system was always on high alert, and life was about surviving the next moment.
EMDR was life-changing for me. It helped untangle deeply rooted pain and gave me tools to cope in a healthier way. But I began to wonder if there was something that could complement that healing — something that worked differently, not through talking or cognitive processing, but through calming and restoring my body’s own energy.
I want to be clear: I am not a mental health professional, and Reiki is not a replacement for therapy, medication, or medical care. This is simply my experience and part of my healing story. But today, I can say that my medications are minimal, I sleep through the night, and the panic attacks that once ruled my days are rare. Reiki played a role in that transformation.
What is Reiki?
Reiki (pronounced “ray-key”) is a Japanese form of energy healing. The word itself means “universal life energy,” and the practice is based on the idea that we all have energy flowing through us. When that energy is blocked or imbalanced — whether from stress, emotional pain, illness, or even overthinking — it can affect how we feel, physically and emotionally.
A Reiki practitioner acts as a channel for healing energy, using light touch or even hovering their hands just above the body. The goal is to help clear blockages, restore balance, and encourage the body’s own natural ability to heal.
Some people feel heat, tingling, or waves of calm. Others may experience emotional release or physical sensations as the energy shifts. And sometimes, it’s simply a deep, meditative relaxation that lingers long after the session ends.
My First Session at Namaste Healing Arts
I booked my appointment with Namaste Healing Arts — a space that feels like stepping out of the noise of everyday life and into something sacred. The room was softly lit, the air filled with a subtle, calming scent. It was quiet, but not empty — the kind of quiet that feels alive.
The practitioner explained the process, encouraging me to simply relax and observe what I felt. I lay down fully clothed, closed my eyes, and let go of any expectation.
For much of the session, I felt warmth and an easy stillness — as if I was sinking into the table without actually moving. But there was one moment that truly stood out.
When her hands hovered near my ears, I felt a distinct popping sensation, almost like the way your ears adjust on an airplane. Along with it came a wave of release — a physical feeling of something heavy leaving my body. It wasn’t dramatic or uncomfortable; it was gentle but undeniable. I remember thinking, This is real. This is actually doing something.
The After Effects
When the session ended, I felt lighter, clearer, and more grounded in my own skin. It was as if the static in my mind had been turned down and I could hear my own thoughts more clearly.
In the days after, I noticed I was more aware of my own energy. I had more patience, and situations that normally would have drained me seemed easier to navigate.
It was also in this space that I learned about meditation, chakras, and the idea that energy work can be a tool for self-awareness, not just healing. Reiki became my introduction to a whole world of practices that help you connect with yourself in a deeper way.
Why You Should Try Reiki
Reiki isn’t just for people who already believe in energy work or metaphysical healing — it’s for anyone who wants to feel more balanced, more centered, and more connected to themselves.
If you’ve been feeling stuck, weighed down by stress, or emotionally drained, Reiki offers a safe and non-invasive way to release some of that heaviness. It doesn’t require you to talk through every detail of your struggles like therapy does, but it still creates space for deep emotional shifts.
It’s also an incredible complement to other forms of healing. For me, it didn’t replace therapy or EMDR — it enhanced them. It helped my mind, body, and emotions feel more in sync, which made my other healing work more effective.
Whether you leave feeling deeply relaxed, unexpectedly emotional, or just quietly different, Reiki has a way of meeting you where you are. Sometimes it’s subtle. Sometimes it’s profound. But it always offers a moment of stillness in a world that rarely stops moving.
If you’re curious, open-minded, and ready to explore a new way of caring for yourself, I can’t recommend it enough.
And if you’re in the Upstate SC area, Namaste Healing Arts is a wonderful place to begin your journey. With over 40 years of holistic, metaphysical, and quantum healing experience, they offer more than sessions — they offer mentorship, classes, and a space where healers, empaths, and intuitives can learn, grow, and reconnect with their own gifts.
Sometimes healing isn’t about “fixing” yourself — it’s about clearing away what’s in the way of who you already are. Reiki reminded me of that. And maybe it will do the same for you.
