Favorite feedback: “Felt like my heart opened.”

Since 2011 we have been attending the Jesse Brown VA Stand Down Service Fairs for veterans in need. Each time we receive a warm welcome, and have incredible experiences with the vets.

Favorite feedback: ”Wow, that absolutely shifted the needle—we are down to zero! [stress level]”

We offered Reiki to 37 paramedic recruits and instructors to help them understand that energy healing techniques can be powerful allies in maintaining mental and physical wellbeing

Favorite feedback: ”Thank you, Jesus, for those hands!”

We have offered Reiki at the Chicago Police Academy several times now, and this time we were able to give Reiki to the top brass of that facility. They were very supportive of our efforts—woot!

Reiki is not affiliated with any particular religion, but people often associate a tangible laying on of hands experience with their own background. We also appreciate a good sense of humor.

Favorite feedback: “I felt like you were pulling something out of me. My sinuses are clear. My chest feels clear.”

With midterms fast approaching, we received a number of invitations to offer Reiki at college Wellness Fairs this month. We’ve been to U of C before, serving the medical school. This time it was an all-school Wellapallooza in the Hogwarts-like Reynolds Club.

Favorite feedback: “I dare say, my headache is gone!”

We were warmly welcomed back to Arrupe College to offer Reiki to students and faculty. We had three practitioners and worked with 25 Wellness Fair attendees.

Favorite feedback: ”My neck pain is, like, gone!”

Loyola students and faculty learned a lot about Reiki this past Wednesday! It was our annual visit to the Loyola University Wellness fair where students received flu shots and visited booths with information and activities about diet, stress relief, healthcare services available at the University, etc.

Favorite feedback: ”I felt unconditional love…”

We love introducing Reiki to people for the first time, and we love when officers approach us saying they’ve experienced Reiki from us before, and came back for more. So it was a win/win when we visited CPD’s HQ for the third time.

Favorite feedback: ”Wow. Amazing. I feel so different.”

It’s not difficult to imagine that living in a correctional institution would be… traumatic, to say nothing of the circumstances that landed someone there. We were honored to offer Reiki to participants in INVC’s HOPE program, which provides support for formerly incarcerated individuals as they re-enter society.

—Feedback from a paramedic hours after a ten-minute Reiki session.

Reiki sometimes helps when all else has failed, because Western medicine does not yet consider energetic disturbance to be a contributing factor for pain. We were honored to support the CFD’s E115 members’ physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual wellness. with Reiki sessions.

Favorite feedback: “Transcendent.”

Reiki can help people transcend the illusion that we are just physical beings in a physical world. We are so much more.

Favorite feedback: “I kind of had an out of body experience.”

We loved hearing that CPS was hosting a Healing-Centered Conference for their social workers and Social Emotional Learning specialists. We also loved being invited to offer Reiki to the attendees. We provided 61 sessions over three days to those new to Reiki, and to those familiar and thrilled to see it offered at this event.

Favorite feedback: “I love this experience. It always helps.”
Reiki helps regulate the nervous system, moving people from sympathetic, to parasympathetic states, aka “fight or flight,” to “rest and digest.”

The Institute for Nonviolence Chicago works to prevent crimes, and to help individuals heal from crimes that have been committed to break the chain of violence. We worked with the Victim Services staff to familiarize them with Reiki. Next goal: working with victims themselves.

Favorite feedback:
“I wanna take your hands home with me!”

Now that we’ve been to the Academy several times, a common, post-session question is: “When are you coming back?”

Favorite feedback:
“I needed that more than I thought I did.”

Unfortunately, we tend to habituate to stress. Wellness isn’t just reduction of dis-ease, it’s an abundance of peace and joy. Everyone could use more of that, and Reiki can help provide it.

Favorite feedback: “Like energy leaving me, pulled from me—in a good way.”
We store trauma in our bodies energetically, and Reiki can help move it out.

The Institute for Nonviolence Chicago is an incredible organization promoting peace by intervening when street violence seems imminent. This model has been effective, and is serving as an example nation-wide. Last month, over 30 attorneys general from all over the US, including Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, visited INVC’s Austin office to learn about their outreach work with READI Chicago and how they teach cognitive behavioral interventions (CBI) to staff and participants to build peace in our communities. Love them, and love supporting them with Reiki!

Favorite feedback: “Wow!”

We had a new addition to our crew this past Friday—our new intern, Mimi! Suzanne and I were so glad to have her managing sign-in and survey feedback so we could focus on giving Reiki to veterans.

SOS Children’s Villages is a global organization with a brilliant solution for families in crisis. They’ve created foster communities with all kinds of supportive resources so the children are integrated into and cared for by a village. We spent our lunch hour introducing them to Reiki. Looking forward to fostering this relationship.

“I feel wonderful! I’m so glad I came!” We were, too.

We gave Reiki to 26 mothers who’ve lost children to gun violence in Chicago at the Purpose Over Pain Mother’s Day spa event. We all experienced a lot of feelings—overall, tremendous gratitude for the opportunity to be there and support these women.

We gave Reiki to 24 CPS teachers, and one principal yesterday.

Favorite feedback: ”My pain is gone!” (x3)