Healing from PTSD with Reiki

This past Memorial Day reminded me of the many soldiers who serve our country and experience PTSD (post traumatic stress syndrome) on a daily basis. More importantly, it reminded me of my dad. He's a retired war veteran with 25 years in the service. He never spoke much about his war-time experiences but the effects of a life dedicated to war and defense was very much tangible in our household. Unable to sift through complicated emotional and mental landscapes within on his own; my mom, sister, and I had no choice but to share in traversing them with him. Because of this, I feel that I too have suffered from PTSD, perhaps not from first-hand wartime experience, but from wartime nonetheless.

When I started practicing Reiki on myself and others about four years ago I felt a peace and calm in my body that I'd been craving for a very long time. There was an instinct in me that made it difficult to allow myself to feel a slew of emotions, especially if I thought they were 'bad' in some way and areas around my neck and spine were in a constant state of tension. Receiving Reiki slowly relieved me of this burden. For the first time in my life I didn't have to do anything: There was nothing to fight against, nothing to focus on--all I had to do was show up and receive the love. At first I couldn't do it. It was scary. I felt like I didn't deserve something that would make me feel so good! It sounds preposterous but I was so used to feeling emotionally trapped that giving myself a way out seemed like another trap. But if there's anything I now know for sure it's that we all deserve to feel good, we all deserve to experience joy and to live our everyday lives with a sense of ease.

I can confidently share that Reiki has been a prime component on my healing journey with PTSD, and I'd like to believe that because we are all so connected, especially parents and their kids, Reiki has helped to heal my dad as well. At the age of 33, I'm now able to access a wonderful state of peace and calm within that's so hugely prominent that it surrounds my traumatized self with love and acceptance more and more everyday.