Carolyn is our new team member at mindyourmind! She talked about her Reiki practice, what Reiki is all about, why she has chosen to become a Reiki practitioner, how this has changed her life and what she wants to share with other people.

I think I wanted to take a personal learning course...I remember going to a website of a spot that did massage, oils, aromatherapies, yoga, etc., I read about Reiki and liked that it was dealing with energy. I have always felt the “power” from my hands and knew there was something more there that I wanted to explore. So, I signed up for Reiki Level 1. After that first level, I didn’t really do anything much with it. I had a deeper awareness of myself and my connectedness with the universe, but I was also really busy with life and had a lot of growing up to do. When I was attuned to my second degree, I was pregnant with my son, and had needed to find a different Reiki Master (long story & good personal lesson about professionalism and documentation!). I met Gayle Russell, and she has been my Reiki Master ever since. That was in 2012. Over the last 6 years I have worked toward my 7th and final attunement and degree. I can see how having reiki in my life has helped me through some of my darkest hours. We can’t escape the pain of living, some stuff we just have to go through. Reiki is a source of comfort and healing, so living through tragic experiences I felt grounded and connected to my beliefs. It definitely made acceptance easier. I also love that Reiki goes with YOUR flow. As a practitioner, I am able to feel where healing and growth are needed. It opens us up to what we need to work on, and allows us our pace. We have to do the work, and Reiki supports and heals as we go.

At this time, seeing a job posting for a Reiki Practitioner is pretty rare. It takes a long time to build up a client base and be on the level to rent, buy, or create the appropriate space for your unique business. I have always wanted to do my own thing and use the gifts I have, in the ways that honour the path I am on. Being in alignment with my calling means creating my own path, so I am happy to evolve and take the time to reach my vision...I have two school age kids, a husband, my mom, my friends, I am an instructor at Fanshawe College, I am on a contract position with mindyourmind...I have a busy and full life. I will be finishing my degree in Psychology over the next couple of years. Authentic Touch is evolving as I do, and there will be a time where I will be in a position to transition into doing that full time. Eventually I will be doing workshops, public speaking, writing, and blossoming my brand. I’m going with the flow and trusting that the Universe has my back and is supporting me to my highest good. I know having Reiki in my life has given me the confidence to take chances, be patient, and trust that I will get to where I want to.

The first three levels of Reiki begin at basic concepts and hand positions, to understanding the meaning and use of symbols. The last four levels are about our own journey through the chakras, learning even more symbols, and moving deeper through our own healing. Some people are wanting to do this for others, and some people want to do it for their own personal journey. Depending on why you are going through the Reiki degrees, will shape your experiences and how you handle them. Levels four through seven are intense and liberating. I have never felt more confident.

I’ll introduce myself and explain what a treatment looks like. I compare a treatment to a chiropractic adjustment. I am aligning all your chakras. When that happens, it allows energy healing to move through your body and soul-it’s a wonderful feeling flow. I will ask my client what their intention is for the treatment. Some people have very specific intentions and others are not too sure. I encourage them to take some time to think and always put out what is in their greatest good and the good for all involved. I get that we want what we want, but sometimes that is not what is best of all involved. Most of my clients have me to their home. It’s more comfortable for them, which is understandable. As a practitioner I enjoy being in my clients space because it helps me understand them better which means I can help them on even deeper levels. I let them know at the very least it will be relaxing, but that they will get whatever they are needing from the treatment. Most clients take a little while to wind down, which is why I start on their crown chakra. It calms their mind and diffuses the stress and tension carried in the mind. I work my way down through the third eye, to the throat, then onto the heart, next to the solar plexus, and down to the sacral chakra, and finishing off at the root. I’ll typically give the knees, ankles, and feet some love too. I’ll let the client know I am finished, and to take their time. When they’re ready we usually sit and chat for a bit. I’ll speak throughout a treatment as thoughts and feelings come to me. I never know all of the details, more so just the theme or feeling. So, I may feel deep sadness over an area, but don’t know what that sadness is about. What I do know, is having Reiki on that area, allows for that sadness to be addressed on a more healing level. Depending on the client's willingness to share, and where they are at in their own healing, will be what I work with. Which is why I love Reiki! If you’re not ready to “go there” just yet, it doesn’t go there.

Ha! Anywhere from weird yet wonderful, to never heard from again, to O.M.G., that was amazing, to come every week! I’ve had a client tell me her entire life shifted after a treatment and it moved her out of her funk. She had been in a toxic relationship and was having a hard time moving past certain things. After one treatment, she was “unstuck”. Reiki gives what you are willing to receive. The kind of Practitioner I am, is one who wants to see people reach higher levels within themselves. I am all about doing the work in my own life, and I encourage that with all of my clients. Every treatment brings shifts, what we do with those shifts is up to us.

The future of Authentic Touch is a thriving business that extends far and wide. I want to help as many people understand and heal their childhood pain so they can understand and heal their current day pain. I want people to be happy, healthy and connected and following their hearts desires. As I mentioned earlier, I will be finishing my degree and building my private practice. I will be doing community work, and public/motivational speaking. I enjoy doing different things and want to be versatile in the ways I teach and help.

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