by Mari Hall
My office was in the regional hospital in Kolin, Czechoslovakia. It was a supportive place to work because I could also consult the doctors there, and quite often we worked together in regards to clients of mine and/or patients of theirs. The head of gynecology sent a young woman to me for a consultation to see if Reiki could assist her in conceiving a child. Both she and her husband had been checked in the fertility clinic at the hospital and it was determined that they both had fertility problems. I told them to come in for an evaluation and initial treatment.
The couple, Jana and Honza, had been married for eleven years and had been unsuccessful in conceiving a child. They asked me to use Reiki with them to see if this might help. I had been sent the doctors’ records from the hospital, and also took a standard case history from both of them. I asked them about eating habits and stress factors and how they felt emotionally about this problem.
Jana was 33 years old and was a technician at a refrigeration company. She worked from 7 am to 4 pm and then cared for her grandmother until her mother got home from her job. She was often upset and felt as if she was a failure because she couldn't conceive a child. She had been depressed from time to time, and had experienced weight loss and insomnia. The doctors told her she had only one functional ovary. She felt quite stressed, both in her personal life and at work. Her eating habits indicated she had a strong desire for sweets. She craved chocolate and also drank coffee with three spoons of sugar.
Honza was 37 years old and was a translator for a petrochemical company. He worked from 7:30 am to 5 pm. He was quite busy but did not feel stressed at work. However, at home he did feel stressed because Jana was depressed, and there was so much tension in the home he often worked into the night at his computer doing additional work. He was very fond of salty foods. The doctors’ tests indicated he had a low sperm count.
I decided to treat the couple individually with Reiki so that each had their own time. I also told them I might want to adjust their diet a bit as we progressed with the treatments. We had noticed in treating fertility problems that many of the couples had a pH problem in that each had a different pH, which we felt made conception harder. I gave Jana some meditations to use to help her relax. I set up an appointment with the head of the fertility clinic to speak with Jana about their diagnosis, and to especially emphasize that the problem concerned them both. She had taken it as her problem alone, and I felt it was important for her to realize it was not just her problem. The talk did help her to relax more.
I started treating her every other day for an hour each time. I treated her whole body and spent extra time over the ovaries. She had given me a record of her menstrual cycle, which was sporadic. I wanted to see when she started to ovulate. After the first month of treatments she was considerably changed. She had gained weight and had been sleeping through the night for two weeks. Her emotions were healthier; she was eating less chocolate and was more optimistic about life. She said that Honza and she had been doing things in the evenings and had been talking more. She wanted to continue the treatments at the same rate as before.
I treated Honza twice a week for an hour a day, with extra time spent over the reproductive area. He was quite open to discussing personal things, and during our time together he spoke about his fears about his marriage. He noticed that he was more attentive to Jana over the weeks that followed and assumed it was because she was more relaxed and laughed more. In hindsight he also saw that he had spent less time on the computer and more time with Jana, and that he had experienced a series of small shifts in his behavior.
During the second month I asked the couple if they would be willing to take level one Reiki in order to treat each other. In addition to the benefits of Reiki, I felt it would be a natural way to for them to spend more time having caring thoughts and feelings for each other. I suggested also that I would remain a consultant and see them monthly. They accepted this plan and started using Reiki every day on each other. At the end of the month we came together to see how the couple was doing. Both noticed a big difference in their energy levels and that they were not so intense about having a baby. The pressure seemed off and they were enjoying being with each other. Jana’s mother arranged help with the grandmother so that Jana was free to be at home with Honza more. They had come to a beautiful relaxed state with each other and seemed to be more present. They had another checkup at the fertility clinic, and Honza’s sperm count was up and Jana’s inactive ovary showed signs of activity. The doctors determined she was ovulating from that ovary that month. She had noticed she had slight pain in that side and that her menstrual cycle was more normal. I asked them if they would be willing to continue another month with a change in their diet. We wanted to see if a more neutral diet would help them change their extreme tastes and adjust their pH to more compatible levels. Jana stopped eating sugar and Honza stopped eating chips and pickles. I gave them some homework to do with each other during the next month, involving touch and communication.
We were now well into the fourth month of treatment when they came in my office and announced that they were expecting a child. It had been confirmed that morning. We talked about a course of action to support the pregnancy with Reiki. Honza said he wanted to give Reiki to Jana and the baby as part of a welcoming ritual to the baby. Every night he would give Jana a full-body treatment and as he did Reiki over the womb area he would talk to the baby. The doctors at the fertility clinic were also following Jana’s progress. She gave herself Reiki every morning and Honza gave her Reiki every night. She had little morning sickness or problems. She seemed to thrive on Reiki and on being pregnant. I continued to see her every month. I assured them I would be with them when it was time to have the baby. The doctors had agreed to me giving her Reiki in the labor and delivery room, as they were impressed with the progression of the pregnancy and how the baby was developing.
At two o'clock one morning I was awaken by a telephone call and happily went to meet the couple at the hospital. The baby was on the way. Jana was in labor, and the doctor wanted her to be monitored there at the hospital. Honza and I began to give her Reiki with each contraction. I worked under her belly and Honza worked on her lower back. They had taken Lamaze classes at the hospital and chose to have a natural childbirth. We were in the new special birthing wing. There was meditation music playing and all the nurses and most of the doctors knew Reiki. The purpose was to aid her in the delivery but also to use this as part of the research on the effects of Reiki in the delivery process. What impressed me so much was the feeling of love and support that was constant in the room. Reiki was everywhere. At 5:45 am Honza was holding his new daughter and giving her Reiki while showing her to Jana. The delivery was without complication. Mother, baby and father were all fine. The doctors and the nurses noticed appreciable differences in Jana as compared with other women who have birth without Reiki. Jana was more relaxed, the delivery went more smoothly, and the baby was more alert and pink.
Jana and her daughter stayed in the hospital for three days. The baby slept in a cot next to her mother’s bed. Jana gave her daughter Reiki every morning and Honza gave her Reiki every night. Honza said the baby seemed to know what Reiki was. We all agreed it was wonderful that she had been treated from her first moments with Reiki.
They named the baby Svetlana, which translates as “celebration of light,” a way to have constant celebration of birth and life. The story does not stop there; there is a continuation to share.
In 1997 in Liberec the first children’s Reiki seminar was taught. Jan and Honza were on the team to help with all the children who were there. Svetlana was also there to take Reiki with her little brother. She was six years old and he was five. At the end of the seminar I asked the children to whom they were going to give Reiki first. Svetlana said “To my Daddy!” It was so wonderful to see these two miracles giving Reiki to their parents. Truly I was a witness to a family born with the aid of Reiki and united in Reiki and love.
This article originally appeared in the Winter 2002 edition of the Reiki News Magazine.
