by Judi Broyles
There is a saying: “Man makes plans and God laughs.” I always thought that when I retired that I would spend quiet days in the garage building dollhouses. Some force in the Universe said, “There are other plans for you. You are going to be a Reiki practitioner, but first there is some healing in store for you.” And so, nine months ago, a powerful force introduced me to Reiki and my Reiki Master, Donna Shaffer. When she placed her hand on my forehead at the end of my first attunement, it felt like something had hit me between the eyes, and I saw the most amazing color of blue that I have ever seen—and this with my eyes closed.
At that time I was a physical, emotional and spiritual wreck, and did not even know it because I was taking 210 prescription pills a week for different ailments. That didn’t include over-the-counter medicines such as aspirin and Benadryl. I had surgery in January 2007 for a ruptured disk in my neck and temporarily lost the use of my left arm. Although I regained the use of the arm, I was never without pain—it was just a matter of degree. Some days the pain was so bad all I wanted was to sit on my bed and cry. So I took a lot of pain medication. I had high blood pressure, and I also took medication for that. For eighteen years I have suffered with microscopic colitis—an incurable autoimmune disease, which means that I suffered with diarrhea for most of that time. I took 105 pills a week in an attempt to keep that under control.
When my Reiki Master learned that we live in the same neighborhood, she asked if she could stop by and give me Reiki. She would put her hands on my shoulders and then move them to my neck. The heat generated from her hands was incredible. Then after a short while, the pain would start to go away. There were times when the pain would start up, and I would head for the bottle of Vicodin, and then the pain would simply disappear. I didn’t understand what was happening. One day when Donna came I asked her, “What is going on?” She just looked at me and smiled and said, ”That’s Reiki working for you.” I started taking fewer pain medications and then I started seeing her for private sessions on a weekly basis. How fortunate I was and am to have someone who is a neighbor, who has 20 years experience as a Reiki Practitioner and who has spent 12 or more years of those as a dedicated Reiki Master.
It didn’t take long before my blood pressure started dropping and so did the amount of medication I was taking for that problem. The power of Reiki is incredible, but it also took some work on my part. I had to allow Reiki to bring forth painful and deeply buried emotional issues before the healing could occur. Then I started feeling a calmness come over me, along with a joy that I had never experienced before. I started to feel at one with myself and the Universe. A spiritual enlightenment took place.
Recently, with Donna’s help and the approval of my gastroenterologist, I began using Reiki and changes in my diet to bring my colitis under control. I had reached the end of the road with medications that would work for me, and I was taking cortisone as a last resort. The dietary changes consisted of replacing many of the foods I eat with organic foods and eating absolutely no fast food or junk food. I found that I cannot eat raw vegetables. Instead of a salad, I now eat steamed vegetables. Considering the benefits, this is not a sacrifice.
During Reiki Treatments, Donna put her hands on my abdomen, and I could feel the healing taking place. The last time she gave me Reiki in that area, the heat was so intense I felt as if I had an internal vibrator. I looked up, and I could tell that she was feeling a lot of energy going through her because she appeared very flushed. I know that the combination of dietary changes and Reiki is working, because I am no longer taking any medication for this incurable disease. So, instead of 210 pills a week, I now take 21-25 for other minor problems.
Every day I give myself Reiki and sit quietly to meditate and recite the Reiki Ideals. I add one line: “Just for today I will honor my spirit and my soul.” Reiki has become such a part of my life; I truly cannot remember what life was like before Reiki. In a few weeks I hope to have completed my Reiki Master apprenticeship. And so I have made my commitment to teach and to heal others.
All this in less than one year! I feel so much gratitude, joy, and peacefulness. When Donna said at the start of her Level I class, “If you do not want your life to change, leave now,” she really meant it.
This is an excerpt from the complete article that appeared in the Winter 2008 issue of Reiki News Magazine.
