My Personal Reiki Wow Story

This is my personal Reiki Wow story. On Tuesday, I had two visits to Western medical practices. One was for a reaction to Moderna’s bilateral booster for Covid-19. The second was for scheduled cortisone shots in my osteoarthritic feet. It was the first time I received treatment for both feet in an appointment.

It Starts with the Booster

I received my first Covid-19 booster shot on Friday morning, five days prior. Although concerned about side effects, since I like to travel, it’s a risk I was willing to take.

Each morning I connect to my Spiritual team of guides, angels, and other helpers from God to set my energy for the day. So I took a second opportunity Thursday night concerning my health. I asked archangels Michael and Rafael to protect me from adverse reactions from the injection, especially anything that would interfere with my upcoming trip on a Viking River Cruise.

Immediate After Effects

The injection was painless; I knew it was done when I felt the pharmacist place the bandaid over the site.

Then I stood up and felt dizzy immediately. It was minor, but I thought to ask the pharmacist.

“Do I have to sit for ten minutes before I do my shopping?”

“Oh no, this isn’t like the first two shots. We were the human guinea pigs then. They perfected it now.”

I agreed with his assessment and carefully returned to the entrance to pick up a cart. But unfortunately, the dizziness stayed with me until I sat in my car. Then it returned as I took my two small bags into the house.

The Next 48 Hours

My symptoms were much less severe than I experienced with the second Moderna shot in the fall of 2021. But I noticed the fever during the night, occasional chills, and a general feeling of malaise.

The injection site became increasingly painful, and I had new symptoms by Sunday. I’ll spare you the specifics, but there were bouts of gastrointestinal distress.

Now I’m Getting Worried

My upper arm was swollen and hot to the touch, and there was a red patch the size of a deck of cards. The itchiness was most pronounced at night, but I felt well enough during the day to take the dog for a short walk and pull some weeds in a shrub bed.

Finally, I called my nurse practitioner’s office, and they scheduled me for an appointment at 8:45 am Tuesday. It worked well since my cortisone injections were at 11:15 am, twenty miles away. And there was a Walgreens in between.

Amidst all this, I’d noticed an apparent sty on my right eye. I was headed out of the country in a week and needed to handle any preexisting conditions. I mentioned it to the intake nurse. Then, knowing that my cup of coffee and general anxiety could elevate my borderline hypertension, I took a few calming breaths and gently closed my eyes as the cuff was placed on my non-injection arm. When I heard 136/84, I was amazed.

Katie Miller, FNP-C, explained she had seen many injection site reactions from Covid booster vaccines in her office. Additionally, she shared it takes her about five days to recover fully from boosters, noting it was primarily minor exhaustion. Finally, she prescribed two ointments; a topical for the itching on my arm and an antibiotic for my burgeoning eye infection.

Rather than feeling let down by my less-than-perfect booster experience, I felt in awe that my spiritual team revealed and addressed my unknown health issue.

And Now for the WOW

In preparation for the dreaded cortisone shots in two hours, I’d arranged for a fellow Reiki practitioner to give me a long-distance session. We texted as I waited in my podiatrist’s office to be called into the exam room. Our reiki connection had begun in earnest as soon as we thought of each other. I feel it now, even in a place of memory.

The nurse escorts me to the last exam room and starts the prep work. She sounded apprehensive when I told her there would be two shots. But by this time, I’m in such a calm state that my reaction is as an observer.

I lower my gaze before Dr. Robinson enters the room. The reiki connection is in full bloom. First, I feel the numbing coolness as a liquid flows over my right foot. The next sensation is the same coolness of a fluid flowing over my left foot. Finally, I sense the procedures are complete and open my eyes.

“Wow. I didn’t feel the needle’s prick, the pressure against my joint, or the discomfort of anything. That’s a first! But I confess. I was using reiki with the help of a second long-distance practitioner.”

Dr. Robinson is usually non-verbal. As a result, some would say he lacks a warm bedside manner. But this time, he initiated a conversation about my upcoming trip, sharing his experience exploring Europe while stationed at an air force base in England. I remember thinking, who is this guy? But, of course, I loved every minute of my extended visit.

Two realities seem apparent.

    1. The calming effects of reiki can alleviate pain by changing our physical and mental focus.
    2. This effect extends to others nearby.

An Invitation for You

Did you like my personal reiki wow story? Would you like some of that, too? Here’s an opportunity you won’t want to miss.  Signup for my newsletter and I will offer you, my reader, an exceptional 30-minute reiki experience for $22. Hurry because this offer expires on May 11, 2023.

With loving compassion,
Dawn

How to Grow Your Resilience

How to grow your resilience comes from many sources including an innate ability. We don’t often hear the word resilience. A Google search results in this definition for resilience – the capacity to recover from difficult circumstances or simply toughness.
In addition, it involves:

  • Connecting to a positive attitude
  • Developing a determination to work through
  • Saying “Yes” to difficult emotions
  • Developing the capacity to allow

Is This Something I Can Develop?

First, it’s nice to know resilience is a common occurrence in most people. However, we need to cultivate more of it. In fact, anyone can develop toughness or build upon it.

A meditation practice is key to developing all the qualities to build resilience. In fact, the capacity to recover (equanimity) is built-in to the meditation practice on Ten Percent Happier. A short meditation by Sebene Selassie is the basis for this article. Furthermore, you can watch a YouTube interview with Dan Harris and Sebene titled “The Joy of Allowing Life to Be”.

Practice

Although I recommend a set time for developing the habit of meditation, you can use these steps anytime you find yourself upset about a difficult situation. Allow your intuition to determine whether or not you remove yourself to a private location, safety first, always.

  1. Find a comfortable posture
  2. Either close your your eyes or gaze downward
  3. Begin with slow breathing, in through your nose, out through your mouth
  4. Soften any tightness in your body on the out breath
  5. Connect to the breath or whatever sensations in your body are prominent
  6. Accept anything happening right now; annoyance, distraction, ease, even pain
  7. Say to yourself, “Allow”
  8. Slowly open your eyes

Meditation practice is just that… practice. It doesn’t matter when you lose your way with distraction or thoughts. Noticing and starting again happens for everyone. Make space for exactly what’s here. Saying yes, starting over, allow.

Learning how to grow your resilience, your toughness, through cultivating a positive attitude, determination, and the capacity to allow result in working through difficult times.

The Effects of Self-Imposed Stress

Note: this blog was written right before my awareness there was a  pandemic looming in February 2020. At the time I felt it was insensitive to write about my ‘self-imposed’ stress. Now, sixteen months later, I resurrected it from my drafts.

*******************

Last week I suffered the effects of self-imposed stress. Just thinking about it sends chills down my spine.

Some part of me knew I’d let my activities and choices get out of hand. However, it was more obvious to my husband and mother, who live with me. During the previous month, I had whittled away the major contributor, giving away my time and energy to aid causes more than myself. Yes, I resigned my last job as a volunteer. I thought that was enough. It wasn’t.

Stress Manifests in My Life

First, I noticed a small headache, off and on for a few days. Then exhaustion hit me about midday on day one, Friday. Although unusual for me, I took a nap, a two hour nap. Meanwhile, my plan to cook an elaborate dinner with the chops I’d purchased, evaporated. I found some hot dogs in the back of the meat drawer. It sounded appetizing with the leftover, homemade macaroni and cheese. After serving up the Cleveland Red Beet Kraut, I found a spurt of energy, looking at the colorful shades of red and yellow food choices.

I went to bed early and slept over seven hours, meeting my Fitbit sleep goal. Yeah!

Day Two Starts a Little Better

My usual routine in the morning included a breakfast of carefully measured oatmeal, chopped apple, crystallized ginger, and a boiled egg for added protein. I logged it, just as I’ve done for the last three months.

Essential items were getting low; milk, half and half, peanut butter, bananas, and I needed apples for the Waldorf salad I planned to make. As I finally left for town it was close to lunchtime. I opted for the cafe in Bok Tower Gardens and one of my favorite wraps, Buffalo Chicken. Afterward I went for a fifteen minute stroll.

I was feeling unusually tired from my little walk, but there were still groceries to buy. Arriving home, I carried the groceries and headed for the stairs to the kitchen. My legs seemed so heavy. I took each step slowly, first the left foot, then the right, resting the grocery bags on the steps above.

As soon as I put the milk away, I fell into bed, noticing I had two hours before a group coaching call with Connie Chapman. Just twenty minutes before the call, I awoke and hurried to my downstairs office.  As usual, my Internet was too weak for Zoom in my office, too far from the signal. I went outside and sat in the carport, directly below the WiFi modem.

A Release Valve

The positive energy of the call with women around the world, left me feeling energized as I walked to the back door. It was locked. I had no key. I carefully placed my iPad on the washing machine and phoned my husband. No answer. I lost it. I pounded my fists on the door, and let out a blood-curdling scream. There were no words in the scream, just a huge release.

My mother, who lives downstairs, opened the door with a look of surprise.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m much better now,” I calmly replied.

Even though late in the day, it was much easier navigating the stairs, until the last four steps when exhaustion set in again. As I headed toward the bedroom, I told Wayne I couldn’t prepare supper, and fell into bed. I slept a few hours, ate a banana smeared with peanut butter, and returned to bed and my usual restlessness.

Day Three Looms

Waking up early, I felt better. However, some of the activities I had accepted as normal the week before, seemed out of place or needed adjustment. Shortly after sitting on the pew in church with my mother on Sunday morning, I felt woozy.

“I’m going to sit a spell in the Ladies Lounge, Mom. I’ll make sure I come back during the recessional.”

“Okay,” she replied.

Sitting nearly alone in the quiet of the supportive, yet comfortable chair, felt like a perfect solution to my ‘spell’. I rested, meditated, and felt somewhat refreshed as the time drew close to my scheduled return to the sanctuary.

I was mildly concerned that my ninety-one-year-old mother might have had some difficulty as I steadily walked down the aisle by the modern, stain-glass windows. However, there she was, turning slowly as the cross held high, went past her pew. I slipped in and found my absence had the benefit of offering up my unused bulletin to a late comer. They had underestimated the number of people coming to worship.

Driving home was uneventful. It was somewhat difficult to get out of the car, but my legs seemed fine, that is, until it was time to climb the stairs. At first, I wasn’t sure I could make it. But I stood tall and willed my legs up each step.

The Next 18 Hours

I slept. Eighteen hours were spent in and out of bed; sometimes tossing, sometimes thoughts invading, sometimes restful.

A New Day Dawns

There was no doubt in my mind I’d had a wake up call. I was a different, calmer person who knew what to do and felt no emotion as I started the routine of my Monday. With my cup of coffee resting on the table, I took my iPhone and started making methodical changes. Notifications were the first cut. Then the Group Memberships on Facebook dissolved. Next I made the decision to quit logging my food, moving the app to a less visible screen. By the time I’d finished my coffee, I felt lighter, calmer, and refreshed.

Right now, however, in my new way of being, I’m feeling the need to sit and stare at the lakeshore, waiting for the resident white egret.

To be continued…

Was Stress the Only Factor?

Now, in hindsight, I realize through my over zealous activity, I’ve been avoiding the one thing I fear most, writing my stories in a book, a memoir. This physical breakdown was like a door that allowed me to walk through to the other side, where my destiny awaits. I invite you to sign up for my newsletter, where I’ll bring you farther into my world of writing.

Calmly,
Dawn