Interview with 64 Year Old Stroke Survivor in Nursing Home About Benefits of Reiki

It's Thursday. I'm on my way over to the Llanfair Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center in Wayne, NJ, an affiliate of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System. The sun is shining, and I'm singing along with the radio. As I near the facility, I find myself wondering what state of mind some of my residents will be in today, and if they feel Reiki is helping them in the ways it is intended. I park my car, and go inside, saying my usual hello to the receptionist who has come to know me as, "The Reiki Practitioner". I put my personal belongings away, and make sure I have everything I need: pen, paper, the bright yellow "Enter Quietly" sign, my John August's Native American Flute CD and CD player, as well as a bottle of water. Now I'm ready...

I head up to the first floor and let the nurses know I will be starting the sessions soon so they can prepare to get the pre- and post-blood pressure readings I need for the resident's file. As I give them the names of the three residents I tend to, I am saddened for a moment, silently remembering those that have passed and yet still sending them loving thoughts, honored to have been able to serve them in this way. Though some of them had never been able to speak a word to me, I had grown to know and love them. Warm-heartedly I head down the hallway to begin the first of my Reiki sessions for the day, and this is where the story begins...with a woman we'll call "Roz".

Roz suffered a stroke 23 years ago, which left her in a coma. When she awoke she was in full paralysis, left ultimately with movement only in her left hand and foot. Her right arm had no feeling whatsoever until 2-3 years ago. No brain damage occurred, but her speech was affected, narrowing her avenues of communication down to a wide, thick plastic board that displays the alphabet and numbers in large black print for her to spell with. She is 64 now and actually was the one who "requested" a Reiki session from me because she was curious to see for herself what this thing her roommate received every week was all about. She said she felt, "We would do good work together", and months later now, here we are.

I walk in and say a distinct hello, to get her attention and ask if she wants a Reiki session today. Although Roz has never refused a session, I find it necessary to always ask her permission. She nods "yes" and as usual, we enter into our normal routine. She shuts her TV off, while I plug in my radio and make my pre-session notes. I give her a kiss hello and help get her comfortably arranged in the bed. With the help of her board we talk about how she is feeling today for about five or ten minutes. I write down her responses and once we are finished, I shut the lights and begin with the session. With her eyes closed and head gently resting back on her pillow, I ask her to take three deep breaths...

For those of you who aren't familiar with Reiki, it is a Japanese hands-on healing technique that uses "life force" energy to help a person relax, reduce stress levels, and facilitate the body's own innate healing abilities, by sending energy to the places that are in need of it most. In Roz's sessions, I lay my hands either on her head, shoulders, arms, heart or stomach, as well as her legs and the soles of her feet. No two sessions are ever alike, and yet Roz seems to have similar, positive feedback for each of them.

Recently, I sat with Roz and asked her if she'd share her experience of Reiki with the world outside, and she happily agreed. The interview below shows you Roz's responses in her own words, as they were originally given to me:

Q: What sensations, if any, do you feel when you're receiving a Reiki session?

Roz: Warm. Tingling. Like a hug. When you are on my shoulder, feels like you are touching my hand. Feels like I am wearing a hat (when I am at her head). Like I am wearing a long glove (when I am at her right shoulder) and even after you are gone, I feel it. Now when you touch my upper arm, I feel (sensations in) my lower arm. Weird... (She motions with her fingers and moans as if she was saying "Spooky").

Q:How do you feel after you've had a Reiki session?

Roz: Hard to explain exactly. Content. Peaceful. Like I'm on a wave. Like I had a massage, but I know I didn't. (To try and convey the feeling, she spelt these words) "Wow", "like (a cat) purring", "love", or "like (eating) ice cream... (and saying) mmm...that's good".

Q:Are the sessions beneficial and would you recommend them for other residents?

Roz: "Yes" (and that other residents should)..."Just try it!"

When I ask myself if Reiki is in fact helping people in the ways it is intended to, I look at Roz and the other residents I've worked on, and I can see how deeply they are affected by what they're feeling. Roz's insight into her Reiki experience makes the possibility of this drugless alternative therapy for pain management and relaxation a real option when caring for the elderly citizens of our community. Whether the person is on hospice care, has dementia, arthritis, depression, pain, or in Roz's case, just likes the feeling, Reiki's non-invasive approach has the ability to offer something no medication ever could... a natural sense of peace.

Previously Published in July/August 2007 issue of Current Activities in Longterm Care.

NOTE: Though I do not practice Reiki anymore, for more information on how to start a Reiki Program in a nursing home facility in your area, feel free to contact me by sending a message through the Associated Content website or by posting a comment here.