‘An integral being knows without going, sees without looking, and accomplishes without doing’
— Lao Tzu
Integral is an important concept and, understandably, some of us do not realize its significance right away. Being integral indicates the journey to being whole; it indicates the presence of something that makes our actions, thoughts, lives meaningful and valuable. Be it love, friendship, or ambition, whatever it is that keeps us going is integral to our lives and we must do all that we can to sustain and nurture it. Having said this, it is also a fact that many a time we lose direction, hope, and joy, and find little or no comfort in the things that would earlier make us happy. These are moments for which we should fortify our many systems—mind, body, and soul being the three most important.
I’ve heard many people say that the past was a simpler time, an easier time. While there is no way to verify the credibility of this, it is, however, apparent that our lives today are anything but simple; our struggles anything but easy. Children are under tremendous pressure to get top marks in school, parents likewise are under pressure to facilitate the performance, professionals face a different set of challenges, and the elderly have their own troubles to deal with. While the mentioned categories have not changed much, the finer details, however, have undergone drastic transformation. Disturbing statistics around juvenile suicide have increased and more and more individuals in the job sector are ‘burning out’ faster. Times have changed and with it so have our coping mechanisms. Amongst the various alternative healing practices that are available today, counselling is perhaps one of the most effective and least invasive. Team that up with Reiki —a light-touch healing therapy that allows the body to heal itself by drawing on the energy that surrounds us—we have a winning combination.
Understand the Relationship between Reiki and Counselling
Essentially, Reiki is all about channelling the universal energy. Not only is it safe with no side-effects, it is applicable to all and that includes animals as well. Integral to Reiki is the belief that we are all somehow connected with each other and it is this that helps the mind, body, and soul to heal faster. At some point, I wondered why is it that being connected is so important to us, thereby leading us to be afraid of loneliness and isolation which needn’t only be physical; emotional distancing can and is deeply distressing. The answer, I later realized is simple, to know that we belong to something or someone gives us direction, a purpose, sense of worth, and motivation. To know that actions will have a consequence in a larger scheme of things lends us purpose. To lose all or any of it can be upsetting. In this regard, Reiki is a kind of healing that restores peace to mind, vitality to the body, and direction to the soul. The chakras, energy portals that are present in our body, are the gateways through which this universal energy enters our body. Many have testified this reintroduction of energy into the body as ‘a warm gush’ and once it is there in our system it knows where to go and what to do. Integral to life, this energy as it moves clears the various blockages and helps ease dis-ease.
What Holistic Counselling vis-à-vis Reiki?
Luckily for us all we are gradually moving away from a ‘spot-treat’ way of treatment where only the affected area is singled out. If one has a recurring migraine problem, it needn’t necessarily be a neurological issue requiring rounds of MRI scans; it could very well be a lifestyle issue or a negative belief that has lodged itself deeply in the mind causing the migraine whenever it senses the trigger. Holistic counselling is an approach that facilitates healing by understanding every relevant aspect of the individual—those that are related to the client’s mind and belief systems.
At some point we all have been counsellors either to friends, relatives, or colleagues. We understand the importance of talking things out, to get under the skin of the issue, and to chart out a new and effective course. It is also important to understand the issue and how one feels when it manifests dis-ease. With my clients I focus on getting real answers, those that will enable the Reiki energy to go to the areas that need it urgently. The focus at all times is on releasing the trapped negativity.
Reiki as a Complementary Course
Not surprisingly, many hospitals in the West have introduced Reiki as part of their holistic treatment and have begun taking the body and mind as two equally important sides that need to be investigated for treatment. When used in addition to conventional medicine, it can help in relieving the stress, anxiety, and trauma that may be associated with it. Many of my clients take Reiki sessions as a complementary course and affirm the many positive outcomes, such as faster healing, anxiety-free check-ups, a positive approach towards the treatment, and fewer side-effects.
Similarly, when Reiki is administered along with psychological counselling, it brings about a heightened perspective regarding the issue and engages the mind along with the body to facilitate healing. Often the two are not aligned and this may delay the healing which, I strongly feel, begins first at the subconscious level. It is the mind that tells the body it must heal and the universal energy, when it enters, provides the necessary action.
The Subconscious Mind and Healing
Among the many polarities and parts, the two most distinct are the conscious, governed by the five senses, and the subconscious, the repository of our thoughts, actions, feelings, and emotions. The subconscious is also that part which stays with us through our many lives. This is where deeply felt emotions, thoughts, experiences, and actions take root and influence our behaviour. Our seemingly baffling actions (phobias and/or anxieties) are related to the experiences stored in our subconscious. Many a time, this is also the place where we struggle the most (no matter how calm the exterior). Counselling, like Reiki, is about unblocking and seeking clarity on the things that are causing us trouble, and, like Reiki, it goes to the deepest-possible source to begin the healing. Shifts in our beliefs manifest as changes in our actions which in turn alters the many things that happen around us. We, as a result, not only vibrate positivity but also attract positive people, thoughts, and actions.
Nowadays people have begun understanding the value of peace of mind and are willing to settle for less (not just in terms of wealth but also ambition) if it brings them happiness. Reiki helps in bringing this perspective to the forefront; it is not just a treatment but a way of life that can solve and heal whether or not the body is in pain discomfort. Reiki can and will help us in our pursuit of becoming the integrated being—the one who accomplishes without doing.
