Reiki Practitioners Working in Specialised Areas Speak About Their Experiences 

RFI members enjoyed the great speakers who spoke at our event on Sunday 25th of October at the Sheldon Park Hotel.

Thirty two of our members from all around the country turned up despite very bad weather conditions.

We were inspired, educated and entertained by each and every speaker.
  

Patricia Sheehan started off the afternoon by sharing her experiences and wisdom about teaching Reiki to the visually impaired.

Through Patricia's words we followed the journey of one particular woman who had lost her confidence as a result of losing her eyesight. She had become very dependent on her family and had withdrawn from the joy of life.

As a result of attending Reiki 1 and Reiki 2 with Patricia this lady regained her confidence. She now walks tall and engages life fully. She even has a strong desire to become a Reiki practitioner.

Patricia did an excellent job at highlighting the dynamics of facilitating Reiki to the visually impaired. Things she mentioned included - Specialised Reiki manuals and the fact that the guide dog may turn up to the workshop as well!

  
Mary Kennedy was our next speaker. I think everyone who attended agrees that if Mary ever gives up her day job, she would make a great stand up comedian.

She entertained us through her wonderful accounts of how different animals respond to Reiki. The one message that was crystal clear is you must know your animals before you approach them for Reiki or anything else.

We were educated into the Reiki preferences of horses, dogs, cats and birds.

The theme changed after our tea break. Our next three speakers spoke about how Reiki is being used in the health care system.

  
Carol Kenny spoke of her experiences as a lay person giving Reiki treatments to the staff in a busy Dublin hospital.

She also gives Reiki to the elderly in the same hospital. The families of the elderly clients pay for these treatments.

Carol went on to talk about sharing Reiki on a voluntary basis.  Carol donates some of her time to such voluntary work with the elderly. They love the gentle touch of Reiki and the human contact.

  
Maura Mc Ginley is a Nurse in Complementary Therapy for the Specialised Palliative Care Service in Meath.  Reiki is one of the therapies which Maura uses.

Maura spoke of the benefits of Reiki for people diagnosed with terminal cancer.

The future of Reiki in the HSE was also addressed. Maura emphasised the importance of having a recognised Anatomy and Physiology course, if you wish to work in such areas in the future.

Currently it is only qualified health care professionals within the HSE who are employed by the HSE  to use complementary therapies on patients with terminal cancer.

Our last speaker of the day was Helen Cooney. Helen worked in a Hospice in the UK using Reiki.

Helen spoke of the great training she got as a volunteer within the UK system.  The Hospice/Cancer Support Group had an official policy to supervise all new therapists over their first six days. This was to ensure that therapists could cope with terminally ill people. Helen's life skills obviously stood to her as she did not require any supervision after her first day. 

Helen shared the benefits people received from Reiki, even in the last days of their lives.

Some of the audience were very interested in looking at the literature Helen brought with her, including the consultation form which was used in that particular hospice.
  

A big thank you to everyone who made the day such a success.

We all learnt a great deal from the collective wisdom present.