to afflicted individuals
Business owner takes
healing into her own hands
Ancient Eastern massage brings alternative relief
to afflicted individuals
BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP
Staff Writer
NORTH BRUNSWICK — The success of Linda Jean Isele’s business relies on her hands.
The Milltown resident practices and teaches Reiki, the ancient Japanese art of channeling energy through the hands to produce health, happiness and security in her Farrington Lake Plaza office suite on Route 130.
"In the East, the energy is called chi; the West calls it biogenetics," Isele said. "Recipients who have experienced it and its effects have called it the universal life force, the name that they chose for a supreme being, or unconditional love."
In most recipients, the energy transference during Reiki generates feelings of invigoration, well-being and spiritual recharging, Isele said.
"We are more than just the physical body, and our ailments heal quicker when we treat the mind, body and spirit," Isele said. "Reiki caters to the emotional component of disease and encourages the necessary mental work for a faster recovery."
During a Reiki treatment, Isele places her hands on various parts of the outstretched recipient’s body and head for more than an hour while encouraging deep relaxation.Those who suffer from aches and pains and illness can find relief in Reiki treatments, Isele said.
Isele admits receiving a lot of skepticism during her 14 years as a Reiki master.
"Some people are open, but most people are openly hostile," Isele said.
Prior to her first treatment, she was skeptical as well.
"If you told me before, this is what I would do for a living, I would say, ‘Here’s $2.50, go buy a coffee,’ " Isele said.
A mother of three boys who helped her husband with his law firm and dedicated her spare time as a Scout leader, Isele went to her first Reiki session to be with a friend whom she could never seem to make time for.
"I went with her to spend time with her, had my first treatment, and here I am," Isele said.
After her introduction to the Japanese system of natural healing, she spent two years studying with and assisting Beth Gray, Reiki master, on the East and West coasts.
"Reiki is a gift you have to receive through a Reiki master," Isele said.
Once she could perform hands-on and distance Reiki, or sending energy to someone who is not within the immediate vicinity with the aid of a picture or personal possession of that person, Isele opened her first office on Main Street in Milltown.
As word spread of her practice, Isele’s client base grew and she moved to the larger office in North Brunswick.
Now, more than ever, Western culture incorporates Eastern philosophies that encourage the union of the body, mind and spirit into their daily lives, Isele said.
It didn’t take long for Isele to convince Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital staff that Reiki worked when a car hit her 7-year-old son, 13 years ago.
"When I arrived at the emergency room the staff told me that the MRI [magnetic resonance imaging] showed swelling on his brain that would require brain surgery," Isele said.
Despite objections from doctors and nurses, Isele sat with her son David and performed Reiki for seven hours.
"The doctors were surprised to see how the swelling went down and how fast he recovered without surgery," Isele said.
Throughout her career, Isele has used Reiki in the treatment of stress, pain, stroke, cancer, tumors and heart blockages, as well as many other illnesses and afflictions.
Today, hospitals across the nation incorporate Reiki into their staff training to comfort patients and to calm the terminally ill, Isele said.
The Journal of Advanced Nursing has concluded that Reiki contributes to biochemical and physiological changes through relaxation, according to the publication’s Web site.
Working in local hospitals, residences, group homes, through community organizations and in her office, Isele has witnessed Reiki work on various conditions.
"I do not put limitation on it," Isele said. "When someone comes to me with a problem, I simply say, ‘Let’s see what Reiki can do.’ "