By Heidi Scanlon, CRMT
“The world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming it.” — Helen Keller
Imagine growing up in an abusive, alcohol or chemical dependent household, never knowing what a normal family life is like. A typical day might include being screamed at, ridiculed, beaten or neglected. Love seems nonexistent. Many people don’t need to imagine this scenario — it’s their life, or it was when they were a child.
The scars from this type of environment don’t go away. The memories are embedded in our cells, showing up in various forms. Emotional effects of a dysfunctional family can show up as insecurity, aggression, eating disorders, addictions, depression, relationship problems, maladaptive behaviors such as cutting and other self-harm behaviors.
All these traumas create energetic blockages in and around the body. When the energy is blocked or not flowing, a person is not functioning properly and this limits their ability to deal with life and stay healthy. This is why so many people that have experienced a dysfunctional family life deal with major illnesses later in life. The fact that our emotional and mental states impact our health has already been established scientifically. A study done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente’s Health Appraisal Clinic in San Diego, proved that a dysfunctional childhood can create many significant risk factors, such as alcoholism, drug abuse, depression, cancer, severe obesity, heart disease, chronic fatigue syndrome and chronic lung disease, to name only a few. A person’s lifespan may be shortened by almost 20 years.
People who have been through these painful childhood traumas deserve to live a productive, happy life. Many try to push it all away and live a normal life, but it’s still there under the surface, affecting their physical body and everything they do. Reiki, a healing practice, may be able to help those affected by childhood trauma.
Reiki is a universal life force energy which is gentle and soothing. It has an intelligence that enables it to know exactly what a person needs. After a session, most say they feel lighter and don’t feel that heaviness anymore. Regular sessions hold the possibility of thriving in life and many say they feel like a new person.
Reiki can also help a person sleep better, deal with stress more effectively, have better focus, have less physical pain and have more energy. Reiki is not a treatment for conditions. By removing the interferences to proper energy flow, the body functions better and healing is possible. Proper energy helps a person show up as their best.
Reiki is complementary to traditional medicine and is now used in more than 800 hospitals nationwide. Today it is becoming widely recognized that the No. 1 component for good health and success is proper energy. The past is gone, but the effects of it may still reside within the body. To find out if the energy in and around your body are flowing properly, I offer a comprehensive evaluation of your energy field.
Heidi Scanlon is a Certified Reiki master/teacher. Her practice is at Freedman Chiropractic Center, LLC. Brier Hill Ct. D-6, East Brunswick. She is also co-owner of the New Jersey School of Reiki LLC. She teaches all levels of White Light Reiki. Heidi Scanlon is approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) as a continuing education approved provider. AP#233. For more information, call 732-254-6070, or visit www.FreedmanChiropracticCenter.com or www.NJSchoolofReiki.com