Harness the power of the body-mind. The body and mind are intricately connected and cannot exist without each other.
As a wholistic nurse, my work is about bringing people back into "wholeness"—empowering them to balance and heal their lives. I believe that everything we need is already within us and that various “tools” or healing techniques such as Reiki and hypnosis, can help one to access that inner wisdom and harness the power of the body-mind.
The body and the mind constantly communicate with each other. Every thought we have, every idea, every belief has an effect on our body. Every sensation we experience has an effect on our mind. Thoughts and ideas are chemically transmitted to the rest of our body. By simply changing our thoughts or beliefs, we can bring about changes in our lives and our bodies.
Modalities such as Reiki and hypnosis, harness the power of the body-mind, allowing the person to become their own healer. They work to remove or decrease blockages in the body or the mind, which then facilitate the healing process.
Wholeness—balance of body, mind and spirit, is the goal.
My journey with Reiki began when Reiki “found” me in 1992. I had studied Healing Touch and loved the experience of working with energy. A good friend then told me about Reiki and I said, “If it’s anything like this…show me the way!” I was able to find a Reiki teacher through the nurse that had been taking care of my mother who had Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS). Anne had been bringing Reiki into my home and giving it to my mom every chance she got! I like to think that Reiki found me in my darkest hour. I was able to take a class in May of 1992; three weeks after my mother had made her transition. I began to treat myself every day and I believe that Reiki helped me heal after losing my mom and best friend.
Not sure of what to do with this new healing energy, I was guided to enroll in massage school to help me continue to develop my healing skills.
I continued to study Reiki and became a Reiki Master Teacher in 1994. I then met Laurelle Gaia, a teacher with the International Center for Reiki Training, and was so impressed that I began studying with Laurelle and entered the Center’s Licensed Teacher Program. This included the studying of Karuna Reiki® in August 1995 with William Rand, the founder of the International Center for Reiki Training. I then began teaching Reiki full-time and found myself traveling to different states as people contacted me to learn about this wonderful healing energy.
During this time, I also wrote many articles for local metaphysical newspapers, Reiki News, and lectured to various groups on the healing powers of Reiki and as well as other complementary therapies. Laurelle and I started “United in Healing,” an organization of Reiki practitioners with the intent to unite the Reiki community and spread the word to the public.
Since then, I have taught Reiki to more than 4000 people. This includes children, young adults, seniors, doctors and nurses, dentists, massage therapists, and athletic trainers. One of my personal goals is to help health care practitioners incorporate Reiki into their professional practices and to help them learn to nourish and replenish themselves through the use of Reiki’s restorative energies (see my articles “Reiki and the Health Care Professional” Part I and II, on the Articles page).
One of the highlights of my teaching career came in August 1999 when I had the opportunity to teach Reiki at Stony Brook Nursing School on Long Island, New York. It was a class of Nurse Practitioners and they all received college credit for the course. Then after 9/11, I was invited to teach at the College of New Rochelle, in Westchester, New York, teaching Level I and II, and later Advanced Reiki Training and Reiki Master Teacher, as three credit college courses for Nurse Practitioners. I have also taught Reiki to the Operating Room staff at Mid-Hudson hospital, Queensborough Community College, and various massage schools. I have also been a guest speaker at various support groups, holistic events, Stony Brook School of physical therapy, as well as many health fairs.
In October 2002, what started as a networking meeting of Reiki Masters, quickly evolved into a non-profit organization now known as the Long Island Reiki Connection www.reikiconnection.org. I became the Founding President of the organization, which is dedicated to spreading the joy of Reiki, educating the public, and offering networking and support for Reiki practitioners.
I completed my Hypnosis training in 2003 through the National Guild of Hypnotists (www.ngh.net) and am an active member of the Long Island Chapter. I have also studied Past Life Regression with Brian Weiss, author of “Many Lives, Many Masters.”
I have been a presenter at the Reiki Retreat; an annual event hosted by the International Center for Reiki Training (www.reiki.org), and am a contributing author for Reiki News Magazine. I also wrote the chapter on Reiki in “Conversations in Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Insights and Perspectives from Leading Practitioners,” Norma Cuellar, Jones and Bartlett publishers, March 2006.
In October of 2011, I was the Keynote Speaker at Reiki Rays of Hope's annual convention. My topic was "Reiki and Mental Health", sharing the work being done at the Clubhouse in Ronkonkoma,NY and how Reiki is helping those with mental health challenges. It was a joy to be with RROH and see the great things they are doing in Cleveland!
My Reiki journey continues, bringing me much joy and happiness. This year I presented "Reiki in Hospitals" at the Annual Nursing Symposium at NYIT and was part of the Innovations in Care Grant at the VA Medical Center in Northport. From October 2011 to June 2012, I was honored to teach more than 60 health care providers, Reiki I and II. This included nurses, psychiatrists, social workers, physical and occupational therapists, pharmacists, as well as others. They are now using Reiki to take care of themselves as well as helping the vets heal body, mind and spirit!
In January of 2014, I began teaching Reiki to nurses from New York Presbyterian Hospital system. This includes
nurses from Weil-Cornell, NY Presbyterian, Allen Hospital, Children's Hospital and the NYP White Plains Psychiatric Hospital. We began with Reiki I and moved on to Reiki II. So excited to be teaching nurses a powerful way to
take care of themselves as well as sharing this balancing and healing energy with their patients and co-workers!
Healing the health care system from the inside out.
In May of 2014, I completed Shoden and Okuden levels of Jikiden Reiki with Frank Arjava Petter. Jikiden Reiki is Reiki as was originally taught and practiced in Japan by Dr. Hayashi. I continue to build and weave what I learn into my practice.
In January 2015, I was guided to leave the International Center for Reiki Training as one of their Licensed teachers and expand on my own as an independent teacher. I am excited for this next part of my journey.
In May 2015 I continued my Jikiden Reiki training and completed the 120 hours practice to move to the next level of Shihan Kaku, now qualified to teach Shoden or Level I Jikiden Reiki.
My private practice is an integration of all my studies and skills. I offer my clients and students a wholistic view of healing. My goal is to empower my clients and my students to become all that they can be and to heal and balance their lives.
When I think of my spiritual journey, I am reminded that:
“And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.”
