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Reiki for Nervous System Regulation & Healing
Reiki is a gentle, non-invasive practice that supports the body’s natural ability to heal by promoting deep relaxation. When we experience prolonged stress or trauma, our nervous system can remain in a state of hyperarousal, making it harder for the body to rest, repair, and recover. Reiki helps shift the body into a parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) state, where healing processes can take place more effectively.
Although subtle in touch or sensation, Reiki has been shown in studies to lower heart rate, reduce cortisol (stress hormone) levels, and increase feelings of calm and emotional well-being. By encouraging a sense of safety and stillness, Reiki can enhance the effectiveness of trauma-focused therapies and support regulation between sessions.
At Tides Therapy, Reiki may be offered as a standalone session or integrated into therapy to complement emotional processing, particularly for those recovering from chronic stress or trauma.
Reiki is not just a spiritual practice—it’s an energetic and biological support tool. By offering the body a calm, regulated presence and activating rest-and-digest mode, Reiki creates space for the body to do what it’s designed to do: heal. For many, this translates to fewer stress symptoms, better sleep, improved digestion, and a deeper connection with their own body’s rhythm.
How Reiki Supports the Body’s Natural Healing Response
Reiki is a gentle, energy-based practice that helps guide the body into a rest-and-digest state, allowing it to shift from chronic stress into healing. While Reiki is subtle in sensation, it is deeply rooted in our understanding of how the human body functions—particularly how it holds and responds to energy.
Our hearts and brains generate electrical activity, and anything that carries electricity also produces an electromagnetic field. Modern science confirms that the human electromagnetic field can extend 3–4 feet from the body—a fact that supports what Reiki practitioners have long observed: we affect and are affected by the energy around us.
When someone is calm and regulated, their heartbeat and breath rhythm settle into coherent, predictable patterns. These rhythms carry measurable frequencies (Hz) that reflect a parasympathetic state—where the body is relaxed, safe, and able to heal. A regulated person’s field can influence those nearby, encouraging nervous system co-regulation—a process by which one person’s calm presence helps another shift from stress to stability.
An Integrative Path to Healing: Mind, Body & Energy
Chronic pain, anxiety, and emotional overwhelm often have deeper roots than we realize—layers of stress and trauma stored in the body long before we have the language to name them. For years, I experienced intense physical symptoms without clear medical answers. Despite trying everything from physical therapy and dietary changes to acupuncture and chiropractic care, the pain would return in waves—disrupting daily life and disconnecting me from my goals.
It wasn’t until I began training in trauma-focused approaches like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) that something shifted. During an early training, I processed a personal memory using EMDR—and the following morning, I woke with a body more relaxed than it had felt in years. It became clear that unprocessed trauma had kept my nervous system in a chronic state of tension and hypervigilance.
That experience opened the door to a deeper mind-body connection. Over time, I continued working memory by memory, and my symptoms began to lift. The physical and emotional were no longer separate—they were in conversation.
In 2024, I explored Reiki with curiosity and a healthy dose of skepticism. Without expectation, I noticed significant shifts: improved sleep, reduced muscle tension, greater energy, and emotional ease. What began as a single session led me to pursue further study, and in 2025, I completed both Level 1 and Level 2 attunements under the guidance of Rachel Squire, Reiki Master and owner of Interconnections Healing in Charleston, SC. Her insight and grounded teaching style helped deepen my understanding of how subtle energy and emotional patterns interact within the body.
This journey—rooted in both science and intuition—has shaped the integrative work I now offer. Reiki is available as a gentle, nonverbal complement to trauma-focused therapy or as a stand-alone practice for nervous system support. You don’t have to know exactly how it works to benefit from it. You just have to stay open to what healing can look like when we stop forcing and start allowing.
Wherever you are in your process, I look forward to walking with you.