by Amy Alward | Jul 30, 2025 | Cancer Navigators, Distance Healing 101, Featured Posts, Reiki, Reiki Classes, Reiki Events
The Benefits of Self-Healing with Reiki
You have struggled, but now is the time to reveal your beauty and open to your own wisdom.
What if a few minutes of gentle touch each day could help you sleep better, ease anxiety, and find your center—even on the hardest days?
Whether you’re navigating a cancer journey, recovering from burnout, living with chronic illness, or simply feeling called to reconnect with your body and spirit, Reiki offers a powerful yet gentle way to support your healing.
At Whole Self Unity, we’ve seen firsthand how women with cancer have used Reiki to calm themselves before treatments, soothe pain, rest more deeply, and reconnect with inner strength. But the beauty of Reiki is that it’s not only something you receive—it’s something you can learn and use every day to care for yourself.
This post explores how learning Reiki for self-healing can benefit anyone, especially during times of transition, illness, stress, or deep personal growth. You’ll also find an invitation to join us—whether that means coming to a Reiki Share, learning to give Reiki to yourself, or simply saying yes to a new kind of support.
What Is Self-Healing with Reiki?
Reiki is a gentle, hands-on (or hands-hovering) healing practice that helps balance the body’s energy system. Rooted in Japanese spiritual tradition, Reiki can be shared with others—but one of its most life-changing aspects is how it empowers us to heal ourselves.
Once you’ve been attuned to Reiki in a class or training, it’s with you for life. That means you can place your hands on your own heart, belly, or body whenever you need grounding, rest, peace, or strength.
Self-healing with Reiki is like an energetic version of brushing your teeth: it helps you stay clear, present, and nourished in a world that can feel overwhelming. It needs to be done regularly to get the best benefits from the practice. It is a gentle, effective way to increase your sense of well-being and overall health–but it generally isn’t a substitute for quality care by professionals when more intervention is needed. It does make an incredible addition to your self-care routines–even when the “big stuff” comes along.
Why Reiki Is Ideal for Long-Term Support
Are you ready to step toward your best self right now? Reiki I for Self-Healing.
Many clients and students describe Reiki as the first time they’ve felt like they could do something for themselves in the face of intense circumstances. It’s a portable, side-effect-free, body-honoring practice that:
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Can be done anywhere, even lying in bed
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Is safe to use alongside conventional medicine
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Doesn’t require belief—just willingness
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Builds strength over time with regular use – as we become better at allowing it to work!
Whether you’re managing your energy after a medical procedure, recovering from trauma, dealing with sleep issues, or navigating emotional overwhelm, Reiki meets you where you are—without judgment.
5 Benefits of Learning Reiki for Self-Healing
1. Ease Anxiety and Regulate Emotions
Reiki helps settle the nervous system, making it easier to ride the waves of stress, appointments, emotional processing, and daily uncertainty.
For women going through cancer treatment, it can become a comforting ritual before scans or surgery. For others, it’s a way to ground before meetings, caregiving tasks, or life’s more chaotic moments.
2. Sleep More Soundly
A short self-Reiki session at night can cue the body into rest mode. Many students fall asleep while practicing!
People with chronic pain or insomnia report deeper, more restorative sleep with consistent practice.
3. Make Clearer, Healthier Choices
Reiki gently increases self-awareness. Over time, this can lead to choosing foods, boundaries, and relationships that better support your healing.
We’ve seen survivors of trauma, cancer, and burnout begin to trust their own needs and instincts again.
4. Build a Grounding Practice That Sticks
Reiki can be paired with meditation, prayer, or breathwork—or practiced on its own. Even 5 minutes in the morning can anchor you before the day begins. Taking 30 seconds to yourself in the bathroom before continuing with an overwhelming day can bring you back to yourself in the present instead of worrying about the path ahead.
Those with ADHD, autoimmune conditions, or anxiety often say Reiki helps them slow down and focus without needing to “do it perfectly.”
Self-Healing with Beginning Reiki Class can be the catalyst to shifting your whole reality.
5. Get Through the Hardest Days with Gentle Power
From chemotherapy to grief, caregiving to recovery, Reiki offers a soft, steady presence. It can soothe physical discomfort, emotional turbulence, and that deep inner ache that longs for peace.
For many, it’s a daily reminder: You are not alone—and you are not powerless.
You Can Learn Reiki Yourself
You don’t need to be “spiritual,” a healer, or anything other than yourself to learn Reiki. You don’t need to “believe” in anything, Reiki is a set of practical techniques and tools, not a belief system. That being said, Reiki also works right alongside all belief systems, if you happen to have a spiritual “Home”. All are welcome to heal here.
In our Reiki I course, we teach you how to:
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Give yourself a complete Reiki session
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Understand the history and ethics of Reiki
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Begin using Reiki for your own wellness goals
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Start sensing energy and tuning into your inner wisdom
Once you’ve taken a Reiki I class, your hands become lifelong tools for healing and peace. And you’ll always have something to come back to when life gets overwhelming.
Interested in learning Reiki? Join our next Reiki I class and begin your self-healing journey.
Reiki Shares: Heal in Community
Sometimes, we need the support of others. Our monthly Reiki Shares are open to anyone, even if you haven’t learned Reiki yet. We also love to see practitioners: anyone who has learned Reiki (even years ago!) is especially welcome. It’s a chance to give and receive healing in a supportive circle—online or in person.
“I didn’t know how much I needed this until I logged on. I could feel it start to flow over me. So much peace and love!” – Reiki Share participant
You’re invited. Come receive. Come reconnect. Come share your light.
Sign up for a Reiki Share and join our community of healing hearts.
Calling All Practitioners, Caregivers, and Change-Makers
Are you ready to unlock your potential to help yourself heal? Slowly, gently, and quietly?
If you’ve been attuned to Reiki and want to be of service—especially to women on a cancer journey—we welcome you to volunteer, refer students, loved ones, or deepen your practice with us.
We are building a beautiful network of support and care. Whether you’re just getting started or decades into your Reiki path, there’s a place for you here.
Join our community and help bring healing into wholeness. Refer women on a cancer journey (or members of their support team) to apply for a sliding scale treatment through our Cancer Wellness Fund.
Closing: A New Way to Be With Yourself
Whether you’re sitting in a treatment chair, curled up in bed, or taking a few deep breaths between errands, Reiki can be there with you. Gentle. Steady. Unfailingly kind.
And if you’re feeling called to explore self-healing with Reiki, we’re here to help you begin.
Your journey matters. Your healing matters. And your hands—yes, your hands—can become the doorway to peace.
Next Steps for You:
by Amy Alward | Jul 23, 2025 | Cancer Navigators, Distance Healing 101, Reiki Sessions
When you need help most, Whole Self Unity can meet you where you are.
Stay Home and Heal? Yes, Please!
What if healing didn’t mean getting in the car, battling traffic, or sitting in a fluorescent-lit waiting room? Meeting a whole bunch of new people all at once?
What if it simply meant lying down in your own bed, wrapped in a favorite blanket, hugged by your most cozy hoodie—and just let the comfort come to you?
At Whole Self Unity, we believe healing should be as accessible, gentle, and intuitive as possible. That’s why we offer distance-based energy healing sessions designed for people who need support—but may not be able to leave home.
Whether you’re recovering from surgery, managing chronic pain, navigating trauma, or simply feeling overwhelmed by life, you deserve healing that meets you exactly where you are—no commute, no pressure, no mask required. (And you don’t have to turn your camera on, change out of that cozy hoodie–we do not judge you when you are vulnerable and asking for support. We will just support you.)
Why Accessibility in Healing Matters
Too often, people are excluded from care because of their body’s limits or life’s logistics.
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Chronic pain or fatigue makes even a short trip exhausting.
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Sensory sensitivity or trauma triggers can turn healing spaces into minefields.
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Post-surgical recovery, migraines, or injuries may require rest, not activity.
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Single moms, caregivers, and those without transportation may simply not have the time or means to go.
These are not small barriers. They’re real, and they deserve real solutions.
What Makes Distance Healing So Accessible
Keep your comforts around you as your Whole Self Unity session begins.
Our sessions are conducted via phone or video—or even with a quiet text check-in beforehand. Here’s what makes them so supportive:
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No travel needed – stay in your PJs, curl up in your favorite chair, or lie down with a heating pad.
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Sensory-safe – no bright lights, loud music, or strange smells—just you in your chosen environment.
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No physical contact – ideal for those with trauma, touch sensitivity, or medical devices.
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Sleep-friendly – many clients fall asleep mid-session. That’s perfect. That’s healing.
As one of our clients recently said:
“I didn’t even realize how much stress came from just getting to the appointment. This way, I actually relaxed.”
Who Can Benefit from Healing at Home?
We’ve supported a wide range of people who’ve found relief, comfort, and renewal through accessible healing practices, including:
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Women undergoing cancer treatment – rest in your healing cocoon while receiving gentle support
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People living with migraines or headaches – no need to move, just receive in the dark and stillness
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Post-surgical recovery – let the body heal while we support your energy systems
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Those with chronic illness or fatigue – save energy while accessing care
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Autistic or sensory-sensitive folks – no unpredictable environments, just comfort
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Busy caregivers, moms, and partners – fit healing into your day without logistics
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Rural or remote clients – healing without distance as a barrier
Are you ready to receive rest, and drift right into healing sleep from your therapy appointment?
A Word of Caution about Getting a Distance Healing Session
Distance Healing, Energy Healing, or Reiki Sessions are best to help your body come to balance, and in that state of rest, the systems of your body, heart, mind, spirit can leave a state of overstimulation and return to a regular flow. I have witnessed and experienced truly miraculous healings, that my scientific mind cannot explain. Those things are within the realm of possibility. The Universe is full of all of the possibilities. However, most treatments are simply every day aids to comfort, balance, and system reset. What we offer is an ADDITIONAL practice to aid in your healing and relief. We do not offer these sessions as a replacement to medical care, medications, or other supports your advanced healthcare providers have recommended for you. If you are also on board with that, we would love to work with you to compliment your care.
What a Distance Healing Session Is Like
Every session begins with intention. You might be invited to light a candle, take a few deep breaths, or simply lie down.
Then, your practitioner will begin sending healing energy. You may feel:
Are you ready to be met where you are, with the therapies you need to add to regular medical care?
Some clients feel the shift immediately. Others notice it later—like better sleep, softer emotions, reduced pain, or a clearer head the next day. There is no one set of physical, emotional, mental, or even spiritual responses.
Every session can be very different from the last one, because your needs in the present will be different from the past.
Also, we can also add our expectations to the mix. The most disappointing sessions I have ever had as a Reiki practitioner and recipient were the ones I had been anticipating would be life-altering, and they end up being very helpful, just more restful and serene. Then I realize that I am only disappointed because my expectations needed to be set aside going in, simply letting the session meet my current and present needs.
You Deserve Healing That Meets You Where You Are
We created Whole Self Unity because we believe healing should be:
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Safe
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Affordable
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Trauma-informed
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And accessible to all
That’s why our virtual sessions are just $25 through the end of the year, and why we partner with practitioners offering Distance Reiki, Craniosacral Healing, and intuitive energy work—each with compassion and care at the core.
Ready to Receive? Ready to take the next steps?
Book a session now – throughout 2025 we are offering 3 sessions at $25 each
Download our Distance Session Prep eBook – this workbook is FREE to download, and can be a big help in preparing yourself for your session. It includes tips for setting your intentions, how to prepare your space, and ways to integrate your healing after the session.
Apply for Cancer Wellness Funds – generous donors have paid for a limited number of sessions for women on a cancer journey and their support team. Apply for yourself or nominate someone you love.
Donate to support healing access for women with cancer
Join our email list (below) for class updates, practitioner features, and special offers
“Healing isn’t a luxury. It’s a right. And it should be possible from wherever you are.”
Let us help make that possible—for you, or someone you love.
by Amy Alward | Jul 16, 2025 | Distance Healing 101, Featured Posts, Reiki, Reiki Classes, Reiki Events, Reiki Experiences, Reiki Sessions
When Crisis Hits Close to Home
Rila’s wounds were going to be open for 8 to 10 weeks.
Last week, something happened that every service dog handler dreads: my dog—my companion, my helper, my heart—was attacked by two neighbor dogs. It was sudden, violent, and traumatic for both of us. She sustained a serious abdominal wound, and the vet was clear: this would be a long recovery.
Eight to ten weeks of open wound care. Multiple bandage changes per week. Pain meds, antibiotics, and round-the-clock care. Sedation for the bandaging–again and again and again. I was devastated and overwhelmed.
Travel plans for the two of us, and work with clients were rapidly being scrubbed for the summer. I wasn’t worried about that, though. I wanted my partner to be okay–and the vet had to explain the way dog bites work and heal before I grasped the real issue: it might look like healing is going well one day, and tissue can then “die off” inside or at the edges of the wound. I was so scared for her.
But I wasn’t alone.
Calling on My Support System—and Reiki
As I’ve done during many hard times, I turned to my community. I shared what had happened on social media and asked for prayers, thoughts, light—and Reiki.
And wow, did she receive it. Reiki was flowing constantly to her from all directions. The powerful, compassionate Reiki practitioners I have worked with lovingly with in HeartSpace for years responded. My connections with the International Center for Reiki Training (ICRT), called for help from practitioners around the globe. For four days straight, she was bathed in gentle, loving energy from people near and far—many of whom have practiced Reiki with me, received sessions from Whole Self Unity, or simply held good intentions.
Practitioners put her in their Reiki crystal grids, so a continuous flow of Reiki would find her and boost her healing for the greatest possible good, in the highest possible way. Across time zones and across the International Dateline, we were bathed in unconditional love from near and far.
Rila looks miserable, even though she is heavily medicated.
During that time, I also gave her Reiki in person, tuning in to her body’s signals, her nervous system, and her inner knowing. I could feel her relaxing into it—releasing the initial shock, allowing peace to return, one breath at a time.
A Medical Surprise
When we returned to the vet on day four, something remarkable had happened.
The wound had changed–on the phone before opening the bandage, the vet reminded me again that this would take 8 to 10 weeks. Yet that story changed once she sedated my nervous partner and took a look under the bandage. The deep bruising that extended across her abdomen had almost completely healed. The pocket that was expected to drain for weeks had nearly closed. The vet called in another surgeon who examined it also and agreed–this wound was okay to stitch up!
Now, instead of a long, uncertain journey, we’re looking at just two weeks of healing. No more exposed tissue. No complex dressing changes. Just rest, care, and cuddles. (And a very bored service dog who isn’t used to being told to take it easy.)
We got home from the vet that night overjoyed and relieved–and so very grateful for all the help we had been offered. We even sang her song (The Rila Song) together as a duet. Normally, she just listens, but she is also Reiki attuned, and I believe she knew exactly what had happened.
What Reiki Is—and What It Isn’t
Rila had excellent medical care AND Reiki.
I want to be clear: we had excellent veterinary care. Reiki didn’t replace antibiotics or pain relief or medical guidance. It worked with the vet’s care—not in place of it.
Reiki is a gentle, non-invasive form of energy healing that promotes deep relaxation, reduces stress, and supports the body’s natural healing processes. It doesn’t override medical treatment; it enhances the environment for healing—physically, emotionally, and energetically.
In my dog’s case, I believe Reiki helped her body shift out of fight-or-flight, supported cell regeneration, and gave her nervous system the space it needed to recover from trauma. The antibiotics, pain medication, and excellent medical interventions helped her tissues and physical systems–the Reiki boosted those effects and also helped shift the nonphysical aspects of her fuzzy being.
Healing Isn’t Just Physical
This experience reminded me of something I often tell my clients: healing happens on many levels. Yes, her physical wound healed quickly—but I also saw her emotional recovery accelerate. Her eyes softened. Her breathing slowed. She slept deeply. Her trust returned.
That’s what Reiki can do. It supports healing not just in the body, but in the heart, the mind, and the spirit.
A Message for You, If You’re Overwhelmed
Rila feels better, because her healing was speedy with Reiki.
If you’re facing something hard right now—grief, pain, burnout, anxiety, illness—you’re not alone. Healing isn’t always fast. But it is possible.
Whether it’s through medical care, energy work, or the support of a loving community, healing happens. And Reiki can be part of that journey.
If you’re curious about trying Reiki—whether for yourself, a loved one, or even a furry companion—I’d be honored to hold space for your healing. I firmly believe that anyone who earnestly asks for healing receives it at the right time in the right way. Healing is already on the way, Friend.
Next Steps?
Curious about how Reiki can support you in hard times?
Book a Distance Reiki Session or Learn More About Our Practitioners.
Want to support someone else’s healing? Donate to our Reiki Scholarship fund, join our email list below, or connect with us to ask a question or volunteer. We are also offering a limited number of donated one-on-one sessions to women with cancer, nominate yourself or someone else on our Wellness Scholarship form.
