January 27, 2026 • 47 mins
In this episode of The Unity Code, Nicole sits down with Reiki researcher and archivist Lindsey Harper, a self-described science nerd of energy healing who somehow manages to live in both worlds: academia and the metaphysical.
By day, Lindsey is an associate professor and archivist with degrees in psychology, library science, and behavioral statistics. By night (and in all the liminal spaces in between), she’s the founder of Open Your Eyes Reiki, where her goal is to create Reiki content that genuinely shifts the collective.
Together, Nicole and Lindsey talk about:
- How a Saturn return, a book on empaths, and a literal deer sign led Lindsey to her first Reiki class
- Lindsey’s Reiki & Wellbeing Interviews Project at Marshall University, where she interviewed 14 Reiki-certified practitioners across 6 countries
- How religion, culture, and family systems shaped people’s paths toward or away from Reiki
- The common patterns she found in their stories: trauma, burnout, spiritual seeking, and the desire to connect with Source beyond rigid structures
- Why the term “Reiki master” can be deeply problematic in Western contexts, and what language she’s using instead
- The very real purging and integration that can happen after attunements (physical, emotional, spiritual)
- Creative ways practitioners weave Reiki into daily life: tea, showers, homes, cars, writing, parenting, and more
- Why simply sitting alone for 10 minutes in a quiet room is, in itself, an energetic gift most people never give themselves
You’ll also hear the story of how Nicole and Lindsey originally met on Reddit, how a mediumship reading took three years to be fully validated, and why “I don’t know” during a reading doesn’t mean “it’s wrong.”
If you’re curious about Reiki, skeptical but open, or already attuned and wondering how others actually live this work in real time, this conversation will give you both heart and data — a grounded, compassionate look at how energy healing shows up in real people’s lives.
Follow Lindsey on Instagram at @oyereiki to keep up with her Reiki & research world, and to watch where this project goes next (yes, there’s a book brewing and a sabbatical in the works).
********
Lindsey Harper is a certified Reiki person working as an associate professor and archivist at a higher ed institution. She’s has degrees in psychology and library science, and a graduate certificate in behavioral statistics.
Instagram: @oyereiki
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@oyereiki
Link to Lindsey's Reiki Research: https://mds.marshall.edu/reikiconversations/
Current Group Classes:
- Revive Your Sacral Power: A 6-month embodied activation to reconnect with desire, creativity, and life-force
- The Circle: A multi-modal spirit communication development space for growth, experimentation, and expansion
- Intuition Development: Learn how intuition works, how to trust it, and how to use it
- Learn more: https://mediumnicole.com/classes
********
Join the Unity Code collective to participate in experiments: https://mediumnicole.com/podcast
Nicole Pope is an internationally-trained Evidential Medium and Soul Integration Guide dedicated to helping others reconnect with their higher self, awaken their gifts, and remember who they truly are.
To connect with Nicole, book a reading, or access her social media accounts: http://mediumnicole.com/links
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (02:23):
Hello everyone.
Welcome back to the Unity Code.
I am joined today by theabsolutely fabulous, gorgeous,
amazing Lindsay Harper for ourReiki episode today.
Thank you so much for beinghere.
SPEAKER_00 (02:35):
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm so excited to get to chatwith you.
SPEAKER_01 (02:38):
Oh my God, I'm so excited.
I'm just, I'm so excited.
Lindsay and I go way back.
I'm gonna give that intro in asecond, but before I go there,
Lindsay Harper is a certifiedReiki person working as an
associate professor andarchivist at a higher ed
institution.
She's had degrees in psychologyand library science and a
graduate certificate inbehavioral statistics.
(02:59):
In her day job, she contributesto preserving stories of
individuals and she mentorsstudents on how to archive
collections.
And in her personal time, she'sthe founder of Open Your Eyes
Reiki, OE, right?
I think that's how we say it.
Her goal with this platform isalways to provide Reiki content
to shift collective energy inpositive ways.
And I specifically asked her,not only because she's freaking
(03:22):
red, but I asked her on herebecause in 2024, I participated
in her Reiki and Well-beinginterviews project at Marshall
University, where she was been,she was able to document, listen
to, and learn stories from livedexperiences for 14 Reiki
certified individuals across theglobe.
So she has a lot of richexperience and holistic
(03:43):
perspective, offering all of youamazing insights on how you can
balance your professionalpursuits with personal passions.
There's a lot of peace.
Um, so Reiki, so so you are myReiki guru, Lindsay, with like
through and through, which is sofunny because you don't offer
private sessions, but you arelike this scientific nerd about
(04:04):
Reiki, like I am.
So I'm so, so stoked to have youhere.
SPEAKER_00 (04:07):
I'm so excited to be here.
Thank you so much.
Uh can't wait to dive into thisand share more um with everyone
about this.
SPEAKER_01 (04:14):
Oh my goodness.
Okay.
So a little background.
Lindsay and I met on thefabulous platform called Reddit,
where as a practicing medium atthe very, very my baby medium
stages at the beginning of myjourney, she had posted, I think
you posted asking for a readingon the medium reading subreddit,
which by the way I'm now bannedfrom apparently because I think
(04:36):
I've banned from it.
But you posted it and I answeredit.
And that's how we met.
SPEAKER_00 (04:44):
Yeah, exactly.
Um, and you ended up, youactually read a paternal
grandmother who I never had arelationship with.
So it was terrible practice foryou in the sense that I had to
say I don't know to all of yourresponses.
And then I had to go back andverify, and then I got to go
back and message you and belike, hey, I chatted with my
mother, and she was able toconfirm this about um my
paternal grandmother.
(05:05):
So I was, and you were likeusing words like honey.
She was this woman, like fifthgeneration Texan woman.
I've not been to Texas.
So you were like, I don't knowwhy I feel like using the word
honey, calling you honey, butum, you gave me some really
validating messages that I couldlater confirm were all true.
So it was a very meaningfulreading um and allowed me to
(05:25):
kind of weave in someintergenerational healing that I
needed from that.
So it was really um reallymeaningful to me.
SPEAKER_01 (05:32):
I had no idea.
I don't think I don't know ifyou we've talked about this.
SPEAKER_00 (05:36):
That's I think it was just through Reddit DM
before you we were both presenton social media um sharing our
gifts.
So but yeah, that was back in2022 or something.
So something like that.
SPEAKER_01 (05:49):
So three years ago, everybody getting validation
from a reading.
Three years.
Sorry about that.
No, I love, but this is what Ilove this because this is what I
talk about in my just becauseit's a no word, I don't know,
doesn't mean it's wrong.
And sometimes it can take yearsfor the validation to come
through.
So here you go, live and on theair, everybody.
Um, so thank you for that.
But it was it was so um it wasso cool because there was this
(06:11):
into instant connection betweenus.
I know we've chatted over theyears, and we've connected on
other social platforms once weuh stuff stepped away from our
usernames because it's totallyanonymous over there on Reddit.
Right.
And so I've been watching you onsocial media and then um and
then you did this amazingproject, which I'm so excited
about.
So before we go there, I guesshow did you get into Reiki,
(06:36):
Lindsay?
Have you done it for a longtime?
What's your path into the Reikiumbrella?
SPEAKER_00 (06:42):
Yeah, that's a great question.
Um, I think I was in my Saturnreturn when some of this stuff
was happening, and I didn'tactually know what Reiki was
before I discovered it.
I was reading the book How toBecome an Empowered Empath by
Wendy DeRosa.
And that kind of got me into alot of um guided meditations,
transcendental meditations, andthings like that, with working
towards like inner childhealing, inner womb healing, and
(07:04):
things like that.
And like stuff is to say, like,long story short, like I go down
this like winding road of likediscovering different healing
modalities.
And about six months afterstarting my meditation journey,
I stumbled across there's alocal Reiki class in my
community.
I'm in um Huntington, WestVirginia.
It is a beautiful community, butthere is not a lot of
(07:26):
alternative places, like modalhealing modality types of places
here.
There might be a couple now, butthere definitely were only maybe
one or two.
Back in 2021 when I discoveredthat we were having a class
nearby.
So I was like, huh, I feltinstantly intrigued by this
concept of Reiki and I didn'tknow what it was.
So because I was in thatspiritual awakening, um, kind of
(07:49):
early spiritual awakening phasewhere you're really seeking that
external signs andsynchronicities from universe, I
was like, universe, give me adeer if I meant to go to this
class.
It is literally like two milesfrom where I live.
And I went about my day.
It was the end of the day, so Ididn't think about it.
It was dark.
It was like a Sunday because Iusually go over to um see family
(08:10):
on Sundays.
And I got home, it was dark, andthere was a deer in front of um,
like I in front of my house isjust like kind of a field.
There was a deer laying in thefield right in front of our
front door in that way.
So I took the plunge and Ijumped and I did it.
And um it was the best thing Iever did.
Um, I was really healing formyself.
(08:30):
Um, I didn't intend on doingReiki 2.
I never intended on doing Reikiwith anyone for anyone.
It was supposed to be just apersonal private practice.
And well, when you say I'm nevergonna do something, the universe
kind of tends to poke at you tosay, well, maybe you should,
maybe you should.
And then um, and then I did.
But I did my Reiki 2 six monthslater after that in June of
(08:53):
2022.
And then I did my Reiki masterum certifications just for more
education and learning formyself in the summer of 23.
And it has been um, it's been agame changer for me, truly.
SPEAKER_01 (09:05):
Oh, that's so that's so great.
Um, so you're are you are you amaster teacher then?
SPEAKER_00 (09:11):
I took the classes, but I didn't necessarily like I
don't intend again, at least atthis juncture, to offer Reiki
specific um certificationtraining for anybody or Reiki
attunements in that way.
Okay, got it.
SPEAKER_01 (09:24):
And it's so interesting because mine, um, I
don't have the deer story isamazing.
And I remember you you collectfeathers all the time too.
And I just ran out to give mychick, you got some feathers.
She's got some feathers.
Yeah, I've got my I've collectedmy campus feathers.
So I just went out to feed mychickens this morning and there
were feathers the whole way.
I was like, oh, right, I'mtalking to Lindsay this morning.
Um so what's so cool is I Ithink I come from a very
(11:17):
similar, maybe just to level setthe listeners.
I come from a very similarbackground of Reiki, where I
kind of took it.
I don't really intend on doing alot of Reiki sessions on people.
It's not really my jam.
I like more of the virtualexperience, but I but I took it
because I I read about it and Iwanted it as a pathway into like
my psychic um tool setessentially to get these
attunements.
(11:37):
So, yeah, so very, very similarto you.
I'm I went through all of thelevels really, really quickly.
So I think we did level one, um,like a couple months later,
level two, level three, um, andthen that's the teacher
certification training too, andwhich is hilarious because I
don't ever intend not famouslast words on teaching uh Reiki.
(11:58):
But I I love that we have thatsimilarity of maybe just like
learning and not necessarilyapplying the practical as much.
And I know that you and I bothknow how to do this, right?
And I know that at any givenmoment we would be amazing at
this work, but um but it's sointeresting.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know where to go withthat.
But obviously, there was thislove that you had of Reiki, and
(12:23):
I'm getting a past lifeconnection.
I don't know if you've everuncovered that at all.
A little bit, yeah.
Okay.
So um, so I guess in yourdefinition, Lindsay, what is
Reiki for those listeners thatdo not understand what we're
talking about?
SPEAKER_00 (12:39):
Yeah, so in its simplest form, Reiki is made up
of two words, which is Rey,which is universal, and key,
which is energy.
So in summation, like Reiki isdefined as this universal life
force energy that embodies theability, like essentially with
Reiki, we are conduits and thinkabout the universe.
Like I it was described in myReiki One class, like your cell
(13:01):
phone charger.
You are um like the the cordthat goes between the plug and
the phone is the Reiki, and youare connecting like you're
basically serving as the conduitto reach um to be able to I'm
socially awkward.
This is why I don't talk andteach.
You're doing fantastic to saythat it is essentially our
(13:22):
connection with universe andwith divine energy, so it allows
us to serve as the Reiki person,giving the Reiki, sending the
Reiki to be able to transformthat energy from the ethers to
other people.
SPEAKER_01 (13:36):
So it's and it's and it goes through you, and you're
the conduit, and you're the onewho who um, yeah, and it doesn't
take any of your own life forceenergy, not at all either.
SPEAKER_00 (13:47):
Yeah, and it is used to promote relaxation, it is
used to improve health, physicalhealth variables, mental health
variables, improve yourrelationships.
It basically can serve forwhatever purpose that your
energetic body needs it for,which is the most beautiful part
of Reiki to me.
SPEAKER_01 (14:02):
Oh, that's amazing.
Is there anything else you thinkum listeners need to know to
help ground in some of theresearch that I want to talk
about?
Like, is there like because thehis the history, there's so many
different types of Reiki, right?
And so which what are youcertified in?
SPEAKER_00 (14:18):
That is a good question.
Um, I so when I started my Reikijourney, I also did not know
that that was the case.
So I kind of got I took a Reikione, I think it was in holy
fire, Reiki two, I took adifferent modality, and Reiki
three, I did psychic Reiki.
I didn't know what I was doing,so that is very probably not
kosher or not like true Reikitraining in like some of the
(14:40):
circles that um you might see onsocial media, or you might have
more purists, more about what isyour lineage and things like
that.
But um, Reiki is Reiki, likeReiki is similar to pranic
healing, to healing touch, it isall accessing the same thing.
So I don't think it reallymatters which lineage or which
type of Reiki that you'reaccessing.
Um, it's energy is energy, andthat's what is beautiful about
(15:03):
it.
Just like religions can connectyou to the same source, you
don't have to have one true pathor one true way, which is really
cool.
And Reiki is not attached to anyreligion, so it is truly this
universal um way to connect withdivine or with source or
whatever word resonates withyou.
SPEAKER_01 (15:20):
Okay.
I didn't know you were uh uhtrained in all those different
modalities of Reiki.
SPEAKER_00 (15:25):
Just like Reiki one of this, Reiki two of that,
Reiki three of that.
So it is it is a a mishmash ofsymbols and um different
teachings and learnings, whichis really cool.
SPEAKER_01 (15:36):
That is really cool.
So I am Yesui for masterteacher, so I have the lineage,
and for those that don't knowwhat it is, essentially um I'm
gonna butcher this.
So apologies for any of theReiki purists out there, which
is why I don't resonate as muchwith Reiki, because I can't
follow a structure.
I just can't because I becausewe're we are here to make things
(15:56):
better, not to follow thetraditions of everything that
came before us, uh, to grow andevolve.
That's our that's our goal,right?
Put people and souls.
So um, so the lineageessentially is it it started
with uh Yuzui Matazaka, I thinkthat's the name, um, in Japan,
and he received this downloadfrom source essentially of this
(16:16):
healing modality called Reiki,and he taught it over in Japan.
And then I believe his wife, um,there was a woman that brought
it over to the United States,and so every time somebody
teaches it to the next person,that's part of the quote unquote
lineage.
So it starts with Yazui YuzuiMatsaka, and it goes down and
(16:37):
down and down and down.
So when you get certified inYazui Reiki, they literally hand
you a piece of paper to say whodid you get trained through?
It's like seven degrees of KevinBacon.
It's right, exactly.
That's exactly what it is.
And there's like the can I firstjust a second, there's a huge
ego trip about where you are inthe lineage because some people
will pay thousands and thousandsof dollars to be higher up on
(16:59):
the lineage.
So you're not like 17 degreesremoved from Yuzu.
Um, so it's really, reallyinteresting the whole, I don't
know, uh, the ego side of theReiki, but essentially when you
go through these trainings,you're not supposed to tell
anybody about the symbols.
You're not supposed to showanybody at this about the
symbols.
You're supposed to go throughthe history and learn the same
thing over and over and overagain.
(17:21):
And I know there's people whoare very pure in the lineage and
pure in the intention andfollowing the traditions um with
this.
And there's some people thataren't.
Now, what's interesting is I soa master teacher in in Yazui,
I've taken holy fire one and twoand some other random
modalities.
I know there's like KarunaReiki, Angelic.
(17:41):
There's so many differentshamanic Reiki.
There's so many, and they allinvolve healing.
But what's interesting to me,and I don't know if you've
noticed this, Lindsay, is thedifferent modality, even though
it's all doing the same thing,they feel different.
SPEAKER_00 (17:55):
Yeah, yeah.
There's a slight, there's aslight difference in how the
energy resonates.
Absolutely.
I would agree with that.
SPEAKER_01 (18:01):
It's so cool, it's so interesting to me.
It all does the same thing, butum Yuzui feels old.
It feels like it does feel likeancient Japan healing.
You're talking about holy fire,it feels young, it feels like
literally like fire, youthful,light goes fast.
It's so cool.
It's so cool.
No, it for sure is.
For sure.
(18:21):
Oh my gosh, I love thisconversation so much.
Keking out, keeking out.
Okay.
So um, is there anything elseyou want to share about Reiki
before we get into your projectthat you that you did?
SPEAKER_00 (18:33):
I think we should, I think we should jump right in.
I think it'll be it'll it'lllead to a better conversation
about about it.
I I'm excited.
SPEAKER_01 (18:40):
Oh, okay, cool.
So, do you want to tell me aboutyour Reiki and Wellbeing
interviews project?
And I'll link link everything inthe show notes for people to
read if they want to read ontheir own.
SPEAKER_00 (18:50):
Yeah, absolutely.
So I am at a juncture in mycareer where I have done a lot
of the things I feel like you'resupposed to do.
So as an archivist, and thiswill, I promise this will all
kind of make sense and I'll getaround to it.
I've really struggled with doingwhat I'm supposed to do in air
quotes and um collaborating withpeople and publishing in um the
academic journals, like we'resupposed to do um
(19:10):
discipline-related stuff.
I in 2022, again, um, before Ieven knew, I was offering, I
wasn't even offering Reiki topeople, but I was in a wellness
Wednesdays group for faculty umhere on my campus.
And we were kind of talkingabout things like burnout,
stress reduction, and liketrying to, I guess, have better
work-life separation orwork-life balance in that way.
(19:32):
And it was there where I decidedI really wanted to do something
specific to Reiki.
And when you make your passionyour work, it um it can go
either way.
It is always really exciting,but I knew I wanted to do that.
And um, it took me a couple ofyears to get there to figure out
the path that that was going tolook like.
But because I have a backgroundin psychology, my interest was
(19:52):
social psychology.
I really love learning aboutculture and people's stories at
the individual level because Iis able, it is better.
So, see, there's a fight withsocial psychology and sociology
because you're studying groupsversus individuals, but a lot of
those concepts kind of overlapand are the same.
And when I really wanted tolike, I'll backtrack a little
bit.
Um, when I did my Reikitrainings, I did my two and
(20:15):
three online asynchronously.
So I did not get to build thatcommunity that you get when
you're doing those in-person orum online virtual trainings, um,
when you're at least like faceto face with your instructor and
other classmates.
So I kind of did this selfishlyin some ways, but also like
intellectually, I wanted tolearn more about how other
people have lived and learnedthrough their own Reiki
(20:37):
practices, but I wanted to builda Reiki community in some ways.
So I knew I wanted to talk tosome folks.
So, fast forward a couple yearslater, um, I did my first round
of interviews in 2024.
I um applied for some fundingthrough my university to make it
part of my job.
Um, small sector, like 2%.
I get to do it for again, seveninterviews one summer, seven
(21:00):
interviews the next.
But I really wanted to see howum people's familial
experiences, their culturalexperiences may have helped or
hurt their interest in umholistically based practices
because a lot of people, atleast that I talked to, grew up
in very fundamental um religiousenvironments, whether they were
practicing Muslims, they wereHindu, they were some sort of
(21:24):
Protestant.
I've got a long range ofProtestants, different um
denominations, Catholic, RomanCatholic, things like that.
I wanted to see if um thoseexperiences would have um pushed
them away or brought them tosomething like Reiki, which was
really cool.
Um again, like as a non-puristand a non-traditionalist, I
(21:45):
wanted to see what otherpeople's self-Rakey practices
looked like.
And because I spoke with, Ithink it was 14 people across
six countries.
Um, I got to yeah, 14 peopleacross six countries.
SPEAKER_01 (21:58):
That was so cool.
SPEAKER_00 (21:59):
I was able to talk to people who had experience
using Reiki from like as littleas three months.
That was like the person that Italked to who was fresh into
their journey, upwards to 21years of experience with Reiki.
So what I was finding is thatpeople who may have been a few
years into their journeys wereless of the purists, as we've
kind of talked about.
So you don't have to do theformulaic hand motions that
(22:20):
you're taught, but you can justuse your intuition and let Reiki
flow.
And as somebody who neverresonated with the purest, like
the specific hand motionsnecessarily, I it was validating
for me to see that I don't haveto be this purist in in that
sense.
And I can like my standardReiki, self-Rakey session um for
myself is just hands on heart,eyes closed.
(22:42):
Um, and that I think is how I'mable to let Reiki flow for me.
So getting to hear 14 otherpeople describe their practice
was um something that was reallycool, really cool and really
validating for me.
So I was really excited um tolearn more about that and like
how it's helped them with theirmental health, their physical
health, again, theirrelationships and maybe the
transformative experiencesthey've had, either themselves
(23:05):
or with sessions with otherpeople.
So I'm really passionate aboutthis project, as you can tell.
So it has been um it's been ajoy, and I'm hoping I am going
to be able to expand this intosomething more in the future.
I'm hoping like a longer writtenresource kind of summarizing,
synthesizing the interviews,because there were like 236 like
(23:25):
PDF pages across these 14interviews, which I thought was
um, I couldn't believe thatthat's where I ended up with
that.
Um, and I would love to collectmore, but I also know that I
have to have a stopping point ifI want to start writing about
these stories.
So I think that is where I'm atin that junction of turning this
into um, I don't want to say abook, but like a resource guide
(23:45):
of sorts.
SPEAKER_01 (23:46):
So I feel like it is gonna be some sort of a book.
I do.
SPEAKER_00 (23:50):
Okay.
SPEAKER_01 (23:52):
It is.
I know it is.
So great.
And yeah, I mean, I have thelit, I mean, I'm not surprised
260 pages because you had, I'mlooking at the questions because
you you sent me the questionswhen we did this interview.
There were 23 questions on here.
And I think I imagine I know I'mI'm the New England type that
will just very quickly answerdirectly the the quest, the
(24:13):
specific question withoutexpounding on it.
And I'm sure some people werevery verbose and you know, uh
inexpansive in their responses,which I think I mean, I feel
like that's a lesson and lessonin learning unto itself.
But um I love that you numberone, tied this to work because
that's the dream.
Absolutely.
That's the dream.
(24:33):
Um, and then number two, thefact that you really got um it
you weren't uncomfortable, butyou did roll up your sleeves and
you were completely open as anyper like research person should
be to make sure you're getting areally good sample, getting
making sure that you're, youknow, the the segmentation is
fantastic and the diversity ofresponses is fantastic.
(24:55):
Six countries, you know, 14people varying from three months
to 20, 21 years, right?
Like that's amazing in terms ofthe research.
And and I love that it wasn'tonly about the Reiki, it was
about the background that ledyou to Reiki.
So so can we start there?
Like the because I think you hadthree major sections, and I'm
(25:16):
looking at my list of questionsthat you asked me way, way long
time ago.
Yeah.
Um, what so you said there wasjust such diversity in the
background of religion, uhobviously location of all of the
people that participated in it.
Was there anything that you sawthat was similar that would
drive them into something likeReiki?
SPEAKER_00 (25:36):
Yeah, you know, I think for most individuals, this
had a lot to do with wanting toconnect with something that
resonated for them.
A lot of the folks that I talkedto, like their parents, they
describe their parents beingvery traditional within the
religions that they practice.
And um there are like, I guess,rituals that maybe didn't
resonate with them, like wakingup first thing, washing,
(25:57):
praying, um, different thingsthat um maybe felt too confining
or restrictive, I think, um, iswhat kind of led them to
something again with Reiki andpeople not being
traditionalists, at least that Ispoke with, they were able to
find a practice that resonatedfor them in the moments that
they were going to need it.
So I guess the similaritiesacross folks is that they were
(26:20):
seeking something and wanting toconnect with God in a different
way than what they maybe grew updoing, and maybe not resonating
with the religion itself, butstill wanting to resonate with
source and with God.
Um, because people can ruin areligion.
And Reiki, at least to me, isthe connection directly to
source, um, which I think isreally beautiful.
(26:42):
So I think that that tended tobe a common theme interwoven
throughout um the 14 people thatI spoke with.
SPEAKER_01 (26:49):
Wow, that's amazing.
Um, do you and I don't know ifthis was so I think so I'm like
literally looking at thequestion numbers, number seven.
Um so them so what would haveprompted them?
Is that what would have promptedthem to want to start Reiki?
So what like what, at leastmaybe in your personal
(27:09):
experience or maybe throughthese interviews, like why do
people decide Reiki?
SPEAKER_00 (27:15):
I will say usually there are two things.
Um, one, there are people areusually working through hard
things that have happened tothem in their lives, whether
that is early child earlychildhood trauma or current
traumas that they were workingthrough.
But the thing I think that umthat led people to pursue Reiki
is that they had maybe stumbledacross it as they were working
(27:36):
through other modalities.
Like some folks were doing yoga,some people were doing
meditation that I spoke with,some people randomly encountered
it on like a billboard, um, likein California in like the 90s,
or maybe they um were going toum like a like a taekwondo
class, and they had somebody whowas also coming in and doing
Reiki like later on that day.
(27:56):
So again, it typically in myexperience of personal
experience and people that I'vetalked with, they kind of
stumble across this thing andfeel a draw to it.
Um, so I don't know if that isthey're relying on their
intuition then to say, hey, Ishould see what this is about.
Um, so I guess it's listening toyour intuition and your guidance
from your guides or whoever umyou're following, um, if it's
(28:19):
your own self or higher self orwhatever.
SPEAKER_01 (28:22):
So okay, very cool.
These are like the questions I Ihave, and I love and I love that
you actually research this andyou can read through everybody's
responses because all of this isout there on the web.
Um how about is there anythingelse that you would call out
either findings that were likeunique or different or something
that might be value value add totalk about like what were
(28:44):
people's experience with Reiki,either receiving it, learning
it, giving it, what what wereyou finding as some of the the
more insightful findings throughthis?
SPEAKER_00 (28:54):
Yeah, um, in terms of Reiki itself, a lot of people
had described feeling thisoverwhelming sense of peace or
comfort.
And um, one of my participantswho actually was on the end of
having the most experience withReiki, she said that um, and it
was something very profound thatI think we don't all think about
that isn't even tied to Reiki,but she was like, when I sat in
a room for 10 minutes by myself,that piece was something that I
(29:17):
wouldn't have given myselfotherwise.
So, even like taking that act ofputting yourself first and
putting yourself in a quiet roomwhen you're always
overstimulated, um, that is agift of energy in itself.
And that really resonated withme as somebody who has a lot of
background noise kind of goingall the time.
And we don't always like peoplein this world, like we do not
(29:38):
take time to sit down with ourthoughts and be still.
There's a podcast running, thereis the radio's on, like you're
in the car, you don't need toremember driving home.
So in connecting with Reiki andconnecting with yourself, I
think are the two likeconnecting with yourself is the
most important aspect of beingable to do a self-Rakey session.
Um, it's probably the mostpowerful tool of um the
(30:01):
self-Rakey session, truthfully,because we don't we don't do
that um in our everyday.
And um, yeah, I think that'swhat I wanted to say with that.
I'm just letting it flow.
So I'll leave it.
That's the whole that's thewhole point.
SPEAKER_01 (30:12):
We're just gonna leave it out.
And I think that people need itnow more than ever.
Is that like it?
And can I be honest with you?
Like, I escape to the bathroommore times than I can count in
the day just because it's theone place my kids can't get to
me, right?
And so that idea of needing thatquiet, silent space, um, it's so
uncomfortable to sit withyourself sometimes, right?
(30:33):
And so I I think that's such anamazing reflection of how you
don't need to solve anything,but you can just just take that
time to de-stimulate yourself.
And and if you know Reiki, youknow, give yourself Reiki at
that time to really, excuse me,deeply connect and deeply reset
that energy and not just take itas a quiet moment, you know, mom
(30:54):
timeout or or person timeout,whoever you are, but um, but
really do the healing whileyou're there.
I love that.
What a what an amazing insight.
SPEAKER_00 (31:03):
Yeah, I thought so too.
That that story, that person,that lady, um, she was awesome.
So again, these interviews areanonymous, and I know you've
outed yourself as being aparticipant.
Yeah.
I'm trying very hard to respectum respect anonymity in that way
so that um people, becausepeople did share a lot of
stories about traumas in theirlives.
So I'm being very careful in howI'm talking about each of the
(31:25):
participants when I share withstuff.
SPEAKER_01 (31:27):
As you should as a researcher, and I out myself all
the time, so I don't mind outingmyself.
You can probably go through thelist and find me.
Um, there's only 14.
Right, right.
And I'm you know I'm in the US.
Um, no, it's it's uh it'samazing.
Um, so uh so wanna do you wantto talk a little bit more about
like the relationship in dailylife?
(31:48):
And I know you talked about umabout this a little bit and
you've talked about it withthese timeouts.
Is there anything else that youuncover in these interviews that
that would help, I don't know,give insight into the the
differences or the similaritiesbetween how people use or don't
use Reiki in their daily livesas someone who is certified or
trained in this modality?
SPEAKER_00 (32:08):
Yeah, um again, there are lots of different ways
that you can do Reiki.
It doesn't even have to be a sitdown and be quiet and um hands
on heart.
It can be incorporated into youreveryday living.
So if you want to Reiki yourtea, I've got my matcha smoothie
that I drink every morning.
I always Reiki my tea as I'mmaking it.
You can Reiki your food, you canReiki your house, you can Reiki
your environment, your car, umyour even like your notebook if
(32:32):
you're wanting to write.
Like there are all kinds of waysthat you can incorporate this
tool into everyday living.
And that is, I think, the heartof why I wanted to pursue this
project in the first place,because it isn't like nobody has
an hour to sit down every day bythemselves and meditate and be
peaceful.
Like I did in my early spiritualawakening days, which was also
during COVID, remote or hybridwork schedules.
(32:54):
I'm back in office now.
We're not really allowed to havethat flexible work schedule in
some ways.
So being able to incorporatethis practice that means a lot
to you into the things thatyou're already doing is like the
best way to make a practicestick.
So um hearing how people haveincorporated it into their
already busy routines andhabits, like Reikiing the shower
(33:17):
head, so that as the shower,like as you're taking a shower,
you're literally receiving Reikienergy, is um the way that other
people like that I talked with,they were describing how they
infuse this into their practice.
And I thought that that was thecoolest thing because I'm such a
literal person sometimes that Idon't often think about the ways
that you can um do things a bitmore free flow.
(33:39):
Um, but I do work as a free flowperson, even though I'm literal.
Um, it was really cool to seethat others are um just as flowy
about the way that they bringtheir practice into their
everyday.
I loved it.
So oh, that's so cool.
SPEAKER_01 (33:55):
And it so as somebody who does Reiki and as
somebody who who sat through theand asked the 262 pages of uh
interview questions, what arethe top things that you're
walking away with?
And and feel free to repeat ifyou want or just gloss over it,
but what are the top things thatyou're walking away with from
this research that either likewas valuable to you, surprised
(34:18):
you?
Um, I'd love to get your take onit as somebody who knows and
does this work.
SPEAKER_00 (34:24):
Yeah, I um first and foremost, I struggle a lot with
using the word Reiki master.
And I think that um it was inpart, I had that struggle before
I kind of started claiming itand before I started these
interviews.
But I was like, well, I'mprobably being a little too um
wishy-washy.
We can never really masteranything, what have you.
(34:44):
But as I spoke with these 14individuals um in again, six
countries, a lot of, I thinkmore than half of my
participants were women ofcolor, people of color.
Um, a coup there were a few ofthem who had mentioned that the
word the use of the word Reikimaster is problematic in itself,
at least here in the US and inthe states.
Um, it is a traditionalpractice.
(35:06):
So in Eastern cultures wherethese originated, it is a word
that is viewed with honor andwith respect.
But in the states, like usingthe word master, like what are
you a master of?
You're not a master of anything.
You are this person who issharing this gift with others,
but you are not the owner of it.
So I think that like it has mademe question, like, even and I
(35:29):
know language is important andit is, but it also isn't, I
don't want to be seen as thisperson who is making something
that it's not, either by sayingthe word the word Reiki master
is something we shouldn't use,but it has made me more
reflective of um our languageand how I guess we're portraying
ourselves, um, especially assomebody who isn't I'm not a
(35:50):
person of color.
So as somebody who is umsomebody who is basically per
I'm perpetuating the same, likeI've taken this practice and I'm
applying it.
I'm trying really hard to useReiki certified person so that
I'm not claiming ownership overeverything.
I'm not a master of anything,nobody is.
We are never experts ateverything or at one little
thing.
(36:10):
So that was one thing that Itook with me that is kind of not
really related to Reiki, but isvery inherently related to
Reiki.
SPEAKER_01 (36:18):
But isn't that just mind-blowing?
Like I never thought about that.
SPEAKER_00 (36:23):
I never right and I didn't either, truthfully.
Um, and I have given it a lot ofthought and consideration after
talking with these individuals,especially um this year's round
of folks, um in how I'mportraying myself and using
language about it.
But um, so yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (36:43):
Can but it's so um that's incredible.
And and I think in both of yoursenses, I think they're both,
and and especially the uh theword master, I never thought
about it as a negativeconnotation as you know, a white
woman from Massachusetts.
It's I and I when we were umwhen I was going through the
(37:06):
interview or just preppingbefore this, I was like, um, I
asked what your pronouns werebecause I saw you said you put
Reiki person, and I was like,and and I'm so glad we we went
down that for a second because Ithink this is such an
interesting and important topic.
Um and I think maybe this is whywe are not the purists in this
(37:28):
work, is because of things likethat.
Because if you are a purist,you're gonna call yourself a
Reiki master, and I already didin this episode.
And and so re again evolving andbecoming the best version of
ourselves.
And and so, gosh, Lindsay, likemaybe you should really become
like the new linguistics or liketeach teach the Reiki
(37:51):
certification of level three orfour, right?
Instead of instead of that.
And um, and I think that's anamazing point.
I don't like I don't even knowwhat else to say.
I'm gonna sit with that one.
SPEAKER_00 (38:01):
No, no, that's fair.
And I and I will say too, likein more in terms of more
practical things that I got outof this, I think that this
happens to a lot of us startingour Reiki journeys, but you kind
of watch things fall away fromyour life that aren't meant to
be there when you pursue thisjourney this journey.
Um, like a lot of folks saidtheir interpersonal
relationships, a lot of themkind of fell to the wayside or
they found people being more, Idon't want to say combative with
(38:24):
them, but kind of questioning,like, oh, but you're not this
perfect person.
Um, like if you're still makingmistakes as an early Reiki
person, like being not makingmistakes, but still being human.
Um, it was interesting to hearpeople let relationships fall
away and maybe let um vices fallaway, which then in turn might
like if you got drinkingbuddies, you're not necessarily
(38:46):
going to get to see them if youfeel like alcohol is not
resonating with your energeticsystem anymore.
And you certainly still can havethese things.
Like, I'm again not a Reikipurist.
You can still um drink, smoke,have caffeine, eat meat.
Like you don't have to like takeall of those things away to
become a Reiki person.
But a lot of the folks that Italked to did say that some of
(39:07):
those things naturally fell awayover time, for at least for
them.
Um, I'm like for me, likecaffeine has become something
that has like made my energeticsystem like a little too wiry.
So I can only have like oneteaspoon of matcha and I can't
drink coffee anymore.
So it's something like I'venoticed like within me, like
things that I used to beobsessed with, like coffee, kind
(39:27):
of fall away.
Um, my relationships, I don'thave as many friendships because
of how we um I don't have asmany friends, like close
friendships because of the waythat we bonded.
So I see them less often, but itis still really beautiful when I
get to see them.
So a lot of folks did see thingsfall away for them, even if it's
like anger may have fallen,fallen like lowered, or maybe
(39:49):
like tendencies towardsdepression had lowered or
stress, they're able to respondto it better.
So Reiki doesn't just like takethings away from you, but it's
giving you something that youmay have been seeking um
otherwise, like through thesevices or through these things.
SPEAKER_01 (40:03):
So absolutely.
I can't say I've personallyexperienced it, or at least I
don't know if I can directlyattribute anything to Reiki in
particular, because at the timeI was taking like mediumship
classes and all these otherthings, but it but they do talk
about that.
I I I would that it'sinteresting you saw that in the
in the data and in in theevidence um because there is for
(40:25):
those of you that aren'tunaware, once you get attuned,
there's like a 21-day and Ican't remember what we call it,
integration period that you'resupposed to essentially do Reiki
on yourself on certain chakrasover the course of 21 days um to
help you integrate theattunement and they talk about
being sick after gettingattuned, like purging energy,
right?
SPEAKER_00 (40:44):
I got so sick after Reiki one, and it did not happen
after the last two, the othertwo, but like physically sick
for a week, emotionally sick fora week, and spiritually sick for
a week.
It was literally like I couldmap it out, like because I
journaled that whole process.
Um, I like and I wore a maskduring my Reiki one, so there
was no reason that I got sick.
Like there were four of us inthe class, and I was I was that
person during COVID, um, stillkind of a little hypochondriac
(41:07):
about it.
But the fact that I got sophysically sick, like literally
the next day, I was I was verysick with like a horse cough and
stuff.
It was like my body was purgingall of the things that I um that
I had been holding on to for myfor the like my whole life.
So it was really cool.
That's incredible to see thatplay out.
Wow.
SPEAKER_01 (41:26):
Yeah, and that's so interesting.
And I and I don't want to implycausation, I think it's more
probably correlation.
Yeah, no, especially with umthey find that they've removed
things over time because I thinkthat's part of your journey, not
to minimize Reiki at all, butno, no, you're right.
Causation is gateway.
It's right, and the gateway ofReiki is realizing there's
(41:48):
something higher out there,there's healing, there's
universal energy.
And then you start to be like,oh, let me start removing the um
the mask of the facade here.
And then you start realizingwhat's in alignment with you and
what's not in alignment withyou.
Because, like, how what do Ineed to heal?
Okay, I went to go see myin-laws and I had to Reiki
myself for an hour.
Maybe that's a sign somethingneeds to change there.
SPEAKER_00 (42:10):
No, that's fair, that's totally fair.
Yeah, maybe so, maybe notcausation, like causation
doesn't mean correlation, butit's definitely a catalyst, I
think, for folks in workingthrough their own journeys of
healing, of spiritual being, ofself-discovery of what is useful
for them.
So it's helpful for them.
SPEAKER_01 (42:28):
Yeah, but but it it but it's so true.
And I'm um so interesting thatyou had all these purges too.
Oh my god, that's sointeresting.
Um, and and your earlier point,I don't want to go, I don't want
to totally go back there, but Iagree that there's no, we're not
a master of anything.
And so um and so I love thatcomment as well earlier.
Um, anything else that's poppingup?
SPEAKER_00 (42:49):
I don't think so.
I um I actually did spend thesummer working on um proposals
too.
I mean, like I'm saying I'm notwriting a book, but I am writing
a book.
I literally, so in higher ed,I'm we can apply for a
sabbatical where we get asix-month period of doing just a
project and not going to workand doing the other work
responsibilities.
I will find out next month if Idid receive that sabbatical for
(43:11):
2027, which I'm really excitedabout.
It's gone through like three ofthe five steps of approval.
So I'm really hopeful for that.
But I did um, so I have beenworking on writing a lot and
I've delved into a lot of thisdata and summarized and since
gotten like emerging themes fromeach of the chapters, and it's
been really cool to see how allof this has played out.
But most importantly, I'm reallyhonored because I how I
(43:33):
recruited people was just anInstagram reel.
So the people that resonatedwith me reached out to me and um
I resonated with each of theirstories in some way, in some
capacity.
So I'm just really honored thatI was able and have been able to
um work on such a meaningful tome project.
um even if nobody else caresabout it or reads it, like I
know that I have done somethingthat is like a passion for me.
(43:56):
And I think that has alreadymade this whole thing worth it.
So it has been um it's been likea I don't I don't want to say
like the highlight of my life sofar, but like career wise, I
think I've accomplished a lot.
But this has like been the mostmeaningful thing I've ever done.
So I'm really grateful that Ihave gotten to do it and then
I've gotten to talk with youabout this project too.
Oh so appreciative.
SPEAKER_01 (44:18):
Yeah.
Yeah yeah and I'm soappreciative of being a part of
the project.
And I love that you just likedid an Instagram story.
You're like who wants to getinterviewed in 14 years old.
That's pretty cool.
SPEAKER_00 (44:27):
I had to get that approved for through like our
review board like institutionalreview board and stuff.
Like the questions I gotvalidated by researcher like by
two Reiki practitioners who areknown like pretty well known on
the on the interwebs orwhatever.
But um I had to go through thiswhole institutional review board
process to make them anonymousto be able to write about them
or I wouldn't be able to usethem or talk about them in any
(44:49):
way.
So it was a very thoroughprocess getting started like a
30 page review board process.
It was a lot um but it's beenagain the highlight of my
professional life because I gotto hear people's stories and
journeys and pains and joys umit's been really beautiful.
SPEAKER_01 (45:08):
Wow I love I'm that's wow I love how the
integrity in which you bring tothis work your obviously passion
and dedication to to Reiki andfurthering the education and um
the patterns and trends and likehelping Reiki grow past its very
sometimes sometimes very rigidstructure that a lot of the
(45:31):
teachers teach.
So bravo Lindsay good jobfollowing your instinct
following your passion followingyour joy that is truly living in
alignment.
SPEAKER_00 (45:40):
Thanks Nicole Nicole it's been so awesome getting to
talk with you I I love I loveyour energy so you're so sweet
you get to reconnect again.
SPEAKER_01 (45:50):
You're so sweet I do want to take a moment uh very
awkwardly for you Lindsay I'm sosorry to ask the collective
that's listening to this podcastto send Reiki if you have it or
positive thoughts to Lindsay'ssabbatical so that she can get
approved and hopefully make thisdream a reality and turn this
into additional research andadditional um opportunities.
(46:13):
So I'm just gonna ask them totake a moment I can feel the
energy okay thank you thank youeverybody um if you are
interested maybe you are a Reikipractitioner maybe this has
(46:35):
convinced you uh to sign up forReiki if so amazing maybe you
are a Reiki practitioner go andfollow Lindsay on the socials um
what's what's your what's yourhandle is it mainly Instagram
how do people find you mostlymainly Instagram it's oye reiki
o y e reiki um that's me that'samazing guys uh it's amazing so
(46:56):
give her a follow she does postum short little I don't know how
you do it short little clipsabout like Reiki kind of like
the healing stuff you may haveseen from me recently but
Lindsay rocks it and she packsthe this punch of Reiki in this
very short video.
So go give her a follow and umif she opens more research
opportunities I assume that'swhere you're gonna be going
anyway Instagram so everyonegive her a follow.
(47:18):
Lindsay thank you so much forbeing here today.
You are such an amazing treasureof a soul and I love how you are
furthering Reiki metaphysicalresearch um and and making this
stuff real and digestible andlike palpable for um the
everyday person and alsoproviding visibility from a
scientific community about theimpacts that these metaphysical
(47:40):
tools have.
So thank you so much.
You are such an amazing soul.
SPEAKER_00 (47:44):
Thank you for having me.
All right take care bye
Hello everyone.
Welcome back to the Unity Code.
I am joined today by theabsolutely fabulous, gorgeous,
amazing Lindsay Harper for ourReiki episode today.
Thank you so much for beinghere.
SPEAKER_00 (02:35):
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm so excited to get to chatwith you.
SPEAKER_01 (02:38):
Oh my God, I'm so excited.
I'm just, I'm so excited.
Lindsay and I go way back.
I'm gonna give that intro in asecond, but before I go there,
Lindsay Harper is a certifiedReiki person working as an
associate professor andarchivist at a higher ed
institution.
She's had degrees in psychologyand library science and a
graduate certificate inbehavioral statistics.
(02:59):
In her day job, she contributesto preserving stories of
individuals and she mentorsstudents on how to archive
collections.
And in her personal time, she'sthe founder of Open Your Eyes
Reiki, OE, right?
I think that's how we say it.
Her goal with this platform isalways to provide Reiki content
to shift collective energy inpositive ways.
And I specifically asked her,not only because she's freaking
(03:22):
red, but I asked her on herebecause in 2024, I participated
in her Reiki and Well-beinginterviews project at Marshall
University, where she was been,she was able to document, listen
to, and learn stories from livedexperiences for 14 Reiki
certified individuals across theglobe.
So she has a lot of richexperience and holistic
(03:43):
perspective, offering all of youamazing insights on how you can
balance your professionalpursuits with personal passions.
There's a lot of peace.
Um, so Reiki, so so you are myReiki guru, Lindsay, with like
through and through, which is sofunny because you don't offer
private sessions, but you arelike this scientific nerd about
(04:04):
Reiki, like I am.
So I'm so, so stoked to have youhere.
SPEAKER_00 (04:07):
I'm so excited to be here.
Thank you so much.
Uh can't wait to dive into thisand share more um with everyone
about this.
SPEAKER_01 (04:14):
Oh my goodness.
Okay.
So a little background.
Lindsay and I met on thefabulous platform called Reddit,
where as a practicing medium atthe very, very my baby medium
stages at the beginning of myjourney, she had posted, I think
you posted asking for a readingon the medium reading subreddit,
which by the way I'm now bannedfrom apparently because I think
(04:36):
I've banned from it.
But you posted it and I answeredit.
And that's how we met.
SPEAKER_00 (04:44):
Yeah, exactly.
Um, and you ended up, youactually read a paternal
grandmother who I never had arelationship with.
So it was terrible practice foryou in the sense that I had to
say I don't know to all of yourresponses.
And then I had to go back andverify, and then I got to go
back and message you and belike, hey, I chatted with my
mother, and she was able toconfirm this about um my
paternal grandmother.
(05:05):
So I was, and you were likeusing words like honey.
She was this woman, like fifthgeneration Texan woman.
I've not been to Texas.
So you were like, I don't knowwhy I feel like using the word
honey, calling you honey, butum, you gave me some really
validating messages that I couldlater confirm were all true.
So it was a very meaningfulreading um and allowed me to
(05:25):
kind of weave in someintergenerational healing that I
needed from that.
So it was really um reallymeaningful to me.
SPEAKER_01 (05:32):
I had no idea.
I don't think I don't know ifyou we've talked about this.
SPEAKER_00 (05:36):
That's I think it was just through Reddit DM
before you we were both presenton social media um sharing our
gifts.
So but yeah, that was back in2022 or something.
So something like that.
SPEAKER_01 (05:49):
So three years ago, everybody getting validation
from a reading.
Three years.
Sorry about that.
No, I love, but this is what Ilove this because this is what I
talk about in my just becauseit's a no word, I don't know,
doesn't mean it's wrong.
And sometimes it can take yearsfor the validation to come
through.
So here you go, live and on theair, everybody.
Um, so thank you for that.
But it was it was so um it wasso cool because there was this
(06:11):
into instant connection betweenus.
I know we've chatted over theyears, and we've connected on
other social platforms once weuh stuff stepped away from our
usernames because it's totallyanonymous over there on Reddit.
Right.
And so I've been watching you onsocial media and then um and
then you did this amazingproject, which I'm so excited
about.
So before we go there, I guesshow did you get into Reiki,
(06:36):
Lindsay?
Have you done it for a longtime?
What's your path into the Reikiumbrella?
SPEAKER_00 (06:42):
Yeah, that's a great question.
Um, I think I was in my Saturnreturn when some of this stuff
was happening, and I didn'tactually know what Reiki was
before I discovered it.
I was reading the book How toBecome an Empowered Empath by
Wendy DeRosa.
And that kind of got me into alot of um guided meditations,
transcendental meditations, andthings like that, with working
towards like inner childhealing, inner womb healing, and
(07:04):
things like that.
And like stuff is to say, like,long story short, like I go down
this like winding road of likediscovering different healing
modalities.
And about six months afterstarting my meditation journey,
I stumbled across there's alocal Reiki class in my
community.
I'm in um Huntington, WestVirginia.
It is a beautiful community, butthere is not a lot of
(07:26):
alternative places, like modalhealing modality types of places
here.
There might be a couple now, butthere definitely were only maybe
one or two.
Back in 2021 when I discoveredthat we were having a class
nearby.
So I was like, huh, I feltinstantly intrigued by this
concept of Reiki and I didn'tknow what it was.
So because I was in thatspiritual awakening, um, kind of
(07:49):
early spiritual awakening phasewhere you're really seeking that
external signs andsynchronicities from universe, I
was like, universe, give me adeer if I meant to go to this
class.
It is literally like two milesfrom where I live.
And I went about my day.
It was the end of the day, so Ididn't think about it.
It was dark.
It was like a Sunday because Iusually go over to um see family
(08:10):
on Sundays.
And I got home, it was dark, andthere was a deer in front of um,
like I in front of my house isjust like kind of a field.
There was a deer laying in thefield right in front of our
front door in that way.
So I took the plunge and Ijumped and I did it.
And um it was the best thing Iever did.
Um, I was really healing formyself.
(08:30):
Um, I didn't intend on doingReiki 2.
I never intended on doing Reikiwith anyone for anyone.
It was supposed to be just apersonal private practice.
And well, when you say I'm nevergonna do something, the universe
kind of tends to poke at you tosay, well, maybe you should,
maybe you should.
And then um, and then I did.
But I did my Reiki 2 six monthslater after that in June of
(08:53):
2022.
And then I did my Reiki masterum certifications just for more
education and learning formyself in the summer of 23.
And it has been um, it's been agame changer for me, truly.
SPEAKER_01 (09:05):
Oh, that's so that's so great.
Um, so you're are you are you amaster teacher then?
SPEAKER_00 (09:11):
I took the classes, but I didn't necessarily like I
don't intend again, at least atthis juncture, to offer Reiki
specific um certificationtraining for anybody or Reiki
attunements in that way.
Okay, got it.
SPEAKER_01 (09:24):
And it's so interesting because mine, um, I
don't have the deer story isamazing.
And I remember you you collectfeathers all the time too.
And I just ran out to give mychick, you got some feathers.
She's got some feathers.
Yeah, I've got my I've collectedmy campus feathers.
So I just went out to feed mychickens this morning and there
were feathers the whole way.
I was like, oh, right, I'mtalking to Lindsay this morning.
Um so what's so cool is I Ithink I come from a very
(11:17):
similar, maybe just to level setthe listeners.
I come from a very similarbackground of Reiki, where I
kind of took it.
I don't really intend on doing alot of Reiki sessions on people.
It's not really my jam.
I like more of the virtualexperience, but I but I took it
because I I read about it and Iwanted it as a pathway into like
my psychic um tool setessentially to get these
attunements.
(11:37):
So, yeah, so very, very similarto you.
I'm I went through all of thelevels really, really quickly.
So I think we did level one, um,like a couple months later,
level two, level three, um, andthen that's the teacher
certification training too, andwhich is hilarious because I
don't ever intend not famouslast words on teaching uh Reiki.
(11:58):
But I I love that we have thatsimilarity of maybe just like
learning and not necessarilyapplying the practical as much.
And I know that you and I bothknow how to do this, right?
And I know that at any givenmoment we would be amazing at
this work, but um but it's sointeresting.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know where to go withthat.
But obviously, there was thislove that you had of Reiki, and
(12:23):
I'm getting a past lifeconnection.
I don't know if you've everuncovered that at all.
A little bit, yeah.
Okay.
So um, so I guess in yourdefinition, Lindsay, what is
Reiki for those listeners thatdo not understand what we're
talking about?
SPEAKER_00 (12:39):
Yeah, so in its simplest form, Reiki is made up
of two words, which is Rey,which is universal, and key,
which is energy.
So in summation, like Reiki isdefined as this universal life
force energy that embodies theability, like essentially with
Reiki, we are conduits and thinkabout the universe.
Like I it was described in myReiki One class, like your cell
(13:01):
phone charger.
You are um like the the cordthat goes between the plug and
the phone is the Reiki, and youare connecting like you're
basically serving as the conduitto reach um to be able to I'm
socially awkward.
This is why I don't talk andteach.
You're doing fantastic to saythat it is essentially our
(13:22):
connection with universe andwith divine energy, so it allows
us to serve as the Reiki person,giving the Reiki, sending the
Reiki to be able to transformthat energy from the ethers to
other people.
SPEAKER_01 (13:36):
So it's and it's and it goes through you, and you're
the conduit, and you're the onewho who um, yeah, and it doesn't
take any of your own life forceenergy, not at all either.
SPEAKER_00 (13:47):
Yeah, and it is used to promote relaxation, it is
used to improve health, physicalhealth variables, mental health
variables, improve yourrelationships.
It basically can serve forwhatever purpose that your
energetic body needs it for,which is the most beautiful part
of Reiki to me.
SPEAKER_01 (14:02):
Oh, that's amazing.
Is there anything else you thinkum listeners need to know to
help ground in some of theresearch that I want to talk
about?
Like, is there like because thehis the history, there's so many
different types of Reiki, right?
And so which what are youcertified in?
SPEAKER_00 (14:18):
That is a good question.
Um, I so when I started my Reikijourney, I also did not know
that that was the case.
So I kind of got I took a Reikione, I think it was in holy
fire, Reiki two, I took adifferent modality, and Reiki
three, I did psychic Reiki.
I didn't know what I was doing,so that is very probably not
kosher or not like true Reikitraining in like some of the
(14:40):
circles that um you might see onsocial media, or you might have
more purists, more about what isyour lineage and things like
that.
But um, Reiki is Reiki, likeReiki is similar to pranic
healing, to healing touch, it isall accessing the same thing.
So I don't think it reallymatters which lineage or which
type of Reiki that you'reaccessing.
Um, it's energy is energy, andthat's what is beautiful about
(15:03):
it.
Just like religions can connectyou to the same source, you
don't have to have one true pathor one true way, which is really
cool.
And Reiki is not attached to anyreligion, so it is truly this
universal um way to connect withdivine or with source or
whatever word resonates withyou.
SPEAKER_01 (15:20):
Okay.
I didn't know you were uh uhtrained in all those different
modalities of Reiki.
SPEAKER_00 (15:25):
Just like Reiki one of this, Reiki two of that,
Reiki three of that.
So it is it is a a mishmash ofsymbols and um different
teachings and learnings, whichis really cool.
SPEAKER_01 (15:36):
That is really cool.
So I am Yesui for masterteacher, so I have the lineage,
and for those that don't knowwhat it is, essentially um I'm
gonna butcher this.
So apologies for any of theReiki purists out there, which
is why I don't resonate as muchwith Reiki, because I can't
follow a structure.
I just can't because I becausewe're we are here to make things
(15:56):
better, not to follow thetraditions of everything that
came before us, uh, to grow andevolve.
That's our that's our goal,right?
Put people and souls.
So um, so the lineageessentially is it it started
with uh Yuzui Matazaka, I thinkthat's the name, um, in Japan,
and he received this downloadfrom source essentially of this
(16:16):
healing modality called Reiki,and he taught it over in Japan.
And then I believe his wife, um,there was a woman that brought
it over to the United States,and so every time somebody
teaches it to the next person,that's part of the quote unquote
lineage.
So it starts with Yazui YuzuiMatsaka, and it goes down and
(16:37):
down and down and down.
So when you get certified inYazui Reiki, they literally hand
you a piece of paper to say whodid you get trained through?
It's like seven degrees of KevinBacon.
It's right, exactly.
That's exactly what it is.
And there's like the can I firstjust a second, there's a huge
ego trip about where you are inthe lineage because some people
will pay thousands and thousandsof dollars to be higher up on
(16:59):
the lineage.
So you're not like 17 degreesremoved from Yuzu.
Um, so it's really, reallyinteresting the whole, I don't
know, uh, the ego side of theReiki, but essentially when you
go through these trainings,you're not supposed to tell
anybody about the symbols.
You're not supposed to showanybody at this about the
symbols.
You're supposed to go throughthe history and learn the same
thing over and over and overagain.
(17:21):
And I know there's people whoare very pure in the lineage and
pure in the intention andfollowing the traditions um with
this.
And there's some people thataren't.
Now, what's interesting is I soa master teacher in in Yazui,
I've taken holy fire one and twoand some other random
modalities.
I know there's like KarunaReiki, Angelic.
(17:41):
There's so many differentshamanic Reiki.
There's so many, and they allinvolve healing.
But what's interesting to me,and I don't know if you've
noticed this, Lindsay, is thedifferent modality, even though
it's all doing the same thing,they feel different.
SPEAKER_00 (17:55):
Yeah, yeah.
There's a slight, there's aslight difference in how the
energy resonates.
Absolutely.
I would agree with that.
SPEAKER_01 (18:01):
It's so cool, it's so interesting to me.
It all does the same thing, butum Yuzui feels old.
It feels like it does feel likeancient Japan healing.
You're talking about holy fire,it feels young, it feels like
literally like fire, youthful,light goes fast.
It's so cool.
It's so cool.
No, it for sure is.
For sure.
(18:21):
Oh my gosh, I love thisconversation so much.
Keking out, keeking out.
Okay.
So um, is there anything elseyou want to share about Reiki
before we get into your projectthat you that you did?
SPEAKER_00 (18:33):
I think we should, I think we should jump right in.
I think it'll be it'll it'lllead to a better conversation
about about it.
I I'm excited.
SPEAKER_01 (18:40):
Oh, okay, cool.
So, do you want to tell me aboutyour Reiki and Wellbeing
interviews project?
And I'll link link everything inthe show notes for people to
read if they want to read ontheir own.
SPEAKER_00 (18:50):
Yeah, absolutely.
So I am at a juncture in mycareer where I have done a lot
of the things I feel like you'resupposed to do.
So as an archivist, and thiswill, I promise this will all
kind of make sense and I'll getaround to it.
I've really struggled with doingwhat I'm supposed to do in air
quotes and um collaborating withpeople and publishing in um the
academic journals, like we'resupposed to do um
(19:10):
discipline-related stuff.
I in 2022, again, um, before Ieven knew, I was offering, I
wasn't even offering Reiki topeople, but I was in a wellness
Wednesdays group for faculty umhere on my campus.
And we were kind of talkingabout things like burnout,
stress reduction, and liketrying to, I guess, have better
work-life separation orwork-life balance in that way.
(19:32):
And it was there where I decidedI really wanted to do something
specific to Reiki.
And when you make your passionyour work, it um it can go
either way.
It is always really exciting,but I knew I wanted to do that.
And um, it took me a couple ofyears to get there to figure out
the path that that was going tolook like.
But because I have a backgroundin psychology, my interest was
(19:52):
social psychology.
I really love learning aboutculture and people's stories at
the individual level because Iis able, it is better.
So, see, there's a fight withsocial psychology and sociology
because you're studying groupsversus individuals, but a lot of
those concepts kind of overlapand are the same.
And when I really wanted tolike, I'll backtrack a little
bit.
Um, when I did my Reikitrainings, I did my two and
(20:15):
three online asynchronously.
So I did not get to build thatcommunity that you get when
you're doing those in-person orum online virtual trainings, um,
when you're at least like faceto face with your instructor and
other classmates.
So I kind of did this selfishlyin some ways, but also like
intellectually, I wanted tolearn more about how other
people have lived and learnedthrough their own Reiki
(20:37):
practices, but I wanted to builda Reiki community in some ways.
So I knew I wanted to talk tosome folks.
So, fast forward a couple yearslater, um, I did my first round
of interviews in 2024.
I um applied for some fundingthrough my university to make it
part of my job.
Um, small sector, like 2%.
I get to do it for again, seveninterviews one summer, seven
(21:00):
interviews the next.
But I really wanted to see howum people's familial
experiences, their culturalexperiences may have helped or
hurt their interest in umholistically based practices
because a lot of people, atleast that I talked to, grew up
in very fundamental um religiousenvironments, whether they were
practicing Muslims, they wereHindu, they were some sort of
(21:24):
Protestant.
I've got a long range ofProtestants, different um
denominations, Catholic, RomanCatholic, things like that.
I wanted to see if um thoseexperiences would have um pushed
them away or brought them tosomething like Reiki, which was
really cool.
Um again, like as a non-puristand a non-traditionalist, I
(21:45):
wanted to see what otherpeople's self-Rakey practices
looked like.
And because I spoke with, Ithink it was 14 people across
six countries.
Um, I got to yeah, 14 peopleacross six countries.
SPEAKER_01 (21:58):
That was so cool.
SPEAKER_00 (21:59):
I was able to talk to people who had experience
using Reiki from like as littleas three months.
That was like the person that Italked to who was fresh into
their journey, upwards to 21years of experience with Reiki.
So what I was finding is thatpeople who may have been a few
years into their journeys wereless of the purists, as we've
kind of talked about.
So you don't have to do theformulaic hand motions that
(22:20):
you're taught, but you can justuse your intuition and let Reiki
flow.
And as somebody who neverresonated with the purest, like
the specific hand motionsnecessarily, I it was validating
for me to see that I don't haveto be this purist in in that
sense.
And I can like my standardReiki, self-Rakey session um for
myself is just hands on heart,eyes closed.
(22:42):
Um, and that I think is how I'mable to let Reiki flow for me.
So getting to hear 14 otherpeople describe their practice
was um something that was reallycool, really cool and really
validating for me.
So I was really excited um tolearn more about that and like
how it's helped them with theirmental health, their physical
health, again, theirrelationships and maybe the
transformative experiencesthey've had, either themselves
(23:05):
or with sessions with otherpeople.
So I'm really passionate aboutthis project, as you can tell.
So it has been um it's been ajoy, and I'm hoping I am going
to be able to expand this intosomething more in the future.
I'm hoping like a longer writtenresource kind of summarizing,
synthesizing the interviews,because there were like 236 like
(23:25):
PDF pages across these 14interviews, which I thought was
um, I couldn't believe thatthat's where I ended up with
that.
Um, and I would love to collectmore, but I also know that I
have to have a stopping point ifI want to start writing about
these stories.
So I think that is where I'm atin that junction of turning this
into um, I don't want to say abook, but like a resource guide
(23:45):
of sorts.
SPEAKER_01 (23:46):
So I feel like it is gonna be some sort of a book.
I do.
SPEAKER_00 (23:50):
Okay.
SPEAKER_01 (23:52):
It is.
I know it is.
So great.
And yeah, I mean, I have thelit, I mean, I'm not surprised
260 pages because you had, I'mlooking at the questions because
you you sent me the questionswhen we did this interview.
There were 23 questions on here.
And I think I imagine I know I'mI'm the New England type that
will just very quickly answerdirectly the the quest, the
(24:13):
specific question withoutexpounding on it.
And I'm sure some people werevery verbose and you know, uh
inexpansive in their responses,which I think I mean, I feel
like that's a lesson and lessonin learning unto itself.
But um I love that you numberone, tied this to work because
that's the dream.
Absolutely.
That's the dream.
(24:33):
Um, and then number two, thefact that you really got um it
you weren't uncomfortable, butyou did roll up your sleeves and
you were completely open as anyper like research person should
be to make sure you're getting areally good sample, getting
making sure that you're, youknow, the the segmentation is
fantastic and the diversity ofresponses is fantastic.
(24:55):
Six countries, you know, 14people varying from three months
to 20, 21 years, right?
Like that's amazing in terms ofthe research.
And and I love that it wasn'tonly about the Reiki, it was
about the background that ledyou to Reiki.
So so can we start there?
Like the because I think you hadthree major sections, and I'm
(25:16):
looking at my list of questionsthat you asked me way, way long
time ago.
Yeah.
Um, what so you said there wasjust such diversity in the
background of religion, uhobviously location of all of the
people that participated in it.
Was there anything that you sawthat was similar that would
drive them into something likeReiki?
SPEAKER_00 (25:36):
Yeah, you know, I think for most individuals, this
had a lot to do with wanting toconnect with something that
resonated for them.
A lot of the folks that I talkedto, like their parents, they
describe their parents beingvery traditional within the
religions that they practice.
And um there are like, I guess,rituals that maybe didn't
resonate with them, like wakingup first thing, washing,
(25:57):
praying, um, different thingsthat um maybe felt too confining
or restrictive, I think, um, iswhat kind of led them to
something again with Reiki andpeople not being
traditionalists, at least that Ispoke with, they were able to
find a practice that resonatedfor them in the moments that
they were going to need it.
So I guess the similaritiesacross folks is that they were
(26:20):
seeking something and wanting toconnect with God in a different
way than what they maybe grew updoing, and maybe not resonating
with the religion itself, butstill wanting to resonate with
source and with God.
Um, because people can ruin areligion.
And Reiki, at least to me, isthe connection directly to
source, um, which I think isreally beautiful.
(26:42):
So I think that that tended tobe a common theme interwoven
throughout um the 14 people thatI spoke with.
SPEAKER_01 (26:49):
Wow, that's amazing.
Um, do you and I don't know ifthis was so I think so I'm like
literally looking at thequestion numbers, number seven.
Um so them so what would haveprompted them?
Is that what would have promptedthem to want to start Reiki?
So what like what, at leastmaybe in your personal
(27:09):
experience or maybe throughthese interviews, like why do
people decide Reiki?
SPEAKER_00 (27:15):
I will say usually there are two things.
Um, one, there are people areusually working through hard
things that have happened tothem in their lives, whether
that is early child earlychildhood trauma or current
traumas that they were workingthrough.
But the thing I think that umthat led people to pursue Reiki
is that they had maybe stumbledacross it as they were working
(27:36):
through other modalities.
Like some folks were doing yoga,some people were doing
meditation that I spoke with,some people randomly encountered
it on like a billboard, um, likein California in like the 90s,
or maybe they um were going toum like a like a taekwondo
class, and they had somebody whowas also coming in and doing
Reiki like later on that day.
(27:56):
So again, it typically in myexperience of personal
experience and people that I'vetalked with, they kind of
stumble across this thing andfeel a draw to it.
Um, so I don't know if that isthey're relying on their
intuition then to say, hey, Ishould see what this is about.
Um, so I guess it's listening toyour intuition and your guidance
from your guides or whoever umyou're following, um, if it's
(28:19):
your own self or higher self orwhatever.
SPEAKER_01 (28:22):
So okay, very cool.
These are like the questions I Ihave, and I love and I love that
you actually research this andyou can read through everybody's
responses because all of this isout there on the web.
Um how about is there anythingelse that you would call out
either findings that were likeunique or different or something
that might be value value add totalk about like what were
(28:44):
people's experience with Reiki,either receiving it, learning
it, giving it, what what wereyou finding as some of the the
more insightful findings throughthis?
SPEAKER_00 (28:54):
Yeah, um, in terms of Reiki itself, a lot of people
had described feeling thisoverwhelming sense of peace or
comfort.
And um, one of my participantswho actually was on the end of
having the most experience withReiki, she said that um, and it
was something very profound thatI think we don't all think about
that isn't even tied to Reiki,but she was like, when I sat in
a room for 10 minutes by myself,that piece was something that I
(29:17):
wouldn't have given myselfotherwise.
So, even like taking that act ofputting yourself first and
putting yourself in a quiet roomwhen you're always
overstimulated, um, that is agift of energy in itself.
And that really resonated withme as somebody who has a lot of
background noise kind of goingall the time.
And we don't always like peoplein this world, like we do not
(29:38):
take time to sit down with ourthoughts and be still.
There's a podcast running, thereis the radio's on, like you're
in the car, you don't need toremember driving home.
So in connecting with Reiki andconnecting with yourself, I
think are the two likeconnecting with yourself is the
most important aspect of beingable to do a self-Rakey session.
Um, it's probably the mostpowerful tool of um the
(30:01):
self-Rakey session, truthfully,because we don't we don't do
that um in our everyday.
And um, yeah, I think that'swhat I wanted to say with that.
I'm just letting it flow.
So I'll leave it.
That's the whole that's thewhole point.
SPEAKER_01 (30:12):
We're just gonna leave it out.
And I think that people need itnow more than ever.
Is that like it?
And can I be honest with you?
Like, I escape to the bathroommore times than I can count in
the day just because it's theone place my kids can't get to
me, right?
And so that idea of needing thatquiet, silent space, um, it's so
uncomfortable to sit withyourself sometimes, right?
(30:33):
And so I I think that's such anamazing reflection of how you
don't need to solve anything,but you can just just take that
time to de-stimulate yourself.
And and if you know Reiki, youknow, give yourself Reiki at
that time to really, excuse me,deeply connect and deeply reset
that energy and not just take itas a quiet moment, you know, mom
(30:54):
timeout or or person timeout,whoever you are, but um, but
really do the healing whileyou're there.
I love that.
What a what an amazing insight.
SPEAKER_00 (31:03):
Yeah, I thought so too.
That that story, that person,that lady, um, she was awesome.
So again, these interviews areanonymous, and I know you've
outed yourself as being aparticipant.
Yeah.
I'm trying very hard to respectum respect anonymity in that way
so that um people, becausepeople did share a lot of
stories about traumas in theirlives.
So I'm being very careful in howI'm talking about each of the
(31:25):
participants when I share withstuff.
SPEAKER_01 (31:27):
As you should as a researcher, and I out myself all
the time, so I don't mind outingmyself.
You can probably go through thelist and find me.
Um, there's only 14.
Right, right.
And I'm you know I'm in the US.
Um, no, it's it's uh it'samazing.
Um, so uh so wanna do you wantto talk a little bit more about
like the relationship in dailylife?
(31:48):
And I know you talked about umabout this a little bit and
you've talked about it withthese timeouts.
Is there anything else that youuncover in these interviews that
that would help, I don't know,give insight into the the
differences or the similaritiesbetween how people use or don't
use Reiki in their daily livesas someone who is certified or
trained in this modality?
SPEAKER_00 (32:08):
Yeah, um again, there are lots of different ways
that you can do Reiki.
It doesn't even have to be a sitdown and be quiet and um hands
on heart.
It can be incorporated into youreveryday living.
So if you want to Reiki yourtea, I've got my matcha smoothie
that I drink every morning.
I always Reiki my tea as I'mmaking it.
You can Reiki your food, you canReiki your house, you can Reiki
your environment, your car, umyour even like your notebook if
(32:32):
you're wanting to write.
Like there are all kinds of waysthat you can incorporate this
tool into everyday living.
And that is, I think, the heartof why I wanted to pursue this
project in the first place,because it isn't like nobody has
an hour to sit down every day bythemselves and meditate and be
peaceful.
Like I did in my early spiritualawakening days, which was also
during COVID, remote or hybridwork schedules.
(32:54):
I'm back in office now.
We're not really allowed to havethat flexible work schedule in
some ways.
So being able to incorporatethis practice that means a lot
to you into the things thatyou're already doing is like the
best way to make a practicestick.
So um hearing how people haveincorporated it into their
already busy routines andhabits, like Reikiing the shower
(33:17):
head, so that as the shower,like as you're taking a shower,
you're literally receiving Reikienergy, is um the way that other
people like that I talked with,they were describing how they
infuse this into their practice.
And I thought that that was thecoolest thing because I'm such a
literal person sometimes that Idon't often think about the ways
that you can um do things a bitmore free flow.
(33:39):
Um, but I do work as a free flowperson, even though I'm literal.
Um, it was really cool to seethat others are um just as flowy
about the way that they bringtheir practice into their
everyday.
I loved it.
So oh, that's so cool.
SPEAKER_01 (33:55):
And it so as somebody who does Reiki and as
somebody who who sat through theand asked the 262 pages of uh
interview questions, what arethe top things that you're
walking away with?
And and feel free to repeat ifyou want or just gloss over it,
but what are the top things thatyou're walking away with from
this research that either likewas valuable to you, surprised
(34:18):
you?
Um, I'd love to get your take onit as somebody who knows and
does this work.
SPEAKER_00 (34:24):
Yeah, I um first and foremost, I struggle a lot with
using the word Reiki master.
And I think that um it was inpart, I had that struggle before
I kind of started claiming itand before I started these
interviews.
But I was like, well, I'mprobably being a little too um
wishy-washy.
We can never really masteranything, what have you.
(34:44):
But as I spoke with these 14individuals um in again, six
countries, a lot of, I thinkmore than half of my
participants were women ofcolor, people of color.
Um, a coup there were a few ofthem who had mentioned that the
word the use of the word Reikimaster is problematic in itself,
at least here in the US and inthe states.
Um, it is a traditionalpractice.
(35:06):
So in Eastern cultures wherethese originated, it is a word
that is viewed with honor andwith respect.
But in the states, like usingthe word master, like what are
you a master of?
You're not a master of anything.
You are this person who issharing this gift with others,
but you are not the owner of it.
So I think that like it has mademe question, like, even and I
(35:29):
know language is important andit is, but it also isn't, I
don't want to be seen as thisperson who is making something
that it's not, either by sayingthe word the word Reiki master
is something we shouldn't use,but it has made me more
reflective of um our languageand how I guess we're portraying
ourselves, um, especially assomebody who isn't I'm not a
(35:50):
person of color.
So as somebody who is umsomebody who is basically per
I'm perpetuating the same, likeI've taken this practice and I'm
applying it.
I'm trying really hard to useReiki certified person so that
I'm not claiming ownership overeverything.
I'm not a master of anything,nobody is.
We are never experts ateverything or at one little
thing.
(36:10):
So that was one thing that Itook with me that is kind of not
really related to Reiki, but isvery inherently related to
Reiki.
SPEAKER_01 (36:18):
But isn't that just mind-blowing?
Like I never thought about that.
SPEAKER_00 (36:23):
I never right and I didn't either, truthfully.
Um, and I have given it a lot ofthought and consideration after
talking with these individuals,especially um this year's round
of folks, um in how I'mportraying myself and using
language about it.
But um, so yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (36:43):
Can but it's so um that's incredible.
And and I think in both of yoursenses, I think they're both,
and and especially the uh theword master, I never thought
about it as a negativeconnotation as you know, a white
woman from Massachusetts.
It's I and I when we were umwhen I was going through the
(37:06):
interview or just preppingbefore this, I was like, um, I
asked what your pronouns werebecause I saw you said you put
Reiki person, and I was like,and and I'm so glad we we went
down that for a second because Ithink this is such an
interesting and important topic.
Um and I think maybe this is whywe are not the purists in this
(37:28):
work, is because of things likethat.
Because if you are a purist,you're gonna call yourself a
Reiki master, and I already didin this episode.
And and so re again evolving andbecoming the best version of
ourselves.
And and so, gosh, Lindsay, likemaybe you should really become
like the new linguistics or liketeach teach the Reiki
(37:51):
certification of level three orfour, right?
Instead of instead of that.
And um, and I think that's anamazing point.
I don't like I don't even knowwhat else to say.
I'm gonna sit with that one.
SPEAKER_00 (38:01):
No, no, that's fair.
And I and I will say too, likein more in terms of more
practical things that I got outof this, I think that this
happens to a lot of us startingour Reiki journeys, but you kind
of watch things fall away fromyour life that aren't meant to
be there when you pursue thisjourney this journey.
Um, like a lot of folks saidtheir interpersonal
relationships, a lot of themkind of fell to the wayside or
they found people being more, Idon't want to say combative with
(38:24):
them, but kind of questioning,like, oh, but you're not this
perfect person.
Um, like if you're still makingmistakes as an early Reiki
person, like being not makingmistakes, but still being human.
Um, it was interesting to hearpeople let relationships fall
away and maybe let um vices fallaway, which then in turn might
like if you got drinkingbuddies, you're not necessarily
(38:46):
going to get to see them if youfeel like alcohol is not
resonating with your energeticsystem anymore.
And you certainly still can havethese things.
Like, I'm again not a Reikipurist.
You can still um drink, smoke,have caffeine, eat meat.
Like you don't have to like takeall of those things away to
become a Reiki person.
But a lot of the folks that Italked to did say that some of
(39:07):
those things naturally fell awayover time, for at least for
them.
Um, I'm like for me, likecaffeine has become something
that has like made my energeticsystem like a little too wiry.
So I can only have like oneteaspoon of matcha and I can't
drink coffee anymore.
So it's something like I'venoticed like within me, like
things that I used to beobsessed with, like coffee, kind
(39:27):
of fall away.
Um, my relationships, I don'thave as many friendships because
of how we um I don't have asmany friends, like close
friendships because of the waythat we bonded.
So I see them less often, but itis still really beautiful when I
get to see them.
So a lot of folks did see thingsfall away for them, even if it's
like anger may have fallen,fallen like lowered, or maybe
(39:49):
like tendencies towardsdepression had lowered or
stress, they're able to respondto it better.
So Reiki doesn't just like takethings away from you, but it's
giving you something that youmay have been seeking um
otherwise, like through thesevices or through these things.
SPEAKER_01 (40:03):
So absolutely.
I can't say I've personallyexperienced it, or at least I
don't know if I can directlyattribute anything to Reiki in
particular, because at the timeI was taking like mediumship
classes and all these otherthings, but it but they do talk
about that.
I I I would that it'sinteresting you saw that in the
in the data and in in theevidence um because there is for
(40:25):
those of you that aren'tunaware, once you get attuned,
there's like a 21-day and Ican't remember what we call it,
integration period that you'resupposed to essentially do Reiki
on yourself on certain chakrasover the course of 21 days um to
help you integrate theattunement and they talk about
being sick after gettingattuned, like purging energy,
right?
SPEAKER_00 (40:44):
I got so sick after Reiki one, and it did not happen
after the last two, the othertwo, but like physically sick
for a week, emotionally sick fora week, and spiritually sick for
a week.
It was literally like I couldmap it out, like because I
journaled that whole process.
Um, I like and I wore a maskduring my Reiki one, so there
was no reason that I got sick.
Like there were four of us inthe class, and I was I was that
person during COVID, um, stillkind of a little hypochondriac
(41:07):
about it.
But the fact that I got sophysically sick, like literally
the next day, I was I was verysick with like a horse cough and
stuff.
It was like my body was purgingall of the things that I um that
I had been holding on to for myfor the like my whole life.
So it was really cool.
That's incredible to see thatplay out.
Wow.
SPEAKER_01 (41:26):
Yeah, and that's so interesting.
And I and I don't want to implycausation, I think it's more
probably correlation.
Yeah, no, especially with umthey find that they've removed
things over time because I thinkthat's part of your journey, not
to minimize Reiki at all, butno, no, you're right.
Causation is gateway.
It's right, and the gateway ofReiki is realizing there's
(41:48):
something higher out there,there's healing, there's
universal energy.
And then you start to be like,oh, let me start removing the um
the mask of the facade here.
And then you start realizingwhat's in alignment with you and
what's not in alignment withyou.
Because, like, how what do Ineed to heal?
Okay, I went to go see myin-laws and I had to Reiki
myself for an hour.
Maybe that's a sign somethingneeds to change there.
SPEAKER_00 (42:10):
No, that's fair, that's totally fair.
Yeah, maybe so, maybe notcausation, like causation
doesn't mean correlation, butit's definitely a catalyst, I
think, for folks in workingthrough their own journeys of
healing, of spiritual being, ofself-discovery of what is useful
for them.
So it's helpful for them.
SPEAKER_01 (42:28):
Yeah, but but it it but it's so true.
And I'm um so interesting thatyou had all these purges too.
Oh my god, that's sointeresting.
Um, and and your earlier point,I don't want to go, I don't want
to totally go back there, but Iagree that there's no, we're not
a master of anything.
And so um and so I love thatcomment as well earlier.
Um, anything else that's poppingup?
SPEAKER_00 (42:49):
I don't think so.
I um I actually did spend thesummer working on um proposals
too.
I mean, like I'm saying I'm notwriting a book, but I am writing
a book.
I literally, so in higher ed,I'm we can apply for a
sabbatical where we get asix-month period of doing just a
project and not going to workand doing the other work
responsibilities.
I will find out next month if Idid receive that sabbatical for
(43:11):
2027, which I'm really excitedabout.
It's gone through like three ofthe five steps of approval.
So I'm really hopeful for that.
But I did um, so I have beenworking on writing a lot and
I've delved into a lot of thisdata and summarized and since
gotten like emerging themes fromeach of the chapters, and it's
been really cool to see how allof this has played out.
But most importantly, I'm reallyhonored because I how I
(43:33):
recruited people was just anInstagram reel.
So the people that resonatedwith me reached out to me and um
I resonated with each of theirstories in some way, in some
capacity.
So I'm just really honored thatI was able and have been able to
um work on such a meaningful tome project.
um even if nobody else caresabout it or reads it, like I
know that I have done somethingthat is like a passion for me.
(43:56):
And I think that has alreadymade this whole thing worth it.
So it has been um it's been likea I don't I don't want to say
like the highlight of my life sofar, but like career wise, I
think I've accomplished a lot.
But this has like been the mostmeaningful thing I've ever done.
So I'm really grateful that Ihave gotten to do it and then
I've gotten to talk with youabout this project too.
Oh so appreciative.
SPEAKER_01 (44:18):
Yeah.
Yeah yeah and I'm soappreciative of being a part of
the project.
And I love that you just likedid an Instagram story.
You're like who wants to getinterviewed in 14 years old.
That's pretty cool.
SPEAKER_00 (44:27):
I had to get that approved for through like our
review board like institutionalreview board and stuff.
Like the questions I gotvalidated by researcher like by
two Reiki practitioners who areknown like pretty well known on
the on the interwebs orwhatever.
But um I had to go through thiswhole institutional review board
process to make them anonymousto be able to write about them
or I wouldn't be able to usethem or talk about them in any
(44:49):
way.
So it was a very thoroughprocess getting started like a
30 page review board process.
It was a lot um but it's beenagain the highlight of my
professional life because I gotto hear people's stories and
journeys and pains and joys umit's been really beautiful.
SPEAKER_01 (45:08):
Wow I love I'm that's wow I love how the
integrity in which you bring tothis work your obviously passion
and dedication to to Reiki andfurthering the education and um
the patterns and trends and likehelping Reiki grow past its very
sometimes sometimes very rigidstructure that a lot of the
(45:31):
teachers teach.
So bravo Lindsay good jobfollowing your instinct
following your passion followingyour joy that is truly living in
alignment.
SPEAKER_00 (45:40):
Thanks Nicole Nicole it's been so awesome getting to
talk with you I I love I loveyour energy so you're so sweet
you get to reconnect again.
SPEAKER_01 (45:50):
You're so sweet I do want to take a moment uh very
awkwardly for you Lindsay I'm sosorry to ask the collective
that's listening to this podcastto send Reiki if you have it or
positive thoughts to Lindsay'ssabbatical so that she can get
approved and hopefully make thisdream a reality and turn this
into additional research andadditional um opportunities.
(46:13):
So I'm just gonna ask them totake a moment I can feel the
energy okay thank you thank youeverybody um if you are
interested maybe you are a Reikipractitioner maybe this has
(46:35):
convinced you uh to sign up forReiki if so amazing maybe you
are a Reiki practitioner go andfollow Lindsay on the socials um
what's what's your what's yourhandle is it mainly Instagram
how do people find you mostlymainly Instagram it's oye reiki
o y e reiki um that's me that'samazing guys uh it's amazing so
(46:56):
give her a follow she does postum short little I don't know how
you do it short little clipsabout like Reiki kind of like
the healing stuff you may haveseen from me recently but
Lindsay rocks it and she packsthe this punch of Reiki in this
very short video.
So go give her a follow and umif she opens more research
opportunities I assume that'swhere you're gonna be going
anyway Instagram so everyonegive her a follow.
(47:18):
Lindsay thank you so much forbeing here today.
You are such an amazing treasureof a soul and I love how you are
furthering Reiki metaphysicalresearch um and and making this
stuff real and digestible andlike palpable for um the
everyday person and alsoproviding visibility from a
scientific community about theimpacts that these metaphysical
(47:40):
tools have.
So thank you so much.
You are such an amazing soul.
SPEAKER_00 (47:44):
Thank you for having me.
All right take care bye
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Business History
It’s the history of business. How did Hitler’s favorite car become synonymous with hippies? What got Thomas Edison tangled up with the electric chair? Did someone murder the guy who invented the movies? Former Planet Money hosts Jacob Goldstein and Robert Smith examine the surprising stories of businesses big and small and find out what you can learn from those who founded them.