Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious anxiety disorder that is brought on by memories of a stressful event.
It is often associated with people who have been exposed to war or terrorism, but PTSD can result from any traumatic experience such as childhood trauma, physical abuse, or living through a natural disaster.
Those who suffer from PTSD usually experience intense, disturbing thoughts and feelings related to the traumatic event that last long after the event has occurred. Individuals may relive the event through flashbacks or nightmares; they may feel anger or fear and may distance themselves from others and situations that remind them of the event.
PTSD is not a one size fits all mental illness. Each individual may present with different needs or symptoms and as a result, no one treatment approach works for everyone. Conventional treatment options of Cognitive Behavior Therapy and medications are useful for many in helping patients with PTSD, however, they are not the only options in the toolbox.
Mental health professionals are increasingly embracing a wide range of complementary and alternative medicine techniques, as they have been found to help reduce stress and anxiety and improve mental wellbeing. One of these techniques is the practice of Reiki.
Reiki is a form of alternative medicine known as “energy healing.” It is based on ancient Japanese healing techniques and is a safe, non-invasive approach to treatment for a variety of psychological health issues, including stress and anxiety. Reiki takes a whole-person approach to healing. The idea is that the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual aspects of our lives are interrelated and flow together to create the whole person. If there are imbalances in any one of these aspects, they will have an impact on other aspects.
When it relates to trauma healing, Reiki encourages deep relaxation and the elimination of stress. Reiki promotes this from the outside in and reminds the body how to feel calm again. During a flight, fight, or freeze response, emotions are often buried that assist a person through a traumatic experience. Reiki gently helps to release those trapped emotions and free them from their trauma.
If Reiki is something that you would like to incorporate into your treatment routine, or if you are curious about exploring this type of therapy, reach out for a consultation today. Here at Aloha Integrative Health, we are happy to have clinicians on staff who are skilled with Reik and can help you progress towards healing and becoming the best version of yourself you can be.