When we love someone, we just want what’s best for them. We want them to be healthy, happy and pain-free, and live a long life. But when those things are challenged by our loved one having a health crisis, we can feel upset and like our happiness and their safety is being threatened. So what’s a loving, proactive person to do?

Can I Make Someone Want to Receive Reiki?

Well, once we’ve discovered Reiki, it’s easy to feel that we’ve got the solution to all of their problems. But what if our loved one doesn’t want to try Reiki? Is there a way to convince them of its benefits and that it’s the right choice for them?

I was asked this very question by a woman who wanted to get a Reiki session for her father who had recently been diagnosed with a serious medical issue. She said that she felt that Reiki could help him, but that he was having some resistance to trying Reiki. So what could she do?

And Here Was My Response…

“As far as your Dad is concerned, my instinct would be not to try to convince him to do anything he doesn’t want to right now, including receive Reiki treatments.

I bet you’re all still reeling from his recent diagnosis and I hear that you really love him and want to help him. Many times I have found that when people receive stressful medical news, they feel like they’re losing control of everything in their world, along with their bodies. Sometimes it feels like the most powerful thing they can do in that situation is to say “no” to something. I, as I’m sure do you, want to respect your Dad’s experience.

In lieu of forcing him to do something that he isn’t open to or ready for (which would not work very well in the case of Reiki anyway), I may have a solution that would work for you. Perhaps you would like to have a session for yourself to support you during this time, especially in processing your experience of his illness?

If Reiki helps you, you will become a walking testament to the good it could bring to him. Even if he’s still not interested, at the least, you will be supported, since situations like this affect not just the patient but the whole family.”

It’s Only Natural to Want to Help in the Ways We Think Are Best…

Receiving this question brought up such familiar memories and feelings in me. When I was 16, my father became quite ill with heart disease and had to have quadruple bypass surgery. After he recovered from the procedure, he was in cardiac rehab and the focus became on lifestyle changes and choices, one of which was how he dealt with stress.

Well, I knew I wanted to help him get better. So I saw an ad in the local newspaper for a meditation class. I had already been meditating for several years but never in a group. I thought that this class would help teach my Dad how to relax and that he would learn better from (read: listen better to) a professional teacher.

As I dialed the number in the ad, I felt all excited and empowered, like I was actually affecting change. I spoke with the meditation teacher and she was amazing. She was supportive, understanding and down-to-earth. This was the exact person I needed to speak to in that moment.

I explained my situation and she said that absolutely the class could benefit my father, but then she shifted the conversation to me. We ended our talk with her saying whether or not my father wants to come to the class or not, I should come because it could help me deal with my stress. That invitation changed my life.

So If I Can’t Convince Someone to Receive Reiki, Then What CAN I Do?

I told my father about the class and also about the meditation teacher that I had spoken with. He thanked me for researching the opportunity, but he didn’t want to go. I understood. And it’s a good thing he didn’t go because it was a class filled with amazing, energetically-sensitive women and he would have been miserable!

But I did go and it was incredible. During the classes, I developed a wonderful rapport with the teacher. And when the classes were close to ending, she suggested that I take a Reiki class with her. I did and it appeared to alter the trajectory that my life was on. I know that it fully put me on the right track that I had been working towards getting onto since I was just age 12 and began exploring meditation, Eastern spirituality, and New Age and New Thought topics.

The Only Person You Can Heal in This Life is Yourself

In hearing that I should take the class anyway to support myself, I learned my first Reiki lesson. The only person you can heal in this life is yourself. We are not the authors of anyone else’s journey. We cannot “fix” anyone.

I claimed my personal power in that decision and have worked everyday since to bring healing to my life.

Not so incidentally, my mother came to the meditation class with me she had a great time, too, and went on to take Reiki as well.

Look for Unexpected Blessings

Everything happened just as it was supposed to and all the people who I have since shared Reiki with, and whom my mother has as well, were meant to receive that gift, too.

Sometimes the apparent stresses and tragedies that occur in our lives happen to be the catalysts we need to find our truest selves and bring blessings into this world.

Because when we take the first step on the journey towards healing ourselves, and let our sense of responsibility for and duty to others’ journeys fall away, we actually bring more healing energy to the world than we ever could have imagined possible.

Thanks so much for reading. I hope that you find peace and many blessings on your journey. And if you’re concerned about a loved one, may Reiki wrap you in its loving embrace…You’re not alone. 😉

So Reiki ON, my dear Reiki friends!

Wishing you peace and love and many Reiki blessings,

Tarin Rataic, The Reiki Guide