Be Well Rhody 2023 | Page 7

the White Lotus Spiritual Healing website , reiki is derived from the Japanese words rei , meaning several things such as “ universal ” and “ spiritually guided ,” and ki , meaning “ life force energy ,” and is a method of natural healing using gentle touch to bring universal life force energy into your body space . The day Cintron received her certification to become a reiki master , she booked her first session with a client — she was ready to put her skills to the test .

“ When I fell into reiki , it just flowed . It was so natural for me , I felt super comfortable getting into it . Within a year I was teaching , which is probably one of the things we do the most here right now , and reiki is our most common class , we get requests all the time ,” says Cintron . “ If it were up to the public I would probably be teaching reiki every weekend . We already do two classes a month as it is ,” she says .
Reiki therapy comes equipped with several benefits , including deep relaxation and reduction in tension , body detoxification and relief from traditional medicine side effects like chemotherapy . This method of therapy doesn ’ t directly cure illnesses or diseases — it ’ s instead used as a way to treat symptoms and improve a patient ’ s mental health and well-being .
“ This is why you find reiki throughout hospitals in the U . S .,” says Cintron . “ Cancer centers , including here in Rhode Island , all have reiki practitioners because this stuff works . It ’ s no longer this pie-in-the-sky idea , there ’ s science behind it and there has been for a few years now .”
Reiki — the Energy Healing Modality Here ’ s a sneak peek at a typical reiki therapy session : Once you have a seat on the pink couch with Cintron surrounded by crystals , sage and the sound of light music in the background , you will engage in a warm-up conversation to help her understand why you were drawn to reiki , what ’ s happening in your life and other topics . Soon after , it ’ s time to lay on the cushioned table , where Cintron will place her hands lightly over different parts of your body .
“ Reiki itself is based on the seven chakra systems in our body . It ’ s an energy healing modality because it works with our energy fields — our seven chakras — from crown to root ,” says Cintron . “ From the physical point of view , it will alleviate whatever ails you ’ re feeling but because it ’ s a system , as a practitioner , I ’ m going to try to figure out what ’ s happening in the third eye energetically that ’ s causing the headaches , which are the result of a disbalance happening energetically .” For example , if the client is suffering from a stomachache , she ’ s going to try to figure out what ’ s happening in their solar plexus or ask about what ’ s stressing them out .
“ We start moving the energy out , and your chakras are all balanced by the time we ’ re done ,” she says . “ We ’ ll then sit down ; you as the client have their own experiences and that ’ s a whole different thing , so we have to talk about what your experience was and then I ’ ll share with you what I found . From there we ’ ll do a little bit of prescribing , which can be meditation for five minutes a day depending on what ’ s happening with the individual .”
Cintron has witnessed several different reactions to the reiki therapy sessions , and crying is one of the most common . “ It ’ s a release — we are releasing energy . For instance , if I am over someone ’ s throat chakra , and we hover so it ’ s not really a contact , some people feel like I ’ m taking them and squeezing their throat or I ’ m releasing it , depending on what ’ s happening there energetically .
“ Reiki itself is based on the seven chakra systems in our body . It ’ s an energy healing modality because it works with our energy fields — our seven chakras — from crown to root .” — Cintron
There ’ s an actual sensation occurring that ’ s physical , which is why the skeptics are my favorite because I say , ‘ It ’ s fine , you don ’ t have to believe anything . The work still happens whether you feel , whether you believe , it doesn ’ t matter what , you get what you need to get .’”
With many things in life comes skepticism , and Cintron has encountered a couple throughout her career as a practitioner . Not only does she suggest that everyone who enters the space should have an open mind , she invites them to bring their questions .
“ I think one of the easiest ways for us to do anything and feel comfortable is by asking questions and getting our doubts out , then experiencing it in a very gentle , nonthreatening way ,” says Cintron . “ We try to create that kind of environment for people , but we get quite a few skeptics who are just curious enough or people who are skeptical and they ’ ve heard from a variety of people that they need to come for a session . I get a lot of those , and they always stay . They always come back and become regulars . All it takes is one session .”
Other services and events include Integrated Energy Therapy — a client favorite , tarot reading , root work and classes on reiki and IET . Cintron also provides food coaching and offers herbal and food recommendations . Learn more about Cintron ’ s services online . White Lotus Spiritual Healing , 100 Lafayette St ., Suite 303 , Pawtucket , 415-0789 , whitelotusspiritualhealing . com — E . B .
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