Just for today—
I will not worry.
I will not be angry.
I will do my work honestly.
I will give thanks for my many blessings
I will be kind to my neighbor and all living things
Honestly, I struggle with each of these things every single day. I’m a working mother and wife and, like many, I’ve often felt the weight of the world on my shoulders. Layoffs, chronic illnesses, tragedies, and autism all presented major challenges. For many years, if my life did not go exactly as I desired, I WOULD worry, be angry, lose focus on work, and be bitter and resentful.
An air of negativity and even hopelessness surrounded me. It was as if the universe was working against me.
In reality, it was me who wasn’t working WITH the universe.
Lose a job? Worry about the income. Don’t think about the wonderful opportunity waiting around the corner. Don’t have faith that you are simply supposed to be somewhere else right now.
Struggling with the kids? Just have a meltdown. Don’t see that this is an opportunity for self-growth, patience and even tough love.
Home projects not going as planned? Stress out! Don’t reflect on the fact that your home is the dream of many.
Like many, I turned to a higher power for answers. In my case, scripture. Now, I’ve always considered myself to be a very spiritual person, but after focusing my education NOT on what scripture can do for me but what scripture gives me AND what I am supposed to do with it, I realized that higher power was within ME all along.
So, I started applying the above to my life each day. Little did I know they are the five spiritual principles of Reiki. My husband, Michael, had been researching Reiki extensively and enlightened me on the practice.
And it just so happened a friend of mine in Martins Ferry is a Reiki Master.
What is Reiki and Who Is Anissa Picard?
Reiki is a Japanese word that means “Universal Life Force Energy.” It is considered a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that is also believed to promote healing. But in ancient times, many people around the world were using hands-on-healing or energy medicine. It utilizes touch, but not always, in a way that allows the healing energy from the Reiki Masters into the individual receiving the energy.
Anissa Picard was vacationing in Croatia in the late 1990s when she first learned about Reiki. After reading “Essential Reiki” by Diane Stein, she knew Reiki was her calling. She then began training with a Reiki Master in California and opened her first practice there in 2003.
“I was a high school French teacher at that time, so I had a home office and just practiced Reiki on the side,” she said. “In 2004, I was trained in Reiki 2 and in 2005 became a Reiki Master and began teaching students. Five years later, I moved to France to be married and so started my practice there, teaching and conducting healing sessions.”
Now she practices out of her home in Martins Ferry.
“I usually talk to my clients for 10-15 minutes or so, just to get a feel for their state of being and any issues occurring in their lives on a physical, mental/emotional, or spiritual level,” Picard said. “They then lie down on a massage table fully clothed; the lights are dimmed and soft music plays in the background. I gently place my hands above certain areas of the body for a few minutes at a time and the session normally lasts about an hour. When the session is finished, I allow them 10 minutes or so to wake up gently until they feel ready to get up from the table. We then discuss any concerns or issues that may have arisen during the session.”
My Experience
Picard trained Michael in Reiki, so, knowing what I was already trying to practice spiritually, I decided to try with him. Now, I’m not one who likes to sit, or lie, still. Doing that usually causes me to dwell on everything I could be doing while sitting. I’m always president of this, volunteering for that, teaching this, spearheading that. My mind doesn’t turn off. But I chose to focus on all the times in my life where I just wished I COULD rest and decided to allow myself to do just that.
“Reiki is not an alternative treatment for medical issues but a complementary one as it helps support healing and the feeling of well-being,” Picard said. “I want to point out that the healer does not actually do any healing. It is the recipient of the Reiki that does their own healing while in a mental state of peace of mind.”
I went into this seeking healing from physical ailments that had caused me a great deal of pain for about a year. My eyes closed, my back flat on the floor, and heels down, the warmth of the hands on my head awakened something within me, but I can’t describe it. I was able to turn off my mind and just focus on the warmth coming from someone else’s hands. I thought about how we use our hands to do so many good things each day; greeting someone else, giving a hug, saving lives. How the spirit drives these physical acts and how the person laying their hands on me was doing so because they wanted to help.
During the session, I slowly realized just how out of tune my mind, spirit and body were. The mind was willing and creative, but also over-thinking and over-ambitious. It was also constantly worried about the physical. The spirit was bogged down and confused by the constant ramblings of the mind, and what once was a driving force within me was now a dying flame. The body was tired, broken, in pain, and sometimes physically unable to do what the mind and spirit told it.
And that is where the healing began. I couldn’t heal my body without healing the mind and spirit. It wasn’t completely about someone laying hands on me and being fully healed. That was just the vessel. I had to WANT to be healed of everything causing me problems, problems I didn’t know I had until I allowed myself to lie still for a while and realize them. I had to full embrace the principles above, change my diet and lifestyle to include proper nutrition, sleep and exercise and ASK for healing and ALLOW myself to heal. By that I mean, be willing to do what is necessary to facilitate healing throughout my body. How many times do we pray and ask for something? Likewise, we must ask and allow ourselves to be healed.
This started me on a journey of mindfulness. One where I’m truly mindful of my blessings, mindful of my choices and the effects they have on myself and the people around me, and mindful of the responsibility I have to maintain the balance I have received.
And I’m just one of many.
“I once had a student who had very bad colitis,” Picard said. “Along with the permission of his parents, we proceeded to treat him with Reiki, alongside his traditional medicines. I gave him about six sessions and he noticed that his symptoms had subsided and later that year stopped altogether!”
“I once had a lady who was deeply distressed from a serious family situation,” she added. “She was crying all of the time and could not eat or sleep. I gave her 5 Reiki sessions in a row and it literally healed her from her anxiety and depression!”
Reiki Certification
Like I previously stated, Picard also does Reiki certification, teaching three levels.
The first level teaches a student what Reiki is, how it may be enhanced or depleted.,” Picard noted. “We learn about the main chakra energy centers of the body and I teach students how to keep those balanced so that they can better channel the Reiki energy to the client. We also learn about the Reiki Principles as well as basic hand positions for oneself and others, including animals. There are also certain meditations or breathing techniques that students learn.”
“Reiki 2 is mainly leaning about distance healing and Reiki symbols,” she added. “We also learn new techniques to be able to concentrate Reiki in a certain area as well as how to use Reiki with cancer patients and hospice patients. In this level you also learn how to use Reiki to heal the past as well as the future. The Reiki Master level is normally a level in which the Master chooses a student.
“In this level you learn various techniques in self-healing (i.e., shadow work, journaling, meditations) and everything you need to know to be able to conduct your own classes, as well as the business side of things. At this level there are also things that you learn that may not be revealed in this interview.”
If you would like more information on how to receive Reiki sessions or certification from Picard, you can call or text her at 740-338-9152 or email her at ceoldanissapicard@gmail.com.
