Here are my latest reviews from Fresha. My reviews appear on both Google Listings and on my booking website, Fresha, with a review seldomly on my Facebook page! I think it’s a good idea to repost them, just in case it’s easier for potential clients to find them here on my website, rather than through Fresha or Google.
On Fresha, I currently have 75 reviews with an average 5-star rating.
I think that one of my most common questions that a reiki client will have for me is: ‘What will I feel?’ Lately, this question comes out in a funny way, when clients ask, ‘Is it normal to feel this way?’ You know, I’ve always hated that idea of ‘normal’ being something that we should aim for. But that’s besides the point. I think in general and specifically related to reiki, we are all very individual. There is no normal. So, while I can tell you that some clients feel the energy in different ways in their body, some clients do not feel it. Some people feel heat and a few people cool, and others experience the energy as like electricity or magnets, sparkling or like it is a pulling sensation.
Some clients go into a place very similar to meditation, and others cannot stop their minds from racing. Many have both happening during a treatment: relaxation AND busy thoughts. A few people see colours. Some people have very interesting images and visuals of things they’ve never seen before, while others have memories which may be significant and may not be! Some clients describe the thoughts and memories as ‘really random’. Occasionally, clients have images of relatives, loved ones and friends, sometimes those who have passed. And others don’t feel anything or think anything special at all, though hopefully they feel relaxed. Rarely, clients feel unpleasant sensations: pain, perhaps in a place where they have had an injury, anxiety (sometimes because it is a new experience) and one client even reported a prolonged feeling of fear and darkness.
There is also a difference between clients who have reiki regularly with some who say that treatments are nearly always the same (with some variation) and others who report that the treatment are different every time!
A similar variation would apply to how clients feel afterwards and for how long. Very occasionally, clients say they feel the effects for a long time! More often, it’s just the day or two afterwards, or maybe a day or two after that. And others say they don’t feel much different right afterwards. I also try to warn clients that they might feel worse before they feel better, as some clients feel really tired, or even like they are catching a flu. A recent client told me they broke out in some acne on their face, which doesn’t happen to them.
I wanted to share a few recent reports with you. One client who was suffering from depression reported after the treatment:
On the other hand, a client who came because they feel they cannot be focused and are always daydreaming and distracted reported:
If there are messages from this, for me, it is that it’s worthwhile to try out reiki and see what it does for you. Then, it’s useful to not have any expectations but to simply be open to what happens (or what does not happen). If you are hoping to feel like someone else has felt, or are expecting to feel a certain way, you may be disappointed and you may not notice what is actually happening, with your expectations in the way. And finally: nothing is normal! You will feel how you feel and that is all good. Comparing ourselves to other people is usually not very useful.
Good wishes to all!
I’m so grateful to my clients who take the time to leave reviews, and I think it’s important to share them so potential clients can get a sense and feel of what they may experience, and whether I might be right for them. On Google Listings, I currently have 96 reviews with an average of a 5-star rating.
🌟 Amreeta Bhatti said:
I loved my treatment with Andy and highly recommend him to anyone feeling energetically out of alignment. He has a beautiful grounding energy and is a healing gem in the heart of Surry Hills!
🌟 Tennille Lung said:
My first time Reiki session was a wonderful experience. Andy was incredibly welcoming, professional and had a warm and calming energy. I appreciated him taking the time to understand my needs and ensure I felt comfortable throughout. I left feeling very relaxed and calm, like I had just completed a deeply rejuvenating meditation session. Highly recommend for anyone seeking a holistic approach to relaxation and well-being.
🌟 May Z said:
It was my first reiki experience and I was quite skeptical going in but I was willing to give it a go as I have been feeling very tensed and anxious lately. Andy welcomed me and explained how the session will go. After my reiki session, I felt very calm, relaxed, and super energised. Thank you, Andy for your amazing work. 🙏🏼 Will definitely be going back.
🌟 Liwei Yang said:
I was feeling tense and clenched before my session with Andy. I wanted to open up to Reiki and see if I wanted to pickup my Reiki practice again since it had been years since I last practiced. After the session, I felt the clenched parts of me release and my energy channels open up to flow. I felt serenity, ease, happiness, and spaciousness during my session. And moved about my day at a slower pace afterward. I will be picking up my Reiki practice now that I’ve had a lovely session. I love that Andy summarized the session through a reflection email — it was helpful for me! The reiki room, music, and tea were also great!
🌟 Sara Kootbaully said:
I recently had the pleasure of experiencing a reiki session with Andy. His beautiful home felt like an oasis of calm in my busy week with soft lighting, soothing music, and warm, aromatic tea! The whole ambiance really helped me to relax and be fully immersed in the healing experience. It’s clear that Andy really takes pride in the work he does, and he took the time to understand my needs and what I was hoping to achieve from the experience. His attentiveness and genuine care were really appreciated and the treatment itself left me feeling very relaxed, calm and balanced. If you’re looking for a great reiki practitioner, I highly recommend booking a session with Andy.
🌟 Gregg Grim said:
I understand why he only has 5 star reviews. If you are someone who tries so many things to heal yourself and improve your health. Just try 1 session. Nothing will prepare you for it.
🌟 Temi Ol said:
This is literally – *by far* – the *best* reiki practitioner in the country and for sure one of the best in the western world. Absolutely astonishingly powerful practitioner. His demeanor is pragmatic, calm, emphathetic. Space amazing and safe. Book for absolute transformative healing!!!!
🌟 Kaidi Ojaste gave me five stars.
My reviews appear on both Google Listings and on my booking website, Fresha, with a review seldomly on my Facebook page!
I think it’s a good idea to repost both of them, just in case it’s easier for potential clients to find them here on my website, rather than through Fresha or Google. I’d rather not post my replies to the reviews, but I think it’s not worth it to try to edit them out!
On Fresha, I currently have 75 reviews with an average 5-star rating.
I do book reviews sometimes on my personal website, but this review more appropriately belongs here on my reiki website!
I’d certainly recommend it to anyone who practices reiki, though I think it’s too comprehensive for people who are reiki clients or who have just a passing interest in reiki.
I really loved it!
*****
Alternate Currents: Reiki’s Circulation in the Twentieth-Century North Pacific by Justin B Stein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’ve practised reiki for probably over two decades, and have been giving treatments for over a decade. I didn’t expect to be so engaged by what looks like a fairly academic book about reiki. Stein tells the story of reiki’s development with a focus on Hawayo Takata, who really was the person who brought reiki from Japan and then seeded it through the North Pacific, from which it has now gone worldwide. And he tells it so well that it is accessible and engaging, and felt to me at times like a good novel!
I was actually quite challenged by the book, in a good way, to realise that the way I have been explaining reiki to my clients has particular historical roots and that the notion of a ‘traditional’ or ‘Japanese’ reiki is too simplistic. Reiki developed in many locations and many ways, so I think we really can’t say that there is one form that is more pure than others. I also realise that some of the way that I explain reiki seemed to historically come from a desire to promote reiki and get its acceptance. I think I’m going to embrace more and accept the mystery of reiki henceforth.
Congratulations to Justin Stein for such a fascinating, engaging and useful book. I definitely recommend it to any reiki practitioner to have a better understanding and context for their own practice.
It is always a pleasure to share my reviews with you. I think it’s important to give potential clients a sense and feel of what they may experience, and whether I might be right for them. My warm thanks to all my clients who have taken the time to leave me a review.
On Google Listings, I currently have 96 reviews with an average of a 5-star rating.
🌟 Marlene R said:
This was my first reiki experience and it was absolutely amazing! Andy is very professional and polite and created a good energy in the room. He made me feel very comfortable and during the treatment I was able to feel relaxed and calm. I could really feel the good energy through my whole body. Andy created a safe space to talk about the experience and sent me a summary of what I’ve told him after the session. I’ve felt very relaxed and positive the whole day after that. Will definitely come back soon!
🌟 Anita Calic said:
Highly recommend, truly an amazing experience. Felt so much peace and calmness throughout the session and in the days to follow. Will definitely come back.
🌟 Aisling MacDonald said:
My first Reiki treatment was amazing and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. I couldn’t recommend Andy highly enough.
🌟 Gianne Frances Rellama said:
I’ve done a couple of sessions with Andy in the past, and they have felt so relaxing. I always felt so much better physically, mentally, and emotionally afterwards. Andy has such a kind soul, he makes sure you feel welcomed and are …More
🌟 Dejana Kosovic said:
Andy was amazing, I went from a 10 feeling anxious and unsettled to a 0, being so relaxed and calm. I feel rebalanced and at peace, highly recommend
🌟 Daniel Shipley said:
Andy was absolutely phenomenal. It was my first time trying reiki and I’ve never felt something like it. It was truly amazing. Thank you so much, Andy. See you again very soon.
🌟 Brett Markwell said:
Andy is the real deal. Since commencing my energy healing, I have experienced many physical and mental benefits. I am finding my body is in less pain, and I am more productive and positive in general. The entire experience is a relaxing one, so at the very least you will come out of an appointment feeling much better than when you went in. Andy is a true gentleman and a pleasure to converse with, and his post visit follow ups are exemplary. I am so grateful that I met this gifted healer. Thank you Andy!
🌟 Mikhail Zarubin said:
Just got my first reiki with Andy and found it exceptional. Amazing atmosphere, professional approach, and.. relax, relax, relax! Absolutely beautiful session.
It’s fitting that my 3000th treatment was for my husband, who is recovering from a hip replacement. Unlike with my usual clients, I left the door open to the room, and Freyja came in and jumped on top of him and stayed for a moment. So, I thought it would be a good occasion to commemorate with a photo.
It’s also a good opportunity to thank my husband for allowing me to take over the guestroom for my reiki practice, and also to allow many hundreds of clients to come in and out of our apartment, making it so he can’t play piano or watch TV! Stevie, I’m very grateful for the way you’ve supported my practice.
Three thousand treatments! My clients come from all over the world, the majority who have come to live in Sydney from other countries or other parts of Australia, with the occasional traveller who is just passing through – and the occasional person who was born and bred in Sydney! My clients are all ages. I’ve given a few treatments to children, the kids of reiki clients, although usually they’re quite restless. And I’ve given a few treatments to women who are pregnant.
I usually don’t ask clients too much about themselves, but sometimes find out more about them over the course of a few treatments, or from their email addresses. I’ve given treatments to nurses, police officers, a criminal, scientists, doctors, human resources managers, entrepreneurs and because it’s Sydney, quite a few people who work in retail, the financial sector, consultancies, food services, the media and IT – and students. Some are musicians, clothes designers, artists and actors, and some are healers themselves, or do it, like me, part-time, or just as a personal practice. I’ve given treatments to an Olympian and a famous director and actor.
What a privilege to meet so many kind-hearted and interesting people, and in most cases, help bring them some healing or a better sense of well-being. I’ve learned a lot from my practice, from running a small business to clarifying what I think reiki is and how it works. And as I’ve explained many times to clients, it’s not a practice that exhausts me, where I am giving energy away or am doing something that is tiring. Instead, it is about facilitating a quiet, still and present energy, that I believe is healing, and that I also receive healing from. So many gifts. Happy 3000th treatment to me and thanks to everyone who has come for a treatment at Reiki Surry Hills.
Clients often come to me with stress and anxiety, either generally, or in response to a particular situation. So, I often ask if they are seeing a counsellor or therapist. It’s part of my general philosophy about reiki, that a reiki treatment may be a tool that will help you in some way but that you will need a number of tools in your toolbox. One treatment is not going to magically solve a problem or issue. And furthermore, if the issue is primarily one of the mind or emotions, then I think the first place to start with is someone who specialises in these, just like if you are physically injured or sick, a medical doctor would be my first port of call.
I just came across this article in the Washington Post, ‘Not everyone need therapy‘, by Emily Edlin, and it nudged me to think about how I word my question. As the article says:
‘People need therapy when their mental health symptoms are causing serious impairments in their daily functioning — in close relationships, work performance, sleep or social activities. For instance, if a person’s work stress overwhelms them to the point that they miss work and are subsequently at risk of losing their job.
They don’t need therapy when they are able to manage their symptoms well — if they feel stressed about their work but continue to perform well, have a supportive network of family and friends, engage in meaningful activities outside work and do not have significant levels of depression and anxiety.’
I think this is a good framework and that it is true that sometimes stress and anxiety don’t require therapy, but are a signal that you need to reflect and change the situation. And many of my clients already do some form of therapy, and are coming for a reiki treatment as an alternative way to support what they are already doing.
I’d also add that there are different kinds of therapy and counselling. A number of clients who have had prolonged terrible periods at work could benefit from, I believe, workplace counselling or coaching, as the problems really are specific to work. People who can’t get over a relationship break-up or are suffering from the loss of a loved one could benefit from counsellors that specialise in these areas – relationships, grief – to help them get through this time.
I can sense that sometimes clients just need to be able to talk about how they feel, and I think being able to pay someone, a professional, to listen to you and provide objective guidance, is a wonderful thing. Very occasionally, a client will want to tell me all about the problems they are facing and this tells me that a professional listener would be good for them, rather than telling their problems to friends or family … or a reiki practitioner.
Finally, a number of clients have said that they tried counselling but that it didn’t work. There are many types of counselling available, and it’s not a given that you’ll find the right therapist right away (just as I know that some clients will ‘click’ with other reiki practitioners better than with me). So, if it didn’t work once, it may mean that counselling is not for you, but it may also mean that it wasn’t the right counsellor or type of counselling.
In any case, the important thing is recognising that you want to feel better and that you are doing something about it. If this includes reiki, I’ll see you at your next treatment!
For Christmas this year, I was in Hawaii, on Oahu, where my brother lives with my family. I flew with Hawaiian Airlines. On the way back, this was one of the meals! I have to admit: I was disappointed. I generally love airplane meals, the jigsaw of how they’ve fit everything onto a tray. So, based on previous meals, I thought this was a pretty poor showing.
So, I was looking for a photo for this blog post as I don’t like using stock photos and almost always use my own. This came up as a recent shot (I was complaining to my brothers about the sandwich) and while I didn’t mean to talk about my airplane meal in this post, the idea behind it is pertinent to what I want to write about.
When you come for a reiki treatment, what are your expectations?
I think it is unavoidable to have at least some expectations, and that my clients should be able to expect a few things: that I will treat them with respect, that it will be a safe environment, that I will provide an honest service.
The big majority of my clients don’t know a lot about reiki, so most will not have specific expectations about the treatment.
But some do, and I find it interesting how this affects the treatment. I found it especially illuminating when a recent client was describing his treatment afterwards. He said that for the first part of the treatment, he was trying to figure out what he might expect from it, he was trying to feel *something*. And he didn’t.
But then, he said he started to feel things when he stopped trying. When he let go of his expectations of what might happen, he was able to feel something.
I think that my least successful treatments have been when clients expected a specific result. One client stopped me after a fairly short time by saying that it was nothing like her previous treatment. Another client was disappointed because the treatment wasn’t in a spa-like environment like when she’d had her previous treatment in Bali. Some clients have heard from friends about THEIR treatments and wonder if they will have the same experiences, either physically or mentally.
I think that all of this mental chatter interferes with being able to notice what might happen during a treatment, or might happen later. One client, in a follow-up email, said that after their treatment, they had a really good night of sleep, but ‘that was all’. But I thought that a good night of sleep sounds pretty good. I wonder what they were expecting.
I think reiki is a little mysterious and that it is generally positive. All in all, it’s best, when coming for a treatment, to try to be as open as possible to what might happen (or might not happen) and to have minimal expectations, which can then allow you, after the treatment, to gently and objectively ask yourself: Do I feel different? Have I noticed any changes?
… rather than: Did reiki meet my expectations?
For after all, what did you expect? 😃
So, here are the latest reviews of Reiki Surry Hills up on Fresha, my booking service. As always, I’m very, very grateful to these clients to have shared their experiences. I don’t actually mean to include my replies to the reviews, but I think it would be more trouble for me than is worth it to cut them out!
