Making Lemonade out of Lemons: Embracing Change
The COVID-19 Pandemic caused so many of us to change our lives overnight. Some jobs could smoothly go remote, but many services can only be provided in person. As an acupuncturist—a very hands-on practice—I was unsure how to pivot and somehow create a healing practice to still serve my patients remotely.
If necessity is the mother of invention, the pandemic was a powerful catalyst to facilitate new creations. In March 2020, it was clear that I couldn’t see my patients in person. I had been interested in becoming a reiki practitioner, so I immediately enrolled in a comprehensive reiki course that taught me how to use my energy to help my patients with their needs, even if we couldn’t be in the same room.
I was very skeptical that this could work, and very clear that I wouldn’t promote something that didn’t work. I did some complementary remote reiki treatments to test my ability to transmit healing energy remotely.
My first patient had shoulder pain that resolved from our session. My second patient had hypertension that wasn’t resolving with her medication—her blood pressure went down and stayed stable for days. Another patient had inflammatory symptoms—aches and pain from Lyme disease—that ameliorated from our session. I was thrilled and surprised all at the same time. Becoming a reiki master was the key to continuing my healing practice remotely.
Traditional Chinese Medicine treats the whole person: body, mind, and spirit. As an acupuncturist, I do my best to ensure that my patients adopt healthy habits that equally address the mind and body. In my former career as a psychotherapist, and while I no longer practice traditional therapy, I used coaching, education, and counsel to help guide my patients toward their best selves. Reiki healing and coaching quickly became my way of practicing during the “rest at home” period of the pandemic.
By June, I was seeing patients again in person, but many of my patients had moved out of Los Angeles or weren’t comfortable coming in yet. For three years, I have continued to build my remote practice. Patients move away or go on vacation and want to continue our work; I go on vacation, and my patient needs me for something.
The story’s moral is that you never know what wonderful things will emerge from difficult circumstances. I am grateful to have been given the challenge and opportunity to grow myself and my practice.
