Can’t Switch Off Your Mind? How Reiki Supports Deep Relaxation and Nervous System Regulation

If you'd have asked me 15 years ago about mindfulness I would have said 'What meditation and shit?'  I knew what meditation was... well I thought I did.

I was quite closed down back then, very tightly wound and the thought of being able to still my busy brain was honestly laughable.

Are you the same?

There was also a certain aesthetic in my head too for people who meditated and took part in wellness activities.  Usually a woman in beige linen sitting cross-legged on a beach, looking like she's never experienced a stressful moment in her life which was miles away from my busy life as a single mom with a full time job or how I felt about myself physically and mentally.

But for those of us with busy brains, complex/trauma histories, or neurospicy wiring, sitting still and trying to focus our brains and finding peace can feel less like bliss and more like torture and trying to wrestle a 100 squirrels into a box.

If this sounds familiar, and traditional meditation and mindfulness feel frustrating or inaccessible to you read on.  Reiki could be the path you didn't know you needed.  A different path to calm that can fit with your busy life and brain. 

Why Traditional Meditation/Mindfulness Doesn't Suit Everyone

Meditation isn’t about emptying your mind. It’s about changing your relationship with your thoughts. Mindfulness is about being present in your body and your life. But if your body doesn’t feel safe, both can feel strained rather than soothing.

There are many forms of meditation and mindfulness and I am not saying they don't work, as they do.  I love both, have used both and they can be life changing.

For others, and at various times in your life, especially if you are carrying a lot of stress or trauma, even the gentlest practice can feel too much.

Traditional meditation is an active practice. It requires focus, discipline.  The ability to sit with your own thoughts without judgment. To keep bringing your mind back from its wonderings.  That can feel like a massive ask especially if your nervous system is stuck in fight or flight mode with mind and body on high alert.  It can also feel like a lot of mental effort.  

Mindfulness and being present are brilliant.  Highly recommend them.  But if you are feeling lost, out of body and disconnected it can feel harder to achieve.

This is how I felt anyway in my last period of CPTSD/burnout in 2024.  I knew by then the benefits to meditation and mindfulness.  That they were practices and not something I had to get 'perfect' but I couldn't concentrate long enough to do either.

Also if you've got a busy life and a mounting to do list meditating and mindfulness is likely to slip to the bottom of the pile as you're probably going to prioritise everything but yourself.  

If you do try it to sit down for 10 minutes, there's likely to be a dose of guilt/shame that arises for 'resting' and you may find that certain practices just amplify the internal noise. Instead of calming down, you become hyper-aware of every itch, every worry, and every embarrassing thing you said in 2004.  Over time this would get better and easier but what if you don't feel like you have the time or patience to throw at it.

Enter Reiki and Prioritising Regulation 

Meditation asks the mind to settle.  Reiki helps the body settle.

This is where Reiki comes in as a different path for those who are feeling mentally and physically restless.

If you are having a Reiki session given to you, you just lie down (or sit comfortably), get covered in a blanket, and let the energy do the heavy lifting.

If you're giving it to yourself, Reiki regulates the body.  Reiki works bottom up. It helps the body settle first, which then allows the mind to follow.  It flips the switch from sympathetic (fight/flight) to parasympathetic (rest/digest) without you needing to mentally steer the ship.

All in all, it can still very mediative and mindful and the effect of it are phenomenal.

Reiki helped me find my way back to myself at a time when nothing else felt possible. For that, I’ll always be grateful.

What Does a Reiki 'Meditative' State Feel Like?

It's hard to describe until you've felt it and everyone will feel it differently.

What almost every client I've ever worked on has said though is how calm and relaxed they felt.

I guess it's a bit like that moment before drifting off into a peaceful sleep.  You know you're in the room, you can perhaps hear a little noise somewhere like traffic or the TV on downstairs but you just don't care.

• Your limbs feel heavy: In a good way, like you're sinking into the mattress.
• You can feel a bit floaty: The tension starting to evaporate lifting a heavy load.
• Colours, warmth or tingles: You might see colours behind your eyelids or feel waves of comforting heat.

Even if you think you 'feel nothing' during, most people notice they’re calmer afterwards.

It's a state of deep rest that your body craves but rarely gets because your mind and life are in overdrive.

Normalising Regulation

Finding a way to feel more regulated when you can slow your mind will look different for everyone.

For some, it's running. For others, it's knitting, loud music, or sniffing the cat (rent has to be gathered!),  These are all great if they work for you.  

Your nervous system doesn't care about the method...it cares about the result. 

Nowadays I use a variety of tools, mindfulness practice, mediative practice, Reiki, coaching and subconscious belief work with clients and myself.

But first and foremost, to get to the deep work and transformation you need to be in a place of safety and stillness.

If you're ready to stop fighting your brain and start supporting your nervous system, give Reiki a go.  

Read more about Reiki 

I have distance Reiki sessions available, you can also join the membership but my strongest recommendation is to hop on to the next round of The Reset Lab and learn how to do treatments on yourself.  My method is unique and perfect for those with busy lives and brains.

Check out The Reset Lab