Several of my students and clients have asked for some tips to start a successful healing practice, as Reiki pracitioners, massage therapists, life coaches, and other forms of the healing arts. These are some practical strategies I have used to create a successful Energy Healing Practice, that I am sharing in the hope they can help you as well!
I always recommend starting where you are – meaning while you still have your day job(s), begin your healing work. Don’t wait for every single thing to line up and be “perfect”, because that may never happen!
Create a space you want to work in, either at home or you can rent a space just a day or two a week, etc… but if you can do it from home, I’d recommend that. You could start by traveling to the clients, bringing your own table. It adds quite a bit of driving time, and you have to deal with their environment, but if that works for you, that can be fine too. If it’s from your home, create a space that you love, that feels safe, relaxing, peaceful and healing. It could be in your living room or an extra bedroom – be creative. It can be a space that has multiple uses, initially, as long as you can easily make it feel like a calm and safe environment when you have a client coming.
Advertise and Spread the Word
Next, start putting it out there that you are taking clients – maybe working with friends and family first, going to Reiki shares, etc. You’ll need to make a business card that says (in words) and shows (images) the feeling of who you are and what you want to project and who you want to attract. You can keep it simple and use a template from Vista Print or similar, and you don’t have to make it a huge project – just tune in to your vision, and ask your guides if you need help with the wording or image. If you have the funds, you can also hire a graphic designer to create the look and feel you want. I have the names of people I can recommend.
Website
When you are ready, you’ll also need a website, and again, it can be simple. You can create one yourself, through WordPress or similar, or if you’re not at all tech savvy, hire someone to create one, and it can be just 2 or 3 pages to start, creating a presence of who you are, what you offer, what your skills are and relevant training, including any educational background, etc. Find sites that you like, take note of what you don’t like as well, tune into sites that draw you in and are more than just attractive, but would actually make you feel you can trust that person and want to work with her/him. Then incorporate what you like, using your own unique expression of who you are and what you can offer to another.
Advertise
Advertising is important at some point, letting people know you exist and the universe know you are ready….In Tucson, Natural Awakenings is the main source of healers and spiritual type of resources, but you could focus on another audience such as an upscale one in another publication, and seek out other resources in your community as well.
You don’t need to do all these at once, and maybe you won’t even need a website or ads. Take your time and allow for this to evolve naturally, without forcing, but also with taking some action. It is a balancing act of allowing, and inviting… Some people do well with just word of mouth, but most of us need more. 
Set the Intention
Last, but very important, is prayer/intention/petitioning to your guides, the divine, the universe… I ask that I be in service in the ways that will serve the divine, my clients and students, and my own soul as well, with grace and ease. I ask that I work with clients who will be able to receive, acknowledge and appreciate the gifts that I have to offer, and who are ready and willing to do their own work, and to heal and transform. I ask for clients/students who can easily afford my services. I ask to be in the greatest service possible, to be the clearest possible channel for the divine teachings, healing and guidance that can come through me… You’ll find your own way of asking. I do sometimes forget, and notice that I’m seeing fewer clients, or that I’m drawing clients who are not a great fit, (though that hasn’t happened for quite a while) and it’s a reminder to get clear about what I want and need, and ask for it. It’s important to me to be clear, while also allowing for even greater possibilities.
All you really need is the confidence and trust and you will soar. I am in total support and am so excited to see and hear about your blossoming!
NPR Interview – “Voices for the Cure”
A quick note: I had an NPR interview on “Voices for the Cure” with our local Tucson, Arizona NPR station about losing my daughter Elizabeth Blue, and our journey with cancer and death. It aired January 10, 2014, and can now be listened to here: Voices for the Cure Interview by Mark McLemore with Lucia Maya
I’m so grateful to the NPR station in Tucson, AZ for interviewing me.
NPR: Arizona Public Media
Elizabeth would have been turning 24 this Sunday , January 12, 2014– it feels like an appropriate honoring of her to be able to share this now…
If you can’t tune in live, it will be posted on their website, and I”ll share that later.
Tips to Start a Successful Healing Practice
Several of my students and clients have asked for some tips to start a successful healing practice, as Reiki pracitioners, massage therapists, life coaches, and other forms of the healing arts. These are some practical strategies I have used to create a successful Energy Healing Practice, that I am sharing in the hope they can help you as well!
I always recommend starting where you are – meaning while you still have your day job(s), begin your healing work. Don’t wait for every single thing to line up and be “perfect”, because that may never happen!
Create a space you want to work in, either at home or you can rent a space just a day or two a week, etc… but if you can do it from home, I’d recommend that. You could start by traveling to the clients, bringing your own table. It adds quite a bit of driving time, and you have to deal with their environment, but if that works for you, that can be fine too. If it’s from your home, create a space that you love, that feels safe, relaxing, peaceful and healing. It could be in your living room or an extra bedroom – be creative. It can be a space that has multiple uses, initially, as long as you can easily make it feel like a calm and safe environment when you have a client coming.
Advertise and Spread the Word
Next, start putting it out there that you are taking clients – maybe working with friends and family first, going to Reiki shares, etc. You’ll need to make a business card that says (in words) and shows (images) the feeling of who you are and what you want to project and who you want to attract. You can keep it simple and use a template from Vista Print or similar, and you don’t have to make it a huge project – just tune in to your vision, and ask your guides if you need help with the wording or image. If you have the funds, you can also hire a graphic designer to create the look and feel you want. I have the names of people I can recommend.
Website
When you are ready, you’ll also need a website, and again, it can be simple. You can create one yourself, through WordPress or similar, or if you’re not at all tech savvy, hire someone to create one, and it can be just 2 or 3 pages to start, creating a presence of who you are, what you offer, what your skills are and relevant training, including any educational background, etc. Find sites that you like, take note of what you don’t like as well, tune into sites that draw you in and are more than just attractive, but would actually make you feel you can trust that person and want to work with her/him. Then incorporate what you like, using your own unique expression of who you are and what you can offer to another.
Advertise
Advertising is important at some point, letting people know you exist and the universe know you are ready….In Tucson, Natural Awakenings is the main source of healers and spiritual type of resources, but you could focus on another audience such as an upscale one in another publication, and seek out other resources in your community as well.
You don’t need to do all these at once, and maybe you won’t even need a website or ads. Take your time and allow for this to evolve naturally, without forcing, but also with taking some action. It is a balancing act of allowing, and inviting… Some people do well with just word of mouth, but most of us need more.
Set the Intention
Last, but very important, is prayer/intention/petitioning to your guides, the divine, the universe… I ask that I be in service in the ways that will serve the divine, my clients and students, and my own soul as well, with grace and ease. I ask that I work with clients who will be able to receive, acknowledge and appreciate the gifts that I have to offer, and who are ready and willing to do their own work, and to heal and transform. I ask for clients/students who can easily afford my services. I ask to be in the greatest service possible, to be the clearest possible channel for the divine teachings, healing and guidance that can come through me… You’ll find your own way of asking. I do sometimes forget, and notice that I’m seeing fewer clients, or that I’m drawing clients who are not a great fit, (though that hasn’t happened for quite a while) and it’s a reminder to get clear about what I want and need, and ask for it. It’s important to me to be clear, while also allowing for even greater possibilities.
All you really need is the confidence and trust and you will soar. I am in total support and am so excited to see and hear about your blossoming!
Alternative Methods of Healing That Help You Physically and Mentally
While I have been focusing my writing on my other blog, Luminous Blue, about the healing journey I’ve been on through my daughter’s illness and transition from cancer, I am delighted to welcome back guest blogger Marcela De Vivo. Today she writes about the benefits of alternative methods for healing mind, body and spirit, including Reiki, aromatherapy, yoga, meditation and nutrition.
Alternative Methods of Healing That Help You Physically and Mentally
While traditional medicine does have its place in terms of health care, real healing often takes place outside of a doctor’s office. Whether you have a physical ailment or a mental block, or a combination of both, prescription drugs, people in white coats, and a dizzying array of tests often don’t provide the healing you seek.
Healing, within and without, requires more than modern medicine can provide. Often people recover from a major illness, but suffer psychologically after the trauma of the experience. Whole body healing requires time, good health care, and occasionally, alternative methods of healing.
The methods suggested below have demonstrated some healing benefit, regardless of the physical or mental complaint. If you find that your doctor’s care, while good, is incomplete, consider trying some of the alternative options to support your current healing practices.
Reiki. Reiki is often lumped in with other forms of body work like massage therapy. However, Reiki involves very little physical touching, if any at all, and you remained fully clothed throughout the session. It induces deep relaxation through the help of a Reiki practitioner, who will help channel life force healing energy to aid in your healing by holding their hands over specific positions over the body, and treats the whole body, mind, and spirit. If you have a particular area of weakness, the Reiki practitioner may spend more time channeling Universal Reiki Energy into that area. Reiki has seen some success with treating Post-Traumatic Stress syndrome in soldiers.
Reiki Session
Aromatherapy. Linked with increased feelings of relaxation and well-being, essential oils aromatherapy is an easy and inexpensive way to immediately improve your mood. Certain oils like chamomile and lavender are associated with stress relief, going so far as to slow down brain waves. Grapefruit is considered an uplifting scent, and can help improve anxiety and depression. Peppermint, tea tree, and eucalyptus are antiviral and antibacterial, so using these essential oils can bolster your immune system in warding off illness while you’re in the process of healing.
Essential Oils used in aromatherapy
Yoga and Meditation. While these two are separate practices, they are so inexorably linked (yoga is sometimes considered a moving meditation) that they should both be practiced for best results. Depending on the type of yoga you choose, you can improve heart health, muscle strength, while gaining clarity of mind, improved focus, and reduced levels of stress. Healing requires a lot of mental energy—yoga and meditation helps you learn to channel that energy, while also giving you a much-needed mental break. Meditation is proven to reduce stress and can be used to help your body heal itself.
In a heart-centered meditation
Nutrition. What you eat during the healing process can have a major effect on the outcome. To ensure that your body has all the necessary nutrients in the best possible form, focus on whole, minimally processed or cooked foods. Getting plenty of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants helps boost your immune system and provides your body with the building blocks it needs to improve. Plus, what you eat can affect your mood and energy levels. Too much sugar and refined carbs and you may suffer from mood swings and energy crashes, neither of which is good for you mental well-being.
These are just a few of the alternative methods of healing that can help support your current practices, or fill in the gaps that modern medicine leaves. If you’re looking for a holistic healing experience, consider adding alternative healing options to what you’re already doing.
Marcela De Vivo is a freelance writer from Los Angeles and longtime Reiki and yoga enthusiast. As a mother of three children, one of whom suffers from Cerebral Palsy, she knows how alternative therapies can help with healing your body as well as your mind. You can follow more of her journey on PrayforNathan.org.
{ Email Lucia Maya to schedule a Reiki Healing Session with essential oils }