Reiki for Mal de Debarquement

I have been working recently with a client who suffers from a condition known as Mal de Debarquement (MdDS). As my client explains it, she could be standing perfectly still, yet her insides feel as though they are rocking or swaying like the reaction our bodies have after getting off a cruise ship.

My client has been suffering from this “syndrome” for over a year now. While this is typically a mild symptom for people who have recently travelled on a cruise ship, it can occur spontaneously. During this year, she has done exhaustive searches for more information on treatment, cures, and medical opinions on this syndrome. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of medical information available out there on this as it continues to baffle medical professionals. Her doctors prescribed her with anti-anxiety and anti-depression medications; however, she refused to take them because she neither felt anxious nor depressed. She simply felt physically unstable.

My client continued her search for information and joined blog groups and forums where people who were experiencing this syndrome shared and discussed their personal experiences. She found herself going down a rabbit hole of personal experiences and misinformation that made her begin to lose hope that she would ever feel normal again. Then she decided to take a natural and holistic approach because she was against taking pharmaceutical drugs which would harm her in other ways.

Interestingly, when this syndrome came about, she was in psychotherapy after an unresolved romantic relationship. As we know, psychotherapy will look at all the aspects of our lives to help us reach a state of wellness and balance by providing us with knowledge about ourselves so that we may correct patterns that no longer serve us. She realized in therapy that she needed to try something else out that would help her physically.

Before the pandemic, my client visited a Reiki Master in Virgina where she originally resides. Unfortunately, she was not able to do more than one session with this practitioner because of the shutdowns. That first session provided her with great results, but the next session was virtual, and she did not feel it was as effective. It was then that she needed to leave her home in Virginia to care for her mother in Florida during the shutdowns. She continued to suffer from her syndrome for another year until she found me.

After our initial consultation, I began to do as much research as I could to get familiar with this syndrome. “Mal de Débarquement Syndrome (MdDS) is a neurological disorder that leaves patients feeling as if they are rocking and swaying. Imagine always feeling in motion.

Unfortunately, I only found one article on the web written by a Reiki practitioner, but I did not feel like it provided sufficient technical or useful information other than to state that the person they treated felt better after a number of repeated sessions after focusing on assisting the person with grounding. Reiki practitioners have the freedom to practice and apply different techniques that they find useful and can tailor their sessions according to the needs of everyone. However, I really needed to know more about how I could be of service to my new client.

I began to formulate my own method of treatment for this syndrome using the tools I already had under my belt. I knew that this was something that needed additional Reiki practices. I had to pick specific crystals and crystal placements as well as essential oils that would benefit my new client. She had automatically signed up for a three-session package so that she could receive treatment before returning to her home in Virginia.

We begin our sessions with auric clearing. This practice is taught to Reiki Masters to remove specific energetic blockages caused by diseases by having the recipient picture their ailment as a physical manifestation. As practitioners, we are taught that disease begins in the auric field. Therefore, I believed that this was the best place to start, and I was not wrong. This practice requires the use of various master symbols before and after the clearing.

After the auric clearing is done, I perform a regular Reiki session. Prior to the balancing of the chakras, I begin to place my chosen crystals on and around my client’s body. I normally choose crystals depending on my client’s needs and desired outcomes. In this case, I was aware of various types of trauma that my client had experienced from childhood into adulthood. Therefore, I knew that she would need to release suppressed emotions as well as clearing of the higher chakras. I also knew that she would need assistance with grounding.

Among the crystals I chose for her sessions were black tourmaline and hematite for grounding at the foot chakras; malachite at the heart chakra; amazonite and blue lace agate at the throat chakra; and smokey and clear quartz at the ear chakras among all the other crystals I typically use during a session. Mint and white lotus were the essential oils I used for these sessions.

In my practice, I keep a record of all my clients’ visits with a simple chart I keep for each individual client. This way I can track their progress in each session. I found a marked improvement each time she came in. Below is some of the feedback I received from her about how she felt post-treatment:

“Wow, my body feels like it did some work. I came straight home after the session and fell asleep. It was a very deep sleep.”

“…I took a melatonin at 10 pm and slept like a baby. I woke this morning feeling super refreshed and with the symptoms reduced…”

“My sleep has been limited because my cycle is coming yet I still feel good and no increase in anything. That’s a big win for me. Little sleep and my cycle always made my condition increase, and it would make me very moody. I’m feeling good.”

“- And by limited sleep I mean I wake up during the night. But it’s not bothering me like it used to…”

One of my client’s chief complaints was her inability to rest because she still felt her body rocking or swaying while laying down in bed.

I suspected that her syndrome came on because of various factors. Not everyone’s nervous system can handle different types of suppressed emotions, grief, and daily stress the same way. In this client, I believe this syndrome came on because of those variables. During my research, I needed to get to the root of the problem so that I would know which tools I needed to use to assist her in the healing she needed.

Upon completing our sessions, my client suffered from a strong migraine the evening of our last session. Rather than resort to over-the-counter medication, she reached out to me to find out what else she could do to alleviate the pain and discomfort. She understood that her body was going through a process of energetic rebalancing and that the migraine was simply her body’s way of releasing the remaining energy. I recommended that she apply lavender essential oil to her temples, under her nose, and to the back of her neck. I also recommended some crackers to settle the nausea. Sometimes it is the simple things that work the best. In the morning she reported her migraine was completely gone, and her symptoms were at baseline.

I am happy to say that our work was not only beneficial to her, but it was also extremely rewarding for me. My client also took an active approach to her health by eating healthier and exercising which complimented our work together beautifully. I am a firm believer that the body knows how to heal itself, but we must allow our bodies to do what they naturally do in fighting off dis-ease. Things like journaling and meditation are large contributors to our wellness as they allow us to become aware of and release repressed emotions that will stay in our auric field and bodies later becoming diseases.

I am humbled at the beautiful healing I was able to facilitate to this client.

In love and light!

Article by Reiki Master Judy Camblor

Free eBook download: We’ve created an eBook with our best articles on this topic, and offer it for free to all our newsletter subscribers.

Judy Camblor is an Integrative Holistic Wellness Specialist and a Certified Reiki Master Teacher and Crystal Healer. She is a certified affiliate member of the International Center for Reiki Training (ICRT) as a Reiki Master/Teacher in the Usui Shiki Ryoho style of Reiki and has authored articles for the ICRT. Judy is also certified in Crystal Healing and works with other energetic and vibrational therapies such as sound, color, and essential oils. Judy has trained in astrological chart readings and in providing Akashic Records consultations. Judy enjoys teaching Reiki and attending speaking engagements where she can share her personal journey and bring forward connection, knowledge, awareness, and empowerment to all her clients. Judy also enjoys participating yearly in the Nurse’s Week events at a local hospital in South Florida providing free chair Reiki sessions and educates participants about the energy healing work that is her passion. She works with clients from all walks of life and provides in-person and virtual sessions and training workshops. Judy has been authoring articles for Reiki Rays since 2013.
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.emeraldhous.com
Facebook: @Judy.emeraldhous
Instagram: @judy_camblor