Some pain never finds its way into words. It shaped itself instead into the body, into shallow breathing, tense shoulders, the urge to disappear, the tightening of the throat, the unshakable panic felt in every cell of your body while appearing “normal” in the eyes of others, or the ache of never quite feeling safe
These are not always the traumas that make it into textbooks. But they are real and they matter.
As a Reiki practitioner and space holder, I meet many who carry this kind of pain that is subtle, unspoken, shaped by years of keeping it all together. These are the wounds that live beneath high-functioning lives. The ones we minimize because they don’t seem dramatic enough. But the body remembers and the heart remembers, too.
And Reiki, with its divine intelligence, meets us exactly there, without needing a story, without demanding anything be fixed.
Reiki as a Trauma-Sensitive Practice
Reiki is not a replacement for therapy, medical care, or psychiatric support. It is a complementary space, one where the nervous system is invited to soften, and where silence becomes sanctuary. Before any session, this is a neutrality that should be explained to the recipient.
This is a holistic practice, and finding the middle ground to incorporate energy healing into other forms of support.
In my sessions with clients, we don’t force a breakthrough. We don’t search for a memory. We simply return to presence, always to the breath, to the energy, to the spaces that have long waited to be acknowledged.
This is trauma-informed work. It respects pacing, boundaries, and agency. It is not about spiritual bypassing or quick relief. It is about slow remembering and honoring the journey to return to the liberated self.
As Dr. Gabor Maté reminds us: “Trauma is not what happens to you. It’s what happens inside you as a result of what happened to you.”
And what happens inside of us can be tended, by not only talking about it, but by gently being with it. Reiki helps us do that.
The Symbols as Archetypes of Healing
In my practice, both personally and in sessions, I work with the Reiki symbols as more than just energetic tools. I feel them as living archetypes: sacred languages of healing that go beyond words.
- Cho Ku Rei is not just a power symbol. It is the remembering of the life force. The moment a client exhales and feels themselves arrive fully in the body, that’s Cho Ku Rei. It’s the spark of “I am here. I am allowed to be.”
- Sei He Ki moves through emotional patterns like a stream through stone. I feel its presence in the softening of guarded hearts, in the tears that surface without apology. It whispers: “You do not need to hold this alone anymore.”
- Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen is the bridge across time, not just past and future, but the inner fragments we’ve long disowned. When I place my hands during distant Reiki, it’s not only to send energy. It’s to say: “Even the parts of you left behind are being called home now.”
- Dai Ko Myo, the Master symbol, is not mastery over others. It is mastery of compassion and devotion. It reminds me that to hold this work responsibly, I must continue to meet my wounds with grace.
These symbols move through every session, sometimes explicitly, often silently. Their essence lives in the way we hold space. In the way we listen and in the way we stay with courage, and I cannot but emphasize, presence.
You Cannot Hold What You Refuse to Touch
This work would mean nothing if it were only offered outward. I do not offer Reiki because it’s a modality I trained in. I offer it because it is part of my healing.
Reiki holds me, too, in my grief, overwhelm, and unraveling. And because of this, I can meet others away from a pedestal, but from the shared ground of being human.
You cannot hold space for someone else’s sacred mess if you are terrified of your own. That is why I continue to practice. That is why I continue to listen. That is why I return to the symbols, and I urge that you do too.
The deepest healing rarely arrives with drama. It comes in acceptance and softening. In the moment a person realizes they no longer have to perform just to be loved. Reiki offers us this space to gently reconnect what has been separated.
When I offer Reiki, I do not claim to heal. I hold and witness. This is an invitation. This is sacred work. And it asks not only for the skill, but embodiment.
Integrity. Compassion. It asks that we live the practice before we offer it. That we walk it daily, and with devotion.
For those carrying invisible wounds or tender hearts, Reiki offers a return, not to the person you once were, but to the presence you always were beneath the suffering.
And for those of us who offer Reiki, may we always remember: Energy flows with the greatest grace when we show up with truth, presence, and alignment of the soul.
Article by PJ Valenciano
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PJ Valenciano—She/Her
Living as a digital nomad in the countryside, surrounded by nature, has allowed PJ to truly appreciate the beauty and simplicity of life.
While she primarily works as a digital marketing professional from the Philippines, she is also a Mental Health Advocate and a Reiki Master.
PJ is passionate about weaving creativity, purpose, and growth into every project. She has collaborated with diverse organizations and individuals across industries, crafting authentic stories and advocating for a community that emanates kindness, compassion, and support for all life forms.
She finds joy in fostering genuine connections and believes that each interaction is an opportunity to learn from one another and create meaningful impact. While her unconventional background may not fit traditional job descriptions, she is intentionally living a life aligned with her soul’s purpose.
Contact: www.linkedin.com/in/pj-valenciano
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