Skeptical About Reiki? So Was I.

Why Energy Healing Is Gaining Ground with High Performers Seeking Real Relief

If someone had told me years ago that I’d one day become a Reiki Master, I probably would’ve laughed.

I was a healthcare executive, steeped in data, strategy, and outcomes. I thrived in logic, evidence, and action. “Energy healing” sounded vague at best — and, at worst, like something that couldn’t possibly move the needle on real stress, fatigue, or burnout.

But then something shifted.

🚨 Burnout Doesn’t Always Respond to Logic

Once I began to regulate my nervous system, something surprising happened: My sense of curiosity came back online.

As any strong leader will tell you, where there's risk, there's often reward. But for years, I had only made investments in sure bets — strategies with predictable outcomes, supported by data and control.

That strategy got me far. But it also kept me in a box.

With a calmer body and an open mind, I realized I was ready to try something new. Something unpredictable. Something that didn’t come with a guarantee — but offered the potential for real discovery.

That’s when I tried Reiki.

✨ What Is Reiki, Anyway?

Reiki is a Japanese healing modality that works with the body’s subtle energy system to promote balance, clarity, and vitality. It’s not about fixing you — it’s about helping you reconnect to the natural rhythm of your own well-being.

In a session, the practitioner gently places hands on or just above the body, directing universal life force energy where it’s needed most.

Clients often report:

• Deep rest and nervous system reset

• Emotional clarity or unexpected release

• Less mental clutter and more focus

• A sense of peaceful presence

There’s no diagnosis, no digging, and no doing. Just receiving.

⚡ But… Is It Real?

Here’s the thing: Reiki isn’t a belief system. It’s an experience.

If you’ve ever walked into a room and felt the energy shift, or sat next to someone whose calm presence instantly soothed you — you’ve experienced energy in action.

And if you’ve ever fallen in love, you already know: We don’t have to see energy to know it exists.

🧘‍♀️ Reiki operates on that same level — a subtle but powerful energetic shift that speaks directly to your body, not your brain.

💡 Energy Healing for the Evidence-Minded

Even science is beginning to catch up. Research on Reiki and other biofield therapies suggests it may:

• Support nervous system regulation

• Lower heart rate and blood pressure

• Reduce pain and anxiety

• Improve sleep quality

• Restore immune function

While more studies are needed, the anecdotal results are powerful. And for clients who’ve “tried everything,” Reiki often becomes a missing piece of the puzzle — not a replacement for other care, but a deep complement to it.

🌿 How I Integrate Reiki into Whole-Person Care

As a Somatic Coach and trauma-informed provider, I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all healing. That’s why Reiki is one of several powerful tools I offer, alongside:

• IFS-informed coaching (Parts Work)

• Brainspotting (a powerful mind-body trauma resolution technique)

• Nervous system listening protocols like the Safe and Sound Protocol™ and the Rest & Restore Protocol™

Reiki supports the energetic and spiritual side of healing — which, for high performers, is often the side that’s been the most neglected.

You don’t have to be spiritual. You just have to be curious.

💬 What My Clients Say

“I didn’t know what to expect, but I walked away lighter.”

“I couldn't believe how well I slept after that session! The results lasted through the week.”

“It’s hard to explain, but something shifted in me. In a good way.”

👣 Where to Start

If you’re skeptical, that’s okay. You’re not alone.

All I ask is that you stay open to the possibility that healing doesn’t have to be earned or intellectualized. Healing can even feel nice. :)

Sometimes, the body just needs a chance to receive.

👉 Book your private Reiki session by emailing me at andrea@retunehealth.com or book a spot in one of my monthly Community Reiki events in Park Ridge, IL.

---

✍️ About the Author

Andrea Goodwin is a Somatic Coach and the founder of Retune Health, a science-backed, heart-centered wellness practice that helps high achievers and wellness seekers regulate their nervous systems, release subconscious stress patterns, and restore balance in body, mind, and spirit.

With over 20 years of experience as a healthcare executive, Andrea brings a unique blend of real-world leadership, clinical insight, and holistic care to her work. Because burnout and overwhelm show up in our bodies, minds, and energy, she offers deeply personalized, mind-body-spirit support to help clients feel more grounded, clear, and alive — often in ways they never thought possible.

Through 1:1 sessions, group programs, and integrative experiences, Andrea guides clients toward a more intuitive, connected, and joyful way of being.

🌿 Explore sessions or subscribe to the newsletter at www.retunehealth.com

📍 Based in the northwest suburbs of Chicago | Virtual sessions available worldwide