Transforming Sleep: The Impact of Reiki and Emotion Code on My Child

Children are a blessing, we however had not been blessed with children who sleep. You are never truly prepared for the sleepless nights with a baby, but at least you can find comfort in 'this too shall pass.' Much to the surprise of myself and my husband this stage has lasted much longer than either of us anticipated. Between brief weeks of our children going to sleep on their own and sleeping through the night were many more where nights filled with waking. The years sort of blur together at this point but somewhere about the 8/9 year mark with our oldest my mothers dog passed away. Grief, coupled with what we later learned was inflammation and hormones sent us into a 6 month tailspin of crying bouts, taking hours to fall asleep and frequent waking. Although I had anticipated that my moms dog was elderly and we would deal with death sooner than later (this is why we had gotten our own dog after all), we were not prepared for the trifecta.

This all happened at the of the very beginnings of my spiritual awakening, but between some Reiki sessions for the grief, a diet change to combat inflammation (after a suggestion of seeing an ENT who discovered she had enlarged adenoids), lots of comforting hugs, and finally throwing my hands up and going 'here have the dog sleep with you in your bed.' we made it to the other side.

Meanwhile my not so little little (they are only 20 months apart) was having her own sleep issues on and off, but somehow we managed. Then, she hit 9 years old and my mom's cat died...here we go again...it's ok, we got this, after all we went through this before. Spoiler alert, we did not have a handle on it at all.

Enter one of the most challenging years of my life. It's like she took all her sisters issues and decided she can do it better. We. Tried. Everything. And failed spectacularly to boot. The loft bed had to go, it was too high. Unlike her sister she seemed ok with dairy, but we took out gluten. We got a cat. There were rare nights of her sleeping in our bed, where nobody was comfortable, and many more nights of me spending most of the night in her bed, where I barely slept and my body found new and interesting places to hurt. She stayed up half the night reading or coloring, just so I can get enough sleep to semi function the next day. We were not even above bribery; each night she got through on her own would count toward earning something she really wanted.  We tried natural sleep aids like Bach's remedies, limiting screen time before bed, 5 million different types of nightlights, teas and tinctures, lots and lots of talking thing out. All any of it did was buy us some sparse nights of rest. There was a lot of, I'm not proud to say, anger, tears, frustration, desperation, resentment, anxiety and guilt. It was ugly and my poor baby was in the center of it asking "Mommy why can't I just sleep."

Right at the breaking point, where we were seriously considering if therapy would help, something shifted. Slowly and in small increments things started to improve. I am happy to report that although our nights are not always perfect, we are now at a point where more often then not we have peaceful nights.

Now, I will not sit here and tell you I can contribute the change entirely to Reiki and the Emotion Code. Life is not always so simple I'm afraid and I personally believe that the best approach is a multi faceted approach. However, even my daughter will admit that they were a contributing factor. By then I was a Level 2 Reiki practitioner and learned the emotion code through Dr. Bradley's book. For those who are unfamiliar Reiki is a Japanese energy healing technique that promotes relaxation, reduces stress, and supports the body's natural healing processes. The Emotion Code, developed by Dr. Bradley Nelson, is a method of identifying and releasing trapped emotional energies that may be affecting physical and emotional well-being. Together, these practices aim to restore balance and harmony, making them powerful tools for addressing challenges like sleep disturbances.

I utilized both, in fact seeing how they contributed to helping my daughter was what lead me to pursue becoming a Reiki Master and Emotion Code Practitioner. Along with landing on an amber colored light bulb that would mess with her circadian rhythm less, discussing her sensitivities (because all children are sensitive to the spiritual world, but there is a cultural tendency of dismissal of their fears as "just their imagination"), how to cleanse her space and ask for protection, an herbal tincture that cumulatively supported her nervous system (which she no longer needs) and more exercise we have found our way through.

A few nights ago we were watching a show as a family that up until the last two episodes was fine but then introduced some elements that both my children found scary. The older one just needed my presence and talking it out, and by the second night was over it. The younger one had a harder time falling and staying asleep, even with talking things through. By the way, as a complete side note, showing your kids special effect make up shows and behind the scenes 'the making of' type footage goes a long way in alleviating some fears. The second night she called me in the middle of the night, saying she had woken up but was having a hard time falling back asleep. I layed down with her, but it wasn't until I informally did Reiki on her that she was able to relax and finally fall back asleep. The next morning I also released 3 trapped emotions and she is now back to peaceful and restful sleep.

Our journey through sleepless nights and emotional challenges has been anything but easy, but it has also been transformative. By embracing a holistic approach that included Reiki, the Emotion Code, and lifestyle changes, we found a path to healing and peace. While no single solution can address every challenge, the combination of these practices has brought us closer as a family and helped my children find the restful sleep they deserve. If you or your loved ones are facing similar struggles, I encourage you to explore these powerful tools. They may just be the key to unlocking a brighter, more peaceful future.