“Non-physical energy is a puzzler for many,” admits Wendy Causey, a nail tech at Vivify Hair and Nails Studio in Torrance, Calif., and a practitioner of Reiki energy healing. She first encountered this system of energy healing in the mid-’90s when a friend tried it on her. “I felt the energy moving through my body and around me. I was aware of situations that were going on in my life from a different perspective,” she says. “The energy can affect mental, emotional, and physical levels. I was amazed and began to learn.”

Wendy Causey

Wendy Causey

In addition to holding sessions outside the salon, she also offers Reiki as a menu item in the salon. “I’ve surprised some clients who came in with, say, a knee or hand injury with some impromptu healing. I’d say, ‘Let’s try this; it can’t hurt.’ Before they can question it, most of them feel the warmth, the energy movement, and usually the release of some pain.” People often feel the effects in a part of the body not being touched. “The energy goes where it is needed, not only where the hands are applied,” she explains. “They may experience increased relaxation, and sometimes inspiration or insight into a problem they have been discussing.” 

Anyone can learn Reiki, says Causey. “The teaching requires an ‘attunement’ from the instructor. The attunement attunes (opens) the chakras so the student immediately has the ability to work with the energy. It’s an amazing experience for those who have not felt non-physical energy before.”

Some of her clients have become Causey’s students, receiving the instruction and attunement so they can use it themselves. “There are a lot of variations being taught today. I’ve worked out a variation I call ‘Reiki Lite’ for those who are not professional healers,” she says.

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