Healing Waves Reiki

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What does Reiki actually look like inside a physical therapy session?

In this episode of Healing Waves, Cathy explores how Reiki can be integrated into physical therapy and healthcare settings in a grounded, ethical, and clinically relevant way.

This conversation breaks down common misconceptions about Reiki in healthcare and explains how nervous system regulation, therapeutic presence, stress reduction, and patient safety all influence healing outcomes.

Cathy shares:

•  what Reiki looks like during a PT session 
•  how Reiki supports nervous system regulation 
•  the connection between stress, pain, and healing 
•  how clinicians may already be incorporating aspects of this work 
•  why Reiki does not need to be separate from evidence-based care 
•  how presence, breathwork, and patient-centered care affect recovery 
•  ways healthcare professionals can integrate calming, restorative approaches into treatment sessions without adding more time

This episode is especially valuable for:

•  physical therapists 
•  occupational therapists 
•  nurses 
•  massage therapists 
•  healthcare practitioners 
•  and anyone interested in integrative or holistic healthcare 
• Cathy also discusses her continuing education courses:
   Reiki I for the PT and Healthcare Practitioner and
  Reiki II for the PT and Healthcare Practitioner, designed specifically for clinicians who want to integrate Reiki and nervous system-informed care into their practice safely and professionally.
• If you are curious about Reiki in healthcare, integrative physical therapy, autonomic nervous system healing, stress physiology, or whole-person care, this episode offers a practical and compassionate introduction.

For more information on CEU courses combining Reiki certification training and integration into clinical practice:

https://healingwaves-reiki.com/ceus

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n this bonus episode, I share why I created Reiki I for the Physical Therapist and Healthcare Professional — a hybrid CEU course designed to teach healthcare professionals how Reiki can complement clinical practice, support nervous system regulation, and enhance patient-centered care.

Learn what’s included in the training, Reiki practitioner certification, integrating Reiki into healthcare, and how clinicians can use Reiki both professionally and as a stand-alone offering.

Whether you’re Reiki-curious or looking to expand your clinical toolbox, this episode is for you.

For more information on the course : 

https://healingwaves-reiki.com/ceus

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In this episode, Elaine Schardien guides you through 4-7-8 Breathing which has been found to be helpful  for relaxation, anxiety relief, and falling asleep. The prolonged exhale naturally slows your heart rate and activates your parasympathetic nervous system (your body's 'rest and digest' mode). 

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In this short episode, Elaine Schardien guides you through a special breathing technique that she utilizes in her practice to stimulate the vagus nerve and activate the parasympathetic nervous system to shift your body onto a regulated relaxed state. 

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In this short episode, Elaine Schardien guides you through Diaphragmatic (Yogic) Breath that has been shown to calm and balance the nervous system, maximize lung capacity, and activate your body’s relaxation response (parasympathetic nervous system) in order to allow your body to be in best state to rest, relax, digest and heal. 

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What happens when therapy, yoga, mindfulness, and Reiki come together?

In this episode of Healing Waves Reiki, I sit down with my friend and Reiki Master, Elaine Schardien, to explore what healing looks like when we stop separating mind, body, and energy.

Elaine is a licensed professional counselor in New Jersey who works with children and families in a mental health clinic. She is also a yoga educator and mindfulness teacher who has spent years helping individuals navigate stress, anxiety, emotional challenges, and personal growth.

Together, we discuss:

• How yoga and mindfulness naturally became part of her therapeutic work
• Why healing often becomes more effective when the body is included
• How Reiki added a new layer of awareness, presence, and intention to her practice
• The connection between nervous system regulation and healing
• Supporting clients without burnout as a helping professional
• The role of energy awareness in creating safe and supportive healing spaces
• Why meaningful change often begins with small shifts rather than dramatic transformations

One of the most powerful moments of the conversation is Elaine's reflection on healing as "small ripples"—subtle actions and moments of presence that expand far beyond what we can see.

Whether you're a healthcare professional, therapist, yoga practitioner, Reiki student, or simply curious about holistic healing, this episode offers a grounded and thoughtful perspective on how different healing approaches can work together to support well-being.

Because healing isn't one system.
It's relational.
It's layered.
And often, it's the small ripples that create the biggest waves.

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What if human beings perceive far more than we realize?

In this deeply reflective experiential episode, we explore how the body and nervous system respond to environments, emotions, human presence, and even the lingering feeling of loved ones who have passed.

Through guided awareness exercises and gentle storytelling, this episode invites you to notice the subtle ways your body perceives safety, tension, connection, grief, and love.

We discuss:

•  nervous system awareness 
•  co-regulation and human presence 
•  sensing the energy of spaces and people 
•  intuition and emotional perception 
•  grief and feeling connected to loved ones after loss 
•  the possibility that healing and connection extend beyond physical form 

Whether you approach this spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, or energetically, this episode offers a grounded and compassionate exploration of what we quietly feel beyond words.

Perfect for listeners interested in:
 Reiki, nervous system healing, mind-body connection, spirituality, grief healing, energy awareness, holistic health, emotional healing, and human connection.

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In this episode, we explore what a simple frequency hearing test can reveal about perception, awareness, and the limits of human senses. As the frequency rises beyond what we can hear, we’re faced with a powerful question: if we can’t perceive something, does that mean it isn’t there?

Using real-world examples and a water analogy (ice, liquid, steam), we look at how the same “substance” can exist in different states depending on frequency and energy. This opens a deeper conversation about how the nervous system filters reality, how perception changes across ages, and what this might suggest about the physical and energetic layers of human experience.

This is a reflective episode on frequency, perception, consciousness, and the unseen dimensions of reality we may not always detect—but may still be present.

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What does it really mean to be human—and how does that shape the way we heal?

In this episode of Healing Waves Reiki, we explore the human experience through both a scientific and energetic lens: as physical beings shaped by biology, and energetic beings guided by intuition.

We’ll look at the body as more than just structure and chemistry—and begin to understand healing through the nervous system, the energetic body, and the deeper intelligence that lives beneath the mind.

In this episode, we explore:

•  the human body as both physical and energetic 
•  how thoughts, emotions, and stress affect our internal state 
•  the nervous system’s role in healing and regulation 
•  the difference between the thinking mind and intuitive knowing 
•  how Reiki supports balance in both the body and energy field 
•  why healing begins when we learn to listen differently 

This episode offers a grounded introduction to the energetic nature of healing—and the deeper connection between the body, intuition, and the nervous system.

It’s where science meets energy, and where healing begins to make sense in a more whole and human way.

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In this bonus episode of Healing Waves Reiki, we pause to define some of the core language woven throughout the podcast.

What does "Healing becomes more human" mean?

What does it really mean to be regulated?
What does “safe enough to soften” actually mean in the body?
What is relational healing?                                                                                              What is holding space?

This episode creates a shared foundation for the conversations ahead — bridging nervous system science, presence, connection, and holistic healing in a grounded and accessible way.

Together, we explore:
 ✨ Regulation and nervous system flexibility
 ✨ The physiology of softening
 ✨ Relational healing and human connection
 ✨ Safety as a foundation for healing
 ✨ Bringing science and spirit into the same conversation

Whether you’re a healthcare professional, Reiki practitioner, or someone exploring healing more deeply, this episode offers language and understanding to support the journey.

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