Chicago is home to some powerful energy healing practitioners. At least one of them is locked up in Cook County’s Juvenile Temporary Detention Center. Just two years after I first approached the JTDC, I was able to teach a Reiki Level 1 class to six residents and two staff. It was an incredible experience, and hopefully the first of many more like it.

The Reiki Brigade is honored to continue our collaboration with the YWCA, which serves survivors of sexual trauma. Our presentation and reiki sessions were well received. We’d love to see reiki throughout the YWCA, and will continue to work towards that goal.

The Reiki Brigade offered energy healing sessions for dozens of veterans who gathered at the Jesse Brown VA Stand Down service fair. It's our eighth year volunteering at these events. Hear from veterans and volunteers themselves about how healing and gratifying this experience of sharing energy can be.

Seeing reiki through the eyes of a child. This was our third year at the CPD’s service fair for those dealing with violence at home.

We had a wonderful day offering reiki demos to veterinary professionals at the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care’s annual conference. Watch their priceless reactions to their first reiki experiences, and find out how they’ll incorporate reiki into their practices back home.

All kinds of institutions are recognizing that stress is inhibiting performance and quality of life. We love to be included in wellness strategies to combat it!

The CPD has the highest suicide rate in the country. We’re thrilled initiatives are underway to help officers cope with on- and off-the-job stress to improve their quality of life and keep our streets safer. And we’re honored that reiki is in the mix.

The YWCA’s tag line is, “Eliminating Racism. Empowering Women.” We were thrilled to support them in these efforts with some reiki demos.

The 11th District has suffered the most officer suicides in recent years, and had a triple homicide to deal with the day we were there. They’re shouldering a lot of stress.

We are living in stressful times. The Reiki Brigade would love to offer demos to your school, precinct, wellness fair, etc. to introduce the benefits of this wonderful energy healing modality in a tangible way.

Like the sign says, “YWCA Metropolitan Chicago is the largest provider of comprehensive sexual assault support services in the state of Illinois.” We’re honored to collaborate with these folks to help address trauma with reiki.

One could almost forget the reason we’re there. But then we see the defensive marks on women’s arms and the high number of women with their front teeth missing, and the gravity of their situation is clear. We are so grateful to have been a part of this day, created to remind these women of their value and what it feels like to be nurtured.

Englewood is one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Chicago. In the wake of a weekend with more than 75 shootings in our city, we were so happy to be here offering reiki to the officers and staff. 

Patrice and I had a great day in Pilsen offering reiki to the primarily hispanic community there.

We loved offering reiki to officers and members of the community coming in from the rain at the 10th District!

Monique Costello was the newbie volunteer of the day, but she hit the ground running with a big smile, enthusiastic descriptions of reiki, and wonderful feedback from the vets she worked with.