When clients come to see me for Reiki and Energy Healing they are seeking to feel and get better. Often they have had a major life hurdle to overcome and are suffering from the after effects of sustained stress.
As part of the initial consultation we discuss any medication they are taking. A new client will often inform me that they are taking antidepressants with embarrassment, as if they feel people may judge them negatively for needing such medical support. They are visibly relieved when I say it is very common amongst clients.
In the UK 2013 in the UK there were 53 million prescriptions a rise of a one third in a year and a staggering 92% rise in the past decade. The UK is now has the seventh highest prescribing rate in the western world. This is a huge financial burden to our NHS precious resources.
Yet according to the Independent “currently between 30 to 50% of those treated with any given antidepressant don’t see an improvement in their condition, and in many cases a string of different drugs are tried on a trial-and-error basis.”
How do antidepressants work?
Antidepressants have been around fifty years and there are almost thirty different kinds, yet little reason is known about how they actually work. It is believed that they increase the activity of neurotransmitters, chemicals which work in the brain.
Can antidepressants help me?
Antidepressants are prescribed for moderate to severe depression, chronic pain, post-traumatic stress, severe anxiety and panic attacks, as well as compulsive and eating disorders.
Are antidepressants any good?
Antidepressants do not necessarily treat the cause of the depression or take it away completely.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists estimate that after three months of treatment on antidepressants, 50%-65% of people felt better compared to 25-30% who were given a placebo, the pretend “dummy” pill. This demonstrates to me that by allowing people to feel they are being helped is important as it produces a considerably positive effect on their wellbeing.
It is reported that most depression without treatment, and therefore relying on the body’s own self-healing mechanism, will get better after eight months.
Do antidepressants have side effects?
Antidepressants have a list of side effects and the common ones highlighted by the NHS include: feeling sick, dry mouth, constipation, drowsiness, dizziness, problems sleeping, sexual dysfunction and slight blurring of the vision.
Are there side effects or withdrawal symptoms from stopping taking antidepressants?
There are side effects stopping taking antidepressants and the British National Formulary, the main reference book for doctors, recommends that if antidepressants have been prescribed continuously for eight or more weeks, they should not be stopped abruptly, but should be gradually reduced over a four week period. For many people four weeks will not be long enough and withdrawals will have to be more gradual and over a longer period.
Are antidepressants addictive?
The mental health charity, Mind, says on its website that “people also may consider that they are “addicted” if they find they experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking them, and have to go back on them and cut down slowly.
Although antidepressants don’t usually produce the sort of “buzz” that results in cravings, some of them are used as street drugs, indicating they do have the potential to have this effect”
Mind also states that “If you have been taking antidepressants for a long time, you may also develop a psychological dependency on them.”
How does an antidepressant affect the aura or energy field around the body?
The aura is the energy field that surrounds the body and is similar to the layers of an onion. The first few layers appear to me as being quite dense, like a fog, as I look further away from the body the layers become lighter and more translucent, as if the fog is clearing.
When I provide Reiki and Energy Healing to a person who is mentally, emotionally and physically in a great place in their life, the main inner layers appear to me as being lovely and smooth. Contract this to someone who sad whose aura may contract, or if someone feeling suicidal where their aura can appear to me very erratic, rather like the flames of a fire.
When someone has had a major life crisis, such a bereavement of a close family member, you would expect this pain and stress to be reflected in their aura. However for clients who are taking antidepressants I have found this not to be the case; rather that their inner aura layers are unusually smooth. If their medication is increased I have noticed that the inner layers, whilst still smooth, become more compact and closer to the body. This might help shed some light on why antidepressants make people feel better; they are giving them an energy field more in keeping with a well person – similar to a protective cloak or blanket. It may also be part of the reason for the psychological dependency on antidepressants and their long term use.
What other treatments of depression are available?
The other widespread recommended treatments for stress and/or depression are taking regular exercise, eating well, getting plenty of sunshine, counselling and treatments such as cognitive behaviour therapy.
In Germany, the herbal remedy, St John’s Wort is widely used for depression. There seems to be little published evidence in its ability to help moderate to severe depression and its major drawback being that it can interfere with the way some medicines work.
Can Reiki and Energy Healing help alleviate the symptoms of stress and depression?
When I work with clients I find that if they feel depressed and isolated from the world and life in general that this actual reflects in the energy centres immediately above their head. Also, some clients seem to “store stress” in the energy centre around the stomach, they “feel it in their gut”, whereas others seem to literally “take things to heart” and this is reflected in the heart chakra energy centre.
As well as looking at the energy flow within the body itself, I also work to bring the client’s aura to bring it more into balance.
The treatments are completely natural and aim to remove the blockages in your body’s energy centres and pathways to encourage the body’s self-healing mechanism. Fortunately you can be treated whilst on your current prescribed medication and there are now more supporting testimonials and research regarding Reiki and Energy Healing and how it can be of benefit to those with the symptoms of stress and depression.
What are your thoughts?
For many clients the health problems they are experiencing appear to be the result of an extreme period of stress related to issues and events beyond their control. The unfortunate thing is that antidepressants are like a plaster, they are only a temporary fix.
I believe that more inclusive research needs to be conducted on antidepressants which welcomes and incorporates the findings of other people working in the energy treatment field and other alternative therapies. Hopefully then we will have a better understanding of how antidepressants work and their value within the NHS and its budget. It is also may result in new and more cost effective solutions being found.
photo credit: PATRICK HOFER via photopin cc
