De Costanza On Taking A Reiki Class & The Benefits Reiki Offers Students And Clients

Bob Olson: Today’s interview is about learning Reiki and the benefits of taking a Reiki class. I’m talking with De Costanza, owner of Mystical Wisdom, an holistic new age store in Wayland, Massachusetts. De (pronounced “D”) has provided therapeutic bodywork for years integrating Reiki, polarity, shiatsu massage therapy, craniosacral therapy and other forms of energy healing. She now teaches Reiki I, Reiki II, and the Reiki Master Teacher level for people interested in learning it for personal and professional use. 

Bob Olson: Welcome De. Why don’t we start with the basic question of what is Reiki? 

De Costanza: Thanks Bob.  The word Reiki basically means Universal Life Energy. A Reiki practitioner acts as a channel in which Universal Life Energy flows from the Universe into individual as they need it. Reiki is used to promote health and well being, stimulate the immune system, and promote relaxation.  It is a healing method believed to have been used thousands of years ago by Tibetan monks, which was rediscovered by Dr. Makao Usui in the late 1800’s. He began using it on people and found it to be exceptionally useful for healing and wellness. 

I think most practitioners are taught the basic definition of what I have just given you. But I  also believe that based on a practitioner’s experience with Reiki, Reiki can mean different things to different practitioners. It is this experience, I feel, often creates varying definitions between practitioners regarding what Reiki is and what Reiki does. 

Bob Olson: Is that allowed in Reiki practice—that you can use it according to your own experiences and other things that you’ve learned? 

De Costanza: I don’t really know if you would say it‘s allowed, as a lot of controversy exists within the Reiki community. Controversy which I believe is the result of the different branches that have stemmed off from Reiki due to practitioner’s varying experiences. To me these variances in meaning and method aren’t wrong, they’re just different. I am a Traditional Reiki. Master and teach Traditional Reiki. This is the type of Reiki I feel works best for me. There are other forms of Reiki that work best for other practitioners. There is Karuna Reiki, Shamballa Reiki, Radiance Reiki, and Merkaba Reiki to name a few. What I believe may have played a role as to how Reiki has evolved over these many years has to do with the practitioner’s experience of the Reiki energy. Many people have taken the traditional teachings of Reiki and expanded on it, again, based on their own experience. For example, I often read stories written by practitioners who state that Dr. Usui appeared before them, directing them in the use of a new Reiki technique.  Perhaps he did, I don’t know.  Unfortunately, I haven’t had the privilege of that happening.  

Bob Olson: Is Reiki just about healing? Is it something that people use to help others with healing, is it something you would want to learn for your own healing, or is healing just one of the many different benefits to Reiki? 

De Costanza: Healing is one of the many benefits. People take a Reiki class for a variety of reasons. Some people are looking for something other than traditional conventional medicine. Some want to start taking responsibility of their own health, as Reiki can be self-administered. There are people who see the physicians of western medicine as all-knowing, but I believe medicine is not an exact science and there is a certain degree of personal responsibility in maintaining one’s health.  Some people, when they take a Reiki class, take it because they are interested in learning new methods available for improving their overall life. Some people take a Reiki class because they are interested in beginning a career or doing work in the healing arts. 

A lot of massage therapists like to add Reiki to what they do—as another healing option for people. But, I have found  that  people simply want to learn something they can do for themselves. Sixty  to ninety percent of all illnesses are caused by stress, and Reiki is helpful in reducing stress. When you get all stressed out your immune system suffers and that is how you can become ill. Stress sets up blockages within your being, within your spiritual, mental, emotional and physical bodies.  Isn’t it nice that there is something available that you can do for yourself to help alleviate this stress and promote wellness. Reiki is that something.  Not everyone
is interested in becoming a Reiki practitioner.  These people often just take a Reiki I class, which is the cornerstone of learning Reiki. They do not move on to Reiki II or Master or Master Teacher because they just want something they can do for themselves, rather  than, for example, take aspirin for a headache. They prefer to just put their hands on their head for 15-20 minutes and have the headache disappear that way.  So, as I mentioned before, people take a Reiki class and  use what they learn for many different reasons -  stress reduction, enhancement of  personal health, or  to help a family member who may be ill. 

Something else that I feel Reiki does is develop your intuition. When you start working with Reiki and its energies, and you start practicing on yourself and others, you learn to sense what is happening internally.  The information you receive intuitively allows you to be of greater assistance both to yourself or another individual.

Bob Olson: Are these energies that you can actually feel?  

De Costanza: Yes

Bob Olson: Is it like a hands-on healing approach or is that just one aspect of it? 

De Costanza: Reiki is a hands-on healing approach, but that is only one aspect of Reiki. Reiki can also be practiced in a non-contact fashion. Sometimes you come across someone adverse to other individuals touching them. You want to respect that person’s boundaries.  They come to you because they don’t know where else to go. Everything they’ve tried may not have provided satisfactory results to them. They are interested in trying a new approach, but if an individual is uncomfortable with being touched, you can perform Reiki in a non-contact fashion simply by placing your hands approximately two to four inches above the person. By administering Reiki in this manner you’re sending energy into the aura, which is ultimately going to benefit an individual on the whole: physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally, as it is said all illness starts in the energy field or aura. 

Bob Olson: How about remotely, if someone was across the country, can you use it in that manner too? 

De Costanza: Yes, Distance Healing is learned in the Reiki II class. When you want to send Reiki at a distance, you need to invoke the symbols that are used with Reiki. One needs to keep in mind, however,  that just because one can administer a distance healing session, doesn’t necessarily mean distance healing should be performed simply because we the practitioner feels that doing so is the right approach.  If an individual is not receptive to receiving Reiki, essentially the practitioner sending the Reiki is not respecting the individual’s right of choice or their wishes. Thus, I feel that as a Reiki practitioner, the most important step to take before administering a distance healing  session is to obtain the individual’s permission.  Of course, one does not always have access to the individual who needs to grant the practitioner this consent.  In such cases, I feel it is appropriate to offer an invocation that sends out your energetic intention in a manner that gives an individual the option to accept or refuse the energy. In this way you still give an individual the choice of receiving Reiki and, they can accept it or not accept it. 

Bob Olson: In relation to distance healing in Reiki, how is it different than prayer, or is there some similarities there? 

De Costanza: Some of my students have likened Reiki to prayer, and I feel, too, it is very similar. It is just a different form or method of intention for helping or healing a person.

Bob Olson: Now you say you use symbols? 

De Costanza: It depends upon what type of Reiki you are practicing. In Traditional Reiki, I use four symbols. Karuna I believe uses eight, Shamballa, if I’m not mistaken, but may very well be as I am unfamiliar with it uses 26, and Radiance Reiki I think uses more than four symbols as well. 

Bob Olson: So Reiki I is an introductory course for people to use for themselves and to help family members, but if you were to do it more professionally, why might someone want to take a Reiki II course and the other higher level Reiki courses? 

De Costanza: The Reiki II course, because you are using the symbols, adds specificity and direction to your healing work. My experience with using the Reiki symbols is that your healing intent is strengthened. Reiki comes from the Divine Consciousness, or Spirit, or the Universal Source.  Whatever you prefer to call it.  Because of this Reiki has it’s own intelligence. You don’t necessarily need to use the symbols to perform Reiki to help an individual because Reiki will go to that part of the body where it needs to go, because it comes from a Source that is all knowing.  I feel that the Reiki symbols bring your awareness and your consciousness to a higher level. When you activate the Reiki symbols, you refine your sensitivity to the energy, the symbols raise the vibrational frequency of your own energy so that you can tune into the energy’s vibratory pulse with precision. 

Bob Olson: Obviously, raising our vibrational frequency can help in a lot of different ways, but I’m curious… I understand that Reiki is obviously used for physical issues, but is it also used for more mental issues such as overcoming limiting beliefs… is it useful in this way as well? 

De Costanza: Yes, it is. That is where the symbols come into play. Based on what a client presents with—what they would like a Reiki session to help heal, what they would like to release—what is bothering them at the present time I believe is really critical to what symbol you would work with during a Reiki healing session. 

Bob Olson:  I remember a couple years ago I had a bodywork session with you. You used several different forms of bodywork on me. People can read that article at www.ofspirit.com/bobolson14.htm; it was a great experience for me. Something you did at the very beginning of that session was ask me what my intent was for having that bodywork done. Was this because Reiki was part of the bodywork you were using? 

De Costanza: Yes, because for me, as a practitioner, I feel it is important to address the client’s needs. Sometime I will have people who will come in and don’t have anything specific that they want to address. In such an instance,  I would administer a full body Reiki session. For someone else who had physical issues, or  was having anxiety, or they were worried about something, I would invoke the appropriate symbol to make sure that particular issue is addressed and that the energy is guided to that specific area. Also, it is important for me that I spend what I feel is an appropriate amount of time in that particular area. I was taught that a Reiki hand position should be held for at least two to five minutes, but sometimes there are certain issues occurring for a client where it is beneficial to work in that area a little longer in order for the blocked energy to process, release, and move out of that area. 

Bob Olson: I know that with any holistic or alternative healing modality or product, whether it be Reiki or vitamins or counseling, there are certain laws against making medical claims of how people will heal from them; but you are able to tell us about experiences that you have witnessed. So what are some of your own experiences in terms of the benefits of Reiki that you’ve seen occur with people? 

De Costanza: Well one individual that comes to mind, her arm was bothering her. She had opened a window that was stuck. She put all her strength into opening this window. In doing so she finally got it opened, but ended up injuring her forearm, from her elbow to her wrist. She was in pain for weeks. She went to the doctor, took Advil and other over the counter products. She didn’t receive any relief whatsoever. She decided to try Reiki. I did one session on her and the next morning she woke up and the pain was completely gone. She called me and told me her arm pain was totally gone. I don’t know who was more surprised—me or her. She was absolutely ecstatic that this pain, which had become a part of her life for the passed two months, was now gone. 

I want to make clear that people often come for Reiki looking for a miracle, and not that it doesn’t happen, but sometimes what has caused the manifestation of an illness can be imbedded on an unconscious level.  The person comes in to have a Reiki session with a specific expectation, and then does not understand when that expectation is not realized. Again, because Reiki has its own intelligence it is going to work in the way that the individual needs it most, whether the person is aware of that need or not.  

Another example is a gentleman who had a very rare kidney disease. He was hooked up to dialysis, and he was hooked up to oxygen.  His physicians told him he would have to be on these machines for the rest of his life.  Because of these machines his qualify of life was pretty poor. His daughter came to me and we talked. I offered to do some distance healing. She was open to it. That night I went home. Prepared my space, recited my invocation and offered an intent for this individual. I sent Reiki to him from a distance. At the end of the week, I discovered through an individual who knew the man’s wife (she was unaware I had sent her husband Reiki), that the man receiving the distance healing had been taken off dialysis and oxygen. The man’s wife kept telling this individual I knew that it was a miracle. Unfortunately, the man eventually passed from his kidney disease because it also affected his intestinal system. But when I saw the man’s daughter again later, she was very grateful. She said she didn’t realize how powerful Reiki could be. Even though in this case the disease was not arrested, this man was able to live out the remainder of his days without the discomfort and hassle of dialysis and oxygen. 

Bob Olson: That is amazing. And just for the record, it was his doctors that took him off the dialysis and oxygen because of his improvement? They probably were not even aware of the Reiki you were doing. 

De Costanza: That’s correct. 

Bob Olson: Again, I’ll just say for the record, that these are not claims that you’re making. These are actually your own personal experiences with Reiki. And these are just two examples you’ve given. To me that’s powerful. 

De Costanza: Yes, there are many more.

Bob Olson: The first thing that may come to some people’s mind is that the placebo effect is at work here. But I guess if you see enough cases… and in this particular case the need for dialysis and oxygen is something that is very scientific, the doctors make that choice not the patients themselves. And so in a case like that you can see that these were real effects, not the placebo effect. But at the same time, when you see this enough it just becomes a little too coincidental.  

De Costanza: I agree.

Bob Olson: One question that comes to my mind is why do you think Reiki has become so popular in today’s society? Is it because of stories like you just told or is it because it is a type of trade that people can do without extensive training, to be able to go out and be of service to other people? 

De Costanza: It’s funny that you ask because one of my students said: It’s almost like Reiki is becoming a fad. Honestly, I believe it’s becoming so popular because people are finding that it works. They are able to go and have Reiki and feel less stressed, feel their body release pain. They go because it helps them to feel balanced. Our lives can be very hectic and chaotic, and by having Reiki people experience the effects Reiki can produce without having to take over the counter medication. 

People experience more energy with Reiki. I think the consciousness of society is beginning to change because people are becoming aware that there are other options available. The more people who have Reiki administered, the more they pass the word on and others become interested. The one thing that is unique about Reiki is that you can use it on yourself. People are starting to take responsibility… they want to play a role in their own health process. Other people want to be of service to people… they want to help people, so if they are already in the health care business, they want to be able to offer an individual something that works with a light touch. Different methods work for different people, and Reiki is not invasive—there are no side effects. 

I also think that people who are practitioners want to be able to expand the healing modalities that they currently offer so that people can have a choice. For people  just starting out on the spiritual path wanting to connect with their own spirituality, Reiki is a good place to start because it doesn’t take extensive training. Anyone who has a desire to help people can practice Reiki. 

Bob Olson: What makes it different than some of the other healing modalities that are out there? 

De Costanza: A lot of people say Reiki energy can only be transferred from the teacher to the student. That’s true, but in my opinion that is not the only thing that makes it different. I think what makes it different is that it is transferred from Spirit to the student through the teacher by the attunement process. 

The teacher has to know how to administer the attunement process.  The attunement process is not something learned until the Reiki Master Teacher level. So the attunement process makes it different say from Polarity or Shiatsu, which do not use an attunement process.  Through the attunement process the student’s energetic pathways and chakras realign and readjust themselves. This helps the individual’s being to support the transport of that energy. The symbols make Reiki unique in that they raise your energetic vibrations in order to tune into that energy. You hear people say positive energy and negative energy… energy is energy. I think some people are under the impression that Reiki is a different energy because they receive the description that it’s different because it can only be transferred from the teacher to the student. Anybody can practice energy healing. I’ve come across people that do very basic energy healing simply by placing their hands on an individual and bringing energy in through their left side and putting energy out through their right side. That is an energy healing process, but it is not Reiki. 

Bob Olson: Using your experiences as a Reiki teacher, why would someone want to take a Reiki class? 

De Costanza: As a means of introduction, I ask the students to offer an explanation as to why they have become interested in Reiki or what has led them to the class. I receive a variety of answers. I had one student that didn’t even know why he was there. To me, on a subconscious level that individual was drawn to it for some reason. While researching Reiki, I often come across information that states no one becomes a Reiki practitioner unless they are meant to be one. I believe that. I’ve had some people who have had sessions themselves where the Reiki had such a profound affect on them and it was so beneficial to them that they wanted to be able to do this on their own. I’ve had others that have come and said they heard about Reiki and they wanted to find out a little more about it. I’ve also had people who’ve come in that have already taken a Reiki I class many years ago, but for whatever reason they didn’t put it into practice. They come back to brush up on their skills and be re-attuned.  

Bob Olson: Does anyone need prior knowledge or experience before taking a Reiki class? 

De Costanza: No. I just recently finished completing one Reiki class where some students came into the class with meditation experience, others with only an interest in energy healing, others had read books on it, and some had had a personal experience with it that gained their interest. I base the way I teach each class according to my students’ past experiences and knowledge. 

Bob Olson: So you design how you’ll teach each class according to the students that you have in the class? 

De Costanza: Yes, according to the student’s needs. If everyone already understands charkas and their function, I won’t cover that section as extensively as I would if people are not familiar with the charka system. But if one or two need that information, I’ll cover it a little more in depth. Usually I find that classes seem to be filled with people on the same level. It just happens that way. 

Bob Olson: But someone could walk into this class that is new to the holistic field and still gain a lot from it? Do they have to have any requirements for instance knowledge about energy or can they walk in cold? 

De Costanza: In my class they can walk in cold.

Bob Olson: Some people like to use this professionally. What level does that require? 

De Costanza: I feel that if you are already a trained bodywork practitioner, or if you have a holistic practice, you can immediately start using Reiki I. Experienced bodyworkers are often able to tune into a person because they have learned how to do so from their work.  They have acquired the ability through experience.  Because of this I feel that if you are in the bodywork profession and you want to start using Reiki immediately after a Reiki I class, I feel it’s permissible. 

For student with no prior bodywork training, I do advise that they not hang out a shingle immediately after taking Reiki I. Mainly because they need to practice it, they need to pick up on and feel the energy, be comfortable with the hand positions. I can teach people the exercises that will allow them to tune into any intuitive information they receive through practicing Reiki, but what I cannot teach them is what that experience feels like. I can teach them the preliminaries—this is how you get to that point—but I can’t teach them what they will be able to achieve on their own through practice. Because of this I truly feel that Reiki I students should obtain a good amount of practice before thinking of working professionally. 

Bob Olson: But there is plenty of friends and relatives who are willing to let you practice on them and get some free Reiki healing as you are learning, as long as they understand you are a beginner in this? 

De Costanza: Yes. Many teachers require that people be Reiki II practitioners for a year before going on to the Master Level. In my experience, that doesn’t work for me because I’ve actually had people who have come in wanting the Master training and they don’t even remember how the hand positions are placed because they haven’t practiced their Reiki. As a minimum, I feel people should practice on themselves and family or friends after Reiki I. I have met people who come in to the Master training after six months of disciplined Reiki practice, much more ready than some who come for Mastership after one year of receiving their Reiki II.  These disciplined students can pick up on the energy, feel the energy field, they know the hand positions, and have memorized the symbols. Therefore, in my opinion they are ready to go on to the master training, more so than the individual who can’t remember the hand positions, or who has not been followed through on their training.   

Bob Olson: I’m getting the sense that Reiki is a very personal thing. It’s personal to each individual in how they desire to and intend to use it and the amount that they actually utilize this in their life and their work. You have actually used this in your own work for a long time, correct? 

De Costanza: I’ve used Reiki in my work. I’ve used it on personal basis with family and friends. I use it on myself. So it’s constantly being applied in on way or another.  

Bob Olson: How large or small are these classes that you offer? 

De Costanza: The ideal class is about six or seven people, but I’ve given private instruction too. Some people are uncomfortable with group settings, so I’m open to working with them. I’ve also taught classes as large as seventeen, which can be a little challenging. 

Bob Olson: So someone who either wants to learn it on their own, or if they have a friend or two that wants to do it in their small little unit, they could come to you about taking a class on their own? That way they wouldn’t have to actually wait for the particular dates that you are offering. You could set up a schedule for them, correct? 

De Costanza: Yes, if they wanted to take it before hand, or if they wanted to take it on a private instruction… I try to work with students and clients in ways that work for the individual and myself. But if someone wanted to take a class on that basis, I would certainly do everything  I could to accommodate their needs. 

Bob Olson: How long does Reiki I class take? 

De Costanza: About eight hours, depending on the size of the class. If I have one or two people, it may take seven hours.  Students are required to demonstrate the hand positions in Reiki I.  When you only have two people it does not take as much time for them to demonstrate this part of the training. If you have six or seven students each one is required to demonstrate the hand positions, therefore, this will take a little longer. When you have seventeen, students, it can take two days. I’ve also taught larger groups over a period of six weeks—one evening a week for  two hours. 

Bob Olson: Do students get handouts or anything with the class? 

De Costanza: Yes, they receive a training guide and they receive handouts. They also learn different meditation methods. It’s interesting because the type of meditation I practice seems to be unfamiliar to many of my students. They don’t get a full-blown meditation course, but they get different methods that they can put into practice. For instance, it’s always advisable to ground before you do a Reiki session. There is a type of meditation that I teach that is known as the earth breath meditation, which is a grounding meditation, and many of the students end up using this regularly.  

Bob Olson: At the same time, they have the guides, they’re learning about meditation… you obviously do some lecture, but there is also hands on training? This is not just lecture format; this is workshop format as well. 

De Costanza: Yes it is.

Bob Olson: So when they leave, they’ve not only learned about these things, they’ve actually done them? 

De Costanza: Yes, they’ve done them. They take away what they’ve learned as a student, what they have practiced in the class, as well as reference material that they can always refer back to. 

Bob Olson: From your own experience with teaching this, what are the challenges that one could expect as a student when taking Reiki class? 

De Costanza: The most common thing I hear from students is their discouragement when they do not feel the energy immediately.  They end up putting pressure on themselves, which I feel ends up creating a block because they focus on what is not happening instead of just letting letting the process play out.

Bob Olson: Yes, and I can see how the meditation could really help with that. 

De Costanza:  I give students exercises they can practice to help them sense the energy. I reassure people that whether you immediately sense the energy or not, or whether is takes a couple months, that it is your own individual process—it will come to you. You have to be patient and every student learns differently. 

One student of mine after receiving the Reiki I attunement couldn’t understand what everyone else in the class was all excited about. Five months later she took the Reiki II class and suddenly knew why everyone had become so excited five months before.  After receiving the Reiki II attunement, she said, “I could feel you energetically walking towards me. It was tangible and warm.” She had become very concerned because up until that point she couldn’t sense any energy flow when she practiced on people.  Then one day she did and she knew then what everyone was excited about. If I have an odd number of students, I’ll let one of them practice on me. She was on of those students. Even though she had doubts about her skill and her ability to practice Reiki she really had an amazing ability to facilitate the energy. I suggested she consider taking her training to the highest level possible, as I felt her skill was remarkable.  This is not something I usually advise to students as each one’s path is a personal choice, but after just 10 or 15 minutes of her practicing Reiki on me, I felt like I had an hour Reiki session. 

Bob Olson: That has been my experience, too, with all things spiritual and energetic. Because of my limiting beliefs from things I had learned growing up, I had a hard time with all kinds of different energy and spiritual concepts. I was opened minded, but I had a hard time experiencing things because I was skeptical. Yet when I finally did have an experience, boy it was a big POW! It hit me really hard and it was a life changing experience. So for those people who are a little slower at things like this—like myself—when it does hit you, it’s a wonderful experience. 

De Costanza: Yes, everyone learns at their own pace. That’s what I emphasize to my students. 

Bob Olson: It must be fun to watch all those students go through all those different experiences. 

De Costanza: It is. It’s amazing. 

Bob Olson: What do you charge for your Reiki classes? 

De: Reiki I is $100.00, Reiki II is $200.00, the Master Level training is $300.00, if they want to learn to be a teacher, that is $500.00.

Bob Olson: Those are incredible fees. How can people contact you about taking a Reiki class? 

De Costanza: They can send me and email by logging on to my website at: www.mysticalwisdomma.com. They can call 508-653-3443.

Bob Olson: You are the owner of a holistic new age store called Mystical Wisdom, located a t 185 Commonwealth Road in Wayland, Massachusetts on route 30. You offer all sorts of thing there for anyone interested in holistic, spiritual, self-improvement, metaphysical, new age subjects, correct? 

De Costanza: Yes.

Bob Olson: When do you offer your classes? 

De Costanza: The next class is July 12, 2003. People can check my website for further dates, or contact me about private or semi-private classes.

Bob Olson: Do you give the classes at the store? 

De Costanza: Yes, at the store. Sometimes I give them for Adult Education too, so people can call to find out if I’m giving a class there as well. 

Bob Olson: Well, thank you, De, for teaching us about Reiki. I’ve learned a lot. 

De Costanza: It’s been my pleasure. Thanks Bob.

_____________________ 

De Costanza: 508-653-3443 (Mystical Wisdom, 185 Commonwealth Rd, Wayland, MA)

De Costanza is the owner of Mystical Wisdom in Wayland, Massachusetts. The bodywork she offers is a therapeutic energy massage that includes, Reiki, shiatsu, craniosacral and polarity. Call De (pronounced "D") to make an appointment at 508-653-3443.

Mystical Wisdom is De Constanza's brand new Holistic and New Age Store (opened 2003). Check it out for the latest in natural skin care and health products, handmade gifts and products from artists and holistic product growers and producers, gifts, books, music, candles, crystals, aromatherapy and herbal products, and "instructional classes" such as: