Interview with Bridget Dinsmore

Bridget, can you tell us a bit about yourself, your background with Reiki, who you trained with and what service you provide now?

My first introduction to Reiki happened when I was a very young child, although at that time I was unaware of Reiki. My mother passed on when I was eleven and my father when I was 15. The loss of my parents left much unexpressed sadness as inner grieving was not acknowledged. I was told that God had chosen to take them. It was many decades later in 2002 during my healing journey that I touched base with my parents and the un- grieved sadness was replaced with peace, knowing they had never left me in spirit. It was during that spiritual visitation with my parents and traveling down memory lane with them that I realized my mother often comforted me with her hands especially when she caressed my forehead with both her hands relieving my headaches. I could feel her presence just as I did when I was that little girl at her knee receiving my first introduction to Natural Healing. I knew everything was going to be OK

At the beginning of my self-healing journey, I had exhausted my search for holistic healers to no avail. I decided to call Peggy Huddleston as Dr. Christiane Northrup recommended. I had resisted calling Peggy cause she worked with people who where having surgery and I was focusing on self-healing. I envisioned Peggy to be a psychic with short thick white candles circling a room giving off an orange hue. When I called Peggy I explained my situation and how Doctor Northrup referred me to her. I set up a time to meet at Peggy’s house on June 10th. She said that my husband was welcome to join us. It was a warm evening around 6:30 when I approached Peggy’s house. The sun was starting to set low in the sky. Peggy greeted us with a wonderful smile and welcomed us into her living area where the orange hue of the evening sun’s rays encircled the walls almost like I envisioned, except it was not candle light. It was the light of the Universe. Meeting with Peggy was such a spiritual experience. She had a strong soft voice, and an assertive, positive way of relating. Her dog Monkey was equally empowering as she nestled close to my feet. Our meeting was informal. Peggy listened to my concerns and asked me questions. She never imposed her thoughts on me. With my husband by my side, Peggy said she would lead me through a visualization, first asking me some key questions and using my answers to weave into the visualization. She told me to place my hands on the part of my body that needs healing. As I did I could feel the healing energy transforming from my hand into my body. I closed my eyes as Peggy lead me through a peaceful imagery. When she had finished I was feeling calm and at peace. Once again that subtle Reiki healing was present, only this time it was my own hands doing the healing . Peggy suggested that I become a Reiki practitioner. I was not interested in becoming a Reiki practitioner. I was focused on self –healing. Peggy shared two recent healings that happened when two of her clients used her healing program. One person was going to have a major heart operation. Subsequently on the morning of the surgery they found her condition healed and her surgery was canceled. Another person, Janice Anderson who was a wholistic registered nurse and Reiki practitioner, had fallen on some ice and broke her pelvic bone. After a few weeks Janice told the doctors that she did not need the crutches. They took an x-ray and to their surprise the bone had mended faster than they expected. Peggy suggested that she could get one of these two people to talk with me about their success in the healing process. It was Janice Anderson who called me and we talked about self healing. I was interested in her Reiki approach and agreed to meet with her .I arranged for Janice to meet me at my daughter’s house. It was a beautiful warm sunny day when Janice arrived; not a cloud in the sky. After we introduced ourselves Janice set up her portable massage table on the screened porch that overlooked the meadow that had a large fenced-in vegetable garden to the right and a patio to the left. Beyond the meadow was a wildlife refuge. The smells of spring filled the air with the sound of birds whistling back and forth as Barley and Hops strolled in the shade of the trees watching for an un-suspecting mole or bird. Before we started the Reiki session, Janice and I chatted briefly. Janice asked me in her soft gentle voice, what was my expectation and my plan if things did not work out the way I would like them to. I told her I would go ahead with what the doctor suggested. However somewhere deep inside me I was determined that would not happen. Janice mentioned that she knew she was healed before the Doctors knew. I got up on the Reiki table and closed my eyes as Janice put on some soft angelic music. I felt at peace as Janice lead me to visualize going down some steps to a garden where she left me with my own thoughts as she continued to direct my energy to strengthen and harmonize the area that needed healing. I felt the heat from Janice’s hands on my face. I wondered how she could radiate such heat. Suddenly the warmth from the heat disappeared. I kept waiting for it to return as I listened to the comforting music.
My mind was not fully relaxed. I was curious about what was coming next. At times it felt as though I was asleep but not quite. I hovered between sleep and awake. Janice quietly reminded me to relax and let her do the work as she gently lifted my head to cradle her hands and fingertips under the occipital area of my neck. After an hour had passed Janice completed the session. I felt very relaxed and at peace. When the session was over I was still in that peaceful relaxed mode. I thanked Janice for this wonderful experience and set a date for another session. Later that year my oncologist called to say the results of my biopsy showed no cancer.
It was at a family gathering that I discovered my daughter in-law's mother Jennifer had received her Reiki MasterTeacher training. I was interested and ready to embrace the idea to learn the Reiki techniques of this innate healing so that I could help others heal. Jennifer Dewar became my Reiki teacher and taught me through each level to Master Teacher. Jennifer has been a great mentor and always ready to listen when I questioned or needed further clarification on issues that came about. I still confer with her to the present day.

Since my husband retired I have limited my Reiki services.

2. How would you interpret the word 'Reiki'?

To me the word Reiki means human touch that conveys, warmth, serenity, caring love and healing that involves guiding universal energy to where it's needed .

3. What do you think is happening in a Reiki session?

Reiki moves blocked energies, leading to healthy thinking that creates balance and harmony within the mind, body, and soul.

4. What do you think is happening, at a basic level, in a Reiki attunement/initiation/reiju?

During the traditional initiation/attunements, an inner healing channel opens up within you to attune you to the flow of Reiki energy that has lain dormant waiting to be discovered. It’s a time when you touch base with your inner self.

5. Do you think Reiki can be used to help situations and inanimate objects as well as living things?

I know that Reiki has an infinite power to help all humans/living things heal. When the mind acknowledges thoughts regarding helping inanimate objects or situations, I have found that Reiki is there giving energy to our thoughts and like the law of attraction, Reiki energy is always available.

6. Reiki is now becoming popular within the medical system. What role do you believe Reiki plays in the traditional medical system?

Reiki is at the threshhold of the medical profession. Doctors are beginning to recognize its innate healing power to help patients heal faster and use less medicine. In time Reiki will prove that some invasive procedures are not necessary, as I myself have experienced.

I have had clients come to me because their psychologist said they could benefit from Reiki.

7. Distant Reiki and permission has always been a topic with many pros & cons what's your view on this given natural disasters, such as the earthquake in Haiti and Chile?

I have no doubt that the power of Reiki can reach those who are asking for prayers or looking for energy to get from here to there when the odds are against them during a disaster.

8. Many Reiki practitioners say you can go back into the past and heal it. What's your take on this issue?

Thoughts are energy and if the past involves the need to forgive, those past thoughts come to the forefront of the present time and can be forgiven. I have done this. The spiritual visitation with my parents in 2002 was such an instant when I forgave my mother for leaving me. I was a child abandoned in a sea of sorrow. I was also able to forgive the people in my homeland who created the war and turmoil that caused so much hate and destruction for over 30 years.

9. Have you had any notable experiences concerning Reiki that you could tell us about?

I notice that when clients take on the responsibility for their own health their results are good. For me using Reiki to heal my uterus without the use of surgery, chemotherapy or radiation took time. My body had to heal other areas first. I had to re-learn/un-learn, and make changes within my mind, body and spirit. Healing was gradual as my weight dropped ,my diabetes 2 and rosacea cleared up, emotional problems that I was unaware of carrying such as the death of my parents and the turmoil in my homeland came up. These issues came to light as I became more relaxed and at peace through the Reiki sessions. I also had a young woman, Linda, who came to me after she was diagnosed with uterine cancer. She healed within six months without surgery, chemotherapy, radiation. After she healed she became a Reiki I practitioner.

Reiki is not a quick fix. Yes, a headache can be treated with success but what is the underlining problem if the headache keeps coming back. I had a young student nurse come to me suffering from migraines. Her headaches came on when she was studying for a test. I asked her why she chose nursing school and she replied that her friends told her she’d make a good nurse. Weeks after her Reiki session I asked her mother how she was doing. Her mother said she left nursing and was studying to become a teacher at the children’s hospital.
I have had a few clients who made major relationship changes.

10. Can you describe your relationship with Reiki, and how it's affected you?

Reiki brought me to a spiritual understanding that I did not have during my years in organized religion. I believe this spirituality is due to practicing the 5 Reiki principles

I am for ever grateful to Janice Anderson the wholistic registered nurse and Reiki practitioner, who assisted me during my healing journey. She never mis-lead me to believe that a Reiki session would heal me. I learned to relax and to be at one with myself.

11. Do you feel that Reiki needs standard guidelines across the board for practitioners to obtain certification?

Reiki is not taught like other methods of medicine or healing. We were all born with Reiki in us, for Reiki is the power of life itself.

To be taken seriously by the medical profession and others who we want to engage with certification is a plus. I’m not opposed to standard guidelines for this reason.

12. Is there anything that I/we have not asked that you find is important when talking about Reiki?

We should be respectful of the medical professionals as we would have them be respectful of us.

Reiki is not a substitute for medical or psychological diagnosis, nor should we interfere with the treatment of a licensed medical professional.

As a Reiki practitioner I inform my clients that I do not diagnose conditions. I am not a healer. I do facilitate helping clients to move their energy and like any alternative energy modalities it may take more than one session to achieve a healing.

13. What are your hopes & aspirations for the future of Reiki?

That Reiki be given its rightful place in the medical profession so that it is available to folks who want an alternative choice.

I would like to see Reiki introduced to children at all age levels and that it become part of the high schools' elective courses.

Many thanks for sharing this Bridget. As always, it's very inspiring!

Thanks, Bridget, for sharing your thoughts on these questions. Besides the excellent descriptive writing, your love of Reiki and general kindness and compassion shine through in your answers.

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Thanks for sharing your story Bridget...what a lovely read..theres a reiki softness flowing through your words

Pachamama wrote:Thanks for sharing your story Bridget...what a lovely read..theres a reiki softness flowing through your words

Reiki is a healing mode that
comes easy when I think relaxation,
and my client picks up on that mode