I did not THINK or DECIDE to put my hands on his bloodied head; I just knew it was urgently required.
Let me back track momentarily for context. We were on our way to Sunday morning yoga class, waiting to turn right just near the Mae Rim Market (in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand), when I saw a man not 15 feet from our car suddenly have a major epileptic seizure and crash face-first onto the bitumen. He continued to convulse face-first on the street and was clearly in serious trouble, judging by the blood we could see.
Ploi, my 15 year old Thai daughter, leaped out of the car and called an ambulance. I pulled over, raced across the street to the police station to alert someone, and raced back. My high level and thorough first aid training from Australia knew what I was looking at, and how to respond. After I carefully checked for obvious neck injury & skull fractures, I rolled him over and checked his airways; a policeman standing by placed his foot under the man's head on one side to stop him trashing his head around on the bitumen.
INSTANTLY I knew what I needed to do, more than anything. And so I carefully but very firmly cradled the man's head in my left hand, and placed my right hand on his forehead. I held his head VERY firmly, and then it was like someone flipped a switch. I could FEEL current running in his head like an angry, stormy sea beneath my hands. He was continuing to have seizures and was agitated and thrashing.
I called on every Divine Being and Spirit to flow through me to this man - to calm his electrical-brain-storm, to soothe him, to let him know he was not alone, to let him know he was safe, and to calm him. It was as if the whole world disappeared. I was vaguely aware of police directing traffic around us and people taking photos, and somewhere I heard an ambulance coming.
The arrival of the medics made him clearly more agitated, despite him being not yet fully conscious. I motioned my daughter to update the paramedics on what we'd seen and continued to allow this energetic-healing-river to flow.
He calmed. He opened his eyes. A policeman asked him if he had Thai ID, which he didn't. And then I could feel the panic start in him as he started thrashing again. Illegal IDPs (internally displaced people from Burma's 64 year civil war) are very common and largely tolerated in Chiang Mai, until something goes wrong and the authorities feel the need to make a show of deportation. I willed my channel to open further, and it did.
And so I sat like that for another 10 mins, holding his head firmly in my bloodied hands while the paramedics checked vitals, conferred with police and prepared to transport him to hospital.
Much later when the acute part of the incident was over, I started pondering epilepsy and energy healing.
I was NOT surprised to learn that there is published research to show that Reiki has a proven physiological effect on brain chemistry as it relates to seizures, and results in a reduction in seizure frequency.
Reiki-like healing practices in refractory epilepsy results in a reduction in seizure frequency. Reiki-like healing practices produce membrane stabilization and stimulation of membrane Na+-K+ ATPase activity by quantal perception of low levels of EMF. The consequent intracellular hypermagnesemia inhibits HMG CoA reductase activity and digoxin synthesis resulting in the alteration of the neutral amino acid transport (tryptophan / tyrosine) defect. A hypothalamic digoxin-mediated quantal perception model of brain function is proposed. Source
I read some more and discovered that as of 2016, over 800 registered hospitals in the USA used Reiki as a complementary medicine in emergency rooms, operating theaters and oncology.
The Cleveland Clinic claims the benefits of Reiki include the following: - Initiates the feeling of security, peace and wellness - Brings a peaceful, deep relaxation - Reduces stress - Stimulates the body’s immune system - Stimulates tissue and bone healing after injury or surgery - Supports the well-being of the client who is receiving medical treatments. Source.
Reiki and energy healing makes sense at a time of acute injury or trauma - you may not have medical equipment, surgical gloves, drugs, ice, bandages. But you have your channeling hands! And your open heart. There is much that can be done in those 10-minutes-seems-like-hours while you wait for an ambulance.
Late this afternoon, I ventured into the IDP Ward at the Nakhorn Ping Hospital here in Mae Rim, Chiang Mai. My man had been admitted for CT scans, observation of his head injuries and urgent epilepsy intervention. Not sure what I expected, but I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, Nakhorn Ping is old and crowded and obviously very underfunded. But it is first and foremost a hospital, and not a detention center. No one was chained to beds, there were no guards and there were lots of visitors milling about (it being Sunday afternoon). Buddhism keeps the humanity real here in Thailand, most of the time.
It was obvious that communication was challenging - he spoke a Tai-Yai dialect and also had a severely swollen and bitten tongue, along with a cheek fracture. No less that 6 medical professionals came to help, to ask and to see how this man might be helped. And then, just as I was having a happy-proud moment about people getting together to give him the best, I FELT his panic rise at being ringed and surrounded by white lab coats and surgical masks - like a trapped & cornered wild animal. And so I lightly placed my hands on his arm and his leg, and continued to allow the energetic healing flow. He wasn't able to smile due to his bruised and rapidly swelling face, but he wai-d me as I left. He was obviously much calmer, and feeling safer.
I asked for his permission to use his photo, and he nodded. I share it here because I know many Reiki people like to work with an image to send distance healing.
If you believe in, are initiated into or just naturally practice Reiki and/or energy healing, please send some healing energy to my new friend. I still don't know his name. It remains unclear if he's going to be deported. He's not exactly sure where he comes from, but he thinks it's Lashio in Northern Burma near the Chinese border. He says he has a daughter but the phone number he gave isn't connected. He says he sleeps at a temple in Saraphi. Wherever he goes after discharge, I pray he has access to the epilepsy drugs he needs to stay safe, or to a stash of great organic cannabis oil to alleviate seizures.
Tonight I feel blessed and lucky to have been in the right place at the right time. I'm grateful he fell forwards towards us and not sideways into the heavy traffic. I'm grateful for and inspired by the progressive and kind young Thai medical professionals in the IDP ward. And eternally thankful for the healing energy which surrounds all of us, every day, everywhere; all we have to do is allow and direct it.
BlissednBlessed
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