I asked permission of the patient to do a technique called Chakra Spread to ease his pain. Permission granted. I held his hand to begin the Chakra Spread and proceeded to do energy clearing. I could feel the prickles against my hand slowly dissipate. I could not observe any other outward sign because the patient had fallen asleep.

Because I am a chaplain, I called the technique a Blessing Prayer, and did the Mind Clearing technique with the wife to ease her tension headache and intense anxiety. The wife asked me to return again.

When I visited the patient and wife a few days later, the wife said that the day after my visit, her husband woke up and wanted to go out for breakfast; a favorite thing they had done together in the past. Somehow, she had been able to move him into the van and they had a beautiful morning at their favorite breakfast restaurant.

I returned several times and taught the wife the Blessing Prayer. They were never able to go to breakfast again, but he did die peacefully.

Healing Touch made a difference in the life of this dear couple. I can only humbly walk the path of knowing that Healing Touch and hospice help bring comfort to the dying.

Ann Seckinger, CHTP, Director Healing Touch California, Board Certified Chaplain, Gentiva Odyssey Hospice, San Jose, CA

When we choose to volunteer, it’s useful to keep in mind the differences between “helping,” “fixing,” and “serving.”  When we “help” we see life as weak, and when we “fix” we see life as broken; but when we “serve” we see life as whole.  So from that perspective, it’s valuable to approach volunteering as an opportunity to “serve.”  “Helping” the client positions us as strong and the client as weak, and may inadvertently diminish their self-esteem.  When we volunteer in the spirit of “serving,” it becomes an energy exchange between equals that benefits us as much as the client.

Most areas throughout California have multiple outlets for volunteering, each with its own unique requirements.  When deciding when and where to volunteer it is important to make sure our volunteer commitments support our own self-care.   How many days or hours a month is required as a commitment?  How far will you have to travel?  Will the specific times you need to volunteer conflict with other activities you might want to do?  Is the volunteer opportunity aligned with a population you are interested in serving?

It’s also important to be aware of the flip side of volunteering:  None of us should feel shy about charging money for Healing Touch sessions, and should not let our desire to be of community service diminish our ability to earn a living through our practice.

Following is a list of volunteer opportunities across the state of which I am aware.  Since I live in San Francisco, many of these are located in the Bay Area.  If you know of additional volunteer opportunities in your community, please email me at michele@healing2gether.com and I will add those to the list.

Michele Bernhardt, Certified Healing Touch Practitioner & Reiki Master.  For more information about Michele, visit her website at www.healing2gether.com.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA

Healing Partners—a Stanford School of Medicine program that provides free Healing Touch treatments to women with breast cancer at locations across the city, Peninsula and South Bay. Contact Kathryn Davis at healingpartners@sbcglobal.net.

Jewish Home – a skilled nursing facility in San Francisco that provides free Healing Touch treatments to long-term care residents.  Contact  Nina Weil at nina@ninaweil.com.

PUREcommunity—a roster of qualified, experienced energy healing practitioners that are available to volunteer throughout the Bay Area.  Contact Kathy Rule at kathyarule@yahoo.com.

Stand Downs—opportunities to provide Healing Touch to veterans in Contra Costa and Northern Solano counties. Contact Nancy Khlafallah HTCP at blueiiis@astound.net.

Mercy Center—a donation-based clinic in Burlingame that provides Healing Touch to the public. Contact Helen Hann at hann808@hotmail.com.

Charlotte Maxwell Complementary Clinic—a free clinic with locations in San Francisco and Oakland that provides a wide variety of complementary health care modalities to low-income women with any type of cancer.  Contact Jill Arnold at jill@charlottemaxwell.org.

Walnut Creek United Methodist Church—Free Healing Touch sessions for the public in Walnut Creek.  Contact is Lillian Whipple at whipplelg@astound.net or 925-687-4312.

Hospice of the East Bay—volunteer program at hospice in Pleasant Hill.  Contact:  Diana Ryckman, 925-887-5678.

SAN DIEGO

Rady Children’s Hospital--free monthly Healing Touch sessions for nurses and families of the children being treated at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego.  Contact Lisa Thompson at thompson@rchsd.org.

FOLSOM

Mercy Hospital— donation-based  ”Caring Center” in Folsom provides Healing Touch and other modalities.  Contact Marcia Taylor-Carlisle RN at (916)817-8656.

Writing in a journal can access deep healing responses.  Through my practice as a Healing Touch practitioner and Holistic Nurse, I have practiced using the journal to facilitate healing.  What I have found is that writing accesses deeper levels of self,  thus connecting with inner wisdom and guidance for self-healing.  Those who begin to use the journal report that they feel as though they have discovered a new friend.  The various tools that the journal offers, opens up the doors for self-understanding and empowerment.  I have used the journal for my own healing journey which has truly convinced me of its great value for personal growth.

Unfortunately, many people believe that journaling means another daily obligation.  Others have fears about not being able to write well.  The journal’s value comes in seeing it as a place for self-expression with no judgments, no obligations and no rules.  It is a place of total acceptance, like an always-present therapist and friend.

In a recent class, one of the participants said that she loved learning various tools for journaling, which has stimulated her desire to journal more again.   She had been writing daily accounts of her life with no “zest” attached and it took all the joy out of journaling for her.  Some of the most helpful “tools” are:  Springboards, Clustering, Alpha Poems, Captured Moments, Character Sketch, Dialogue, Inner Wisdom, Dream Journaling, Lists of 100, Perspectives, and Unsent Letters.  It is especially profound to dialogue with your body as it gives powerful messages as to what is needed for your optimal health and healing.  Unsent letters is really a great way to relieve tension and defuse anger when you are upset with someone.  Writing five blessings a day can help lift you to a higher perception of the goodness flowing into your life!  So begin experimenting with different ways to write in your journal and you will discover a valuable resource for your self-care and development.

Anne L. Day, BSN, MA, HNB-BC, CHTP/I

For more information about Anne, please see her website:  www.thehealingjourneys.com

For questions about upcoming journaling classes, please contact Anne by email:  anneday7@gmail.com