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My 21-Day Shoden Reiki Detox Experience

Lily Clair shared her personal journey through the 21-day Reiki Detox

Anyone working through the three levels of Usui Reiki training, will be aware that each level of training and attunement, is accompanied by a cleansing period known as the 21-day Reiki Detox. During this sacred time for reflection and self-healing, the student enters a cycle of detoxification, as Life Force Energy cleanses and awakens the chakras to enable them to become a powerful channel for Reiki energy. As the whole energy system is readjusted and rebalanced, many experience symptoms of physical cleansing and detoxification.

Because I am not in the thrall of any of those classical habits with which I associate with a ‘detox’, I didn’t anticipate any problems working through this healing period. And when the Shoden Detox process showed up as the next segment in my Reiki Level 1 training, my first 16 days were uneventful.

Then a sudden whammy struck. I had no doubt about what it was — it didn’t knock; it simply blew down my door, entered, and took over. What resulted was a 37-Day 21-Day Shoden Detox experience.

More than a month later, I wrote to my Reiki Master Teacher, Garry Malone, to share my Shoden Detox experiences and he motivated me to turn in my ‘homework’ to help others in the RHA going through their own Reiki Detox. You are now reading my ‘homework’. Although I can’t do yours for you, and everyone’s experience will be unique, I hope these insights and observations from my detox diary may help others going through the same journey.

For the sake of clarity, my tightly entwined experiences are separated into sections. I overuse the words ‘sudden’ and ‘suddenly’, but they describe my perceptions of my experiences better than any other words I can think of. It all occurred — you guessed it: suddenly.

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Pin this for later! The 21 day Reiki Detox

Sudden exhaustion — physical, mental, and emotional

Early in detox process, I had moments of exhaustion, where I realized my memory was slipping and I felt physically weak. I specifically remember one day I picked up a pen to write something, and discovered I could barely hold onto the pen. I felt my hand trembling inside, even though it did not appear to be shaking as I looked at it. I attempted to write my name; the resulting tiny scrawl was unrecognizable. I could not believe I had ‘written’ that.

As my energy plummeted, suddenly I remembered to take my flower essences. It was the key I needed to dispel dark energies, and grab what remained of my mind and depleted energy and start pulling them out of the void.

As my negative energy slowly subsided, my spirit needed an inspiring, enduring purpose — fast. My lifelong desire to significantly help animals loomed large. I’ve not been able to fulfil that purpose because I could not imagine how to do so. All my life, all I could perceive were obstacles blocking me. Now, several concurrent, entwined epiphanies revealed themselves in a flash, resulting in a complex combination of anger, hate, insight, and inspiration.

I desperately needed rest and sleep. I allowed myself to plan my immediate future around sleep and rest, instead of wakefulness and responsibilities.

The quantity and quality of my sleep suddenly improved. Deep. Long. Lucid dream-filled. Revitalizing.

Dreams so simple and clear, compelling yet comforting, and immediately pertinent, informative, and practical. I felt burdens gently sliding off my back. No wonder I have back issues. I felt my back might heal if only I could keep shedding the burdens that have lodged there so long. Toward the end of my final three weeks of detox, I experienced a sudden, quick, small self-adjustment in my spine, and a positive shift and lightening of my energy.

“The quantity and quality of my sleep suddenly improved. Deep. Long. Lucid dream-filled. Revitalizing.” – The Reiki Detox

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Cravings for natural foods

After experiencing a big reduction in my appetite during my detoxification journey, suddenly ideas and ‘tastes’ began coming to me about what my body wanted! In this semi-dream state, before fully waking, my body — not my mind — began revealing clear, specific ‘taste’ sensations of what it wanted to have, and what it did not want. The stunning clarity that my body boldly expressed was unequivocal and unquestionable. I was still physically weak, but my new ability to somehow ‘taste’ the foods my body wanted, and my slowly returning appetite, were sufficient to get me back to the natural foods store quickly.

My body began feeling better: diminishing dullness, fear, and depression; increasing mental clarity, vitality, and strength. I now have a new, simple, even healthier vegan organic diet, which came together quickly. Something is enabling me to truly listen to and give my physical body what IT wants.

I opted for organic foods and drinks at warm, cool, or room-temperatures, with purified water, herb teas (no caffeine), fruit and vegetable juices and broths.

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The Reiki Detox

Sudden craving for therapeutic baths

For about ten days, whenever I felt the need, I turned on the water and added bath salts (baking soda, Himalayan salt, and Lavender essential oil), and slid into the silky hot comfort. My physical pain and distressed mind departed.

After three weeks of this drastic healing crisis — I felt a subtle, but definite, small positive shift occur simultaneously in my body, mind, and emotions. Suddenly, inexplicably, I simply knew that I was truly healing! Unquestioningly, I accepted that I was beginning to perceive and live a new reality — about which I had no information, no fear, and no resistance. I felt remarkably better as my healing crisis came to an end.

Lily’s Tips for Embracing the Reiki Detox

1. PAY ATTENTION! To intuitive flashes, your ‘little voice’, gut feelings, dreams, imagination, mental pictures, sounds, ‘coincidences’, ‘signs’, ‘messages’, repetitious thoughts or feelings, whatever wants your attention. Pause. Consider them and their meaning to you. The Malones advise planning for plenty of rest and sleep when you detox. You may be surprised by your need.

2. TRUST YOURSELF. Your experience will be different from that of others. The experience you already have is different from the experience anyone else has — making you different from everyone else. Embrace self-ownership!

3. EXPRESS APPRECIATION! You have more willing help to drawn upon than you think — but you must tune in, ask, be open to unexpected responses coming in surprising ways at any time! Sometimes your request has been answered before you consciously formulate your question. So pay attention to the message that most likely was just sent to you. This in itself expands your consciousness. Remember, we’re working with energy!

4. WHEN YOUR 21 DAYS ARE OVER, YOUR SHODEN DETOX CONTINUES. Peeling the onion is a lifetime process. If you’re younger than 77, you may not have as intense a detox as I did because you haven’t had as much time to accumulate so much trash. Don’t recycle it; HEAL it! Start as soon as you’re ready!

Shoden Detox is a wonderful opportunity to leave your false and negative beliefs behind, focus on your being for 21+ days, and experience your innate desires, knowing, gifts, and goals — and start finding and feeding your meaningful life purposes! Remember: Shoden is about HEALING YOURSELF — first and foremost!

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Pin this for later! Tips for navigating the 21-day Reiki Detox

Have you experienced the 21-day Reiki detox? Share your tips and experiences in the comment box below!

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