We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Helene Williams. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Helene below.

Hi Helene, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the story behind how you got your first job in field that you currently practice in.

I had been working as a registered nurse in a free-standing hospice facility for five years and knew that it was time to move on after I began experiencing burnout. As strange as it sounds, I still look back on that job as one of the most fulfilling because it gave me the ability to be a true bedside nurse and to work compassionately with patients and families.

However, it did take its toll on my emotions, so I decided to go to a job fair sponsored by a local hospital. Each hospital unit was represented there, and I spoke at length to each manager. While some sparked my interest, I kept being drawn back to the newly created 42-bed total joint replacement unit because of the manager’s enthusiasm for wanting to complement traditional medical care with holistic modalities. She was keenly interested in aromatherapy, massage, music therapy, guided imagery, and something I had never heard of before – Reiki.

I felt very fortunate to be hired and even more excited that the hospital was bringing a Reiki Master in to teach those interested in becoming Reiki practitioners. The training took place over two days, and I admit I was skeptical. I wasn’t sure how something that appeared to be so simple could possibly help patients with the healing process.

An essential part of learning Reiki is practicing on yourself, which made sense to me. It isn’t easy to hold a space of healing if we haven’t created balance and harmony within ourselves. Over the next few months, things began to shift for me. I became more confident and wanted to step outside my comfort zone and start offering Reiki to the patients I worked with.

I had the perfect opportunity when, one afternoon, one of my patients came up after a total knee replacement in excruciating pain. After several calls to the doctor and giving him everything that I possibly could in the form of pain medication, he looked at me and said, “Please, isn’t there something else you can do?”. Taking in a deep breath, I said I would like to offer him Reiki as it might help with his pain. He gave his permission immediately, and within 10 minutes of starting the session, he fell asleep. The next day, when I arrived for my shift, I found out that not only had his pain been controlled for the rest of the evening, but he had cleared physical therapy and was about to be discharged home. At that time, the average stay for a joint replacement was three days, so it was a pretty remarkable recovery.

After that experience, I began using Reiki as part of my routine nursing care. Soon after that, a job was created for me as the Reiki RN, which meant that I was able to not only do Reiki on the joint replacement unit but also go to other areas of the hospital to offer Reiki. This was my dream job and gave me the ability once again to offer 1:1 compassionate care for patients and families, just as I had done at hospice.

The more popular the Reiki program became, the more we needed additional practitioners. Soon enough, the Reiki Volunteer Program was born, and I began onboarding and mentoring practitioners. That program thrived until COVID when all volunteer programs were put on hold.

I was incredibly grateful to be part of the holistic program because it led me to move on and start my own Reiki business with an emphasis on Reiki in healthcare settings.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was a late bloomer when it came to attending nursing school and didn’t graduate until I was 38 years old. When I left the hospital in 2018 to start my own Reiki practice, I was 61, and had a real passion for helping others to heal.

During the time I worked at the hospital, I was also freelancing as a paid Reiki practitioner for a local hospice, which allowed me to share Reiki at many of the surrounding extended care facilities. Additionally, I began volunteering to do Reiki at our local Veterans Administration medical center, allowing me to broaden my scope of Reiki practice within the healthcare realm. This has given me the ability to craft Reiki classes specifically geared toward healthcare providers and also teach practitioners how to get their foot in their door, which can sometimes be challenging for the layperson.

I’m incredibly proud of myself for persevering in the field of Reiki in healthcare. It’s something I have a genuine passion for, in addition to sharing that knowledge with others. Reiki helped me to overcome a huge fear of public speaking, enough so that I have spoken at several nursing conferences about the benefits of Reiki and holistic healthcare. I’ve also been featured on several podcasts, facilitated a community Reiki clinic for seven years, am a published author, participated in a Reiki research study, and currently sit on the board of the Center for Reiki Research.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I was never afraid to keep knocking on doors, whether it be within the hospital setting or approaching potential healthcare institutions. I’ve also always endeavored to do things with the highest level of professionalism. Growing a Reiki practice isn’t always easy, especially within the healthcare realm. From my website, formatting classes, quick response to new clients, and outreach to other practitioners across the globe – I always strive for the highest quality. Another essential element is my intention to stay aligned with the Reiki Precepts, which means being humble, grateful, compassionate to myself and others, and true to my way and my being.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

I would absolutely choose the same profession. Reiki changed my entire life in the very best of ways. While I loved nursing, Reiki has taken my life in many positive directions, and I’ve had opportunities I would never have thought possible. It has given me the confidence to try new things, travel to new places, and meet new people. I’ve learned to create my own path, always stay true to my heart, and never ever say never!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.helenewilliamsreiki.com
• Instagram: @reikihelene
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helenewilliamsreiki
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helene-williams-bsn-rn-949a9921/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9xEPP4h0gDQgSUfbiT0ATg/null