Reiki is a gentle, light-touch, or "long-distance" energy technique used for stress reduction and relaxation that gently facilitates balance in body, mind, and spirit. The word Reiki has been translated from Japanese to mean Universal Life Energy, wherein the syllable “rei” is understood to be the source of this energy while “ki” represents this life energy’s movement within and around us.

Alison is a Reiki Master in the Usui Shiki Ryoho tradition that was established by Dr. Mikao Usui, a Japanese Zen Buddhist and professor of theology. In 1922, during a twenty-one-day meditation fast, Dr. Usui experienced spiritual enlightenment that connected him directly with Reiki energy and its sacred symbols. He spent the last years of his life in Tokyo developing a technique to offer this energy for the benefit of others. Before his death in 1926, Dr. Usui was able to attune additional practitioners to the energy frequency of Reiki and teach them how to use it. Since that time, this tradition of Reiki attunement and instruction has been passed on from Reiki Master to student without interruption.

Open Channel Reiki is a practice that utilizes the technique known as distant Reiki. In this approach, Reiki is channeled through the practitioner to the recipient at a distance. This modality is not affected by the constructs of time and place. For example, Alison works with clients in Maine, Maryland, California, and Montana, from her home Reiki studio in Columbus, Ohio.

The best part of distant Reiki is the relative ease of the process. There is no need to travel to and from the appointment. Each client is free to receive this energy within the comfort and safety of their home. During the Reiki session, one may rest on a bed, lie on a sofa, or recline in a comfortable chair. The client simply needs to schedule the session when they can arrange a quiet and restful atmosphere in their home.

At Open Channel Reiki, every session (either in-person or distant) begins with a brief conversation. The focus of this opening discussion is to establish a positive intention for the Reiki session based on any physical, emotional, psychological, or spiritual issue the client may be experiencing in their life. We do this because within energy medicine it is understood that intention drives energy.

During the session, the client is resting comfortably on a massage table in Alison’s home studio or within the comfort of their own home. Alison will then offer the Reiki energy using specific hand positions that are known to channel the flow of the Reiki energy from its source, through Alison, to the client.

During an in-person session, Alison’s hands will hover gently above the client’s body during the session as she channels the Reiki energy. At the close of an in-person session, Alison compares notes with you to discuss any impressions or experiences that you and she had during your Reiki session.

Within a distant Reiki session, after the opening discussion, the phones are turned off, and Alison begins to offer Reiki energy to the client from her home studio to the client’s home. At the end of the distant Reiki session, Alison is available, at the client’s request, to touch base about the session and answer any questions they may have.

It has been widely recognized that sound has been used in various forms as a healing tool for centuries across a range of cultures. At Open Channel Reiki, sound healing is offered as an integrative therapy that uses specific sound frequencies to balance the body’s energy. Alison is trained as a sound healing practitioner within the Soma Energetics system. In this modality, she uses tuning forks that are aligned with the frequency of each of your primary chakras—energy centers in the body.  

Using these tuning forks, Alison works in a systematic fashion to align and connect all your chakras in greater balance and harmony. Alison has been taught to recognize the innate wisdom of each person’s body and spirit to be able to accept and integrate these sound frequencies. Thus, this balancing is achieved when the person receiving the sound healing is ready to make the shift.

At Open Channel Reiki, every session begins with a brief conversation. The focus of this opening discussion is to establish a positive intention for the sound healing session based on any physical, emotional, psychological, or spiritual issue the client may be experiencing in their life. We do this because within energy medicine it is understood that intention drives energy.

During a sound healing session, the client is resting comfortably on a massage table in Alison’s home studio. Alison uses her tuning forks inches above the client’s body or near their ears during the session as she begins to balance their chakras. At the close of an in-person session, Alison compares notes with you to discuss any impressions or experiences that you and she had during your sound healing session. 

Some of Alison’s clients find it beneficial to schedule a combination of sound healing and Reiki within a two-hour session. In Alison's experience, she finds that once your chakras have been brought into better balance via sound healing there are fewer blockages in your energetic body. Afterwards, your body becomes even more receptive to the healing potential of Reiki.