Reiki & The Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)
For me, Reiki arrived during a chapter when burnout finally caught up with me. I knew something needed to shift—not just a small adjustment, but something fundamentally different. At the same time, I was trying to make sense of an experience that felt profound yet impossible to explain. That’s when I first stumbled onto the idea of the “energy body” and its role in our vitality. I’ll be honest: I was skeptical. But as I started exploring and paying attention to my own lived experiences, I realized I had been picking up on subtle shifts in people and spaces for years.
I’ve always been able to read people well—what they’re thinking but not saying—and I could feel it in my own body when someone else was struggling. A moment that stands out is a funeral I attended years ago. I didn’t cry because of my own grief; the tears came when I felt the heartbreak of the people closest to the person who passed. That’s when I understood there’s a difference between having empathy and being an empath.
Around that time, I was also learning more about neurodiversity. As conversations around autism evolved, I began noticing how many autistic individuals are exquisitely sensitive to shifts in environment—sometimes in ways that deeply impact them. My family and I started becoming more aware of what dysregulated us. I noticed my son often seemed to be responding to things others didn’t see or hear. He couldn’t always explain it, and I became open to the idea that he experiences the world in ways I don’t. That awareness led me to explore the concept of the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), researched by Dr. Elaine Aron. Her work became a helpful resource—as did the awareness that 15–20% of people fall into this category.
All of this—sensitivity, perception, the way our internal systems respond to our environment—ultimately guided me to Reiki. It offered me something I didn’t know I needed: a way to tend to my energetic well-being. Energetic hygiene matters more than most of us realize. Without it, everything can start to feel heavy. Reiki gives you a place of stillness, low stimulation, and gentle support. It helps clear what you’ve been carrying so you can move through the world with more calm and resilience.
If you’re curious or if you’d like to explore how Reiki might support your energetic health, you’re welcome to reach out, schedule a time to talk, or try a session.
~ A