Grief impacts the whole person—body, mind and spirit. As individuals navigate loss, many seek practices that help them feel grounded, calm and emotionally regulated. Reiki, a gentle energy-based healing modality rooted in the Usui lineage, can be one such supportive tool within a holistic grief care approach.

Reiki sessions work with the body’s life-force energy to foster balance and deep relaxation. While grief often brings stress, tension and emotional heaviness, recentering the nervous system through intentional presence and relaxation can make space for suppressed feelings to emerge and be acknowledged. Many people report a greater sense of calm, emotional clarity, and inner stillness after sessions that encourage the nervous system to shift out of “fight-or-flight” mode toward rest and repair.

Importantly, reiki doesn’t require talking about loss or “fixing” emotions. Its gentle, noninvasive nature can help individuals feel held in their experience, offering a nurturing complement to traditional grief support such as counseling, spiritual care or community groups. In holistic grief care, practices like reiki can help individuals develop self-awareness, connect to inner resources and cultivate compassion for their own healing journey.

Reiki is best used as part of a broader, person-centered plan for navigating grief—with trained practitioners and alongside other supportive resources that honor each individual’s needs and values.

Rev. Rachel Schwab is a master reiki practitioner and teacher of the Usui reiki lineage and an ordained clergy member with more than 25 years of experience. She blends her spiritual background with gentle, energy-based healing to support physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. Based in central Pennsylvania, Schwab offers reiki, reiki mobilization, Bowen Technique, and celebrant services for life-cycle rituals while creating a nurturing space for self-exploration and inner balance. Rachel’s Reiki is located at 2 Forge Rd., in Boiling Springs, in the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Cumberland Valley. For more information, call at 717-962-5201 or email [email protected].