Discover Alternative Pain Relief Methods

Before reaching for a second dose of ibuprofen, consider aligning the mind and body to aid many types of pain, physical or emotional.

The owner of Kindred Spirits Books L’Aura Di Salvo is a Reiki master and said it is a type of meditation that is used to balance the mind, body and spirit through energy.

“What happens during a Reiki session is up to the person,” Di Salvo said. “I act as a vessel for healing energy.”

Casey Weber, a massage therapist for Shakti Massage, said Reiki is therapy involving energy. The practitioner will cleanse someone’s seven chakras by putting his or her hands directly on or above an area of the client’s body.

“By cleansing the chakras, an individual will feel more at peace and balance that has the potential to expand spiritually, physically and emotionally,” Weber said.

Di Salvo said each session is different and many enter a deep state of relaxation.

Photo by Emily Hoffmann.

“Meditation is so nourishing to the mind, body and soul,” Di Salvo said. “During Reiki, you can’t help but get into it. It really transforms you.”

Since Di Salvo acts as a vessel for this energy, interesting sensations occur during a session.

“If images, visions, words, sounds or smells come to me, I will let clients know what I experienced,” Di Salvo said. “It usually correlates with something going on in their life.”

Another method of healing Weber offers is Thai herbal compression or heated bundle of aromatic herbs.

“Some of the herbal properties are absorbed by the skin,” Weber said. “The heat penetrates deep into the body to increase circulation prior to any of the actual massage.”

Weber said she presses the bundle of herbs into particular muscles, joints, tendons or ligaments. Some common herbs are lemon grass, ginger, galangal, tumeric, tamarind, lime, mint, menthol and sea salt.

“As an added bonus, the aromas of the herbs lift the spirit,” Weber

saidA. fter this treatment was added, clients discovered their muscle or joint pain was subdued for an extended period.

“I have had several clients who experienced the compress say their addition has made the best treatment for them,” Weber said. “It has been difficult for these clients to explain exactly why this is, but the benefits of the massage stays with them longer because the compresses were added to the treatment.”