Madison’s Q&A: Reiki, Hypnotherapy, and Sound
Hi, my name is Madison. I am a Reiki master teacher and somatic hypnotherapist. Below, I answer some of the most common questions about my background, my approach, and how these modalities can help.
Can you tell us a little about your training and background, and what led you to combine hypnotherapy, reiki, and sound work in your practice?
I found Reiki through my own healing journey. I had been through all of the traditional modalities, which helped, but I felt like something was missing. I was still stuck at this point, which led me to alternative and complementary therapies. That’s where I found Reiki. My first therapist was also trained in hypnotherapy, and I got to experience that in session when I was a teenager. I was amazed by the natural insights and the shifts that were available to me. I knew hypnotherapy was special.
As I started down my own journey of natural healing and alternative therapies, I just knew I was drawn to hypnotherapy as well. Sound work was something that kind of just happened naturally. I’ve always been musically inclined, so I started by buying a set of bowls. What’s special about sound is you can feel it reverberating through your body. It’s an instant shift that you’re feeling.
For someone who hasn’t experienced these modalities, how would you describe them in simple, straightforward terms?
The common thread with all of these modalities is subconscious work and nervous system work, which I believe are the same thing. I started studying the nervous system at the same time I started studying the subconscious mind, and I quickly realized we’re talking about the same thing. My belief is the subconscious is the nervous system; the nervous system is the subconscious. They’re not separate things. It is happening inside of the body. That’s when I kind of started weaving them together.
What’s happening in the body or nervous system during a hypnotherapy session? How does it complement what mental health providers already do in therapy?
In hypnotherapy, we have what’s called the reticulator activating system, and that is kind of like our watchdog. It filters what is allowed to come up into our conscious and what our subconscious wants to accept.
Hypnotherapy really uses meditation—and sound can be a part of that—to lull that system into a sense of safety. It doesn’t feel like it has to be on high alert and watching, because it’s kind of bored. When it can relax, you can get into a deeper state, and you are more open to your own subconscious wisdom that is already living in your body, as well as being open to suggestions from your hypnotherapist that you have designed.
With mental health providers, it’s a lot of conscious talk, right? And we see that a lot with clients where they’ve been in therapy for years. They’re talking about their problems, they know what they need to do, or they know what the problem is—and yet their behavior is still stuck, or they’re still stuck in this emotional cycle. This is really great to complement clients who might feel at that stuck point and want to go a little bit deeper.
With sound, it works with the natural resonance of your body.
Reiki and sound baths may be less familiar to some—can you explain how they affect the nervous system or stress response in ways that are measurable or observable?
We all have energy running through us, right? It’s what makes our organs work. It’s what allows us to walk around. That is an energy.
Different states of mind can be measured by different brain waves. We have the beta brain waves where we’re conscious and alert. We have theta where we’re in a deeper meditative state. With sound, when the vibrations are being played, our brain waves sync up to it. It gets us into a deeper meditative state more easily. It’s like a little highway to it, so you don’t have to try to think.
Are there particular populations or presenting concerns (such as stress, anxiety, trauma recovery, or chronic pain) where you’ve seen these approaches be especially helpful?
I feel like in chronic conditions is where things like Reiki are very beneficial. Chronic means it’s historic; it’s been happening for a long time. There’s evidence of chronic dysregulation happening in the body. That’s where Reiki is really helpful.
What does the research say about these modalities, and how does that align with what you see in your sessions?
There are many studies out there with Reiki, and they show that it activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is our space of rest and digest. This is where our natural healing comes online.
There’s also an element of touch therapy and being in relationship with your practitioner, which is also co-regulation—something we know as humans our systems really like. Research says that these are incredibly helpful tools and that they are most powerful in conjunction with traditional medicine. Clients in these studies have greater outcomes when these are combined with traditional practices.
If a counselor has a client who is struggling with body-based stress symptoms, when might it make sense to refer them to you?
Anytime they’re in a stuck point. At any point, someone can have the benefits of working with both a licensed mental health therapist, a doctor, and a complementary and alternative healer or therapist. It can be at any point, but especially if you are at a stuck point, because that shows the body is having a hard time relaxing, and this is supportive in that way.
How do you ensure your work is complementary—not replacing or conflicting with—traditional talk therapy or medical treatment?
They are two separate modalities. Licensed therapists and doctors—what they do is a client comes to them with a collection of symptoms. They take all those symptoms, put them together, and form a diagnosis, and then they treat that diagnosis.
Complementary and alternative therapies, we kind of work in reverse. We separate it all again, and we look at one symptom at a time. For example: “I feel anxious every time I get in the car.” That’s one symptom, and that’s what we directly work with. We’re not working with diagnoses. We’re not treating anything.
What feedback do clients typically give after experiencing these sessions? What changes do they notice in themselves?
Many clients have a pretty immediate shift in how they feel. Even clients who haven’t been sleeping and are very stressed—following a Reiki or a sound session, they often have a pretty immediate feeling of relaxation and just being open again. People with chronic pain, or those healing from surgeries or illness, often have less pain pretty instantly.
What might a first-time client expect in a session with you?
In a Reiki session, we always start with chatting a little in the beginning just to get clear on goals, intentions, and for me to answer any questions. Reiki is really a space for the client to lay down, relax, and let go, and let the practitioner work.
Some clients fall asleep. Some people feel tingling, heat, or cold. Some people don’t feel anything at all—and that’s fine, too. A lot of people I work with report seeing colors during the session, which I always think is really cool. But each individual has an individual experience. It’s different for everybody.
How do you help clients feel safe and comfortable if they’re skeptical or unsure about these approaches?
I invite in skepticism. I think skepticism is healthy. Again, none of this is meant to be a treatment. These are supporting factors. I invite people to trust their skepticism and just have an open heart and an open mind. At the end of the day, it’s about the client being able to find safety within themselves.
Like I said before, Reiki activates our parasympathetic nervous system, which is different from our fight or flight response. When we’re in that parasympathetic mode, our natural healing comes online. Our bodies know what to do. If I get a cut, I don’t have to try to heal it. My body knows how to do that naturally, and it does it best when it’s in this restful place. So whether a client believes that Reiki itself is healing them or it’s their own body’s natural healing coming online, both serve the same purpose.
For our team here, what would you want them to understand most about your work?
My work is meant to be an extension of the greater work out there. It’s meant to just offer more support to clients who might be feeling stuck, who might be feeling like they’re at a crossroads. It’s just another level of support.