Mind-Blowing Attunements

Posted on by Alice Langholt

I’ve been a professional Reiki practitioner and teacher for about five years. I’ve attuned over 900 people to Reiki. I have run a school for three years. 

And still, I feel like there’s so much more to learn about working with energy, its effects on people, and how to understand the complexities of energy, guides, karma, past lives, ancestors, angels, and life path. 

Every time I work with energy or intuition, I learn something new. Every class I teach teaches me more. I’m constantly reading, seeking out classes to help me grow and deepen my knowledge.

And I feel out of my league sometimes. 

I don’t have all the answers, and sometimes I don’t know where to get them. 

Here’s an example. I taught a Practical Reiki 1 class recently. Everything seemed normal. I spent the morning teaching how to recognize your intuition, and experience the energy. I gave a little Reiki to each student. Every student could feel the energy and identify how it felt to her. (Every student was female in this particular class). 

In the afternoon, I taught Level 1 and gave the students their attunements. During the attunement, everyone sat calmly, eyes closed, experiencing their attunement. Except, suddenly, one of the students fell to the floor and seemed to be having what looked like a seizure. She flopped around on the floor, out of control of her body. (I’ve never seen someone have a seizure, so I am going by what I have seen/ read about them). Shocked, we all jumped up and I asked if I should call 911. I was told to wait, because one of the other students knew her well and rushed over to help her. She held the student tightly (I held my phone tightly, finger ready to push those numbers for the paramedics!) and then the student having the episode started crying and recovered. 

She explained that she had started having an out of body experience during the attunement, which scared her and caused a kind of struggle to happen. She had never had an experience like this before. She is, however, very psychic and just discovering these gifts. 

The whole thing left me feeling shaken and uncertain. I suggested she follow up with a doctor, just to be sure. I’ve been processing, trying to align my experience with anything I’ve ever learned. I haven’t been able to do this conclusively. I’ve heard from her since, and she’s feeling fine, better, lighter. She reported that she feels like a big bunch of “stuff” was released. 

I’ve never seen anything quite as dramatic happen in one of my classes. Tears, yes. Laughter, yes. Students reporting amazing visions or physical cleansing symptoms (one student had dry heaves on the way home after her first attunement), yes, lots of times. 

I am left with the humbling reminder that this is powerful stuff I’m working with. Energetic transfer, or attunements, is serious business, and needs to be respected. I’m not in control of how a person will react to receiving an attunement. Once I intend the attunement to begin, and the recipient intends to receive, it’s out of my hands, so to speak. 

But there’s certainly no doubt that it works. 
And for that, as well as the opportunities to learn more every day, I am profoundly grateful.

What’s been your most surprising energy experience? Please share here in a comment. 

Reiki Awakening Reiki blog by Alice Langholt

Putting a Price on Healing

Posted on by Alice Langholt

During Mercury Retrograde (finally over as of yesterday, thank you), we are called to think about things. Reflect on our life, our business, our relationships, all while communications and plans are disrupted so we can do that. Ha. 

And now it’s a New Moon. That’s the time when we should set our new plans, goals, and dreams in motion.

Seems that I’ve been given the opportunity to do both – big time – and now I’m here to report on it. It was a lesson that was put right in my face. (Thanks again, Universe.) Here’s the way things went down:

A couple weeks ago, I received a newsletter from a copywriter who I’ve followed for a while. In it, she detailed some serious emotional blockages related to her unfortunate childhood. I felt moved to write her back, encourage her to stop being limited by her past, and go for her dreams. I also mentioned that some Reiki healing can greatly help with releasing those painful past experiences, and allowing yourself to move forward. 

She responded that she was curious about Reiki, and could we talk on the phone. I answered that of course I’d be happy to speak with her. We set a time. We spoke yesterday. 

It was not what I had expected. 

She asked me some questions about Reiki, and I explained. She seemed enthusiastic. That is, until she asked me how much a distance Reiki session costs. I told her $50 or 5 sessions for $200. There was a pause.

“That’s ALL?” 
I answered yes.
“Why on earth do you charge so LITTLE?” She asked in an astounded tone. 

I explained my rationale. An in person Reiki session is about the same cost as a massage. A distance session doesn’t require me to travel anywhere or prepare a massage table with a sheet. So it’s less. 

Then she told me that she simply can’t understand how something that could help change someone’s life, help the person heal from years of baggage and turmoil, could be priced so low. She went on to say that it must mean that I don’t value my own services. She also told me that she had gladly paid $4,400 to attend a program designed to teach you how to think.

She also said that she was no longer interested in my services. She advised me strongly to raise my prices by about five times what they are. She said that charging as little as I do means that I’m telling the world that I am not offering something anywhere in balance with its value to those who receive it. 

I told her I would be happy to accept more money, and assured her that affordable doesn’t mean not powerful. It was apparent, though, that this wasn’t really the right connection for either of us. I thanked her for her advice, told her that I hope she finds what she needs, and we got off the phone. 

About an hour later, she blogged about our conversation. 

I spent a good, long time thinking about this. I asked myself:

  • Am I undercharging?
  • Am I undervaluing my work?
  • Am I holding myself back? 
  • Does my work have a perceived low value?
I really pondered this. I searched inside myself. I tested my feelings about charging more. I tested my feelings about her reaction. 

I came to a conclusion that some people think that if they pay a lot of money for a solution that says it will resolve their issues, that it will take the problem away for them. It must be the best if it costs so much more than the others. But that says a lot more about the people who think that way than it does about the people who charge the highest fees. A friend (and one of my clients and professional associates) from Facebook who I asked for some feedback added, “ I will also say that paying a huge price tag and getting little results is often more palatable to the ego than being presented with an actual solution for a very low price.  It’s a way that the ego appeases us by pretending we are doing “big” things to solve our pain or problem.”

I think that I agree with that. And, also, I think that it’s another reason that she was not a good potential client for me. 

In answer to my question to myself about my pricing, I feel that my fee for distance healing is affordable, but that doesn’t mean it’s not powerful. I know from experience that the distance healing sessions I offer are received in powerful ways, with life-changing results, by those who accept them. But I like that they are affordably priced. I feel comfortable with the price point where it is. 

I guess that I know what it feels like to struggle to afford something I feel I need, and I also know how it feels to be grateful to afford something I feel I need. I think it could be harder to fully receive a healing session if you’re thinking in the back of your head how hard it was to pay for it. So that’s another thing. 

I can’t measure the value of a Reiki session. Priceless. That’s about it. So I have to set a fee that feels comfortable for me to offer. 

My Practical Reiki classes are also affordably priced. I used to charge less, and I realized (after my friends and students alerted me) that the fee was too little, because it did have a lower perceived value. (“Dollar Store Reiki” is not what I offer!) So at the time, I raised it to a number that felt more in balance with how I felt and how I want it to be perceived. Let me say that I am completely confident about my Practical Reiki training’s value. It’s outstanding. It’s priceless. I could easily charge double for it and deserve it. Although if I did, some people would struggle to save to receive this training. But, I could justify the price because it is seriously excellent and allows one to immediately become a practitioner, if desired.

But, the other side is that it’s really easy for me to teach, doesn’t take a lot of time to learn, and I want it to spread far and wide. I want there to be a million people using Practical Reiki in five years’ time, because I trained them or someone I trained (or their students trained) did. Practical Reiki is a straightforward, unplugged method of energy healing that anyone can learn, regardless of previous experience.

Then, I asked myself about the value of my time spent teaching. That was a good question, and I felt a slight disconnect was there, so I have slightly raised the fee for live classes (compared to recorded), and offered an add-on for a private hour on Skype with me for Q&A to those who take the recorded version. I also include the books with the live training. That adjustment feels in alignment with my values, and feels like a quality offer.  

It’s true that some people undervalue themselves, and undercharge for their services. The opposite is also true. And, it’s true that some people take advantage of the fact that there are people out there who actually go looking for the most expensive option, and charge accordingly for their services. I can’t be in integrity with myself if I try to be one of the people who raises my fees to target those who want to pay top dollar. So that’s good for me to know also. 

I am grateful for the lesson from this past Mercury Retrograde, and ready for the New Moon to take my goals, plans and dreams and energize them into being. 


Comments and feedback are very welcome.

Reiki Awakening Reiki blog by Alice Langholt

43 in 13

Posted on by Alice Langholt

It’s my birthday and the 5th anniversary of the day I started this blog.

I went back and read last year’s post and am grateful for the progress in achieving my goals, and the new goals that I’ve added.

But I’m not going to talk about those things this year. I just want to share my day.

There’s a lot of hoopla going on right now. People are all excited over tomorrow, 12-21-12, and the Winter Solstice too. Energy people I’ve spoken with are talking about the intensity of the energy they feel. I can’t say that I’m as swept away as some are, but I do feel a sort of intensity. Plus, with the recent events in the news, who doesn’t feel the intense energy right now?

So that was all the more reason for my choosing to spend this birthday on myself. Time for some “me time”!

Here’s what I did today to celebrate my birthday:


  • I met a Facebook friend (who I’ve never met in person) at a lovely little bakery cafe for some breakfast and really great “Reiki talk”. Her name is Michelle Winkler, and her website is http://www.createhealingreiki.com/.
  • I went to see my very favorite massage therapist, John Goad, for a very nurturing 2-hour massage. Not only is John amazing as a massage therapist, but he incorporates energy work, aromatherapy, and  myofacial release techniques. I had the honor of teaching John Practical Reiki two years ago. His energy work is very powerful! The whole experience was wonderful. If you’re within 2 hours drive of Mantua, Ohio, an appointment with John is well worth the trip!
  • Then I got my driver’s license renewed (it expired today). The man taking the pictures at the dmv was smiling and so nice that it’s my best driver’s license picture ever!
  • I came home, made a nice dinner, spent some time with the kids, and now I’m enjoying a quiet glass of wine while I share my day with you lovely readers.


  • My new Energy Healing Cards (which I just published!) came and they look really great! They are now available on Amazon as a gift for the energy healer you are or the energy healer you know.(Energy Healing Cards are a tool for anyone practicing Reiki or other energy healing techniques. Beautiful, full color cards each feature an intention and an affirmation to inspire and encourage your daily healing practice. Choose a card for extra healing, meditation or journaling, or inspiration. Many uses and lots of healing potential in every card. 44 cards plus an instruction card. 3.5 x 5″, rounded corners, laminated, packaged in shrink wrap and sent in an organza drawstring bag.)
So I’m sharing all of this with you because it was such a lovely day. I’m so very grateful that I had the chance to take some time for myself. I promised myself I wouldn’t wait a year to do it again.

The message here (there’s always a message, isn’t there?) is that especially when stress is in the news, our work, and energies surrounding us are high, we NEED to take time to care for our bodies and our souls. Whether it’s your birthday or not, this is really important. It helps us stay at our best to manage all we do. 

May you all enter the new age refreshed and ready. 

Happy holidays and new year too!
Reiki Awakening Reiki blog by Alice Langholt

Stigma and Cred

Posted on by Alice Langholt

I first learned Reiki in person from a teacher, and took the Master/Teacher level in a class, in person. It was traditional Usui Reiki training. I found that my training left some things to be desired. There was no instruction on intuition, for example, or chakras. I was not taught how to feel and experience energy, just taught traditional hand positions, symbols and ritual that “had to be” done in order to give a Reiki session. 


Three months later, I learned Kundalini Reiki, by distance, online from the founder of the system. I felt my attunements more strongly than I had felt any other, ever. I also learned that symbols, hand positions, and ritual are not needed in order to practice Reiki. Although this conflicted with my Usui Reiki training, it made more sense to me. I spent lots of time pondering and practicing after this. And the pondering and practicing really helped me the most in developing my understanding about Reiki, and how it can be effectively taught so that people can learn to feel the energy and understand what they are doing. 


Since that time, I’ve taught over 500 people Kundalini Reiki or Practical Reiki. I’ve written two books about Practical Reiki, to help those who want to learn get a more thorough education in energy healing. I have received only powerful, positive feedback from all of my students and clients. 


I’m proud of my work and am committed to being a dedicated and approachable teacher for all who learn from me. My students share the love of Reiki, whether they were previously Usui Reiki trained or not. 


At times, I’ve been informed (and even involved) in online discussions about what’s “better,” in person or online training. As I’ve said there and will say again, it depends on the teacher. It also depends on the student’s comfort level, but I do my best, even with online teaching, to provide the most personal experience possible for my students. Not all online training is equal, just as not all in-person training is equal in quality. It depends on the teacher being of high integrity, knowledge, approachability, and dedication.


Now there’s another issue that my students are facing, as well as others who receive training online. Some hospitals and other organizations who accept volunteers to provide Reiki will only accept individuals who have received training in person. Others will only accept individuals who have received Usui Reiki training. Practical Reiki (and other methods) are not treated with the same respect. So what are my wonderful students to do when they want to go out and dedicate their precious time to sharing Reiki in these places?


I guess we need to start a grass roots movement to establish cred and overcome the stigmas held by those who think that Usui Reiki is better than Practical Reiki, or that in person teaching trumps online learning. Yeah, we’ve got our work cut out for us. 


So here’s what I suggest.


If you’re faced with a challenge such as this, don’t give up. Politely request a meeting to discuss your training and demonstrate your expertise. Show the person in charge my book, and encourage them to read it. Offer to give the person a Reiki session. Talk clearly and confidently about your understanding and love for Reiki. 


If that doesn’t work, don’t worry. Send in your students, your friends who have learned, and others to do the same. Eventually, we’ll get a second look. 


If you want, have the person you meet with contact me. I’ll be happy to talk about my year at The Cleveland Clinic, and my two years at The Gathering Place (a support place for families touched by cancer). I’ll also be happy to talk about my Practical Reiki for Nurses course, which is approved to offer 8 CEs by the Ohio Board of Nursing. 


We are the change we want to see in the world. Reiki is healing energy, and the practitioner is the one who has the ethics, experience, and attunement to share it.


Let’s move the world with our light.

Reiki Awakening Reiki blog by Alice Langholt

The Practical Reiki Companion is HERE!

Posted on by Alice Langholt

In response to student request, I’ve created a workbook for Practical Reiki students and teachers. It’s called The Practical Reiki Companion, and it’s now available! 


I started out writing this workbook to offer students a way to log and keep track of their practices and healing experiences. But, as things often do, it became so much more. For each chapter, there are reminders and reflective prompts for journaling about your experiences. I added light lines and vibrant images so the workbook is a beautiful keepsake journal, not just an academic tool. (Have a look inside here!)


Also, I realized that the process of writing down reflections creates an important change for the student. If you know that after you complete this healing session, you will be writing down what you experience, think and feel, you will be in the mindset of paying attention during the session. The “assignment” cues your left brain to stay focused and present, which in turn increases your ability to tune into the right brain’s feed of intuitive sensations. It’s amazingly powerful as a tool for mindfulness and strengthening your intuition. This process will accelerate your ability to feel the strength of the Reiki energy. My goal is to empower every student with confidence in his or her ability to work with Reiki. This workbook is designed to do exactly that!


It’s also an excellent tool for the student who completes Practical Reiki training and wants to teach others. Having the logs of your attunement experiences and healing practices will enable you as a teacher to reflect and share some of the unique and powerful experiences you had while learning, thus enriching the learning for your students. And I’ve also included several attunement logs for the teacher, so it’s easy to keep track of how passing on attunements went on the teacher and student end. This workbook is designed to take you from beginning the journey to helping others to do the same. 


I’m proud and excited about the Practical Reiki Companion! Those who have had an advance peek, and the first student who is currently using it and giving me feedback all share this excitement. 


If you’ve already learned Practical Reiki, I encourage you to get one to transfer your notes from your learning into this keepsake.


If you’re beginning to learn Practical Reiki, you need this. It will help you, empower you, deepen your learning and accelerate your growth.


If you’re teaching Practical Reiki, this is for you and for your students. You will be a stronger teacher and your students will be successful because this tool will be part of their journey.


Thank you to the students who encouraged me to create The Practical Reiki Companion and waited with excitement. It’s here! 


You can order autographed copies and get a package discount for the book and the Companion here.


You can order direct shipping from the publisher here (Use discount code F6TTENE5 for 15% off) and find it on Amazon here.


When you get yours, please leave a review on Amazon if you would! 


Thank you all. It helped me learn so much about learning to write this, and I know it’ll be a great service to Practical Reiki students and teachers around the world!

Reiki Awakening Reiki blog by Alice Langholt

Time to Read

Posted on by Alice Langholt

The last week in May, my family went on vacation, and stayed in a quiet little beach house in Sandbridge, VA for a week. It was lovely to be by the ocean and have some time away. I had brought my netbook, in the hopes of blogging and getting some other writing done a little bit each day. However, that was not to be. My hard drive crashed and died the first day of the trip.

That left me with the books I had brought. Not a bad trade.


I’d like to present to you with some of what I learned from having time to read some really fascinating books!
This post will highlight the first of three books I read. 

The first book I enjoyed is “Reiki: The True Story: An Exploration of Usui Reiki” by Don Beckett.


In this book, I learned all about the “original” of the “original Reiki method.” That is, Reiki the way founder Mikao Usui taught it. I found out something really fascinating!! Mikao Usui did not use symbols. He did not use hand positions. Reiki was meant as a personal enlightenment practice. Healing was a side benefit, and it was done by intention. Usui taught different people individually, and each was taught a little differently from the last, because Usui varied his teaching to fit the experience, frame of reference, and ideal usage of Reiki for each student. There was no formalized system, no defined rituals. 


This is extremely significant to me for a number of reasons. First, because Practical Reiki, the method that I use and teach, does not use hand positions or symbols. Its main emphasis is on intention and attention. Quiet, gently focused observation is the best state of mind for practicing. It sounds to me as if Practical Reiki is very much like Mikao Usui’s Reiki. 


Second, Usui Reiki as it’s taught in the United States, follows Mrs. Hawayo Takata’s teaching method. She brought Reiki to Hawaii and introduced it to the West. She taught structured ritualized Reiki, including the addition of hand positions, symbols, and lots of formalized procedures. Practical Reiki differs so much from this version of Usui Reiki that many have treated me as if I am teaching a rogue or rebellious form of Reiki – as if I’m going against tradition by not using those things. Takata’s method of Reiki, which is also William Rand’s version, the most commonly taught in the US and many parts of the world, has become accepted as the “original authentic Usui Reiki.” But I have just learned that it’s not. 


Turns out that Practical Reiki is closer to the original Usui Reiki than the method most accepted as the one that’s widely taught here. Not sure whether to laugh or yell, “SEE!!!?” I believe I did both several times as I read.


While in VA, my family visited the Edgar Cayce Institute in Virginia Beach. It’s a really fascinating museum and huge metaphysical library dedicated to the work of a man whose channeled information filled hundreds of volumes of texts. I brought a few copies of my book, and soon as I showed it to the woman who runs the gift shop, she immediately placed an order for the store and asked for an autographed copy for herself. Two visitors to the museum who were nearby asked if they could buy a copy from me too, and I gladly shared. It was a great experience, and helped to validate that what I’m teaching is needed and meaningful. 


I’m training Practical Reiki instructors now as well as students, so that more people can share this accessible healing modality. And Usui was right – it’s a method to personal enlightenment besides being an excellent way to help oneself and others receive healing. My Practical Reiki for Nurses course is approved by the Ohio Board of Nursing to offer CEs to nurses and massage therapists. I’m training instructors for that course too. 


Reading Beckett’s book was like a nod from the Universe and a blessing from Mikao Usui himself. 


More book reports will follow in future blog posts! 

Reiki Awakening Reiki blog by Alice Langholt