About You

If you or a loved one has ever received a cancer diagnosis, you know about the stress and anxiety that often characterize the aftermath. The stress that follows may manifest in a variety of ways as you try to learn medical terminologies, arrange multiple appointments, make adjustments in your work, family, and community life, along with the economic pressure. These stressors are present at the same time as the physical and emotional demands of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.

Reiki may be the way you get reacquainted with who YOU are in all of the life changes happening to you and around you and the way for you to get the support that YOU need. This may be physical support, mental or emotional support, or spiritual support. You will find that Reiki can be helpful in relieving side effects of chemotherapy and radiation by boosting your immune system, and by supporting your body in its ability to be in balance to heal itself. Reiki expedites the healing process from surgeries and helps reduce pain. Clients often find their home recuperation goes much more smoothly as their energy is replenished and their body is strengthened.

Reiki can be effective before and after surgery and is especially helpful when combined with “Calming Strategies and Relaxation” with Ann Buscemi. This strategy that combines the benefits of Reiki with hypnosis, helps patients go into surgery feeling relaxed, confident, and better able to promote recovery. Many doctors and nurses in area hospitals are familiar with this combined approach and welcome their patients to use it.

I am available with enough notice to assist most clients with pre or post operative Reiki bedside at local hospitals and even with “bedside” assistance for Chemo infusions, Reiki before and during PET scans and other tests and procedures.

Reiki is now available on an individual basis during surgery and does require the authorization of your medical doctor, anesthesiologist and hospital.

Some cancer patients seek Reiki around anniversary dates – of diagnosis, treatment, or remission. These time periods may trigger emotions not previously addressed and Reiki can be helpful as people seek a sense of wholeness, completion, or wellness. It can help overcome feelings of fear and fatigue if there are recurrences or complications along the way.

Many cancer patients find that Reiki allows them to re-experience themselves as a whole person and not as a cancer diagnosis or malfunctioning organ. The opportunity for safe and nurturing touch without anything being asked or required of them is a welcome and humanizing support. In Reiki, all that is required of a client is to be present, and to take time to breathe.

When cancer treatment ends, and patients no longer have the routine of being observed by their oncologist or other medical professionals, Reiki can assist in this transitional period, providing a bridge in time to deal with anxiety about treatment. Sometimes this is the first time that some may process their feelings and emotions, especially those that were once too close to express, and to honor and appreciate their strength and healing process. This can be true also at the five year milestone.

Reiki sessions are adapted to your physical needs and situations. Clients can be supported with a heated table, elevated and supported with pillows. A zero-gravity chair is often used for clients who find the table is not optimal due to surgeries or medical devices.

For me, working with cancer patients is a true honor. I am humbled by witnessing the deep truth that cancer patients become aware of through their vulnerability. Together, we often experience beautiful “Aha moments” – when pieces come together, insights become clear, and people understand their power and healing when they learn that they are the ones in the driver’s seat in their care.

Having a daughter who was diagnosed at the age of 3 ½ with cancer opened my eyes to the confusion and fear associated with navigation of the medical world. I can relate to the anxiety associated with testing, protocols, terminology, procedures and especially the “waiting” for test results. This helps me be a better listener and able to assist clients in verbalizing what they need to say to the medical world, to family and friends.

During a time when things are not the way they would like, Reiki gives people room to be open to self-discovery.

“I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and heard about the Cancer Connection and its services. I am an athlete, an exercise physiologist and thought massage was what I wanted. So I scheduled massage appointments, which were fantastic. Massage is something I understood – I understand muscles, how they work, origins and insertions, and everything physiological about them. One day, I called and all the massage appointments were taken but they had one REIKI appointment available. I was told Nancy Carter-Price is A M A Z I N G, you have to try Reiki. I thought, well it’s not a massage, but it sounded relaxing, so I got on her table. I did not expect what was about to happen!

 

Nancy, from the beginning, was so thorough with her intake, and in each session. She makes you feel relaxed from the second she meets you. Having Reiki done is like feeling the energy in your body sparkling, tingling, all over and it feels amazing. She barely touches you, and leaves her hands in one spot for quite some time. You end up in a deep, and almost meditative-like state. Just so you know, I never meditate, so this is new to me. From the time of my breast MRI to the actual mastectomy was 5 weeks and my tumor shrank in half during that time. Doctors have no explanation, but I do. It was a combination of Nancy Carter-Price’s version of Reiki, hypnosis, and my belief that it would be gone and I was perfectly healthy. Nancy is simply gifted. It is her life’s work, and she practices every single day. She is always learning more about her abilities, and this is not a “skill” she has… it’s a finely tuned, practiced daily, art form. She is connected directly to Creator. If you are considering Reiki, do yourself a favor, and get on HER table.”

 

Karan Parkin, Springfield MA

I’ve been there – as a caretaker of a daughter with cancer, as well as others within my extended family, I know how important it is that caregivers have a place to replenish themselves. Reiki helps caregivers have the energy and emotional strength to be the best support person for their loved one.

Caregivers’ jobs are stressful. A diagnosis of cancer, recovery from surgery, or another sudden or chronic illness come as a new stressor on top of everything else that is happening is someone’s life. Many suddenly become the main source of income for the family and are often left with primary responsibility for household issues and for children at a time when their loved one needs time and support. Caregivers often become the negotiator with medical staff, while it can feel that the medical system places them on the outside looking in. Caregiving often means being supportive of decisions that their loved one makes, whether or not they agree with the decision. On top of all that, caregivers need to stay positive for their loved one, while they have to deal with their own fears and anxieties.

Reiki helps replenish when a person’s reserves are constantly being pulled, giving caregivers space of their very own. Caregivers benefit from Reiki’s impact on the immune system in the face of stress. It can help people slow down, look at each day as a moment, and be mindful to themselves and their loved one.

In my previous work as a Nurse Navigator in Cancer Care, I referred many clients for complementary therapies. I saw first hand how Reiki helped calm and reduce some of the stress of those facing cancer. Nancy is an outstanding practitioner bringing a calm, caring, and non-threatening approach. Nancy also provided Reiki to my family member going through cancer surgery. This was an extremely positive experience that helped her through the healing process.

We are fortunate to have Nancy Carter-Price in our community of caregivers.

Thank You Nancy!!!!

Madelyn Breen, RN, BS, OCN

Reiki is an effective tool for healing for survivors of trauma. A trauma can be a sudden or unexpected event like a car accident or a hurricane, or an ongoing hurt or hurtful pattern, such as physical assault, sexual abuse or assault. Veterans and people who live in war and conflict zones experience trauma, as do medical, law enforcement, and service providers who witness illness and distress of others as part of their jobs. Our bodies, minds, and spirits have normal reactions to trauma that can be alleviated by Reiki.

For many trauma survivors, Reiki can be a vehicle for someone to learn that there is such a thing as safe and nurturing touch, that is not sexual or demanding. Reiki is there for support and connection.

Some trauma survivors have difficulty experiencing touch at all. I find that for many people that once they experience safe and nurturing touch they can begin to peal away the layers of the emotional and spiritual impact of the trauma. Sometimes the impact of trauma can feel like a bombardment, opening the dam so that they can flow without it becoming a flood. Reiki helps release the feelings and emotions such as fear, sadness, and anger associated with trauma in safe increments, with the client in the driver’s seat.

You might be interested in reading more about the ways that Reiki can help in the recovery process after experiencing trauma. Download this great article on Reiki and PTSD here.

Reiki can be very nurturing for expectant moms or new moms as a support for your wellness during a time that can be both the most wonderful and challenging time in your life. Reiki can provide relief from common pregnancy discomforts such as back aches, swollen ankles or hands, sleep deprivation, along with postpartum disturbances. It can also address the unpredictable emotional roller coasters that are experienced through pregnancy and after birth. Emotional shifts, hormonal changes, and physical changes all happen simultaneously and Reiki is one way that an expectant or new mom can take time for herself. Partners also benefit from Reiki.

Having a high risk pregnancy? You may want to consider Reiki as one component in your carefully planned health program. Each session is designed to support your needs and to work in complementary fashion with medical approaches.

Babies are welcome to join mom and may be included in the session. For mother and baby, I utilize a zero gravity chair for everyone’s comfort. Nursing your baby is also welcomed during the session. As mom relaxes, breast milk flows easily and baby also relaxes into a quieter feeding often falling into sleep during the session. It is helpful to know ahead of time if your baby will be joining you for your session so I can arrange for all accommodations that you may need.

Many people discover that they are not quite feeling the same as they have in the past. This may be due to positive or negative changes in work, home, relationships, aging, and even injuries whether new or old. Reiki can support you through these changes by giving you a safe, nurturing, and healing environment in which to discover ways for you to navigate through your challenge. You may now be on the other side of an illness or injury and wish to continue the wonderful progress you achieved by supporting your wellness with regular Reiki sessions. Reiki is not just for healing from an illness or trauma. My approach is about getting you into balance and helping you maintain that balance.

Many clients find that their Reiki sessions have been the one constant in their journey to wellness and wish to make it a part in their daily lives. You may decide that Reiki training may be the next step which allows you to continue working on your wellness on a daily basis.

Others decide it is beneficial if they allow for the time to stop and just be, For them, receiving a session is what makes most sense. Whichever style resonates with you, Reiki helps you be proactive in achieving and continuing wellness.

Everyone is different; so I encourage you to discuss your needs and describe to me your vision of what wellness looks like for you. Let’s have a conversation and together we will design a wellness plan which best suits your individual style, beliefs and needs.

Reiki is beautifully combined with other energy or touch therapies such as craniosacral work, massage, crystal healing, and Jinshin-Jitsu. I often refer clients to qualified practitioners to seek additional support in their wellness plan and will be happy to discuss what this might look like for you.

“Reiki with Nancy is like melting into the table and letting all your worries go away. Her caring nature helps you relax and her Reiki hands take away any pain or stress you might be experiencing. You literally feel like you are in a different world and feel so peaceful after a session. She is able to target any area of concern from physical, emotional, or spiritual.

I have found the Reiki with Nancy so helpful and amazing that I have since taken Reiki classes with her. She is a knowledgeable person who makes learning Reiki intriguing. Her caring and thoughtful demeanor makes it easy to ask questions and to receive good feedback. She uses a variety of methods when teaching and allows plenty of time for hands-on practice. Her passion for Reiki is contagious and I can’t wait to take the next level Reiki class with her!”

Allison R., Chicopee