Energy Healing and the Nervous System

I practice Sekhem, an older Egyptian lineage energy healing tradition related to Reiki, not Reiki itself. I want to say that plainly up front, because people sometimes search for "Reiki and the nervous system" and land here. If you want the full comparison, read Sekhem vs Reiki. What follows is about what actually happens in my sessions, described honestly, without inflating the science.

What a session physically involves

A Sekhem session runs ninety minutes. After grounding and setting an intention, I work with hands over the body, channeling energy, often alongside sound, vibration, sage, cedar, and Egyptian oils. Most clients lie still, eyes closed, in a quiet room. From the outside it looks like very little is happening. From the inside, most people describe something closer to a deep, unusually complete kind of rest.

What's well established about rest and the nervous system

I'm not a physician and I don't make medical claims. What I can say, in general and well understood terms, is that the body has two broad modes: an activated, alert state and a settled, restorative state. Slower breathing, stillness, and a felt sense of safety are all associated with the body shifting toward that more settled state. Heart rate tends to steady. Breathing tends to deepen and slow. This is basic, widely taught physiology, not something unique to energy work.

A Sekhem session creates the conditions for that shift: stillness, quiet, a calm and attentive presence in the room, and sound and scent that most people find soothing rather than stimulating. Whether or not someone believes in the energetic side of the work, those conditions alone tend to move a person toward a calmer state.

What clients have described afterward

I want to be careful here and only share what people have actually told me, not claims about what the work does to everyone. Experiences with Sekhem vary from person to person. Clients have described feelings of deep relaxation, warmth, emotional release, greater clarity, peacefulness, and a stronger sense of connection with themselves. Some people also describe physical sensations or shifts during or following a session. These experiences are personal and are not presented as expected or guaranteed outcomes.

These are reports, not guarantees, and I say that honestly. Some things aren't meant to be resolved through a session like this, because the healing itself is part of the path a person is walking. Energy work is complementary. It doesn't replace medical or mental health care, and if you're in crisis, please call 988 in the US.

Why the work continues after the session ends

One thing that surprises people: the work often doesn't stop when the ninety minutes end. Dreams and meaningful moments can start before a session, once it's booked, and the effects frequently continue for days to a week afterward. This tracks with something I've noticed across nervous system based practices generally: a single session rarely resets an entire pattern on its own. What it can do is loosen something enough that new information, new dreams, new insight, has room to surface.

Breath, sound, and settling

Sound and vibration are part of most sessions, and this connects to something I also work with directly in Galactic Breathing. Breath rate and nervous system state are closely linked in general physiology: slower, fuller breathing is broadly associated with a calmer state, and this is well documented outside of any spiritual framework. I bring a background in breathwork and psychological training into Sekhem sessions, which is part of why my version of this work can look different from other practitioners.

What this isn't

I'm not offering a treatment for anxiety, trauma, grief, or insomnia, and I won't claim this resolves any diagnosed condition on its own. What I offer is a session that supports a calmer nervous system state and an opening for insight, alongside whatever care you're already receiving. If you're navigating a mental health condition, please keep your other support in place. This work sits alongside that, not in place of it.

How this fits with the rest of a session

The nervous system piece is only one layer of what happens in a Sekhem session. Alongside the physical settling, there's the channeled aspect: impressions I receive about what's ready to move, what's there to support the person, sometimes tied to past, future, or parallel lives on what I'd describe as a soul level. The body settling into rest and the deeper channeled work happen together, not as two separate phases. I can't fully separate them from each other, and I don't think that separation would be honest even if I tried.

What I can say with confidence is that the conditions of the session, stillness, quiet, unhurried attention, are doing real, well understood physiological work regardless of what else a person believes is happening in the room. That's part of why the work tends to land for skeptics and believers alike.

Frequently asked questions

Is Sekhem the same as Reiki for the nervous system?

No, though they're related traditions. I practice Sekhem, an older Egyptian lineage tradition, not Reiki. You can read the full comparison on Sekhem energy healing.

Will I definitely feel calmer after a session?

Most people report some degree of settling, but everyone's experience differs. I don't promise a specific outcome, and the work is not a medical treatment.

Does this replace therapy or medication for anxiety?

No. Energy work is complementary and does not replace medical or mental health care. If you're in crisis, please call 988 in the US.

How long do the effects of a session usually last?

Many clients notice effects continuing for a few days to about a week after a session, sometimes longer with ongoing dreams or insights.

Can breathwork alone affect my nervous system the way a full session does?

Breath rate and nervous system state are connected in general physiology, so yes, breathwork alone has an effect. Galactic Breathing combines guided breath with the same heart centered approach used in Sekhem sessions.