Reiki Right Here in Phoenixville

Many people don’t know about it, but those who’ve experienced it tend to become hooked.

Reiki (pronounced Ray-Key), a Japanese practice involving laying the hands on a person and channeling energy, was recently the focus of two fundraisers held at Phoenix Village Art Center.

“I just blindly sent e-mails saying we wanted to have a fundraiser,” said Franklin Goodkin, Reiki practitioner.

Originally from Vermont, Goodkin moved to the Phoenixville area and was unsure of how active the Reiki community was in the area. The first clinic was held in April, and both raised funds for the Red Cross efforts in Japan following the earthquake and tsunami.

“From the time we started until the time we ended, all of the tables were full,” Goodkin said of the April Reiki clinic.

The event helped bring together people in the Phoenixville area who were interested in Reiki as well as newcomers. The practice can promote healing and reduce stress. It’s being more widely used in the medical community, Goodkin said. Phoenixville Hospital’s Cancer Center offers Reiki as one of its support services for cancer patients.

That was actually how Goodkin found Reiki, though not at Phoenixville Hospital. He was being treated for an aggressive form of cancer at a hospital in New England. One day, the hospital brought in specialists and offered either traditional massage or Reiki.

“I’d never heard of Reiki, so I thought, I”ll try that,” Goodkin said.

As he was undergoing treatments at the time, Goodkin found Reiki to be a great help and very relaxing during a stressful time.

“It was just good to not feel terrible,” Goodkin said.

Now free of cancer for seven years, Goodkin spends his time enjoying the company of his infant granddaughter and taking up Reiki as what he calls a “passionate hobby.”

“It’s a whole lifestyle,” Goodkin said.

Carrie Aitken of Sole Escape Reflexology, Reiki and Massage, explained that Reiki takes place fully clothed, and can be done even without touching or in some cases, across great distances.

“We just channel the energy,” Aitken said. “We’re like PVC pipe.”

At the April Reiki clinic, everyone who showed up was completely new to Reiki. At the May clinic, some of those newcomers returned for another session.

“The community was open,” Aitken said. “They came in. They poured in the donations. It just turned into a fabulous event.”

Goodkin said he likes seeing the change in people after they’ve had a Reiki session.

“It’s enjoyable to see how it affects people,” he said. “How they perceive themselves can change very quickly.”

During the Reiki sessions at Phoenix Village Art Center, the room was kept quiet, with soft music playing. The practice is very portable, and other practitioners came in carrying their tables in large pouches.

Goodkin explained that Reiki is not meant to take the place of medical care by any means. However, it works well as a complementary treatment to medical care.

“When you’re taking about healing, it takes a village,” he said.

Goodkin credits amazing doctors with healing him, but said that Reiki helped make him whole again.

“I wasn’t completely healed until I started doing this,” Goodkin said. 

For more information on Reiki in Phoenixville, contact Franklin Goodkin at flomireiki@gmail.com.