Jennefer's Reiki Initiative for Positive Mental Health

On May 15th of 2022, my brother Larry took his life. He was just 63. Larry was a singularly unique character who filled this role and the loss of my brother will echo for the entirety of my life... there will never be a replacement. From this point on my life is marked in two simple words; before Larry took his life, and after.

I’m sharing this publicly because this topic isn’t discussed near enough…. and tragically affects a large portion of our society. It’s this unspoken shame we carry, which only serves to perpetuate the issue for both the individuals who struggle with ideation and the families who worry for them or ultimately suffer the myriad emotions of loss.

Throughout the months of grief that followed, I kept looking for answers. Finally I realized, the answer was not to be found in me, or others around my brother. Positive mental health is a choice we make; by reaching out when we are low, by talking, sourcing, looking for ways to fill our tanks again when we are depleted. It is one of the many reasons why I studied Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) and now help people with their traumas. It is also about having the tools within ourselves to heal our hearts, minds, and bodies.

This is what brought me full circle back to Rei Ki and the idea came to me to train 500 people in 2023 to help support positive mental health. It's a huge goal, I know. In order to achieve it, I must reach more people, and I wanted to focus on people who are in healthcare as they will be accessing the public. Plus, support workers need the tools themselves. Being Rei Ki trained can help on so many levels; replacing depleted energy, grounding, compassion, strength, positive mindset... the list goes on.

This is such an exciting goal, with such a beautiful purpose. It is my way of turning tragedy into hope. A hope for a better support system for everyone struggling with mental health. So, I will be donating $25 from each registration to CMHA and their work towards Suicide Prevention Program and CAMH.

I’ve chosen to make something positive from my grief and the loss of my brother, in the sincere hopes that this helps at least one other person either questioning their own existence, or for someone affected by this most tragic decision.

Thank you for helping me achieve my goal, and providing the tools and guidance we need for positive mental health in our society.

Jennefer