In the energetic healing process, there are skills or traits necessary to assist individuals in their healing. These traits are not only about the practitioner understanding and assimilating the concepts, but also include how well the practitioner can help clients learn these traits for use in their own self-healing. The primary traits that help in the healing process are:

1. Stillness.

2. Presence: present moment and awareness.

3. Nonattachment: nonresistance and nonjudgment.

4. Beginner’s Mind.

5. Acceptance.

6. Inspiration.

7. Responsibility.

8. Kindness quotient.

Reviewing one’s mastery of each of these traits can offer avenues for personal exploration and professional development. This may be a private review or a shared activity with a professional support group or study group. 

Directions: For each of the following, rate your mastery of the given trait. To do the assessment, use a 1-to-10 scale, with 1 representing very low mastery or none at all, and 10 representing optimal mastery. For each trait, use the critique area for notes about why you rated yourself as you did. After doing the self-assessment, review your responses for what they indicate about you. You may want to identify a goal for personal or professional development based on one or more of the indicators.

1. Stillness

For a majority of people, one of the most difficult things to do is to be still. This could be because the mind has so many stimuli today, but it may also be that being still is frightening. To be still means that pain has time to show itself without the distractions of life. Being still within our consciousness opens healing avenues as it stimulates an alignment and integration of the body and its systems. How is your mastery of stillness?

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2. Presence

Present Moment

The only reality that we function in is the present moment. To be fully present with what is occurring at this moment leads to clarity of understanding, choices, and actions. All life exists in the present moment. Our past has been altered by our changing memories; even the original perceptions may have been skewed to protect our ego. What is real is what is happening only in this moment. Therefore, it is by being present in this moment that we can effect change in our lives. How is your mastery of being fully present in the moment?

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Awareness 

Pure awareness is shown in the ability to notice without letting the mind fill in the story that seems to be involved. There are times we are pulled off awareness because we think we know what the next step is and then start projecting what we think is true. Once this happens, being aware of the present moment is lost. The action of being aware is simply noticing what is taking place without projecting our own beliefs, desires, or ideas on the issue. There is an intimate interconnection with the actions of awareness and present moment. That is, to be in the present moment, we must be aware of the moment. Likewise, when our awareness is pure, we find ourselves living in the present moment. How is your mastery of being aware?

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3. Nonattachment

Nonresistance

There are times when the tendency to protect ourselves from the perceived danger of revealing a truth about ourselves can take precedence over the desire for seeing the truth. This resistance to what is occurring can frustrate a client’s progress. Nonresistance is the willingness to experience whatever dynamic may show itself. It includes having the courage to directly face fear, pain, and shame without shrinking from the experience. It is also a critical tool in moving through what we fear in the quickest, most efficient manner possible. How is your mastery of nonresistance?

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Nonjudgment

The ability to accept what we see in ourselves, without casting judgment, is also an important trait. Once judgment is cast on a feeling, thought, or intention that emerges from within during a healing process, there is a tendency to easily slip into self-shaming. Human beings are capable of a wide range of feelings, thoughts, and intentions, but some of these are not always considered “holy” in their nature. Having the ability to own these and to accept these as indicators of an issue on our journey, without casting judgment, allows for us to move beyond these dynamics, releasing the misqualified energies and reintegrating in a healthier manner. Although we are always responsible for our actions toward others, the inner healing process must have room for us to be honest with how we interpret the world we live in. This room expands when we understand the benefits of nonjudgment, then practice it well. How is your mastery of nonjudgmental thinking?

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4. Beginner’s Mind

This trait has to do with a belief that anything is possible, that even preconceived ideas, rules, or standards can change. Once we think we know “the way things are” and that this cannot change, we block ourselves from recognizing other opportunities that may evolve with an issue. A beginner’s mind is open to untold possibilities and is willing to give the creative process an opportunity to play itself through without rushing to a final resolution. In the emptiness of the beginner’s mind is found fertile ground for the unfolding of creative ideas, adventures, and even new life. How is your mastery of the beginner’s mind?

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5. Acceptance

Releasing is only part of the healing process. The other part is to accept who we really are. Can we accept who we are? Likewise, can we receive the goodness life has to offer?  Accepting ourselves without judgment can be cathartic; accepting our true nature, and therefore real potency, is empowering. How is your mastery of self-acceptance?

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6. Inspiration

Intention drives our creative processes. Bringing into our awareness an inspired vision of who we are and who we are to become fuels the creation of an intentional reality. When problems appear in our lives, there is a tendency to focus so intently on the problem that an individual may define himself by the problem. This type of focus also drives our creative processes. Keeping our consciously chosen intention clearly in focus will help us move forward in a chosen future. How we inspire ourselves is unique to each individual. The key is to identify and engage in practices that help us focus on our highest and best selves. How is your mastery of inspired vision?

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7. Responsibility

Accepting responsibility for our interpretations, perceptions, and intentions of given situations is a vital dynamic to spiritual growth. The act of owning responsibility for our interpretations, perceptions, and intentions has a vibration and frequency of energy that colors our inner experience and the environment around us. To be clear, we are not being asked to accept responsibility for others’ interpretations and actions. To know the difference is an important skill to develop. As we embrace that which we are responsible for, we are more likely to become aware of opportunities to influence the respective state of affairs. At the heart of how we perceive and interpret situations, as well as the intentions behind our actions, are the beliefs that we carry defining ourselves. Accepting responsibility involves the willingness for self-awareness and the readiness to take action that adds value to the given experience. How is your mastery of accepting responsibility?

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8. Kindness Quotient 

The Dalai Lama has been quoted as saying that his religion is kindness. It takes great strength and insight to live a life with kindness. That is, an individual can only act with consistent kindness if her heart and spiritual understanding are mature. Many times we find that forgiveness of others is only the beginning, and that it is more important to forgive ourselves. Along this line, there will be some clients demonstrating behaviors toward themselves that are shy on the kindness quotient. A practitioner’s demeanor that exemplifies kindness can introduce a reality not yet acknowledged by a client. A truly kind act can be powerful and change the world for an individual. A truly kind heart can change a neighborhood. A kind neighborhood can change a culture. And what a kind culture can do is yet to be realized. How is your mastery of kindness? 

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John Kroneck, MA, is a Reiki Master/teacher, licensed counselor, and certified substance abuse prevention professional. He is also the author of Reiki Energetics: Energetic Theories & Practices for Healing & Wellness (Balboa Press, 2012), from which this article is adapted.