My shift at Crisis as a Natural Healer

For the past few Christmases I have been out of the country, but for Christmas 2017, I stayed in the UK. One Sunday afternoon in early December, I was browsing the Crisis website. In addition to other skilled workers (Doctors, Hair stylists, Massage therapists etc), I saw that they requested Natural Healers to volunteer over the Christmas period.

I applied for the volunteering position and provided the relevant documentation. A few days later I received confirmation of acceptance. I had never helped Crisis over Christmas before but it had been on my mind to volunteer for some time. I was excited about helping out, meeting new people and was mostly looking forward to giving back. I drove into London on Boxing Day. The roads were clear and quiet so it was a pleasant and peaceful drive in. Appointments were being booked once we arrived that morning so at at first, the treatment sessions were a little slow. However, as the clients spoke to others, it was quick to pick up.

For most, clients, it was their first experience of natural healing so I spent some time talking about Reiki. During the sessions, I became aware of the need to really listen to the clients and to stay present. It's something so very little for me to do but I felt it meant a lot to them.  At the end of their treatments, some clients wanted to talk - about themselves and their life. Upon hearing some of their stories, it dawned on me how unexpectedly and quickly life can change. The experience left me feeling slightly subdued, but humbled at the resilience of some of the clients. At the end of the shift, I was packing up to leave and I spoke to another volunteer. I mentioned that it was my first shift at Crisis over Christmas. He laughed and said, “Be careful, it may get addictive”. 
Who knows, perhaps it will?

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted"
-Aesop