The Good Chios Does

Posted on by riverflowhealing

Before I get into the benefits of Chios Energy Healing, the obligatory disclaimer: Chios is not a substitute for medical care. It is not intended to diagnose or treat medical or mental health conditions. I am not a licensed medical or mental health professional. No results of Chios are guaranteed. The results I report below are either what I myself have experienced or what clients have reported to me.

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way…

I learned Chios thirteen or so years ago because a session I had, done by a close friend, brought me clarity on some traumas from my past that I hadn’t so much buried as locked in a metal safe and shoved to the back of my brain so I wouldn’t have to deal with them. Obviously, denying trauma is not the best way to heal from it. Even though having those memories re-enter my conscious mind was unpleasant, I had plenty of support and caring from my friend as I dealt with them. Ultimately, because of that and subsequent Chios sessions, I was able to work through things I’d ignored for decades.

That’s just one of the benefits I’ve seen of getting a Chios session, and it’s the most prominent result of the sessions I’ve received. My clients have pointed out other positive results they’ve experienced after having sessions:

  • A few clients have reported feeling less angry and irritable after sessions. One child I had as a client showed a huge reduction in the number of tantrums they had.
  • Several clients have told me they find it easier to focus on tasks after sessions, and are more motivated to tackle those tasks.
  • Clients who have experienced recent surgeries or injuries have reported a decrease in pain and faster healing. (I wasn’t treating the injuries or surgical sites; this was a beneficial side effect.)
  • Some clients have slept better after sessions.
  • Some clients have been able to communicate more effectively with certain people in their lives after sessions and some follow-up work with their fifth chakra.
  • Every client I’ve worked with has reported feeling relaxed and refreshed after sessions. Several have also said they felt less stressed, and better able to manage the stressors in their lives.

Since Chios works with the human energy system, and energy impacts a lot of other facets of our lives, as the healing energy filters through, positive things happen. Obviously not everyone is going to have the same experiences, but in general, energy healing has definite benefits.

My Favorite Things About Chios

Posted on by riverflowhealing

Last week, I told you a little about the history of Chios Energy Healing, the type of energy work I practice. (If you missed the post, find it here.) As I said in that post, I can’t compare Chios with other energy modalities, because Chios is the only one I’ve learned. I have tried learning a couple of others, but they didn’t stick with me. My brain simply wouldn’t hold onto the information. With Chios, I didn’t have that issue, which told me that for me, Chios was the right choice.

One of the things I enjoy about Chios is the focus on working with guides. While that isn’t a requirement, for me it’s a bonus. Guides are beings with higher energetic vibrations than humans, who work with humans for our benefit and, often, for theirs as well. These beings include angels and spirit guides, among others. When Stephen Barrett developed Chios, he worked with a group of guides, though he also did a good amount of his own research and refinement of the techniques.

Not everyone believes in guides. I do, and have been working with mine as long as I can remember, though as a child I didn’t realize they were guides. They were just my “invisible friends,” and as I got older, I didn’t really understand why I didn’t outgrow them the way most kids outgrew their imaginary friends. I didn’t learn until I was an adult that it was because they aren’t imaginary.

I have a guide who works with me specifically on healing, my own and the healing practices I do for others. When I do Chios healing sessions, I also communicate with the guides who introduced Chios to Stephen Barrett. For me, this is a benefit, because it gives me even more confidence in my skills. I know I’m good at what I do, and that I know the techniques, but having backup from these guides is reassuring. Besides which, sometimes there’s a need to vary the sequence of techniques I use, or use a technique that isn’t as common, and my guide tells me when that’s the case.

Another thing I love about Chios is the benefit I see my clients receiving. When a client tells me after a session that they’re feeling calmer or more focused, or that another problem they’ve been having has either cleared up or isn’t as bad, I’m excited for them. I feel really good hearing that something I’ve done has helped them. I don’t consider myself to be the one who’s healing them; I’m just making their healing easier and more accessible to them. But it’s still incredible to be part of someone’s healing.

Obviously, I think Chios is pretty awesome. It’s been thirteen years since I first learned it, and even though I’ve gone through stretches of time where I didn’t practice it, I’ve always come back to it. I would love to talk with you more about Chios. If you’re curious, leave a comment, or visit the Chios Energy Healing page for more information or to schedule a healing session.

A Little About Chios

Posted on by riverflowhealing

People sometimes ask me what the differences are between Chios and other types of energy healing or energy work. The truth is, I can’t answer that accurately, because Chios is the only healing modality I’ve learned. Other people have told me that Chios has certain similarities to and differences from other modalities, but I can’t speak to those for myself. I only know what I’ve heard from others, and I would rather err on the side of caution and not repeat those things just in case I’ve misunderstood or someone gave me inaccurate information. So I can’t tell you what Chios isn’t, but I can tell you a little about what it is.

Chios Energy Healing is relatively new when compared to some other healing modalities. At least, it’s new as far as how long it’s been available to the public. Chios was developed over a period of about twenty years of research, testing, and refining by Stephen Barrett. Mr. Barrett was given the basis of Chios by a group of guides, beings who are not human but communicate with humans. These beings presented Mr. Barrett with information and knowledge, which they encouraged him to develop further by doing scientific research into energy, as well as testing healing techniques with other people. He didn’t start teaching Chios to others until he had done years of research and development. (This background information comes from the official Chios Energy Healing manual.)

Chios includes specific techniques for balancing energy flow through the chakras and energy field, as well as removing energetic blocks, providing possible supplementary relief from certain health conditions (diagnosed by a medical professional), becoming more grounded and centered, and addressing energetic damage from past injuries or traumas. Some of the techniques might appear similar to those used in other modalities, but most are unique to Chios.

(Disclaimer: Chios is not a substitute for medical care or attention. Unless they’re also licensed medical professionals, Chios practitioners are not qualified to diagnose or treat medical or mental health conditions.)

Personally, I found Chios much easier to learn than the other modalities I’ve tried to study. The Chios manual explains the techniques clearly and step-by-step, and while there is a physical version of the manual available for purchase, you can also read most of the manual’s text on the Chios website. The symbols that are used in Chios healing are very simple and straightforward. The time from the beginning of my Chios study until I reached the Certified Master Teacher level was about six months.

Nothing works for everyone, of course. I’ve known plenty of people who are enthusiastic about praising other forms of energy healing they’ve learned or in which they’ve had sessions, and have told me about some pretty amazing results. On the other hand, I’ve had students and clients who have tried other modalities and have either not had results at all, or have found that the other things they tried didn’t resonate for them.

If you’re curious about what a Chios healing session is like, leave a comment, or visit my Chios Energy Healing page for more information and, if you’d like, to schedule a session.

“How Dare You Charge?”

Posted on by riverflowhealing

I haven’t heard the exact words I used for the title of this post, but I have heard similar. A number of times. There are plenty of people out there who believe that someone who practices energy healing, or channeling, or readings, or anything along those lines has no right to ask others to pay for their services. After all, those skills are a “gift from God,” right?

Well, sort of. First of all, that’s presuming a practitioner believes in God in the first place. I believe in a higher power, but not in “God” the way some religions mean. I don’t belong to any of those religions. Nor do some of the other practitioners I know. The person from whom I learned Chios and channeling in the first place didn’t believe in any higher power at all; he was a staunch atheist. It’s worth remembering that not everyone believes in the same things, even among people who practice the same things.

Second, maybe the ability to practice energy healing, channeling, etc. is a gift, but that doesn’t mean a person who possesses those abilities is automatically able to offer them to other people. I believe you need to learn how to effectively use those abilities if you plan to make those practices into your life’s work, just as someone who’s born with a talent for singing won’t make it to professional level without vocal training. The ability might be a gift, but you need training and education to have the skill.

Some people spend years learning the skills they need to offer their talents to the public. Even those who don’t spend quite that long still devote time and energy to learning effective ways to do what they do, and the best ways to offer those things to others.

If practitioners choose for themselves not to charge for their skills, that is entirely their choice, and there’s nothing wrong with it. The issue comes when those who choose not to charge start vilifying those of us who do because we’re “dishonoring” our gifts.

The thing is, money, at its base level, is an energetic exchange. We are exchanging our gifts for abundance energy in the form of pieces of paper, or other types of currency. If we give our energy with nothing in exchange, a vacuum is created, and negative energy loves to fill vacuums. But if we receive some form of exchange, whether that’s money or a massage in return for an energy healing session or whatever, there’s no vacuum.

Practitioners don’t have to charge outrageous sums of money. Some do, but some keep their rates lower, and some accept barter in addition to money. The point is to have that exchange.

Everyone’s different. Everyone has a different view of the things they’re able to do. And, as far as I’m concerned, no one’s choice is wrong as long as they aren’t taking advantage of their clients. It would just be nice if we could accept each other’s choices instead of having loud debates and insults when we disagree.

Disclaimer

Posted on by riverflowhealing

This post is not a disclaimer. Though the previous sentence might be.

As a holistic practitioner, I have to be very careful about what I say on my website, to clients, and in marketing materials. Laws in my state–and in most states, I believe–regulate holistic practices to some extent. If you claim to be something that falls under those laws and you aren’t licensed, you’re going to run into problems.

More importantly, the government regulates websites, and one of the things they look for is a claim of medical practice by someone who isn’t a doctor. There have been cases of energy healers and other practitioners being sued, either by clients or the government, because wording on their site implied or flat out said they practiced medicine.

Someone asked me why I repeat the phrase “energy healing is not a substitute for traditional medicine” so many times on my site, along with stating that I am not a medical or mental health professional. The possibility of being sued or accused of fraud is why. I’m not a doctor. I’m not a licensed anything. I am a Certified Chios Master Teacher and have a diploma in Life Coaching, but that doesn’t make me a trained medical or mental health professional. It makes me someone who has studied to the point of knowing what I’m doing, and more importantly, knowing what I can’t do.

One of the testimonials on my Chios Energy Healing page is slightly revised, with the client’s consent, from the version I received. Their version included the word “diagnosed,” as in “Kim diagnosed an issue I was having.” (That isn’t an exact quote.) That’s a red-flag word; diagnosing is something a doctor does. So I had to rewrite it.

I’ve also had to change some of my website copy. I have had a client tell me their blood pressure dropped to normal for a few days after a session, but I can’t say that on my site, because that implies I’m practicing some form of medicine. Instead, I have to focus on the other effects, such as feeling calmer and more relaxed.

To some people, it might seem like I’m going overboard with the disclaimers on my site, but I don’t feel that I am. Chios and other techniques I’ve used help my clients. I want to be able to continue to give them that help. And that means being careful about who and what I say I am.

What Is Energy Healing, Anyway?

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If you’re interested in energy healing, or curious about what it is, this post might be for you.

The basic idea behind energy healing, at least as I was taught, is that energy is everywhere. Whether a living thing or an inanimate one, whether natural or man-made, everything has energy. The “everywhere” energy is sometimes called universal energy, and in addition to this type, each person or thing has its own individual energy. For humans, this energy takes the form of a system of seven major energy centers, or chakras, a seven-layer energy field, and a number of minor chakras. (Different systems of belief and explanation differ on how many chakras exist, and some may differ on the number of layers in the energy field. I’m describing what I was taught.)

When someone is injured or traumatized in any way, their energy is affected. This might cause blocked energy flow or holes in the energy field, blocks or other defects in the chakras, or other issues.

In energy healing, the practitioner becomes a conduit or channel for the universal energy. Using this, they’re able to heal or repair the damage caused to the energy system of the client. In turn, these repairs can help relieve pain, illnesses, and other physical and mental issues that are tied to the energetic damage. It isn’t medicine, per se, nor is it intended as a substitute for traditional medical and mental health care. It’s another tool in the health and well-being toolbox.

Several different forms and modalities of energy healing exist. The most well-known is probably Reiki, which has thousands of practitioners worldwide. Chios, the modality I practice, isn’t as well-known, but for me personally, it’s proven more effective and easier to learn.

Chios was introduced fairly recently, but is the result of about two decades of spiritual work along with research and testing by its developer, Stephen Barrett. Most, if not all, the techniques in Chios are exclusive to the modality, and were only included after tests showed their effectiveness.

Chios includes techniques for removing blocks in the energy field and chakras, for rebalancing and repairing the chakras, and for “charging” the energy field. It also includes techniques and modifications specific to certain chronic diseases, explanations of how to modify for children, the elderly, and people with short-term illnesses, and a technique for healing and repairing damage caused in past lives.

Like anything else, Chios won’t resonate for everyone, and it won’t work for everyone. I’ve seen amazing results from it, both in my own energy system through receiving Chios sessions from others, and in my clients through the sessions I’ve done with them. It’s exciting to hear a client tell me about positive changes in their health or emotional state after a healing session, and I love being able to provide that for my clients as well as teach others how to use the modality.

It’s 2018!

Posted on by riverflowhealing

Happy New Year! Okay, it’s a few days late, but even so, I hope your 2017 ended well and your 2018 is off to a great start!

2017 went by really fast. A lot changed for me, including a new direction for my business. Originally, River Flow Healing was meant to be a business through which I did energy healing, guided readings, and intuitive counseling. But those things never quite felt like a fit for me, even though energy healing and channeling, which is similar to the guided readings I had planned, were things I did years ago with a fair degree of success.

This time around, though, something was off. I tried doing guided readings, but I wasn’t connected enough to what I needed, and the store in which I tried to do them didn’t feel right for me. I struggled to find energy healing clients, though the ones I did find benefited from the healing work I did with them. And I couldn’t actually call myself an intuitive counselor without running afoul of licensing regulations.

As I pondered this, I started working with a woman doing what I ended up calling “holistic mentoring.” Rather than providing therapy or services based in years of study, I guided and counseled her using skills from the courses I’ve taken along with my own experiences and the work I’ve done on myself. She told me how much it helped her, and I realized that was what I wanted all along: To help others. The ways I’d been trying to do it didn’t work, but it was still very much what I wanted.

I started following some business coaches and transformational speakers online. Listening to the speakers and their messages, something resonated in me. This was another part of what I wanted to do. Not only help individuals by working with them as I had with the woman, but speaking to groups of people who might be helped by hearing my message. Speaking publicly wasn’t something I’d done a lot of, but I knew my message and what I wanted to share with others.

So from the ashes of River Flow Healing rose Kim Ramsey-Winkler, transformational mentor and speaker. Energy healing, both practicing and teaching, is still part of it, but not the primary focus. And I finally feel like I’m on the path I’m meant to be on.

I haven’t completely formed my 2018 plans yet. Sometimes having everything planned out backfires. But I do know I’ll be doing a presentation at the Provincetown Public Library in Provincetown, Massachusetts on February 21 at 6pm. I’m firming up other speaking engagements, and seeking more. I’m open to clients and am getting the word out about my services. I have a short e-book I’ll be releasing later this month, and a longer book planned incorporating my message, which I hope to have available by the end of 2018.

Kim Ramsey-Winkler isn’t my only identity. Under the name Jo Ramsey, I write young adult fiction, and I have a couple of projects planned under that name, though I don’t currently have anything scheduled for release. (It’s the first year since 2009 that I haven’t had any releases under that name…) My new pen name, KC Winter, writes adult erotic fiction, and I’ll be releasing my first novel under that name in July of this year. Both names write stories that include messages of acceptance, self-love, and living beyond one’s past, which are also the messages of my speaking and mentoring.

That’s what 2018 looks like for me, at least right now. Nothing is ever set in stone, and sometimes it’s better to roll with changes. So we’ll see where the year goes!

Rites of Spring

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I’m late with this post because it took me a bit longer than anticipated to get back into the swing of things after returning from the Rites of Spring retreat in western Massachusetts. I was originally planning to post this on Wednesday, but time really got away from me.

The event was awesome, though. Last year when I attended, I felt left out and disconnected right up until the closing ceremony, when all of a sudden–and too late–everything started to click into place. I had a hard time with that, because I wanted to enjoy it and make new friends, and I felt like I hadn’t.

I had, of course. Maybe not the way I’d wanted, but I did make friends from it, and those friends were there to welcome me when I arrived this year. The moment I walked through the gate, I felt like I was home. When I arrived at the dining hall for my shift checking meal bracelets, a job I had last year as well (everyone is given a color-coded bracelet indicating what meals, if any, they’re supposed to have in the dining hall), I felt as if I’d never left.

It was rainy and cold a lot of the time I was there. That made it considerably less pleasant, and it had a negative effect on my mood some of the time. Especially since the retreat is held at a summer camp, so most of the cabins don’t have heat, and neither do some of the shower houses and bathroom outbuildings. But for two days the sun was out and the temperature was up, and that was nice.

I did a Chios Level 1 workshop which had more attendees than I’d anticipated, and most of them seemed to get a lot out of the workshop. I’m looking forward to hearing more from them, and to doing another Level 1 workshop next year.

I came home tired, but happy and rested. I felt refreshed and recharged, and I’m definitely glad I went.

A Bit of History

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Thousands of years ago, people began to recognize the power of the human touch in healing others. In ancient civilizations in places such as China and India, scholars identified the human energy system and discovered that through touch, energy in the auras and chakras, or meridians, could be manipulated, thereby causing improved physical and emotional health. In other places, faith healing or laying on of hands has been practiced for decades or even centuries.

Whether you believe the healer is manipulating the energy alone, or a higher power of some sort is assisting, the fact that energy healing or touch healing has been practiced in one form or another for millennia indicates that people believe it works.

Energy healing, put simply, is the practice of using certain types of touch or other methods to balance the human energy system. While some methods, such as faith healing, probably wouldn’t put it quite that way, the principal is the same. Touch in and of itself can be healing for many people, partly because through touch, we share energy with one another. When the touch is done with intention, using certain techniques or methods, it can be incredibly powerful.

I was trained in Chios® Energy Healing and another modality developed by my teacher (which I’m not naming here because I don’t practice it any longer, and because as best I can tell he isn’t yet training others in it). Both are based on the chakra system: Seven major energy centers on the human body corresponding to seven aura layers that surround the body. The chakras rotate at a certain speed, while the energy field vibrates at a certain level, which is not the same for everyone.

The healing methods I learned employ certain hand placements and other techniques to repair poor functioning or damage to the chakras and aura layers. While there are other methods of healing, such as crystals or flower essences, for the next few weeks I’m going to be explaining energy healing from the perspective I learned. That isn’t to say that the way I do it is “right” or that other methods aren’t as valid. There are many ways to heal and maintain health, and all of them work and are equally valid.

Distance Healing

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I was talking with someone recently about distance energy healing, and they asked how I can do healing over the Internet.

The answer is, I don’t do it over the Internet.

Most of the energy healing modalities with which I’m familiar have methods for doing healing by distance; that is, healing when the healer is in one location and the client is in a different one. The methods may differ between modalities, but the idea is similar.

As I was first taught by my instructor, energy (including light and color) is not bound by space or time. Distance healing works because the healer, acting as both conduit and director, can send the energy to the client regardless of where they are.

Energy healing modalities generally teach that the client has to be in a receptive state at the time of the session, but my instructor taught me that, because time doesn’t limit energy, it is possible for the healer to do a session at one time, but set the intention of the energy reaching the client at a different time.

When I do distance healing, I prefer that the client be in a receptive state at the time I’m doing it. Usually, that means they’re lying down, though as long as they’re sitting and relaxed, and in a place where they won’t be interrupted, it works. My personal method of doing distance sessions, although I do follow the Chios® guidelines, includes visualization.

Visualization is one of my strengths. When I visualize something, I not only see it, but I am completely immersed in it. All of my senses are engaged, even though what’s happening is literally all in my head. Using this skill in energy healing means that when I do a distance session, it’s as if I’m physically present with the client, though distance sessions still don’t take as long as in-person ones. I go through the normal sequence of an in-person session, and I often feel the client under my hands, even though it’s only a mental image.

A distance healing session isn’t as effective as one done in person. Part of the benefit of the in-person sessions is the hands-on aspect. Human touch is comforting and healing to many people, and the physical contact strengthens the flow of energy through the healer into the client’s energy system. But distance sessions are still effective and can benefit those who are unable to see a healer in person, or who have difficulty tolerating touch. If you aren’t able to get to a practitioner, consider contacting one for a distance session instead.