Spotlight: Steve Shopmaker

by Colleen M. Quinn

A saying that Steve Shopmaker is fond of – one that holds a lot of inspiration for him – “Live your life so that others want to know your god.” The meaning he takes from this is that a life should be an example to others; in Steve’s case, he hopes that his work as a Reiki master will be an example to others searching for a way to heal and grow. Reiki is a form of healing touch, a practice in which a simple touch facilitates healing and rejuvenation energetically. A retired veteran, Steve became a Reiki master to lend a helping hand to those who are finding their own path to healing.

“Healing touch is used around the world,” says Steve. “There are different rituals and customs, but it’s basically the same energy.” The origins of Reiki can be traced back to early 20th century Japan where it was developed by a man named Usui through meditation and fasting. Reiki made its way to the United States during the 1920s, and has grown in practice ever since. Today there are several distinct forms of Reiki, but Steve adheres to the Usui system, the most traditional and original form of the art.

In Reiki teachings, there is a universal life energy, called chi, that is present everywhere and is beneficial to all living things. The body needs this chi just as much as it needs food and sleep. “You can’t have ‘too much’ Reiki,” Steve says, “Your body will take in only what it needs, and use it where it needs it.” That’s why Reiki can do no harm, he says. The chi energy directed to the body during a Reiki session is solely beneficial, and the body automatically regulates how much energy it takes in.

During a Reiki session, a person lies on a massage table fully clothed, and the practitioner places their hands lightly on various areas of the body. The practitioner’s light touch acts as a pathway for energy to enter the body. This energetic movement has a healing, revitalizing effect on the person. Throughout the session the practitioner moves area by area from the head to the feet, depending on where the body is taking in the energy.

While he is doing Reiki on a client, Steve feels a distinct vibration in his hands over the area receiving the energy. As the vibrating subsides, that is a signal that the body has drawn enough in at that point, and Steve moves on to a different area, simply following the body’s lead as it takes in what it needs.

When the body is allowed to take in this energy, a range of benefits can be gained. It can heal and strengthen a person on a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual level. Steve says that the ways in which Reiki helps vary from person to person. “I don’t know how it will work for you,” he says. “It’s none of my business!”

Steve stresses that in a Reiki session, his position as a practitioner is merely a channel, and that any energetic exchange is solely between the client and the chi entering their body. “I’m just a conduit,” Steve says. “It’s not my energy that’s going into you. It’s [the energy] just passing through my hands.”

For some of his clients, the effects are purely emotional healing while others experience a reduction in physical pain, or progress in their spiritual life. Steve recommends doing away with any kind of expectations or assumptions about Reiki’s effects, because it’s almost impossible to predict how it will change or heal a person. All that is really necessary is an open mind and readiness in mind and spirit to receive the energy.

The actual process of Reiki itself is different from person to person as well. A person might feel a warm or cold sensation in the area above which the practitioner’s hands are placed, or even some tingling. They may also feel any number of emotional responses, including relaxation, exhilaration, or sorrow. Or, a person’s Reiki session may not fit any of these descriptions. As Steve puts it, just allow the Reiki to work.

Reiki’s effects are subtle but powerful. Right after a session a person might feel lightheaded, and they should drink plenty of water. The movement of the energy through the body often stirs up a lot of toxins, and the body is in the process of healing, cleansing, and actively using that energy. Therefore, it’s common for people to feel sweaty, nauseous, or have mild indigestion in the following days. Steve says that a person might also experience emotional cleansing, and may feel angry, upset, or just off balance. Any of these by-products, if they occur at all, are mild and last for a couple of days at the longest.

Steve’s first experience with Reiki came after he had back surgery in 1998. While the surgery was meant to relieve a chronic problem, his back hurt continually for a year afterwards. Fortunately, Steve met someone who would introduce him to Reiki, and in turn change a lot of things in his life. “This woman at church came up to me and said, ‘You’re in a lot of pain. Do you want some help with that?’” Steve says. The woman merely lightly touched his shoulder and back, and after a while the pain was totally gone. “I asked her, ‘What is that?’ and she said, ‘It’s called Reiki.’” Steve signed up to learn the practice from her shortly thereafter.

Having completed the Reiki level I course that same year, Steve gained experience through helping friends with Reiki techniques, as well as using it on himself. He continued his study of Reiki and in 2003 became a certified Reiki master. Nowadays Steve teaches Reiki levels I, II, and III (also called the master level) which are the levels of training in Reiki practice. Steve’s level of Reiki master requires extensive training, experience, and the attunements, or the specific teachings and practices of Reiki which are passed from master to student.

Steve works primarily from his house, and also at a local rec center near his home in Aurora, Colorado. Most of his clients are people who have been affected by strokes and cancer, as well as people healing from broken bones. However, Reiki’s uses are far more abundant, and Steve recommends Reiki to those who experience stress or any kind of emotional hurt – in short, everyone. “It can be like getting that monthly massage,” he says.

When he says everyone can benefit, Steve isn’t just talking about people. A remarkable way that he’s used Reiki is to treat animals, specifically dogs. He says that dogs need energy just as much as people. “Dogs definitely know how to use it,” he says. He recounts how several times dogs have placed their head under his hand of their own accord, and immediately his hands become a conduit for energy just as in a session. He often tells his students to watch their pets as they learn more about Reiki, as dogs can easily pick up on chi. Horses also seem to be drawn to it. Steve has done Reiki for some of his friends’ pets who suffer from arthritis or chronic pain, and the relief is evident in their behavior.

While useful in healing his back pain, the wisdom of Reiki became invaluable to Steve when he had a stroke four years ago. His doctors had told him that in his case a full recovery was nearly one in a thousand. Yet with the help of doctors and lots of Reiki, Steve’s recovery was slow but steady and marked. He learned to talk and swallow again, and today there is hardly any trace of the stroke that once held him captive. “There are two sides to every problem,” he says, recounting how he refused to believe that he couldn’t recover. “Do you want to be part of the problem or part of the solution?”

Being part of the solution is what Steve has built his Reiki practice around. He tells story after story of clients with serious health issues, who have made astounding progress in their health. One client that particularly struck him was a young woman with a rare form of cancer who wasn’t expected to make any kind of improvement. Steve did Reiki for her for many months while she continued her cancer treatments, and by the time she was tested for T cells which help battle cancer cells, she had so many that she could donate some to other cancer patients. The woman still calls her doctor on occasion to jokingly remind him of the timeline he gave her. The doctor loves getting that phone call. And Steve loves telling the story of how it happened.

Steve emphasizes that Reiki is not a substitution for any kind of medical treatment, and as a Reiki practitioner, he doesn’t diagnose or prescribe. Reiki is “a complimentary energy therapy,” as Steve describes in his own informational pamphlet. The purpose of Reiki is to help in the healing and recovery process whether it’s recovery from physical ailments, emotional damage, or daily stress. People can receive Reiki while they are also receiving medical treatment or other kinds of therapies.

“How do you want to live? Do you know how?” These are questions that Steve routinely asks himself and others. Steve finds his own answer in Reiki and in turn brings what he knows to others who need it. Reiki has taught Steve a way of living that has removed physical pain and helped heal emotional suffering. As a retired veteran, he says that Reiki has allowed him to let go of decades’ worth of anger and sorrow. But there is so much more than just his own healing that makes Reiki worthwhile. “One of the best things I’ve gotten out of Reiki is just relief from pain,” he says. “But even better is that I get to be a part of other people’s healing. That’s a privilege – I get to,” he says with a smile.

Steve is a member of our Referral List.

Colleen Quinn graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Mass Communication. A writer for most of her life, she has been writing for Whisperingtree.net for over two years. In that time, she’s had the opportunity to meet with many practitioners and masters of the healing arts. Using her years of customer service experience and time as an intern reporter, Colleen provides a unique means of expression for each practitioner she meets. She believes that honest interest and open ears are paramount for learning and understanding the world around us. Through her writing, Colleen offers readers a valuable insight into the work of those who are doing so much to help others.