DOES IT WORK?
ENERGY HEALING
There’s no disputing that energy exists and that it’s within us and all around us. So why is there so much skepticism about its ability to heal? Louisa Wilkins decides to give the life force a chance
WHY THIS TREATMENT?
I know what you’re thinking, because I thought it, too. You’re thinking that energy healing is a bit pansy – airy fairy, touchy feely. You’re wondering how you can quantify the real benefit of an energy healing session and, subsequently, how you can justify spending money on it. But in the same way that a haircut is only as good as the hairdresser, and an artist can draw life-like people whereas the rest of us can only draw stick men, so do energy healers differ. You get those who were born to heal and those who would really like to. And the gap between the two is vast. Seda Goksel, 36, has been aware of energy since she was very young, although she didn’t always know what to do with it. She says, “I’ve always been very intuitive and was doing energy healing informally from a young age. But then I decided I wanted to learn as much as I could and channel it in a proper way, so I started training in all the different modalities. Now I am qualified in reiki, hypnotherapy, theta healing, chi gong, aura reading and chakra cleansing, amongst other things.” So, what can it heal? Emotional and mental hurt, energy imbalance, stress, confusion, anxiety and more. It can also help with physical illnesses. Seda says, “When we are sick, our bodies are trying to tell us that we need rest. Reiki doesn’t heal our bodies, but its effects will help speed up the process.”
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?
Many of the ancient cultures, such as Chinese, Japanese and Indian, have been healing with energy for thousands of years. Although they all vary slightly, the essence is still the same: every living thing has a life force or energy flowing through it and the balance of this energy is imperative for health and happiness. In a reiki session, the practitioner feels your energy fields to identify any blockages and then channels positive energy from the universe into your body. Seda says, “Just think of me as a pipe hanging above you, and energy is coming into me from a higher source, flowing through me to my clients.”
WHAT HAPPENED?
I arrived for my session with equal measures of skepticism and intrigue. I’ve met my fair share of dubious healers and believers over the years – angel therapists, body spinners, feet speakers, unicorn protectors – and had never been convinced. However, I’d heard a lot about Seda, so was keen to give her a try. On arrival, Seda sat me down and started talking about reiki and the other energy healing modalities. I made sure I didn’t give away anything about myself but, within minutes, Seda seemed to instinctively know lots about me, including what was bugging me deep down and why. She picked up on a pain that was buried so deep, I hadn’t even been aware of it myself and she linked it back to something from my childhood, that I was also completely unaware was an issue for me. Seda said we would start by releasing these blocked emotions through a theta healing. We sat cross-legged facing each other, eyes closed with my hands resting on her hands. She talked me through a visualization where I saw these emotions captured in bubbles and being flicked away. Next, Seda did a cord cutting, whereby you sit opposite each other not touching with your eyes closed. During a cord cutting, Seda uses her energy senses to identify any connections (or cords) you have to people that are negative and sucking life energy out of you. She then uses her energy to cut these cords. After the cord cutting, I lay down and closed my eyes for the reiki healing. Seda moved around me, holding her hands above my body and sensing where I have health issues. She then channeled a lot of positive energy into my body.
DID IT REALLY WORK?
It sounds bananas, but I am entirely convinced that something happened to me that day – and I think I have proof. Firstly, I was in there for two hours and it felt like 20 minutes. Secondly, I was seeing all manner of craziness – kaleidoscopes of colours and lights; my entire body hollowed out like a warehouse with a little man walking around on the inside pushing light around; faces I don’t know; waterfalls of light flowing into my body and forests of trees growing out of it. It was quite incredible. Also, whenever I had a particularly strong visualisation, or at the end of one visualisation and the start of another, Seda would turn her head to the side and exhale deeply. Even though we were not talking for long periods of time, it showed me that she was aware in some way of the roller coaster of images I was seeing. I left feeling deeply content and, although the next day I was a little bit emotionally sensitive, since then I have felt like there have been shifts in me – I’m not sure where exactly, but somewhere. And the two issues which I have been struggling to resolve are finally on their way to resolution – in a real-life, practical sense, as well as on a deeper emotional level. My father would probably dismiss this as navel-gazing and, until a week ago, I probably would have, too. However, I can not deny that I felt something. I guess with energy healing, which deals with thoughts, emotions and memories, there is no obvious wound that can magically heal, or sore back that will spontaneously ease. But when you have been living with a nagging dread, or hurt – even if you have been duping yourself with denial – when it is finally gone, you can feel the difference. A weight lifts, a thorn is removed from your side, and you feel happier, lighter, more at peace. Just because you can’t see it, grab it and hold it, it doesn’t mean it’s not real. And even if nobody else notices the difference but you, it’s still worth it.
Price: One reiki session lasts 45 minutes and costs Dh300, or Dh1,000 for a package of four sessions. All other therapies vary in price, ranging from Dh300 to Dh500. To book a session, email seda@sedagoksel.com. For daily inspiration from Seda, like her Facebook page (Seda Goksel Healer), or on twitter (@SedaGoksel).
live IT
IS IT FOR ME? Energy healer Seda Goksel answers some of the most common questions she hears from clients.
Can you have energy healing if you’re Muslim? “I am Muslim myself – my family is from Turkey. When I was younger and I was becoming aware of energy, and my intuition, I did some research and found that the Quran talks about energy. Now, many of my clients are Muslim… when I have non-Muslim clients, I have relaxing music on in the background, if they like it, and when I have Muslim clients, we have a CD of Quran recital on.”
Does it work straight away? “With reiki, some people feel and see a lot from the first time they do it, but others don’t – and that’s OK. I tell people that it’s like going to the gym… you can’t expect to lose weight after one session.”
How many sessions will I need to have? “It’s up to you. It’s not just about healing, but about becoming enlightened. So there’s no set amount of sessions that people should have… it depends what you want to get out of it.”
Who does it work for? “I have clients from all different backgrounds, nationalities and religions -psychologists, housewives, successful business people, fashion designers. Reiki and energy healing also works very well on children. I often use reiki on my children if they’re feeling low, or if they have a headache, and I teach people how to do reiki on their own friends and family.”
How can I find out which type of energy healing I need? “When a client comes to me, I ask them what’s wrong, or what they think they need help with. While they are telling me, I read their energy, their aura. By doing that I can usually tell which modality will suit their needs best that day.”

TEXT, FEATURES EDITOR LOUISA WILKINS / PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY