Today we’d like to introduce you to Deborah Shubnell.
Hi Deborah, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My story begins like many others….I was at a very low exhausted moment in my life, and I had this overwhelming feeling to make a change or I wouldn’t survive. “This can’t be what life is all about?” “There has to be more to life than this?”
My life consisted of long hours, fulfilling unrealistic deadlines, meeting the franchise standards, decision fatigue, and answering to corporate honchos who give zero cares about you and your life. I was living with so much stress and anxiety my body was starting to display symptoms of dis-ease. This looked like facial twitches, crying in my sleep, nightmares, panic attacks, and tons of worry. So, when those questions got so loud and I couldn’t ignore them anymore, I jumped ship and spent a year in pure bliss. This bliss looked like me traveling with my bestie for the good part of a year, finding a new place to be. Just be. I set out with the intention to find a new home. Where I could slowdown, learn something new, and be a different version of me. The version of me who is happy and at ease in my body and more importantly my mind and emotions.
As we traveled, I knew that returning to what I knew, what I thought was stable, and safe, was not going to answer my questions. Sometimes drastic change must occur in order to find yourself. And this drastic change happened once I stepped foot in Bishop, CA. I heard & felt it in my body. I found my new home. Bishops’ small-town charm forced me to slow down, regroup my understanding of the mainstream world and find my place in this world. Reiki!
Reiki was re-introduced to my life about the time of the Pandemic. While the world was freaking out, I was learning Reiki. It was my “ah-ha” moment. This made sense. Reiki calms the nervous system so you can live and lead a more heart centered life. Reiki truly brings you back to clarity, resets the nervous system out of fight and flight. I was able to practice Reiki at a time when so many of us were in a state of panic. Reiki helped me stay calm, happy, and compassionate when many were in fear and blame.
Today, I live a slow, gentle, life. Reiki is my modality for well-being. Starting Heart Open Reiki has changed my life. I get to help people heal their mind chatter, restore the nervous system, assist with loss, or find clarity for life changes. Making the choice to be a Reiki Practitioner wasn’t easy. Educating people on how awesome Reiki is, is challenging. It’s not a mainstream healing modality. But it will be! And those questions: “this can’t be what life is about?” Well, they got answered. Life isn’t about working all those hours, life isn’t about meeting deadlines, buying the newest toy, being on social media, nor is life about how much you have….. Life is not about what people see on the outside, Life is about being true to your soul’s path, that inner knowing, and being content with who you are.
I am now proud to be me, whereas before I felt shame because I wasn’t like the others.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Hell no, it was not a smooth road.! lol I cried a bunch… I walked away from the only way and things I knew how to do!. All I knew was to go to work, make money, pay bills, and be someone for others to approve of me so I could ‘get ahead’.
In order to not be a robot to the cultural system beliefs, I had to stop. I quit. I walked away from a good paying job. This threw me into depression, anxiety, and worry. Well, I had them prior but now I felt them more.
I struggled with self-doubt & judgement. Like, what am I doing? How do I open a Reiki business in a small town? Well, I had to find my courage. Start putting myself out-there in the community. I started with the traditional fliers in markets and then social media. The first year was getting the word out. Educating people on Reiki and who I am. Very challenging to break that ice, when social stigmas in small town are in play. I had to make sure people knew I was a genuine caring compassionate person, and they are in a safe space.
Another struggle I had was I was in the way of my own success. My inner voice was such a critic that it debilitated me from putting myself out there. Since Reiki is a healing tool and can be used on many facets of our life, I asked Reiki to help. Self-reiki sessions are my favorite. It brings clarity and ease by getting me out of my head and into the feelings of my body. Reiki showed me that my inner voice was not kind to me. I was telling a story of struggle and worry when I should be telling a story of grace and success.
Getting clients to realize Reiki is more than a one time “fix”. This is a big struggle still. Most people come to me when they are at their wits end after trying all the other therapies or traditional medicine. Regular Reiki sessions are so important to our entire wellbeing. Human Beings are energetic beings. Not just bone, muscle, tissue, blood, organs, etc. So, just like visiting your doctor regularly, seeing an energy worker is equally good. Introducing people to healing the nervous system through regular reiki sessions to improve your overall well-being is hard to do in our fast paced culture.
One of my personal struggles: Judgment. It mostly came from my inner voice. The voice which questioned my dictions and worried about money. But when I asked Reiki to help, It showed me that it wasn’t my voice I was hearing. It was the voice of my father. HIs worry, his judgement and fears. Once I surrendered to that struggle, I could hear my voice cheering me along.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Hi! My name is Deborah. I am a Karuna Master Reiki Practitioner. My business is Heart Open Reiki.
Reiki is a Japanese healing technique which has been practiced for thousands of years. Reiki broken down: ‘Rei’ means Universal and ‘Ki’ is Life Energy (just like Chi, Prana, or Biofield). So, Reiki is Spiritually guided Life Energy.
Each client gets my undivided attention, and it starts before they arrive. I spend time in meditation to set my mind & body into a Reiki state. I begin to feel subtle energies before they arrive, so I already have a sense for our session. My sessions are intuitive as Reiki guides me to the centers in the body which need healing the most. My hands gently touch or hoover over the area Reiki guides me to. During a session you may feel warmth, cold, tingly, see colors or nothing at all. Most people fall into a nice deep ‘twilight’ sleep. And when it’s over, they feel calmer, lighter, and refreshed.
I incorporate crystal energy, sound healing, toning, and tapping into my sessions if the energy directs me too.
I have a unique opportunity living in Bishop. This land is known as Payahuunadü – The Land of Flowing Waters. Home to the Owens Valley Nüümü Paiute Tribe. Nestled between two energy charged mountain ranges, the Eastern Sierra and The White Mountain ranges. These mountain ranges host vortex of healing power. Bishop is centrally located in the Ownes Valley of Inyo County. It is here that I, we, celebrate the land and honor the healing energy of this land. The Owens Valley touches the highest points in the US.: Mount Whitney and the White Mountain Peak, both 14,000ft, Mono Lake, and the Badwater Basin of Death Valley. And this is what I draw on for each session- the naturally charged energy of the Earth.
Bishops bring healing to those who come to her. and I get the privilege to facilitate the flow of energy for healing through Reiki.
My offerings include this magical energy as I call on the healing of the primordial waters and the land. Here are my offerings:
Reiki in nature. We go to the water for your session, embrace the elements, and allow nature to be our muse for your Reiki session. To book this session, please call as time of year and weather are a factor to consider.
In infant & in-womb. This fosters a connection between you and your baby. Reiki helps you and your baby with discomfort, tension, sleep disruption, and balancing emotions.
Journey Meditations. Reiki leads these guided journeys into self-discovery, healing, and revealing at your soul’s core. We go to the Field of Possibilities to explore your gifts and talents.
Compassionate Spirit Release. Through the grace of forgiveness, Reiki releases the energies of others.
Chakra Balancing. When our chakras are out of balance, our physical body, emotions, & spiritual well-being may feel unstable. A chakra balance can bring you back to focus and feeling refreshed.
Virtual Sessions, also known as Distance Reiki, is equally effective. We connect via zoom or facetime. These are great because you get to stay in the coziness of your own space. All of my offerings are available virtually.
Animal Reiki. I come to you or we meet at our local K-9 Hotel. Reiki supports your beloved pet through fear, anxiety, nervousness, and even surgery recovery. Just like us, our animals need support energetically.
Ceremonies! Now, this is one of my favorite Reiki experiences. Ceremonies are life changing. I host Fire and Water Ceremonies. Both practices are very intentional. Ceremonies are structured spiritual practices designed to connect people with the spirit world, promote healing, strengthen community bonds, and support personal transformation. I have done Ceremonies for individuals, private groups, and businesses.
What I truly love about being a Reiki Practitioner is watching my clients shift into who they were designed to be, not what our societal cultures are teaching them to be. Reiki is subtle in the way it heals the cultural creative belief systems, (The teaching we receive from our upbringing and well into adulthood), by allowing you to just be. Theres no regurgitating a story, there’s no reliving a traumatic moment, Reiki just knows where to go without you having to do anything- well, except show up for yourself. My wish for you, the reader, is to try Reiki, learn Reiki, and use it to balance the nervous system to help bring clarity, ease, calm, and emotional balance.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Hmmm….Risk -Taking. Interesting ask……..
Yes, I believe in taking risks. I have taken many. Some small and safe and some wild and crazy. Phew the stories which are surfacing with this question! lol Risks are tricky because we won’t know the outcome until it happens. And then we have to deal with the outcome; Good or bad. I have found Risk to be fun, exhilarating with a good story. Maybe those are the calculated ones. IDK. I’ve also known Risk to be heartbreaking, devastating, and defeating with a good story (in hindsight).
When you decide to take a Risk, you are choosing to expand beyond who you are in that moment. Risk comes with lessons, which move us into a new understanding of who you are or who you may become. I ask you though, when taking a Risk, are you listening? Whose voice do you hear encouraging you? Yours or Theirs? When the answer to the Risk presents itself, again, whose voice is congratulating you or condemning you for your choices.
I definitely will always take the leap in faith (AKA: Risk) because I trust in my inner voice, my heart, and my soul. Of course, Reiki now is a great helper when I take a Risk. I took a risk quitting a well-paying job, purging almost all of my belongings, moving to a small remote mountain town, not knowing anyone, and became a Reiki Practitioner…..WOW. That’s a Risk for sure. Emotionally and physically, this Risk took through all the emotions from relief & joy to grief & fear. The energy it takes to make a change (take a risk) feels exhilarating, joyful, exhausting, and overwhelming. I encourage Risk taking. It truly can develop your inner power and belief in yourself.
OHhhhh…..Here ya go…… I took a risk in answering Eric’s email. And now I am answering your questions in hope to be a part of your Hidden Gems. And I am taking a risk in answering in my tone, my voice, in my way. I am not a writer which makes this a bit uncomfortable because I am unaware of your needs, your protocol, your bosses requests. This is all a risk, especially when the cultural beliefs of corporate mind sets are in place……What will you risk for this article?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.heartopenreiki.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heartopenreiki/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100066666466028
