Working with survivors of

torture in Sarajevo
with Reiki
Pat Kennedy

While working as a nurse/therapist in Sarajevo, I had the opportunity to work in an

experimental situation at a center for torture survivors. This was to see if the use of
Reiki would have a benef|cial effect on this type of patient. It involved a rethink on
traditional Reiki hand positions, music, and the general set-up of the room being used. It
was a challenge, and one I was delighted to have had. The people I worked with were
wonderful, and the changes in them over the period were so positive. The staff at the
Center were delighted; I was delighted; but so much more importantly, the patients were
delighted. The ground has now been broken and hopefully will be considered in a positive
light for other traumatized patients. # 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd

Pat Kennedy
RGN, SCM, BSc.,
Reiki Master,
10 Aviemore Gardens,
Bearsden,
Glasgow G61 2BL, UK.
Tel.: + 44 (0) 141 570 2824;
E-mail: pat@kennedyp.
fsbusiness.co.uk
In 1998 I joined Healing Hands Network
(HHN), a UK based charity, whose remit is to
assist in the relief of suffering caused by war
and disaster. I am a nurse who also works with
complementary therapies. I came with HHN to
Bosnia where I had the opportunity to work as a
therapist with the staff of CTV MOST, Sarajevo
(Centre for the Rehabilitation of Torture Victims
and their Families, Sarajevo). Although based
in Sarajevo, it treats patients from all over
Bosnia.
The recent war in Bosnia from 1992–1995 has
been well documented. The medical staff at the
Centre have a very stressful job. Not only do
they have to deal with the physical and
psychological aspects of their patients’ torture,
the survivors, they also deal with the effects and
reactions that this torture has on the rest of the
family.
The secretarial staff are often the first point of
contact at the clinic visits for the patients, they
also write up medical notes, which leave no
doubt as to the atrocities these patients have
been subjected to at the hands of their torturers.
We treated the staff with a variety of
complementary therapies including reflexology
aromatherapy, massage and Reiki. In Bosnia, all
forms of Hands On Healing go by the name of
Bio-Energy. It is an established and recognized
form of treatment here. Many of the staff at the
Center suffered from vicarious traumatization
(Annual Report 1993). This is a recognized
condition where the carers of this type of patient
take on the problems and traumas themselves.
Unless treated it can quickly lead to burn out
and even a nervous breakdown. It shows up as
severe stress, tension and disturbed sleep
patterns.
The staff, who were coming to the HHN
Therapy Center on a weekly basis stated that, by
coming to us, they were able to keep their stress
levels down enabling them to work more
effectively with their patients. It also helped
them to lead a normal life out with their job and
they felt not only had their sleep pattern
improved so had their general health.
After a year we asked if there was a possibility
of us being allowed to work with any of the
patients themselves — the survivors. They
considered our proposal for a few months, but
before finally accepting the proposition we had
to agree to certain conditions. The Center had
two patients who had decided to try Reiki
healing in conjunction with their normal treat-
ment at CTV MOST.
We agreed to treat the patients at their clinic;
to work in conjunction with their medical staff;
and initially in the trial period to use the same
therapist for both the medical staff and the
patients. It was important that a strong feeling of
security was built into the treatment of the
patients. I also had to agree to their doctor being

Complementary Therapies in Nursing & Midwifery (2001) 7, 4 ^7 # 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd
 Reiki: working with torture survivors
on the premises during the treatments. This was
to ensure the safety of the patients during the
therapy. This was not a problem, particularly as
Dr Enra Lukovac would act as my interpreter. I
agreed. We could go ahead.
According to Zollman and Vickers (1999), an
important role of the medical practitioners is to
ensure that their patients receive the most
appropriate type of therapy, therefore they need
to know the work of the therapists and know
the treatments on offer. They also state that the
doctor and the patient must have faith in the
practitioner who must be acceptable to both
parties. The doctors at the Centre For Torture
Victims knew from first hand experience not only
the treatments on offer, but also many of the
volunteer therapists. CTV MOST had their own
physiotherapy and massage staff, and the med-
ical staff felt that the most helpful treatment we
could offer their patients would be Hands on
Healing: Reiki.
One potential problem was patient confidenti-
ality. These were not the usual patients with a
gastric problem or a hernia. The medical staff
discussed this point with me and after serious
thought I considered that it was not necessary to
know many details of the patient’s history which
would be taken under normal circumstances.
I would be told what medication they were on
and would be given a brief resume of their
conditions but it would be unnecessary for me
to know exactly how they had been tortured.
After all, I would be treating these patients not
as a nurse but as a therapist, and the Doctor
from CTV MOST would be on the premises. The
fact that I was a nurse was, I think, a great
advantage in being accepted into this very
medical world.
This is in complete contradiction to ACET
(1996), who state that everyone dealing with this
class of patient should be aware of what they
have gone through. To me it was sufficient to
acknowledge the fact that these patients were
survivors of torture who were on antidepres-
sants, sleeping tablets and had unbalanced
endocrine systems. This is a very common
after-effect of this type of trauma. The medical
staff were satisfied with this approach.
I realized I would have to prove myself as
never before. I gave considerable thought to the
preparation of the room. I would be using the
physiotherapy area, which gave me a table to
work on, and it was a familiar area for my future
clients.
I chose the music carefully. I wanted nothing
with startling sounds in it, neither did I want
whale sounds. The cries of the whales could be
upsetting to this type of patient. I chose Reiki
Music by Ajad and also by Mike Rowland; these
*The names of the
patients have been are described on their covers as soft, relaxing
changed. meditative music — perfect.
5
Before starting to work with the survivors,
I borrowed some books from the Center so that I
would be aware of some situations and ill
treatments which my new patients may have
met. It did not make pleasant reading. The
well-worn quotation of Robert Burns, of ‘man’s
inhumanity to man’, sprang to mind.
Candles were out for two reasons. First, they
could have set off the Center’s fire alarm system!
Secondly, fire in any shape or form is not a good
idea with this category of patient until you have
their complete trust. Fragrant oils were also out
as I had no idea what smells could bring back
unpleasant memories.
In most Survivor Centers uniforms are not
worn, so I wore casual clothing in soft warm
colours and tried to look more relaxed than I
felt!
I had the brief essential notes from the doctor
on my first lady, Senaida*. We were introduced
and I saw a very pleasant lady in her early fifties.
She limped badly and her left leg was obviously
damaged. On closer examination I saw that it
had been broken in several places between the
knee and the foot. She had had extensive surgery,
and her leg had been pinned and plated in
several places. She walked slowly and painfully.
She is scheduled for more surgery later in the
year and is not looking forward to that. She was
obviously apprehensive, which I expected. So I
explained in my poor Bosnian what I was going
to do. This made her laugh and relax a little.
Doctor Enra Lukovac translated so that there
would be no misunderstandings and she was also
able to answer any questions that Senaida might
have. She seemed amazed that she could remain
fully dressed, which I think was a reassuring
point for her.
She lay on the treatment couch. Relaxing at
this stage was almost impossible for her. She
kept opening her eyes watching my every move,
although most of the time she could feel my
hands on her body.
The music was soft and soothing. After a lot of
thought I had worked out that I would probably
be better to adapt some of the traditional Reiki
hand positions for these patients. I did not cover
her eyes, working high over them, using the
forehead as the point of contact. Over other very
sensitive areas I worked well clear of the body.
These are of course the breasts on both male and
female patients, the lower abdomen and the soles
of the feet.
Until I had established a firm trust with these
patients I was taking no chances of upsetting
them. When I came to the feet, I made a point of
firmly holding onto the ankles before moving to
the tops of the feet then the soles. All movements
were slow, firm and deliberate.
Towards the end of the session I was delighted
to hear gentle snores. Senaida had completely
 6 Complementary Therapies in Nursing & Midwifery
. . . in Bosnia relaxed. I sat quietly in the room and let her
medical and come round in her own time. I took particular
surgical staff not care to ground her after her treatment (otherwise
a patient can feel very lightheaded), and gave her
only come openly
a glass of water.
for Reiki We both went through to see Dr Enra and I
treatment to asked how Senaida had felt with the treatment.
relieve their The reply was, ‘Super’. This was expanded
stress but are further and she said that she had felt tremendous
also prepared heat from my hands during the session. She also
felt that she had been drained of all the heavy
to send their
weights inside her and had been filled up with air.
patients; even And could she please have another appointment?
very vulnerable I think I was more delighted than she was.
patients like I have treated Senaida for over 4 months now.
torture survivors. The difference in her is wonderful to see, but
much more important are the benefits she feels.
She no longer takes sleeping tablets, and
painkillers only very occasionally. Her walking
has improved and she says she can even run a
little now. Her limp has almost gone and the pain
in her leg only comes on in the evening after a
day’s work. Her smile says it all, she is just so
relaxed and happy looking. Yes, she has bad
days: something will trigger a bad memory, but
she can now cope better and more easily.
I now know Senaida’s history. She came in for
a treatment in tears one day and it all came out.
At that point all I could do was hold her and let
Reiki do the rest. She had met an old neighbour
who could have helped to protect her from the
Serbian soldiers. Instead this person had shown
them where she lived and encouraged them to
take her away and torture her, which of course
they did.
The medical staff are very pleased with her
progress and they feel that she has benefited a
great deal from the Reiki treatment. And
Senaida is delighted.
I find it very refreshing that in Bosnia medical
and surgical staff not only come openly for Reiki
treatment to relieve their stress but are also
prepared to send their patients; even very
vulnerable patients like torture survivors. And
the results speak for themselves.
The second lady I saw, Mirsada, was quiet and
extremely nervous. My first impression of her
was that of a dowdy, not particularly attractive
looking lady. She came with a history of stress,
nightmares, headaches, abdominal pains, gastri-
tis and endocrine problems — all the usual
problems of a torture victim. Medication in-
cluded antidepressants, sleeping tablets, and
antacid tablets.
Mirsada looked much older than her 40 years.
After everything was explained to her she lay
down. My poor Bosnian did not even raise a
smile. Mirsada’s eyes followed my every move.
She looked almost resigned to being here, and
was obviously scared. Eventually she relaxed.
Again I took the precaution of working off the
body round potentially sensitive areas. She even
fell asleep and snored. However, her eyes
remained open all the time. At the end of the
session I left her to come round slowly as I had
done with Senaida, then I gently touched her
shoulder. ‘Gotova?’ she asked. ‘Yes, I’m fin-
ished’. I answered, and asked her to take her time
and stand up slowly. I handed her a glass of
water, which she ignored She sat bolt upright,
shot off the couch and flew out of the door. I
thought ‘She doesn’t like it’ and headed off after
her. A laughing Doctor Enra met me. When I
asked if everything was OK she said yes, Mirsada
had only wanted to make sure that she could
have another appointment. I asked how she felt
and was told ‘Good’. She would not elaborate;
however, I felt quite pleased that we hadn’t been
rejected totally.
On her second visit, Mirsada greeted me with a
shy smile, came right into the physiotherapy
room and sat up on the treatment couch. I asked
her if she felt she had benefited from the first
treatment and she stated that she was not sure,
but would like to see if she felt different this time.
So we went ahead. She relaxed very quickly,
going to sleep, this time with her eyes closed. She
really benefited from the session. When I had
finished I left her to sleep a little. She wakened
with a huge grin on her face. I asked her how she
felt. She held her arms out to her sides and said
‘Osjecan da mogu poletjepi’. Translated, this
means, ‘I think I can fly’.
She looked a different person. I called Doctor
Enra in. She looked at her patient and said,
‘Thank you’.
Mirsada received treatments for nearly 3
months. She no longer has nightmares, her
headaches are gone, she still has occasional
gastric problems but they are not distressing
her as before, the pains in her abdomen have
disappeared, and her weekly visits to CTV
MOST have been cut down dramatically.
On her fourth visit, what a difference. A very
smartly dressed lady appeared, hair freshly
tinted, makeup on. Here was someone who
looked good and knew it. She wanted everyone
to see her, and now she looked much younger
than her 40 years. She was so happy looking, so
relaxed and so full of energy.
I asked one of the staff at CTV MOST if they
were satisfied with Mirsada’s progress. ‘Look at
her’, she laughed, ‘she has her pride back and her
self confidence and in so short a time. Will you
see another patient for us?’ ‘Yes, please’.
In the few months I have been going to
CTV MOST it is exciting to see the difference
in these two ladies. Both have obviously
benefited from their complementary therapy
treatments and although it would take a much
higher number of patients to really assess
the benefits of Reiki with this category of
Reiki: working with torture survivors
patient, I think it is something that should be
considered.
About halfway through the experiment, a
report was sent to the United Nations in Geneva
on the positive effects of Reiki on torture
survivors. Hopefully this will have more positive
outcomes for promoting it.
I know that in the UK this will take time, but
it is encouraging that so many doctors in some
parts of Europe, not just Bosnia, are willing to
accept therapies which have limited evidence to
substantiate results. But surely there must come
a time when the results speak for themselves. It
cannot always be ‘coincidence’.
Hands on Healing comes in many forms, but
all benefit patients in so many simple and
practical ways and occasionally dramatic ones.
It is relaxing, non invasive, simple and cost
effective.
If a nurse or a doctor goes by their intuition
and really looks at their patients, they often
read the signs of a change in their condition
long before the machines do, and act accord-
ingly. Are they wrong to do this? They do
not have empirical evidence to back their gut
feeling, in fact often they are going against
Gentle movements can lead to radical change. (D. Rankin-Box.)
7
the evidence from the machines, but they are
usually right.
Is this really so different from Reiki or any
other Hands On Healing? A good nurse taking
time with a patient makes a big difference to their
recovery. I know some medical staff say that this
is all a complementary therapist is doing —
giving time. I am both a nurse and a therapist,
and know the benefits of Reiki. I know it can
work along side allopathic medicine, if it is given
the opportunity. Reiki is not a threat to
medicine, it is an asset.
REFERENCES
ACET (Assistance Center for Torture Survivers, Berlin)
1996 Rehabilitation and prevention of torture in
Bulgaria. The Experience of ACET Report
Annual report 1993 compiled by Georgine Seidl and
Wolfgang Hartlik. Psychotherapy with torture
victims. Behandlung Szentrum fur Folteropfer
Ajad Music — Reiki Music Vol 4
Robert Burns (1759–1796) Man was made to mourn —
A Dirge.
Mike Rowland Music — Angel Delight.
Zollman C, Vickers A 1999 ABC of complementary
therapies. BMJ COM June 2000: 1–10