Stepping into the tranquil Soul Star Sanctuary treatment area located at the Langton Green home of Emma Sims, a qualified intuitive Energy Healer and Tera Mai™Reiki Master, I can instantly feel my shoulders drop and a sense of serenity sweep over me.
Her inviting healing space is a far cry from the traditional rooms therapists operate from. Far from being sombre and clinical it boasts appealing teal and purple decorative tones and many aesthetic touches – think glimmering scented candles and polished crystals. And the fact the space boasts pleasant views over Emma’s gorgeous garden, which is currently brimming with billowing wild foxgloves is another big bonus.
As we sit down to chat over a cup of herbal tea, the mother of three explains that her work specialises in blending the very powerful and ancient Japanese art of healing known as Reiki along with Tera Mai Seichem, a transformative healing system practiced in Egyptian Temples.
The former is the more common type of ‘hands on healing’ which helps stimulate the body’s ability to regenerate itself. This is done by inducing deep relaxation techniques and bringing back balance to the flow of energy in the body. Reiki Master Emma says it is a rarer practice and its main focus is to remedy deep emotional trauma and support spiritual development.
Emma explains that in addition to her energy healing work she also specialises in crystal therapy which she says gives her a unique holistic edge. “I combine all these elements to really get to the root cause of the problem in the body so I can help my clients go on a journey of deep healing.”
And then, she reveals something rather fascinating: that she has the ability to ‘see inside a person’s body and that this has been verified on many occasions by Osteopaths and Doctors.
“I combine different healing techniques to really get to the root cause of the problem in the body so clients can go on a journey of deep healing”
“I use this ability as a guide to understand where the energy is being held in the body,” Emma continues. “This usually shows up in the physical body as pain, emotional discomfort or problems with sleep for example.”
Thoroughly intrigued by all this I ask her when she first knew she had this particular gift.
“Before I trained as a Reiki practitioner I worked in the advertising industry. I ran a photographic production company in Dubai and London and worked with many high-profile brands and photographers including Rankin.
“I have always been spiritually connected and from a young age could feel a presence in the room or read people clearly. This all came to a head when I started to experience very bad anxiety myself and one night on the way home from a photoshoot I suddenly noticed I could see inside people’s bodies, their energy and flashes of what was happening in their lives.”
Emma says she intuitively knew this was her real calling in life but at that particular time she had no idea how to channel this into something tangible.
“Mentally and spiritually I knew I had to do something to help myself through this difficult time but I couldn’t find anywhere to turn to other than counselling. I discovered Reiki through a friend and used this to enable me to reduce the feelings of anxiety. I eventually started to become more in tune with my body and that helped me feel calmer and more able to cope. I then began to learn Reiki and during the seven years of training I practiced on friends and gradually started to set up Soul Star Sanctuary.”
Emma admits that her anxiety was once again triggered later in life by an issue with one of her three daughters who was experiencing bullying at her local primary school.
“When you have a child who is experiencing a very difficult time everything around you closes in,” Emma states.
“It was at this time that I noticed how anxious my daughter had become, she couldn’t sleep and her personality had been affected by this. I realised then that there wasn’t much support for children other than counselling or play therapy – certainly nothing that would balance their energy system.
“By juggling life, work and love is essentially how I found my gift. The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said: ‘When the student is ready, the teacher appears’ and that’s what happened to me.”
Emma says that when she discovered the powerful effects of Reiki she could finally control the destructive waves of anxiety. “I found a space where I could bring myself back to feeling whole.”
“The more I learnt about energy, the more I realised there was something bigger unfolding. I felt no one was going to protect my daughter or listen to what she needed, other than me.
“And that’s why with Soul Star Sanctuary I wanted to create a safe space for both women and children. A place where they could come and be heard, seen and held.”
With younger clients Emma creates art and works with crystals to help with any anxiety, eating disorders and mental health issues.
“It’s about moving children through difficult stages in their lives, teaching people how to use self-healing as a skill for their own life and developing tools to use when we can’t always communicate our emotions.”
Emma says that business in now flourishing. She has her own virtual shop where she sells a selection of mood enhancing essential oil sprays that she has created and due to the pandemic is also able to treat people online as well as in person.
Emma often carries out corporate well-being sessions with businesses in London too – and she also hosts regular well-being workshops in that glorious Langton Green garden of hers.
“My mission is to make energy healing accessible to everyone through the practice of Reiki, crystal therapy and intuitive work.
“I have been fortunate to learn from some of the best teachers in their field and share my knowledge and findings over the years,” she declares.
“We need spiritual connection now more than ever. It’s time to be connected, tune in to our intuition and love ourselves on a deeper level. The ancient art of hands on healing helps you do this. Energy is transformative, powerful and connects us to our true potential. When you come to a challenging time in your life I can help you find your way, keep your energy moving and find your truth – just as I found mine.”
The Soul Star Sanctuary experience
Firstly Emma explained how she works: intuitively using crystals and Tera Mai™Reiki and Seichem healing powers which bring together all four elements of fire, earth, air and water. Just like a plant needs sun and water to thrive so we too need the aforementioned elements within us to stay healthy in mind, body and spirit. The idea of Emma’s specific hands on healing technique is to move pent up energy channels discovered in the body and reroute them in order for a patient to feel less stressed, less anxious or depressed.
Once Emma had explained all this we then had a lovely honest conversation about me and my life and I shared a couple of problems that I felt Emma might need to focus on.
We started the treatment with some breathing exercises and selected some essential oils for Emma to work with. I chose lavender, geranium and clary sage as I was naturally drawn to the scent of each one. Emma mixed these with a coconut carrier oil and then asked me to ‘set an intention’ for the session and focus on a question I might need direction with.
Emma then laid out a selection of Oracle cards – a kind of selfreflective Tarot reading – and asked me to select one which we then looked at more deeply and intuitively. It read: ‘Healing is happening: You’re not broken, trust the process. It’s safe to soften.’ In a strange way I felt like my mind had just been read!
Emma then ‘grounded’ me asking me to stand still, feel connected to the earth and to visualise myself like a tree. She asked me to lie down on the bed and the treatment began. She placed a sheet over me and gave me the option of wearing an eye mask. I’m glad I did as it helped to immerse myself in the experience.
Emma asked me to imagine I was on a beach to help me relax and at first I felt my chest get very heavy and I struggled to get in the zone. But after a few minutes I could sense myself drifting off, exhaling deeply as requested in order to get rid of any negative energy and soon I found a breathing pattern that helped me relax.
“As soon as I connected to you I could feel your soul lifting from your physical body,” Emma revealed afterwards. “It was almost an out of body experience which is a sign to me of deeper work being needed. I was guided to your heart and head and I connected with the angelic realms and guides to assist in clearing any emotion that needed to be moved through your body.
“I placed a Rose quartz crystal on your heart chakra to move the energy from this area. Rose quartz is the crystal of love and compassion, it comforts and heals emotional trauma and helps re programme the heart in self-acceptance. I felt here the heart needed the energy to be amplified and then raised to a different vibration.”
She went on to say that many other techniques and prayers were used to enable the energy to be moved through my body to create a sense of calm.
“Emotion was felt on a very deep level by yourself and I feel we not only brought this into the light but moved it through your physical body.”
I can honestly say that once I’d sat up and had some water I felt pretty tearful, like something had been stoked deep within me. But they were tears of relief and not sadness. I found the whole experience incredibly impactful and if it’s not too trite to say I think I could genuinely feel anxiety being pulled from out of me.
Before leaving, Emma once again ‘grounded’ me like a tree in order to feel closer to the earth and advised me to drink plenty of water. She handed me a posy of wild fox gloves, mint and sage from her garden and an affirmation card which read ‘I have the power to create change’. She asked me to stick it to my fridge and to say it to myself every day. I’m doing so and definitely feel lighter in both body and mind every time I read that quote, knowing that it is indeed possible to create change if you are willing to stop, breathe and deeply connect with yourself.
Emma recommends a series of three of these treatments, saying: “The first one opens the door, the second drills deep down and the third enhances and really makes you fly,” she says.
