Skillr Profile: McKenna Westgate
McKenna Westgate is a Certified Sound Healer and Reiki Master/Teacher helping people find balance and connect with life force energy on the SKILLR App. She spoke with us about what a typical day in her job looks like and common problems clients come to her with.
Q: Can you tell me your name and what you do on SKILLR?
A: I'm McKenna, an attuned Reiki Master/Teacher (RMT) and a certified Sound Healer. As a Reiki Master/Teacher, I serve as a conduit or a connection to "Life Force Energy" which allows me to intuitively balance energy within each of the chakra points, restoring feelings of balance and equilibrium within clients. As a Sound Healer, I utilize a set of crystal singing bowls to produce strong vibrations accompanied with very soothing sounds as an alternative way of treating energetic imbalances within clients as well.
Another tool that I frequently utilize when working with patients to balance their chakras is called a pendulum, which is typically made of metal or a combination of metal and semi-precious stone. It is a pendant on a chain or string. The pendulum picks up on electromagnetic fields, such as the ones surrounding each of our chakras, and will typically move in a clockwise or counterclockwise motion to indicate if the chakra in question is balanced or imbalanced.
Q: What services do you offer?
A: I offer a variety of services, though not all of them are focused on energetic healing. Sound baths and Reiki sessions are the two services that I provide that are focused on energetic healing. I perform sound baths both in person as well as remotely; the same goes for Reiki. For a distance Reiki session, I usually request a full-body photo of the person that I'm doing the session for. This photo is used with the pendulum so I’m able to get the most accurate feedback so I know which chakras need balancing and which ones don’t.
The services I offer that are unrelated to energetic healing include spirituality coaching, life experiences mentoring, tarot and oracle readings, multiple types of numerology readings (Pythagorean, Chaldean, etc.), as well as human design readings and soul contract readings. In the near future, I will be adding to this list of services to include shamanic journeying, guided meditation and Crystal Reiki as well.
Q: What are some common problems or questions that clients come to you with?
A: Clients have come to me with all sorts of questions and issues they are seeking help with. Some of the most common reasons that clients come to see me are that they’re just feeling off or, in other words, they may be feeling drained, lacking energy, they may be feeling emotions that are not in alignment with how they feel when all of their chakras are in balance. When it comes to our energy, even the slightest, seemingly unimportant experience can throw us off. When we have experiences that impact us emotionally, it is SO important that we’re finding healthy ways to cope with and overcome these things. If we don't, that emotional energy will sit within our subtle energy bodies and begin wreaking havoc on both our inner and outer realities. Clients often ask me questions about what it means when people instruct them to "feel their feelings."
My understanding of this commonly used phrase is that it’s important for us to be present so that we’re able to recognize when we experience something that emotionally, and sometimes even physically, doesn't feel right. The experience could invoke feelings that we might be uncomfortable with like grief, sadness, anger, etc. A feeling many of us experience that often manifests physically would be anxiety, which can often feel like a tightness in our chest or it may induce panicking or cause us to have racing thoughts. When we experience things like the few I just mentioned, it’s important to sit with those uncomfortable feelings rather than run from them.
When we sit with them, we then have the opportunity to study them, which will ultimately help us understand what caused us to feel that way or why we might be having the reaction that we are. From here, we can then begin to have realizations, gain more insight or maybe identify situations that may trigger these feelings within us again. I don't believe in avoidance when it comes to living life and feeling feelings. If we’re operating from a place of feeling that we need to avoid certain stimuli, then it leaves us with such little room to grow from those experiences. If you want to not be affected as much by your feelings, try sitting with them, identifying where they are manifesting physically within you (ex. anxiety within the chest) and never forget that you are NEVER wrong for feeling a certain way.
Q: What’s your favorite part about your job?
A: My favorite part about my job is the fact that I get to help people every single day! Service to others has always been something that brings me happiness and fulfillment. I also love that I can always rely on the fact that each day I will be doing work that is different from the work done the day before. No two clients are the same, so this helps to prevent me from getting bored or feeling like a cog in the working machine, so to speak. Having a job where none of my sessions ever feel repetitive keeps me excited to start each day because it's always something new or different that I get to assist clients with!
Q: What does a typical work day look like for you?
A: This is almost a little difficult for me to answer just because, like I previously mentioned, I have a very dynamic way of working. I start each work day by checking my calendar to see what times I have appointments to work with clients first. Next, I make some coffee and get ready by setting up my work area for any video sessions for distance Reiki or Sound Healing sessions so that I am ready beforehand. If I have a block of time in my schedule with no Reiki, sound healing appointments, or any readings then I hop on SKILLR so I can conduct consultations there. The only parts of my workday that are the same are the time I start, which is about 9:30 a.m. and the time that I stop which ranges between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Q: What happens in an energy healing session or witchcraft consultation?
A: An energy healing session, depending on the client's needs, will last anywhere between 20 to 60 minutes. If we’re spot treating, a session will typically be much shorter, sometimes as short as five to 10 minutes. We will begin by removing our shoes so we can both remain grounded. The session continues with both my client and I taking a moment to relax and do some deep breathing. This will be followed by my taking my pendulum and holding it over each chakra point to assess which chakras need balancing.
Once I know which chakras are in need of balancing, depending on if I'm using Reiki or singing bowls, the client will lay down in a relaxed position and I will begin the energy healing/balancing part of the session. I first draw on my hand with my finger the shape of one of the three Reiki symbols according to the needs of the client or whether or not I am doing the session remotely. Going directly to each point in need of balancing, I will open the chakra by holding both hands over the chakra I'm balancing and with one hand I draw out a small circle in a counterclockwise motion three times.
Next, holding one hand still, I use the other hand to perform a digging motion which is done to "dig out the energy" that is causing that chakra to be imbalanced. Then, I grab the pendulum and hold it over the chakra to make sure it is no longer indicating that the chakra is imbalanced. Next, I hold my hands above my head and, in my mind's eye, see life force energy gathering in a ball between my hands. Using intuition, I determine when I have gathered enough energy and begin lowering my hands to place the life force energy within the chakra point that the imbalanced energy was just removed. I pick up the pendulum once more to do a final check, making sure that the pendulum is indicating that the chakra is now balanced and open.
Finally, I place my hands over the chakra point and, with one hand in the air, I draw a clockwise circle three times to close the Chakra. This process is repeated for each chakra that needs energy work to restore its balance. Once all chakras in need of balancing have been balanced, I conclude the session by drawing the same Reiki symbol in my palm as before and clapping my hands two to three times to cut the energetic tie between my client and myself. I then let my client know the session has ended, encouraging them to take their time sitting up or standing up. At this point, the client and I both put our shoes back on and the very last step is drinking a glass of cold water to fully ground us both.
Q: How can people use your services to feel more spiritually aligned?
A: These services can help clients to align themselves spiritually in many ways. I feel that it’s very important for me spiritually to feel balanced energetically so that I am operating optimally. For many of my clients, taking an active role in tending to their energy helps them to feel connected to themselves, and the universal life force and all that is.
Keeping an eye on and taking good care of the energetic body is a crucial part of being a spiritual individual in my opinion. Doing so makes sure that we’re keeping our energetic field clean and free of any negative energies that will ultimately impact us AND anyone we share an energetic exchange with in many ways. The practice of Reiki and sound healing can be very transformative for people; they were for me which is why, after experiencing them for the first time, I knew that I wanted to master both practices so that I could share their magic with others.
Q: What qualities should someone look for when searching for the right energy healer for them?
A: I always suggest that potential clients meet with the practitioner that they’re considering going to for sessions before booking an actual session with them. It's so important to make sure the person that you're trusting to move your energy around is someone you both vibe well with and that you can trust. One thing to look for in an energy healer is someone who actively listens to your concerns, someone with uplifting energy, someone who operates transparently and you also want to make sure that they are qualified to do the work they’re offering to do! One thing that I offer outside of the SKILLR platform is a complimentary 15-minute session for clients to meet with me and ask me any questions they may have.
I feel that offering these consultations free of charge is crucial as a practitioner. I would never want a client to not know if they would feel comfortable doing a session with me or feel locked into the session they booked, especially if they didn't feel confident in my ability to conduct a session for them effectively. SKILLR is awesome for many reasons, but especially because if someone has questions, then they don't have to commit to paying for a full-priced session before speaking briefly with the practitioner first. They have the opportunity to meet with the person who would perform their session beforehand and this gives them the ability to feel out whether or not they feel aligned with the practitioner without spending more than a few bucks or using a complimentary free session when they sign up.
Download the SKILLR App today. Want more SKILLR? Check out our blog page to learn more about how to make the most of the app. Follow along with us on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn for all things SKILLR.
