March 20, 2017

Meet Steven Todd Smith of Reiki For Creative Minds in Hollywood

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Steven Todd Smith.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Steven Todd. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My Reiki journey started from an urge to expand my Life Nutrition Coaching business/practice into something more hands-on. I had always enjoyed massage, and, in looking through massage schools, I discovered this practice called Reiki. Interested, though with a healthy dose of skepticism, I received my first Reiki session and was blown away. It felt as though I got a full body massage plus had a heavy emotional weight lifted from my heart. Through happenstance, I connected with my Reiki Master Teacher, who was hosting a retreat in the Bahamas that I did not have the money or time to attend at the time. With clear intentions, hard work, lots of visualizing, and reaching out for help, I found my way to the retreat – where I was attuned/certified in Reiki and begin my newly enhanced energetically guided and focused life. It was an event of my life that felt so intricately right and connected, and it has been a complete immersion in Reiki since.

My background, training, and experience as an actor provided the inspiration to birth Reiki For Creative Minds, with a focus on providing a platform to support artists with their inner strengthening – physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, creatively. RCM has opened up to receive so many people from so many walks of life, as we are all Creators. I now see clients on a private 1-on-1 basis for individual and weekly sessions, teach Reiki attunement/certification classes, and co-host Reiki Sound Bath workshops at local yoga studios/spaces. The next step, somewhere down the line, will be hosting a Reiki retreat of my own.

Has it been a smooth road?
My Reiki journey has overall been a smooth road, especially with the practice and energy itself contributing to my greater sense of grounding, focus, direction, balance, and overall mental & emotional well-being. There have been some learning bumps along the way. Connecting with such a foreign practice at first created a battle with my ego – of doing it right or wrong, of worrying about it in terms of “working” or “not working.” I definitely questioned myself in value as a practitioner early on, even in the midst of positive feedback. Because Reiki is not yet mainstream, there are many people who doubt or deny it. Consistent self-treatment along with supporting hundreds of others (over 1000 hours) helped move me past the initial doubts I had with Reiki itself, and it’s become an essential part of my own self-care practice in addition to the work I do with others.

Running a solo practice/business has had its ups-and-downs in the building process, with marketing and getting awareness of RCM out to Los Angelenos. Having the gift ready and available to give still requires a recipient on the other end. This initial step is definitely the hardest, but it’s been very refreshing to see clients return again and again after their first session. I know there’s still an exciting long way to go, and I always look forward to opportunities to keep expanding.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Reiki For Creative Minds – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Reiki For Creative Minds is for anyone who wishes to create more optimally in their lives: a calmer, reduced stress and tension feeling within their bodies; a clearer, more focused, and sharper mindset and sense of awareness; a stable control over emotions; an easier and more consistent path into & through creative flow. Reiki itself is a Japanese method of natural healing, often used to infuse greater relaxation into one’s life and reduce stress, physically, mentally, and emotionally. It is a light touch, or hovering “auric” touch, practice, where you (the recipient) have the joyous opportunity to lie down, completely open and receptive, and I (as practitioner) have the privilege to open up as a channel to Universal Life Force Energy, facilitating this releasing and balancing practice.

It brings me abundant joy to hold the space for so many people, who enter my home office space for the first time and feel great comfort in discussing sensitive, personal elements of their lives with me and those who return week after week to continue strengthening their consciousness connection and specific intentions with which they are working. I know that this role, while it hasn’t been actively present my whole life, has become a completely natural one for me – as practitioner and teacher – so the connections we make and the relationships we build are unique in the most empowering way for us both.

During sessions, my hands can get quite, quite warm, so I’ve embraced the nickname of “The Human Heater.”

Also, my two wonderful cats, Guster and Jumper, are both Reiki-attuned, so you get bonus Reiki support when they lie down next to your feet or in between your legs. Especially Guster, the Reiki Master grounding cat (trust me on this one – he’s powerful).

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Los Angeles was the catalyst that opened up the greater exploration of my inner and spiritual world over six years ago and planted the seed for what’s grown into my current Reiki life path, so it has a most powerful place in my heart and being for that reason. The beautiful weather and bright sun; the accessibility to nature, whether mountains, trees, or the beach and ocean; the active day and night events and hotspots; its overall cool character along with fun hidden gem experiences scattered all around; its overall embracement of healthful, holistic living; lots and lots of delicious vegan restaurants: I love all of this about Los Angeles.

I wish we had more rain (yes, this past January precipitation was so nice).

I wish driving was less stressful and more fluid, with all drivers working more effectively together to get to where they’re all going. I’d probably just keeping going on about traffic and drivers not being as proactive, aware, or cooperative as they could be, but I’ll just leave it there. (I have a fascination and issue with the enigma of traffic coming to a complete stop on a 55/65 mph highway and, without any construction or accident, be moving freely within a mile. Reiki helps with stressors in this area.)

Pricing:

30 minute session – $45
60 minute sesson – $85
Weekly Discount Package (four weekly 60-minute sessions) – $250
Solo Reiki Level 1 Attunement/Certification Class – $225 (partner & group classes are discounted)

Contact Info: