NS Woman is on a mission to create a “wave of compassion” through fundraiser

Jun 9, 2023

**CONTENT WARNING: This story mentions the topic of suicide and suicidal ideations.**

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts and need to speak with someone please call or text Talk Suicide Canada | Text 45645 | Call 1.833.456.4566.

One year ago on May 15th, Jennefer Davis lost her brother Larry to suicide — a topic she feels doesn’t get talked about enough. Now she is on a mission to get people talking about it while supporting their own mental health, in the hopes of preventing further loss. 

She calls her fundraiser, Jennefer’s Reiki Initiative for Positive Mental Health. A trained and certified Reiki Master since 2014, her goal is to teach 500 people in the practice while raising much-needed funds for the Canadian Mental Health Association Nova Scotia Division. 

“My life is marked in two simple words; before Larry took his life, and after,” Jennefer says.

“Tragically suicide affects a large portion of our society and most times when people are experiencing suicidal thoughts, we don’t know until it’s too late.  It’s this unspoken shame we carry, which only serves to perpetuate the issue for both the individuals who struggle and the families who worry for them.”

In the difficult months that followed Larry’s passing, Jennefer, who studied Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), managed to work through her grief and refocused on the beauty of using Reiki to promote and support her mental health. 

“This practice has been a huge part of helping me process grief and loss and I am really driven to help others learn this practice to help process their traumas, including grief and loss,” she says. 

“For me this is a healing practice — it gives you the tools to heal our hearts, minds, and bodies. Think about it  — when you feel good, when you’re well, you’re kinder, gentler, more empathetic.”

Jennefer adds, “Reiki training naturally up-levels your sense of awareness and empathy, and when you’re out in the world projecting that, you never know how it will impact someone. Our interactions with others have a lasting impact — positively and negatively. It’s also important that we know how to resource and protect ourselves and our own energy sources. Reiki teaches you this in a beautifully gentle way.”

Jennefer says the goal of her fundraiser is to create “a wave of compassion.” 

“I didn’t really understand what my brother was going through and what drove him to that moment, but I often think about how the smallest thing can impact you one way or the other. What interactions did he have while he was struggling? How could kindness and empathy have potentially changed the course of his day? My brother was kind and showed so much compassion for others. If I can honour him by helping more people access that — even when it’s hard — and I know it is HARD some days, I’ll have met my goal.” 

To learn more about Jennefer’s Reiki Initiative for Positive Mental Health and how to support it, visit www.canadahelps./jennefers-reiki-initiative