Reiki expert Lisa Harris has an exciting and glamorous sounding past. As a professional model she spent years treading the catwalks of Paris and Milan, and she went on to win a highly coveted competition with toy manufacturer Mattel to become a 'real life' Barbie.
As a much-loved 'living doll' she appeared on TV, took part in a string of media appearances and worked with several children's charities. She says: "It was hard work, it was glamourous and it was competitive."
Lisa says working with children's charities was rewarding, but there was a darker edge to the glitz and glamour.
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She adds: "It was hard going round to castings, trying to get work and it could be a bit objectifying - you were often too thin, too tall, too blonde. It could be lonely and it was hard work - you had to develop a thick skin."
Lisa, who was discovered by a Manchester-based model agency in the late 90's as she walked down Deansgate, also suffered in her personal life. A mum-of-two, her marriage failed and enduring a painful divorce led her to find solace in alcohol.
She says: "I drank throughout the divorce - for two years - it slowly creeps up on you. It was a struggle to go without alcohol for even a day."
Eventually Lisa says she decided: "Enough was enough." She went to see a counsellor who was also in recovery and says: "She was really, really helpful." Today, Lisa has been sober for 12 years.
Lisa says following a 12 step programme to kick the drinking led her down a spiritual path and that is when she discovered the power of Reiki. She says: "I kept hearing about it, it kept constantly popping up in my face."
The holistic therapist, of Alderley Edge, explains: "Reiki is energy healing. Every living thing has a life force energy flowing through it and sometimes this energy becomes misaligned. There are seven different energy points, called 'chakras' running from the top of your head to the base of your spine.
"Reiki involves a light touch of the palm to these points to deliver healing energy."
Lisa opened her own Reiki practice, Lisa Harris Reiki in Wilmslow two years ago and also works one day a week at Delamere Rehab the UK's first purpose-built addiction treatment clinic, in Northwich.
The former model helps a host of celebrity clients including footballers and soap stars, and while anything they discuss is strictly confidential, she says the stress many of her clients are under is immense. "A lot of them are really suffering," she says. Having felt the pressure of the spotlight herself, and spiralled into an alcohol addiction - she has empathy with their demons.
She says: "The stories I hear... we think we are stressed but you can can have an amazing lifestyle but if your mental health is bad and you have an addiction, it doesn't mean anything. A lot of stars have these glamorous lives but it comes at a price. Social media and a high profile is terrible for their mental health, as is stress - a lot are really suffering.
"They are are human beings and a lot are sensitive people. When I am just talking to them, they are not arrogant, not difficult - just normal people." Lisa says Reiki is 'a reset for mind, body and soul.'
She says: "Discovering Reiki has been life changing. It is such a privilege to help people, particularly those suffering with addiction and mental health issues. It's changed my life and it changes theirs."
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