Of vulnerability and the need to be seen

n Reiki practice, there is a ritual called Reiju, also called attunement. It's a spiritual offering from the Reiki teacher to the student. Although each time you receive a Reiju, it feels different, you often experience a great feeling of love and being home—total oxytocin high.
So when my teacher used me as a guinea pig for a 20-minute long Reiju at a retreat recently, I was ecstatic. And the first few minutes where that: a deep feeling of connection, love, and total wellbeing. But then… things shifted. Fears started popping right and left. I felt shame—what would my teacher think of me being afraid of sharing the Reiju space with him? I felt guilt—why can't I enjoy this? But there was also a part of me just witnessing all of this happening. A part that whispered,  just allow your feelings to exist. And there I sat, completely exposed and vulnerable, and it felt great. Not the "high-as-kite-kind-of-great" I was expecting. It was a deeper sense of great: one that came from being seen 100% and loved anyway.
The other day a friend complained about not been seen. This made me think. To be seen we need people who accept us entirely, but we also need to do our part. We need to be brave and vulnerable enough to show everything we are.