Understanding Reiki

Of all the services I offer, the one that gets the most questions is Reiki.

Maybe you’re one of the many people who have either never heard of Reiki or have heard the name but are unsure exactly what it is.

While I have become more and more comfortable celebrating things that may not have an answer or concrete explanation, I am here to answer at least some of the basics.

Also, I was trained in the Usui lineage so know my responses are guided by my training. There is no one “right” way and other energy healers may have responses from other lineages, which are just as valid.

What Is Reiki?

Reiki is a Japanese form of energy healing. It is gentle and safe spiritual healing energy; it is intuitive and only helps, never harms. Reiki could also be called divine energy, universal energy, or source energy.

Rather than thinking of the Reiki healer as giving “good energy,” it is the energy itself providing the healing. Reiki knows what to do, where to go, and how long to stay present.

Reiki has the ability to restore balance and health within the body’s energy system, bringing about emotional, spiritual, physical, and/or mental wellbeing. 

What Happens During a Reiki session?

During a Reiki session, you remain fully clothed. The practitioner will give you a brief summary of what to expect and will also leave time for you to ask any questions you may have. They will also likely ask you about any intentions you have for the session.

Reiki can be given with a hands-on or hands-off (hovering above the body) approach; the Reiki practitioner may ask your preference, and if they don’t, you can initiate naming this.

Trauma-informed practitioners will ask if there are any areas of the body they should avoid/not touch and will ask if you’d like them to check in throughout the session (i.e. “I’m going to move my hands over your eyes now”) or if you feel comfortable with them moving freely without these check-ins.

Please note that no practitioner should ever touch vulnerable places of the body (breasts, genitals, buttocks) and no practitioner should ever request or suggest clothing removal.

What Does Reiki Feel Like? 

While a variety of responses may occur, most feel energized and relaxed. It may feel similar to a post-massage bliss. Mental clarity is also a common experience.

Common sensations are: physically light, tingling, vibration, warmth. Common emotional responses include: emotional release, relief, connectedness, decreased stress, and decreased anxiety.

Who Can Practice Reiki?

Anyone! Including (maybe especially) you! As Reiki is universal energy, we all have access to this energy. Once you are attuned (which happens during Reiki training), you can think of having more “efficient access” to this energy.

Oftentimes during training, folks realize they already feel connected to Reiki energy or like they have been utilizing it. The training and attunement can feel like a totally new experience for some and a validating, confirming experience for others. 

How Often Should I Receive Reiki? 

As you’ll see throughout this blog, Reiki involves intention, intuition, and trust. I typically recommend folks trust their intuition to answer this question for themselves.

For some people, receiving Reiki might be part of their weekly self-care/healing routine.

For others, they may receive Reiki on a monthly basis or every few months. I recommend assessing what other self-care and healing routines you participate in and assessing which feel most helpful at various times.

For example, some people participate in weekly therapy, monthly Reiki, and daily yoga. Someone else may prefer weekly Reiki, weekly therapy, monthly dance class, and daily journaling.

Your healing process may be fairly consistent or more dynamic, meaning assessing what your needs are in this moment is a helpful exercise to return to. 

What Does Reiki Help With?

Reiki can support recovery from illness, injury, emotional stress, chakra imbalance, and any other condition impacting mind-body-spirit wellbeing. Reiki is often used in conjunction with modern medicine to support healing, including: in hospital settings, in hospice, postpartum recovery, trauma recovery, and more.

Some folks reach out for Reiki healing when they feel they are in dire need of support. Others use Reiki more proactively to maintain a sense of wellbeing. Still, others seek Reiki when they are feeling stuck or are in a mild discontented space. There is no wrong time to use Reiki.

An important note to remember is that whether Reiki is a primary or more supplemental part of your healing, it can never replace medical or mental health treatment.

While Reiki can support emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual healing, it is not meant to be used instead of medical intervention.

An energy healer should never suggest you ending another type of care and may in fact suggest you receive additional support.

Does Online Reiki Work? 

Yes! During their training, Reiki practitioners learn how to provide distance healing. Some folks prefer in-person Reiki to feel the practitioners hands when receiving the Reiki. However, distance/online/virtual healing sessions can be just as powerful.

While it’s not necessary, it’s recommended to consider the space where you’re receiving distance Reiki. Again, intention is key: you will likely have a more powerful healing experience if you spend time intentionally creating a healing space to receive Reiki.

Lighting candles, playing calming music, bringing in the elements, being in nature, a quiet space, are all examples of you might prepare your space prior to receive online Reiki healing.

How Do You Learn Reiki? 

Reiki training typically occurs in at least three phases: Reiki I, Reiki II, Reiki III/Master-Teacher.

In Reiki I, you learn about the basics of Reiki and after this phase, you can practice Reiki on yourself, your pet(s), your plants, and other inanimate objects. In Reiki II, you receive your first set of Reiki symbols and deepen your understanding.

After this phase, you can begin practicing Reiki with other people. In Reiki III/Master-Teacher, you receive additional Reiki symbols, including the Master symbols, and learn how to attune others to Reiki. 

You can likely find Reiki trainings in your area by doing a simple Google search and reaching out to Reiki Master/Teachers near you.

While I offer in-person trainings a couple times a year, in an effort to make Reiki more accessible, I now offer a self-paced Reiki training as well.

If you are interested in learning Reiki at your own pace, in your own time, and receiving individualized feedback, this might be a great option for you. 

Self-Paced Reiki Training 

I currently offer self-paced versions of my Reiki I and Reiki II trainings (with plans to implement a self-paced Reiki III/Master-Teacher one in the future). This is a great option for those who either are ready to learn Reiki at a time period when a group/in-person option isn’t available, for those who are in areas where Reiki trainings are not abundantly available, and for those who prefer an independent/1:1 learning experience.

The training format is relatively simple: you sign up and receive the training materials (68-page document). You can review these at your own pace; some may complete them in a day, others may take a week, month, or several months. This is a true “trust the process” experience.

Once you feel complete with the materials, you complete a quiz prior to a 90-minute 1:1 attunement. The quiz is “open book” and really designed to help you integrate the material and to guide where we might spend the most time in our 1:1.

The 90-minute 1:1 attunement can be done virtually or in-person. The first part involves going over the material and any questions you may have; we focus on integrating the concepts and clarifying any questions.

Then, we’ll do a meditation followed by your Reiki attunement. There is time after the attunement for you to journal, integrate, and share your responses. 

What Happens After I Learn Reiki? 

Once attuned, your relationship to Reiki continues. It’s up to you how often you practice Reiki. As with most things, the more you practice, the more comfortable and familiar you will become with Reiki. Some may practice Reiki daily or weekly. Others may ebb and flow with their relationship with Reiki.

Again, really trusting yourself and being curious and intentional is key. Some folks may want to just learn Reiki I to be able to practice on themselves while others may be called to continue on in their training to provide Reiki and Reiki trainings to others. It’s recommended you wait at least 21 days before learning the next phase of Reiki. In my own experience, I prefer waiting a few months to really let the experience unfold before continuing on.

In Closing

I hope this guide was useful - please reach out with any questions you might have! If you’re feeling ready to book your Reiki session or Reiki training, I look forward to working with you.