This blog post will guide you through everything you need to know about reiki healing. Anyone curious about reiki will benefit from this blog post.
However it will be especially beneficial for individuals curious about booking a reiki healing session.
After reading this article you will understand:
- What reiki is
- The benefits of reiki
- What happens during a reiki healing session
- What happens after a reiki healing session
- How to schedule a reiki healing session
What is Reiki?
Simply put, reiki is a form of energy work. Reiki usually involves gentle, hands-on healing. However, touch is not necessary for healing to occur. It is up to the individual whether or not they prefer hands-on, hands-off or distance healing.
Reiki is a Complimentary Therapy
Reiki is a complimentary form of healing. It consists of energy healing that comes from the palms of the practitioners hands whether they touch the individual or not.
Reiki is thought to remove energetic blocks from the body. When the blocks are removed healing can occur.
Eastern healing modalities widely recognize the energetic body. However, western medicine has often ignored the energetic body. Nevertheless, there is growing scientific evidence to back the effectiveness of reiki therapy, which I will cover later.
Individuals with unrecognized illnesses may find comfort in reiki healing. Equally, individuals with untreatable illnesses or chronic conditions may feel reiki begins to shift things for them in a way they have not experienced through traditional medical treatments.
While there is certainly no replacement for medical care, reiki can serve as an additional form of treatment for people suffering from all kinds of mental, physical and emotional pain.
What Are The Benefits of Reiki?
Scientific evidence is mounting to support the use of reiki as a complimentary method of healing.
Reiki relaxes the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the rest and digest part of the body. This is responsible for feelings of calm, focus and relaxation.
A study of people with chronic conditions concluded that reiki:
- Reduces pain
- Relieves depression and anxiety
- and Improves self-esteem and quality of life
The study also showed reiki relaxed the parasympathetic nervous system by:
- Reducing heart rate
- Reducing blood pressure
- and increasing heart rate variability (McManus, 2017).
Another study has shown reiki to be effective after a single session. Both studio and in-home offerings showed effects.
Most notably, the results showed:
- Reduced tiredness
- Reduced anxiety, depression and negative mood
- and reduced pain (Dyer, Baldwin & Rand, 2019).
However, before reiki can be considered a stand-alone treatment more research is needed. Nevertheless, there is evidence that reiki can support medical and mental health treatment.
What Happens in a Reiki Healing Session?
Trust, Safety and Respect
Before your session be sure you feel confident that you know everything you need to know about reiki healing. It is ok to have a lot of questions. Your reiki practitioner should be able to answer all or most of your questions.
It is important that you feel comfortable with your reiki practitioner. Your relationship should be built on respect, safety and trust.
Location
Reiki sessions can occur anywhere: homes, yoga studios, and even online.
Most often, individuals lie face up. If you are familiar with yoga, this may look similar to savasana or corpse pose. However, any comfortable and relaxed position will work.
Sometimes, the reiki practitioner will use a massage table. Other times the individual may lie on a couch or a bed. Individuals can also lie down on the floor during a session.
Props may be utilized to assist in comfort. Blankets and pillows are commonly used as it is normal to feel cold during the session. Sometimes, practitioners may incorporate crystals, tarot cards or other props to assist in deeper spiritual healing.
The Use of Touch
Most reiki sessions occur in-person and may include touch. However, it is entirely possible to complete a reiki session without touch. It is important to communicate your preference with your reiki practitioner upfront.
As part of a trauma-informed practice, I regularly encourage clients to express their comfort level with anything we do. Perhaps, at the start of the session you are ok with touch but during the session you begin to feel vulnerable and ask for hands off. That is ok!
Safety is integral in order for healing to take place. Always communicate your preferences with your practitioner.
Distance Healing
Some individuals may choose to do a phone or video session. Most reiki practitioners are capable of facilitating a reiki session in this way. This is called distance healing.
In order for distance healing to occur, it is best that you find a relaxed and comfortable place with no distractions for the duration of the session.
What Happens After a Reiki Healing Session?
After the session is complete, your practitioner will gently bring you back to the present moment. It is common to feel a range of emotions or physical sensations when returning from a relaxed, meditative state.
Your practitioner may tell you things they noticed. For example, certain chakras of the body may be blocked. These are energetic areas of the body with physical and emotional properties.
Your practitioner may also provide follow-up recommendations. You may need a little time before re-entering the world. Allow yourself to move slowly and try to be gentle with yourself until you fully arrive back in the present moment.
Commonly Asked Questions:
Still not feeling like you learned everything you need to know about reiki healing? Check out a few commonly asked questions to learn more.
Will I Feel Different After a Reiki Session?
Most people feel relaxed after a reiki session. You may feel tired or need a few moments to reorient to your body, time and place.
However, if intense healing work has been done and self-care has been neglected, the results may feel more intense.
What if I Become Emotional?
It is normal to feel emotional during or after a session. Your practitioner can help you feel grounded before leaving a session. However, emotions may rise which take longer to process.
It is important to have a relationship with a professional healer, therapist, clergy member or doctor before your first reiki session. These types of professionals can assist you with processing the emotions that arose during your reiki healing.
This is why reiki is considered a complimentary therapy. It is a compliment to therapies already in place.
How Often Do I need Reiki?
Individual needs vary widely. Generally speaking, reiki may jumpstart healing. However, it is up to the individual to continually practice self-care and make decisions in alignment with their healing.
In order to gain the most benefits from reiki it is important to engage in self-care on all levels. Individuals who exercise, eat well, have social support and routine medical care may feel lasting impacts after one session.
How Do I Schedule a Reiki Session?
To schedule a session, go to the contact me tab of this website.
You can learn more about my pricing and qualifications by checking out my Trauma-Informed Yoga page.
I offer in-home, private yoga and reiki sessions. You may choose to combine yoga and reiki or schedule a stand-alone reiki session. You may also choose to have your session over the phone or a secure video-link.
Hopefully I have covered everything you need to know about reiki before booking a reiki session. However, I am aware there is so much more to learn. Please do not hesitate to reach out with additional questions or concerns.
I understand how vulnerable it can feel to trust someone to work with your energy field. Our relationship is important and should be built on a foundation of trust, respect, boundaries and comfort.
If you got this far please know how thankful I am that you have allowed me the time to introduce you to this wonderful and healing practice.
About the Author
Olivia Schnur is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Certified Yoga Teacher (CYT-200) and a Level 2 Reiki Practitioner. Olivia is also a writer whose niche is writing yoga and mental health articles. Find more on the About Olivia page of this site.
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References
McManus, D. E. (2017). Reiki is better than placebo and has broad potential as a complimentary health therapy. Journal of Evidence-Based and Alternative Complimentary Medicine, 22(4), 1051-1057. Retrieved January 14, 2021 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5871310/
Dyer, N.L., Dyer, A.L., & Rand, W.L. (2019). A large-scale effectiveness trial of reiki for physical and psychological health. The Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine, 25(12). Retrieved January 14, 2021 from https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/acm.2019.0022
Disclaimer:
This blog post and additional information posted on oliviaschnur.com represent Olivia Schnur’s personal views and should not be treated as professional guidance. The views in this blog post do not represent clinical treatment guidelines or recommendations and should not be treated as medical or mental health guidance. Furthermore, the views expressed on this blog and website do not reflect the views of any professional companies by which Olivia Schnur is employed.
Note to current and former mental health clients: Any contact made via oliviaschnur.com is not considered a confidential means of communication. Furthermore, as a result of ethical and legal requirements, Olivia is unable to respond to current and former clients who attempt to make contact via social media, personal email, or website. Posting comments on blog posts or other web pages can compromise your confidentiality. It is recommended that former or current mental health clients avoid interacting with, commenting on, or making contact via this blog or website.