Frequently Asked Questions about Reiki

Reiki is a universal healing energy.  It’s not a religion and has no affiliation with any religion, sect or cult. Reiki is based on the universal laws of love and light for all living things.  The term ‘reiki’ is a Japanese word for two syllables which mean:

• REI (pronounced ‘ray’) = Universal Spirit or essence
• KI (pronounced ‘key’) = Life energry, light or Chi

Everything that is alive contains Ki (or Chi), but people who have completed Reiki courses are an open channel to the Universe’s limitless source of Ki.   This gives Reiki Therapists, Practitioners, Masters & Teachers unlimited access to the life force energy for their own healing, and they can transmit this energy to others.

A reiki practitioner is like a straw/pipe, they are able to tap into universal energy and transmit it to the receiver.  It is not their own energy that they pass on. It is also considered a type of hands on healing as many practitioners will place their hands gently on or near a person to transmit the energy to the client.

One of the traditions of Reiki is the telling of the story of its rediscovery by Dr Mikao Usui.  We say “rediscovery” as it’s a universal healing energy that was understood by many of the great spiritual masters.

As Dr Usui’s story was an oral tradition in the early days, there are a few variations of it so the exact details don’t really matter but below is a snap shot:

• Born in 1865, Mikao Usui was raised as a Samurai as befitting his family tradition.
• Dr Usui lived in the city of Kyoto, Japan in the second half of the 19^th Century.  It was a time of great change in the country and Dr Usui fully embraced Christianity and become a minister and teacher at a Christian college for boys in Kyoto.
• After some time, he resigned his position at the college and set off to find out how one can connect to the universal life force. He travelled and studied extensively, learning to read Sanskrit and studying the teachings of Buddha and his form of healing, but nothing held the answers he was looking for. It’s believed he travelled extensively across America and Europe, studying history, medicine, Christianity, Buddhism, psychology and Taoism.
• In 1922, he ended up in a zen monastery and undertook a 21day retreat of fasting & meditation.  On the last day he received the insight from a bright light that struck him in the centre of his forehead.
• He spent his remaining years learning to put into practice what he had received.  He healed many beggars allowing them to embark on a positive life.  They got married and had jobs, but much to his surprise many returned to life as a beggar as they struggled with being responsible for their own lives.  Although discouraged it made him realise that Reiki is first about healing the self and being able to take responsibility for our own life.
• He also started teaching others prior to his death in late 1920s.  One of his students, Chujiro Hayashi, was a physician and would go onto be Usui’s most prominent student.
• Thanks to Chujiro,  Reiki slowly spread outside of Japan. In the late 1930s, Reiki found it’s way to Hawaii.  After WW2 it was carried to America and Europe.

When the Reiki practitioner channels this healing energy through their hands to the recipient, it activates the body’s natural ability to heal itself.  It’s not the practitioner doing the healing, it’s actually the recipient healing themselves. Reiki helps the recipients’ body to stabilise and heal itself. The energy goes to where illnesses have their origin and works wherever it is most needed.  It works by releasing blocked energies, cleansing the body of toxins and working to create a state of balance in your whole being (mental, physical, emotional & spiritual).

If the Chi or Ki in our bodies can flow easily then we are happy and healthy.  Stress, lifestyle and other people can create a blockage in our Chi which prevents the energy moving through us. As a result we start to become unwell or feel a sense of dis-ease.  Left long enough our dis-ease manifests into disease. Reiki helps to remove those blocks and other low or negative energy.  Long term Reiki recipients use it as a preventative – to help clear the dis-ease in the early energetic stages before it takes hold in the physical body.

Reiki helps your body on all levels – physical, mental, emotional & spiritual.  Ultimately your own life path and openness to receive will determine what healing you receive.  Often a clients come to Reiki seeking a solution to a particular problem. But during the healing it becomes apparent that the issue is a surface level symptom of something else and the healing will go to where it is most needed instead.   You will ALWAYS get the healing that is right for you in that moment.

Reiki helps to bring all parts of yourself back into alignment.  It clears the body of stress allowing the body to put its energy towards other things – such as healing itself.  Sometimes there may not be anything wrong as such – but just a feeling of unease or you just don’t feel your normal self and can’t put your finger onto the issue.

As a therapist, I have personally witnessed my clients experience the following as a result of Reiki:

• clearer skin and whiter eyes
• better sleep
• improved ability to cope with work and life stress
• greater sense of joy in life
• improved self confidence & resilience
• increased synchronicities and good luck
• less fear, anxiety and depression
• conceiving a child after infertility problems
• reduction in physical pain
• ending a repeating pattern of behaviour, health issue, etc.
• weight loss (especially stubborn weight that doesn’t seem to respond to diet or exercise)

You can read more about my clients experiences on the blog under the Client Journeys category.

Many people find Reiki healing sessions help with a variety of ailments including anxiety, pain, fertility & depression.  As mentioned earlier, Reiki activates your body’s ability to heal itself, and in my experience I have found that Reiki does help with all of these issues and many more. But it takes time and commitment to regular on going sessions (eg monthly).  The issue you may be experiencing is most likely a surface level symptom of a deeper issue at play.  A couple of reiki sessions typically provides relief in a matter of days, but with regular ongoing sessions you can start to tackle the root of the issue.

Reiki helps with many issues and is a perfect compliment to any other treatment you may be having.  The greatest shifts and healings come when a person commits to monthly reiki sessions.  Just like going to the gym or dieting, you get better results with long term consistency, so too with reiki.  This has been my own personal experience and what I have witnessed as a therapist over 15 years.   Intermittent sessions are beneficial to some degree, but a more profound change & healing comes to those who have at least monthly sessions.  You can choose to put out the spot fires that pop up every so often, or you can find arsonist that keeps lighting the fires with good steady detective work.  

Although miracles relating to Reiki have been reported, it is not the norm.  World wide reiki is used:

• in hospitals to support post surgery recovery and to help cancer patients rebuild their immune systems (reiki can increase the number of white bloods cells in the body)
• by some defence forces to help service men & women recover from PTSD (reiki can release stored trauma in the body).

Please note: part of the healing journey will be your willingness to be open to receive, to be open to change and get to the bottom of the issue that caused the problem in the first place.

Although it originally started with one man, there are now many forms of Reiki to pick from and this shows it’s versatility in working alongside other modalities or on it’s own. 

All Reiki practitioners have learnt the same core components of the original Usui Reiki method, but because it is works well with other healing methods, there are now many other types of Reiki including Angel Reiki, Crystal Reiki, Shamanic Reiki, Tibetan Reiki, Celtic Reiki & Egyptian Reiki.

A Reiki Therapist or Practitioner must have completed at least Level 2 in their training before they can treat people outside of their family and friends and receive some form of payment in exchange.  Someone who has only completed Reiki Level 1 training can only treat friends and family and can not receive payment as they are in their initial stages of development.

Unfortunately the industry isn’t regulated, so it’s a case of trial and error.  And it’s not because the Reiki Therapist isn’t any good at what they do, but rather they are not a match for you. What works for one person, may not work for you.  I always encourage my people who are interested in exploring reiki to try different therapists and go with the person they ‘click’ with.   If you connect well with your therapist I believe it delivers better results for you.  If your therapist makes you feel uncomfortable, guilty or ashamed about some aspect of your life or a behaviour – that is not the therapist for you.  You do not have to stay with that person.  Reiki is equally as effective via distance so you literally have a world full of practitioners to pick from.

Although each practitioner may have had the same basic training, each one has their own way of working.  Some will spend time talking to you about what concerns you that day, others don’t.  Some will be more tactile (ie place their hands on you) while others won’t touch you at all.  For some, Reiki is an add on service to something else they offer (eg massage), for others it is their only speciality.  If you are not sure, best to get in touch with your therapist and ask them how they work with their clients. 

Word of mouth is an excellent way to find a good therapist. But if you are the first of your circle to venture into this space, a chat with your local crystal shop or yoga studio owner or a google search can help you find who is local to you.  Make sure you see if they have any reviews as these can be valuable places of insight.

Every session is different, and experiences can vary widely. You may experience nothing or you may have the most amazing spiritual experience.  The following are pretty common experiences:

• nothing – just a very pleasant nap but a few days later they notice life has dramatically  improved.
• a deeply relaxing experience sometimes accompanied by astral travel (ie you know you are not asleep, and yet you are also not in the room but have travelled to a very peaceful place).
• seeing bright white light (or multi coloured light) despite having your eyes closed
• dream like images coming to mind – some don’t make sense, others carry a lot of meaning.
• tingling or flowing sensation through different parts of the body
• muscle twitches, arms involuntarily lifting, water being released from the eyes.
• muscles completely let go of tension and you feel incredibly heavy
• your soul singing and being lifted allowing you to feel the pure joy & love of the universe
• the heaviness in your body being taken away
• sensation of rewiring or restructuring to improve the body.

No one can say exactly what you will experience during a Reiki Healing – the only way to know it to give it a go.

After your reiki session you may feel a little groggy or light headed.  Some people feel like a great burden has been lifted off their shoulders.  You may also feel the need to be on your own for a couple of hours.

As a Reiki Practitioner, I encourage my clients to drink plenty of water after a session, avoid busy places for a few hours, and avoid drugs or alcohol for 24hrs.   You want to give your body a chance to integrate the healing without compromising it with other peoples energy or anything else that could undo the healing.

Some people experience only pure bliss in the days immediately after a session, with an increase in synchronicities.  For others it takes a couple of days to settle before the bliss kicks in. Feeling tired or extra emotional for 24-48hrs after a session is normal.  For anyone who experiences these symptoms, I suggest sleeping if possible as it will help the body to integrate the healing faster.  Once the healing has worked its way through your body, you’ll notice a shift in how you feel.  You may experience greater mental clarity, renewed sense of joy for life, more energy, sleep better, etc.    More details are listed on the Energy Healing page.