What You Will Experience in a Reiki Energy Healing Session

Trying something new may change your life.

When I first heard about Reiki, I immediately thought of two things:

• Of Phoebe in Friends, waving her hands goofily around the air, cleansing the auras of bewildered onlookers, and
• Of the witchdoctor from the Alvin and the Chipmunks, going all “boogie-de-boogie-boo” over me.

At the risk of sounding like a drug pusher, you have to keep an open mind. For the uninitiated, a Reiki energy healing session can be intimidating. To complicate matters, all Reiki practitioners don’t all operate the same way. However, everyone that practices Reiki abides by certain fundamentals.

Similarities in all Reiki and energy healing sessions

When I get my haircut, I always expect common things: having a cape draped over me; having my hair cut; getting cleaned off. Sometimes I get a shampoo. Sometimes I get a shoulder massage. Once, while living in Japan, the barber finished by cracking my neck.

You can always expect consistencies in a Reiki session.

• The person offering you Reiki is offering you full, unconditional love.
• The provider wants whatever happens to be for your greatest good.
• This is not a sexualized experience. You will remain fully clothed. They will not touch your sensitive and private areas.

You can also expect similarities that have slight differences, depending on your Reiki provider.

• You might be seated; you may end up lying down.
• Music may or may not be playing. Music could include chimes, bowls, and bells.
• The practitioner may touch you (always with your permission), or they may not touch you, opting to move their hands near you.

Reasons to see a Reiki practitioner

Reiki is not a substitute for proper medical care. That said, there are many reasons to seek a Reiki energy healer. According to the Cleveland Clinic, over 900 hospitals and healthcare systems in the United States use Reiki to complement treatment. The scientific community has begun accepting energy healing:

• Review of randomized trials reducing anxiety and pain.
• Study of comparison in reducing lower back pain.
• Study of distance healing in reducing pain, fatigue, and anxiety.

Personally, I’ve seen the most significant responses from people seeking Reiki for the following conditions: PTSD, pain, anxiety, insomnia, overbearing guilt, and stomach issues

What you will feel and experience during Reiki

Honestly, your mileage will vary. That said, I’m confident enough in people feeling SOME sort of positive difference that if they don’t, I offer them all their money back. But that’s my practice. I believe in the power of Reiki energy healing.

First, a brief history of Reiki. Reiki isn’t the only energy healing modality. It began in Japan around 1922. Reiki practitioners are “attuned,” meaning Reiki masters taught them and physically transferred the ability of Reiki to the provider. Of the energy healing modalities, this is relatively new.

Some energy healers operate as a shaman, healers, or even witches. Please, don’t let me scare you.

I assure you that Christians and most faiths are entirely safe and whole in receiving Reiki or other energy healing. It’s not a sin. It’s not voodoo. It is not even a religion, and there is nothing to believe. You can receive Reiki energy healing and its benefits without having to believe in it.

There are some common effects of Reiki treatment. A majority of people getting Reiki experience some or all of the following:

• General or local warmth.
• A tingling (not unpleasant) sensation.
• An encompassing love.
• Total body relaxation.

Those that suffer from PTSD, insomnia, pain, or stomach issues tend to feel better immediately.

It’s more science than magic

These healing claims may seem miraculous and bombastic, but science and literature are increasingly backing up these claims.

Forbes, Business Insider, and even the Natural History Museum show clear evidence that our bodies are 99.99% energy. What appears to be our physical bodies are, in actuality, mostly empty space. But not quite empty. Rather buzzing with energy.

Thus, the terminology of energy healing. Yes, we are still trying to balance science with mystical art, but we know it works. Again, see the studies referenced above.

It even works at a distance

In 1995, Larry Dossey, M.D. wrote a book entitled Healing Words that cataloged several distance healing studies. Through non-contact modalities, such a distance Reiki, he showcased effective and proven medical and psychological healing.

I’m not saying to send in money, nor am I telling you that you are guaranteed to heal — this isn’t one of those things. What I am saying is this:

• There’s scientific evidence proving overall improvements.
• Several hospitals have seen Reiki work and are using it alongside traditional medical treatment for positive results.
• If anything, you will at least feel some kind of positive difference.

Don’t feel bad for thinking of Reiki or energy healing as some kind of weird, esoteric, crazy-person ritual. Remember, the most remarkable thing about Reiki is that the practitioner is offering you their full attention and unconditional love.

Isn’t that worth trying out?

Ryan DeJonghe is the owner of YourEnergyHealers.Org, an online collaborative of energy and Reiki healers offering services over video. Ryan is also the author of Energy Healing 101, releasing January 2021.