Reiki is a Japanese word, rei meaning Universal spirit, ki meaning life force. It is an energy modality where the giver places their hands on or over the receiver in a way that eases, guides and motivates the energy flow through the body to promote healing.
Most people who study or practice Reiki today are working with the practice developed by Dr Mikao Usui in 1922. The belief is though that some of the techniques he used date back long before this and Dr Usui during his spiritual studies rediscovered and combined the different practices to develop Reiki as it is most commonly known today.
Throughout my many years dealing with chronic pain and visiting numerous therapists of different modalities, I was always a little confused as to what Reiki actually was. I experienced many sessions where the Practitioner was a “Something” and Reiki Practitioner. I was never really sure if what I experienced was Reiki or another modality. It baffled me that, when I stared to ask what Reiki was, I couldn’t seem to get a clear or consistent answer to my question apart from the fact that it is an energy modality.
I first decided I needed to know more about what it was in 2019 and decided to do the Reiki 1 training. I was surprised to realise that I had been intuitively doing a form of Reiki for most of my life. I soon followed this up by doing my Reiki 2 and then deciding to share this lovely modality as a Practitioner.
As far back as I can remember I have placed my hands on myself or others on areas that were injured or painful. I could feel the energy and could feel it move or change. I could also feel, for example, where someone’s pain was in their back and they could often feel where my hands were on their back even though I wasn’t actually touching them. I was intuitively working with energy long before I knew it was a thing.
My learning has continued with Reiki and I am now understanding why it was so hard for me to get a black and white answer to the question, “What is Reiki?”. It’s because it’s not black and white! In fact, it’s the whole rainbow and then some.
First let me explain how I work with Reiki as a Practitioner. I generally sit behind my clients head and lay my hands in different positions on their head, shoulders and upper chest area. While doing this (usually with my eyes closed) I am looking at the energy in their body and their Chakras.
From my experience as a client, I know this is not how all Reiki Practitioners work. Some stand over their client and work with their hands moving around the whole body. Some are hands off the client (not touching) rather than hands on. Some have rituals they include in their sessions. Some are silent and others will talk to you. To sum it up, the one consistency I have found about Reiki as a client, is that it is practiced in many different ways. In fact, I don’t think I have ever experienced it the same way twice.
Now as a Practitioner, I don’t think my experience working on any two clients has been the same. It has become very clear to me that not only is the way you work with Reiki as a Practitioner a very personal thing, what you experience with each client is very personal to the them as well. As I am looking at a client’s energy, it can present itself in many different ways. Sometimes I see colours or shades of grey, other times I may see a leg that appears to be made of stone, or what looks like a gap in the body. When doing a Chakra cleanse, I have seen Chakras of varying sizes and degrees of colour. They can be smooth or textured, slow or fast, I even had one that had sparks flying off it like it was a Catherine Wheel (anyone else old enough to remember fireworks night?)
When I first started working on clients with Reiki, I wondered what on earth I was doing wrong to have such a different experience in each session. I soon realised that what I was seeing was relevant to the client, not me or any books I had read or training I had done. The more I shared with each client what I was seeing, their reactions and confirmations made it clearer that often what their body was showing me were messages in a language the client would understand.
Many Practitioners call themselves Reiki Healers. I prefer to call myself an Energy Facilitator. My belief is that our bodies all have the ability to heal themselves. Healing does not occur if your body is not a willing participant. My role as a Reiki Practitioner is to help facilitate the energy flow in, through and around your body. This helps your body to be functioning at its best, ensuring that it is able to allow healing to occur. In every session I give, my goal is to help create ease, calm and flow within your body. Falling asleep in a session is a win. It is not uncommon to be tired after a Reiki session because your body has let go of stress and tension, giving it the opportunity to relax. I have had clients comment on the lifting of pain after a session, easing of anxiety or just a general sense of peace and relaxation.
What I will do in a session and what you will receive from a Reiki session is entirely up to you and your body. I am guided to focus on the areas that need help. The more open you are to receiving, the easier it is for me to shift the energy and allow your body to do the work it needs to to heal.
I have to say, of all the offerings I have, Reiki has been the biggest eye opener and personal growth I have had over the last few years. I am loving the feedback I have gotten from clients. It makes me so happy to hear their good news stories and to know they have found some ease and peace in their bodies and their lives.
If this blog has you curious and you would like to experience a Reiki session with me, feel free to check out my offerings page and contact me to book a session.
Enjoy your journey
💜 Donna