If you’ve never been to a Reiki session before, you may be wondering what happens during a typical session. Reiki sessions are conducted to enhance your experience of healing. Your Reiki practitioner pays attention to ensuring the environment is designed to make you feel relaxed and at ease. This includes soft music, soft lighting, and subtle scents. Your practitioner’s room should be quiet and not contain any distracting, offensive or loud objects.

Reiki sessions typically last 30-60 mins. A Reiki session will offer a useful amount of time to allow you to relax into receiving Reiki, as well as provide the practitioner enough time to work on the basic hand positions. Your Reiki session may also involve a short time of discussion with the Reiki practitioner about what you can expect before, during and after a session.

Reiki is typically conducted in your practitioner’s therapy room, however, Reiki can also be conducted in any location as well as by distance where you are not in the same room as your Reiki therapist. Regardless of the location, Reiki is best received in a quiet environment without distractions.

Before you arrive at your Reiki session, make sure you dress comfortably. Start to disconnect from the use of any technology and refrain from engaging in any high conflict conversations that will increase your levels of stress and anxiety. If you attend your session in a heightened state of anxiety and stress, you may find your mind focused on your perceived problem and not be open to receiving the benefits of Reiki.

Our lives are not completely controllable, so you may find yourself attending a Reiki session while you are upset or anxious about something. This is completely ok as your Reiki practitioner will help you work towards achieving a calmer state of mind. You can discuss your current state of mind with your practitioner at the start of the session so they can be sensitive to your emotions at that time.

You can discuss with your Reiki practitioner any issues you would like to focus on during your Reiki session. You may like to work towards inner healing about something that may be related to your physical or mental health. Alternatively, if you don’t have any immediate concerns or goals, you may want to set an intention of peace and loving kindness so that your Reiki session can provide you with the spiritual benefits of practice.

Before your session make sure you have taken care of any hunger, thirst or toiletry needs so that you are not distracted during your session.

During the Reiki treatment, you will lie down on a massage table on your back which will allow your Reiki practitioner to move around you to deliver the Reiki treatment. You can also ask your Reiki practitioner if you can sit upright if that is more comfortable for you. You will remain fully clothed but remove your shoes.

Most Reiki sessions will remain quiet so that your Reiki practitioner can focus on connecting the transference of energy between you. This also allows you the opportunity to relax into the experience and calm your mind. You can also begin to bring awareness to the physical feelings in your body as your Reiki practitioner moves around your body.

STANDARD REIKI HAND POSITIONS

Reiki practitioners may work intuitively based on your discussed intentions or they may use the standard Reiki hand positions. Each hand position is held for approximately 3-5 minutes. The time spent in each position is not rigid and is typically based on the Reiki practitioners intuition.

Hand positions will move over your body to the following areas:

• Head
• Body
• Back (at this stage you will turn over on the table to your stomach)
• Legs
• Feet

Each of these areas may have multiple positions for your Reiki practitioner to focus on. If you have discussed a known physical issue with your practitioner they may focus on specific areas for additional Reiki. For example, if you are experiencing a headache, the focus may stay around the head positions for extra support.

WHAT REIKI FEELS LIKE

Every person will experience Reiki differently.

Typical responses to Reiki include:

• a feeling of deep relaxation
• a feeling of warmth in the area the Reiki practitioner is holding their hands
• feeling refreshed and re-energized
• tiredness from the emotional release

Reiki is non-invasive and does not require any verbal or physical response between you and the Reiki practitioner.

The effects of a Reiki session can be felt immediately after the session as well as some time after. Each person’s response is different. Often, we will look for proof of mental or physical changes in response to Reiki treatment, however, much of our inner is conducted at the subconscious level. We typically use our conscious thoughts to inquire, investigate and rationalize thoughts. In the case of Reiki, much of the healing is done outside of our own conscious efforts and therefore can be difficult for us quantify.

The impact of a Reiki session may be felt in the way you feel about your perception of a situation or event that follows your Reiki session. You may feel more relaxed and calmer and more present with where you are. Your sense may be more heightened with touch, taste, and sight. If you are going through an emotional transition, you may feel liberated from emotional repression. You may feel dehydrated and tired and should hydrate with water soon after your session.

These effects can normally last from hours up to 2 days after your session.

Remain open to the effects of your Reiki session and understand that your body and mind are working in tandem with the energy flow of Reiki.

You can spend some time after your session reflecting on your emotions, thoughts and physical response to the Reiki session. Use this time to write in a journal or record your thoughts somehow. You may want to meditate, create art, go for a gentle walk in nature. Participating in kind and loving self-care for yourself after your Reiki session will help extend the benefits that you receive from Reiki.