Reiki is a Japanese form of energy healing created by Mikao Usui in 1922. “Reiki is a holistic, light-touch, energy-based modality that promotes relaxation and reduces stress,” says Brenda Hendry, a Reiki Master Teacher. “The practitioner uses gentle hand movements with the intention to guide the universal life force energy into the client’s body.”

“The main goal is wellness, on many levels,” says Tamara Zentgraf, a Reiki Master Teacher. “Physical, spiritual, emotional, and psychological.”

How is Reiki Performed and What Can a Client Expect?

Typically, Reiki is performed with the client lying down on a massage table. Clients are encouraged to close their eyes, relax, and focus on their breathing. During this time, the practitioner will move their hands through a series of gentle hand positions on or above the body, depending on the individual’s comfort level. Reiki can be done without any touch at all, but usually includes light touch. This touch differs from massage as there is no pressure involved.

The goal is not soft-tissue manipulation. “The practitioner will make sure to avoid touching any sensitive areas and will hover their hands above the body instead,” Hendry says. The hand positions will be held for two to five minutes each, but practitioners will use their own intuition and experience to determine if they should stay in one spot for a longer or shorter time.

A typical Reiki session will last approximately 50 minutes, though timing is up to both the provider and the client. During the session, the client will typically slip into a deep state of relaxation and may even fall asleep. Some clients experience physical sensations such as heat or tingling while others may have memories surface that could cause an emotional release such as crying. “Some clients have even reported having visualizations as they have slipped into a deep meditative state,” Hendry says.

Immediately after a session, clients may remark that they feel lighter, as if a weight has been lifted off of them. “Many clients report feeling ‘whole,’ ‘happy,’ ‘peaceful,’ or ‘energized’ after a session,” says Zentgraf.

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What Are the Benefits of Reiki?

The purported benefits of Reiki are wide-ranging, with the primary focus to increase relaxation and reduce stress. “When you receive Reiki, it induces a deep state of relaxation and encourages normal energy flow in the body,” Hendry says. “The more time we spend in the parasympathetic mode, a ‘rest and digest’ state, the healthier we are.”

As a non-invasive form of work, the risks for adverse effects with Reiki are low.

What Training Is Required?

Different types of Reiki require different training. Usui Reiki, for example, includes three levels of training. The initial level introduces Reiki and focuses on self-treatment before students receive an introduction on how to start performing Reiki on others.

Once a student has completed and received their level two Reiki certification they earn the title of Reiki practitioner and may begin practicing. Reiki levels 3A and 3B are training courses to become a Reiki Master. Once reaching the designation of Reiki Master, one is then able to take on an apprentice in order to teach Reiki to others.

Regardless of the type or level of Reiki one is practicing, the goal remains the same: improved wellness. “Reiki is an effective complementary addition to many medical treatments,” says Hendry. “With mental health issues continuously on the rise, it is my hope that Reiki becomes more renowned for its healing benefits and eventually more accessible in hospitals and health care centers as well as through individual health care benefits.”

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