What Is Reiki?

Reiki is a healing method that falls somewhere between a deep meditation and “acupuncture without needles.” It’s like yoga for your mind.

The theory behind reiki is that every person has an energy field, a cloud of non-visible light, that extends around six feet around their body. This is how you might feel someone staring at you, or sense that the person behind you in line is too close. 

The Human Energy Field

The electric activity of the heart can be measured on the surface of the human body with an electrocardiogram (ECG), and experiments to measure the field around the body are currently underway.

This energy field is like the body’s software, so to speak. Clearing or repairing the software can “fix” the hardware (the physical body) by boosting the body’s innate healing abilities (i.e., how your skin heals over a scrape or cut). In most cases, the hardware needs to be healed separately (i.e. take antibiotics for a virus) but doing reiki can facilitate this process and protect against future issues. 

The presence of energy fields is universal, and ways of manipulating an energy field can be thought of as programming languages. Reiki is one of those languages, and other methods that work with the energy field may include craniosacral therapy, Qigong, acupuncture, sound healing, and yoga. 

History of Reiki

Reiki was discovered by Dr. Mikao Usui in Japan in the late 1800s, after studying ancient Indian and Chinese philosophies and a time of fasting and meditation. Most often the term “remembered” is used for reiki’s discovery to indicate that reiki was used by early humans and he tapped into the collective consciousness and retrieved it. 

Many phenomena once thought mystical, such as the daily rise of the sun, are now explained by science. Because of its spiritual origins, reiki is often thought of as a spiritual practice, but that’s an oversimplification, as many scientific discoveries and creative insights come in a moment of inspiration. 

The reiki method was formalized by Dr. Usui’s student, Dr. Chujiro Hayashi, who developed hand movements, which enabled the healing method to be taught to additional practitioners. Now, reiki is offered at more than 60 U.S. hospitals. 

The Limits of Science

Because the energy field is not made of matter, our methods for measuring matter do not work on it. Likely, within our lifetime, modern science will find a way to measure it! Some reiki practitioners, as well as others with extra-sensory perception (ESP), are able to sense, or even visually see, the energy field. 

In quantum mechanics, the measurement problem, illustrated by Schrödinger's cat, indicates that the very act of measuring something may influence it, via the observer effect. In that case, the scientific method falls apart in the first step!  

Science is constantly evolving. By recognizing ancient health discoveries as science, we can continue to promote better ways to promote healing, with fewer side effects. 

The Benefits & Why Do Reiki

People often come to reiki for issues that don’t fit well into the paradigm of Western medicine. Common reasons include burnout, stress, sleep, chronic pain, depression, anxiety, or to promote higher energy levels, creativity, performance, or clarity. 

When I offered reiki practice sessions to a small group of friends, the most common benefits included relaxation, release of tension, clearing of anxiety, peace, calm, and a sense of lightness. 

A Typical Reiki Session

In a session, I begin by asking the client if there is something they would like to focus on, such as stress or shoulder tension. They can remain seated or lie down, and I’ll play some music. What’s most important is that they are able to relax. Whether the session is in-person or virtual, I will do a series of hand movements that correspond with the chakras, or energy centers, located along the spine, the central channel of the meridian system. 

During the session, clients may experience emotions, memories, dream-like visions or images, physical sensation of tingling or warmth, stillness, or deep meditation. Some clients feel nothing at all — which is fine! The reiki is still working. 

As a practitioner, I use my imagination and intuition to visualize the client’s energy field being cleared. I often feel tingling or warmth in my hands, but not always, and my experience doesn’t always match the intensity of the experience for the client. 

Afterwards, I recommend they use their relaxed state to journal, work on a creative project, make a decision, or simply to rest. 

How Reiki Works

Reiki works through a combination of attention and intention. As a practitioner, I am channeling energy into the client, and I do that by focusing my attention on the client. The attention is like the computer mouse, directing the energy where it needs to go. I’m not thinking about my breakfast or my to-do list, I’m focused on the client. I’m tapping into a universal healing energy and being a conduit. The most challenging aspect to practicing reiki is being able to focus for a period of time. It is similar to meditation and a practitioner simply improves their abilities through practice. 

The second piece of reiki is intention. If a client is able to label their key issue as “relationship problem” or “hip pain,” I can focus the attention there without needing to know all of the details. Separately, during the session, the client can focus their own attention to a specific area of the body or emotional issue to direct the energy there. It’s much like a computer’s graphical interface — when I imagine a pink cloud melting the dust around the client’s heart, the energy does exactly that. 

Without a clear intention, the reiki energy will gravitate towards whatever needs healing. If a client feels sensation in a certain area of the body such as the throat, this may indicate there’s something in their life they need to speak up about. If a vivid image comes to mind, it could be a clue or a data point to something to work on emotionally or psychologically. 

Reiki goes a step further than a placebo

A skeptic may wonder if reiki is just a placebo effect. It is, in a sense! Our minds, and the mind-body connection, are more powerful than we’ve thought. Reiki goes a step further than a placebo, though. A placebo is used for a control group, defined by a lack of intent, but reiki is powered by both focus and intent, which is like pressing your foot on the gas.

The existence of energy fields is universal, other activities that bring about a meditative state, such as yoga, exercise, music, and of course meditation itself, can also manipulate the energy field and provide similar benefits. 

Everyone experiences reiki differently. Some issues can be cleared in a single session, others take a series. Some people feel nothing on their first session, others, despite no background in mindfulness, have an intense experience right away. Reiki becomes more potent, the more your body becomes used to receiving it. 

There are a few ways to get started and find out if reiki is a good fit for you. You can try a recorded reiki meditation on YouTube or Insight Timer, attend a group reiki virtual session, or find a practitioner and book an individual session, in-person or remote.