What I Know About Reiki Healing

Summary

Reiki is a Japanese energy healing method where a practitioner connects to universal life force energy and allows it to flow through their hands, either onto their own body or another person's, to help clear energy that feels blocked or depleted. It works the same whether delivered in person or remotely, and it doesn't depend on belief to be effective. It can be received as a session, or learned directly through One-Hour Reiki™, a beginner-friendly training that teaches a person to work with the energy on themselves after a single 60-minute session, no certification path required. Reiki complements, rather than replaces, medical and mental health care.

I've been asked more questions about Reiki over the years than almost anything else I do. Some of that is because it's the most well-known form of energy healing out there, people have usually heard the word before they've heard of anything else I practice. Most talk about the technical aspects, or describe a set of generic phrases about universal life energy and gentle hands, repeated across a hundred websites.

I wanted to relay the things I tell everyone about my relationship with this lovely form of energy healing and my nearly two decades of professional practice with it. My goal with this post is to try to answer many of the questions that are commonly asked about one of the most well known energy healing practices out there.

What Reiki Actually Is

Reiki is a Japanese energy healing method. The word comes from "rei," meaning universal, and "ki," meaning life energy. Mikao Usui founded the practice in Tokyo in 1922, and the core idea hasn't really changed since: a life force runs through everything living, and when it gets blocked or depleted, that shows up as tension, illness, or just a general sense of being off. That is the textbook explanation. Below is what I know through my experiences of working with Reiki for my own healing process and to help with the needs of my clients.

How Reiki Works

A practitioner connects to the source of the universal healing energy that is available to all of us. It powers all living things. It runs 24/7. It is without judgement, or preference for one cultural belief over another. It cares only about our true intentions and our level of focus.

Once the connection has been established, the practitioner allows the Reiki energy to flow through their own body's energy system and outwards through their hands. They can then place their hands on their own body to work on themselves, or place them on the body of another person with the intent of helping them heal or to remove energetic blockages that are holding them back in specific aspects of their lives.

It works on the ancient principle that the body is an energetic field that is comprised of 7 energy centers known as chakras. Each of the chakras has its own unique function in keeping our energy systems moving in a harmonious flow. If one, or all of them are depleted or blocked, it can negatively affect the way we experience our life.

You can study, focus and practice to become an expert on what each of the chakras is responsible for and focus Reiki towards each of them, but Reiki does not need a person to be so structured in their application.

When my children would get bumped or scraped, I would simply focus Reiki towards their wounds specifically. Whenever I have an upset stomach, I lie on the couch, place hands on my belly and turn Reiki on. It is my go-to for aches and pains in my body.

For more complex health issues I have developed a more advanced energy healing protocol I call Signal Restoration Therapy™.

Reiki Is for Everyone

It is the most basic and accessible form of energy healing work that I know. It is so easy to work with that anyone can learn to work with it themselves without any need for a complicated training process. You just ask for it to flow through you and it does. There is no need to strain your mind on hoping it shows up, because it always does. You don't need to worry if you are doing it right, because it doesn't depend on you to do its job. In fact, you don't need to think about anything, because thinking actually gets in the way. You just need to declare yourself to be a clear and committed channel and it automatically flows to wherever it is needed in the body.

It is source energy, and source energy is smarter than we are. It knows where the healing is needed.

How Do You Learn Reiki?

I could tell you all about the theory of the chakras and correct hand placement on the body. I could explain the symbols and their meaning and significance to Reiki healing. You could learn all about the levels of Reiki and what each one allows you to practice. These are very important aspects if you want to become certified and advance through the levels as I did.

There are millions of website pages that will offer this information to you. There are a ton of Reiki Master Teacher sites offering complete training and certification.

Technique is important, especially if you want to learn how to work on other people's energy in a safe manner. But more importantly, it is about the relationship you form with Reiki. Interacting with any source of energy always comes down to the quality of the relationship you build with it. Learning Reiki for yourself isn't about learning a set of hand positions or remembering which chakra does what, it's about learning to trust and evolve your interactions with it.

I approach Reiki from a much easier place of teaching. I always want my clients to have a quick, easy and very effective method of Reiki healing that they can use to work on themselves with very little time or effort involved. I have developed a beginner's level program I call One-Hour Reiki™, Reiki for the everyday person.

It is an entry-level introduction into Reiki healing, so that you can quickly gain the benefits of practicing on yourself without committing to an extensive training course. Not everyone needs or wants to become a certified Reiki practitioner. Many people just want to be able to simply and easily learn to use it every day. The office worker who wants to take a moment at lunchtime to soothe their stress levels. The truck driver who wants to ease their stomach discomfort while they are resting at the truck stop.

One-Hour Reiki™ allows people to start working with Reiki themselves after a one-hour training session. I have taught it to many people over my many years of professional practice. It has shown up for every one of them. It will do the same for you.

It's great to have someone facilitate a Reiki session on you. It's even better when you see how easy it is to work with it yourself. It's the old reasoning that if you give a person a fish they eat for the day, teach them to fish and they eat for the rest of their lives. Reiki can be yours for a session, or available to you for the rest of your life without the need for someone else to facilitate the work for you.

How easy is it?

We schedule a one hour online video session. I demonstrate the beauty of Reiki by working on you for 30 minutes, then we spend the next 30 minutes on my One-Hour Reiki™ teaching. By the end of the 60 minutes you will not only feel the lovely effects of a Reiki healing session, you will know how to connect and work with it yourself. Imagine being able to work on improving your own energy levels anytime you choose to do so. You get the opportunity to change the rest of your life in the same amount of time as it takes to catch up on an episode of your favorite show.

If You'd Rather Receive It First

Plenty of people want to feel this work before they consider learning to work with it on their own, and that's a completely reasonable place to start. Here's what that actually involves.

We talk first, about what you're carrying and what you've already tried. You can learn about my practices and I can learn about you. There is no sales pitch or pressure. There is no judgement and our conversation is confidential.

If you decide to book with me, we focus the entire one-hour session on your receiving a Reiki treatment. Then you can take all the time in the world to decide if it's something you would like to learn to do for yourself.

Does Distance Make Reiki Less Effective?

This is the part that surprises people most, because it doesn't seem like it should be possible, but Reiki healing doesn't require me to be in the same room as you.

The universal energy is everywhere at all times. It is not restricted by geography like we are.

All of my work is done over distance. My clients are located all over the globe. I can tell you with complete confidence that it will have the same effect on you if we are half a world away from each other or in the same room together.

The same is true for teaching. The one-hour training happens with the same level of effectiveness, wherever you are.

If you've been searching "reiki healer near me," it's worth knowing that the closest practitioner to you isn't automatically the right one for you. Once you learn that distance is not a constraint, you can actually choose a Reiki practitioner or teacher who feels like the best fit, instead of who happens to be in your area.

A Word on Chakras and Imbalance

Reiki tradition organizes the body into seven energy centers, or chakras. The root chakra is a good example, it's framed as the seat of basic survival needs: safety, shelter, food, security. When it's out of alignment, people often describe feeling unsafe or anxious without a clear reason, trouble trusting their own decisions, or physical tension that settles in the lower back and hips.

None of that is a diagnosis. It's a belief shared across numerous healing traditions for thousands of years, a shared vocabulary for something that's not always easy to describe in words. By applying Reiki to the root chakra, you can clear out the energetic blockages that are created by the stresses of daily life and the ones that have accumulated from negative experiences from the past. Once the old energy has been cleared, the normal harmonious flow of universal source energy can move freely again. Following a root chakra Reiki healing, you may find your fears easing, allowing you to be more present to enjoy more of the moments of life as they pass.

What Can Reiki Help You With?

Reiki is gentle enough that it's accessible to almost anyone, including people managing chronic conditions or recovering from something medical. It's commonly used alongside conventional care for stress, sleep, and that general sense of being overwhelmed or disconnected.

Reiki hasn't been proven the way a medication gets proven in a clinical trial. If you're managing a diagnosed condition, the right approach is Reiki alongside your existing care, not instead of it.

Where Reiki Fits into the Bigger Picture

Reiki is, by a wide margin, the most searched form of energy healing there is, which is exactly why it's usually the first thing people find. For a lot of people, that's also where the search ends, not because Reiki is wrong for them, but because they didn't know there was anything more specific for what they're actually carrying.

The broader field includes more targeted work built around particular kinds of injury. Soul-Level Trauma™ addresses deep, often long-carried wounds at the level of the soul. Signal Restoration Therapy™ works with the communication between the brain and a part of the body that's stuck, chronic pain, an old injury, something that hasn't responded to conventional treatment. Reiki, whether received or learned, can be a genuinely good entry point into this work, and it can also be the thing that helps you recognize you need something more specific.

Common Questions About Reiki

What is Reiki healing?

Reiki is a Japanese energy healing method. The word comes from "rei," meaning universal, and "ki," meaning life energy. It focuses on a single principle that a life force runs through everything living, and when it gets blocked or depleted, that shows up as tension, illness, or just a general sense of not being at your best. A person learns how to connect and create a relationship with this universal life force and allow it to flow through their body's energy systems. This is done with the intention to seek a sense of self-healing and personal improvement by clearing out stagnant energies and replacing them with a more harmonious flow. One can also learn how to apply Reiki energy to others as well as themselves.

Is Reiki hard to learn?

Not the way most people assume. The theory around it, chakra systems, certification levels, makes it sound far more complicated than actually connecting with the energy is. I built One-Hour Reiki™, my beginner's approach, specifically so people can start working with it on themselves after one hour, without the long training path that theory-focused sites make it sound like you need.

Does Reiki conflict with any particular faith?

No. Reiki isn't tied to any single religious system, so whether it fits alongside your beliefs is a personal call rather than a factual conflict. In my own practice, I've worked with people of many different faiths, and Reiki energy has shown up for all of them equally.

Is Reiki healing the same as a Reiki healer near me?

Not necessarily, and that's worth knowing as you search. Reiki works at a distance as well as hands-on, so the closest practitioner to you doesn't need to become a limiting choice. Searching "reiki healing near me" limits you to geography when the practice itself doesn't require it. You can choose from the best that the world has to offer.

Is Reiki backed by science?

Reiki hasn't been proven the way a medication gets proven in a clinical trial. What's true is that the broader energy healing field is growing quickly, valued at $153.5 billion in 2026 and projected to reach $394.7 billion by 2030, according to Grand View Research. The rising numbers point to a growing focus on non-medical options that cannot be denied or marginalized.

How do I know if this is right for me?

Start with a conversation rather than a decision. I'll explain what I do and how I do it and I will ask what you're carrying and what you've already tried, and we'll figure out together what actually makes sense.

Do I need to believe in Reiki for it to work?

No. Reiki isn't a belief system, it works the same way regardless of whether you're a firm believer or skeptical. I've worked with plenty of people who came in unsure and felt something shift by the time we were finished. Reiki works at the conscious level, and it also reaches the places that are beyond the thoughts of "will this work or not?"

What if I feel nothing during a session?

That's completely normal and doesn't mean nothing happened. Some people feel warmth or tingling right away, others feel very little in the moment and notice the effects afterward, in their sleep or their mood over the following days.

Can Reiki interfere with medication?

No. Reiki works with your body's energy, not your bloodstream, so it doesn't interact with medication the way a supplement or herb might. It's meant to work alongside whatever treatment you're already on, not replace or interfere with it.

Can I do Reiki on my pets or my kids?

Yes. I've used it on my own children for bumps and scrapes since they were young. Some people I've taught use it on their pets too. The same gentle, non-invasive quality that makes it safe for adults makes it safe for kids and animals as well.

A Note Before You Book

Energy healing and shamanic healing are complementary spiritual practices intended to support overall wellbeing alongside, not instead of, licensed medical and mental health care. If you are experiencing a medical or mental health emergency, contact your local emergency services immediately.

Ready to Talk

I'm a third-generation healer with over 50 years of healing experience and 18+ years of my own professional practice in energy healing, contemporary shamanic healing, and Reiki healing. My work is acknowledged by hospital staff at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Vancouver General Hospital, St. Paul's Hospital, and Jackson Memorial Hospital.

If you're ready to go beyond a general search and talk with me directly, start a conversation about Reiki healing. No travel required. No geographic limits. Book a Free Consultation →