Reiki practitioners from around the world offer advice to beginners

Several Reiki practitioners responded to last week's article and offered advice for Reiki newbies, uncertain of their ability to practice Reiki. Here's what they said:

Jeffrey said...

This is a very important topic, at any level of Reiki, but especially for new students. There are a number of reassurances and good practices.

One of the best: ask the person you treat, how it felt. Then compare their feedback to your subjective experience. Notice the feelings; attention makes a difference.

Consider that the feeling of doing Reiki changes, as you keep practicing. What's dramatic at the beginning becomes more balanced as you practice.

Self-treatment: the more you self-treat, the stronger others' experience of your Reiki. Also, your feelings in your hands and body as you practice self-treatment over time, become smoother and more balanced; less dramatic.

Hot hands can cool, as they become more effective. You may feel less "heat", your clients may feel more. This is a common cause of fear of Reiki not working, when one's hands cool down. I noticed my teacher's hands felt cooler, more peaceful, than mine when I started.

Reiki shares are a great way to build confidence. Compare notes with other practitioners, get feedback in a supportive environment. If you can't find a share in your community, organize one yourself. Odds are good there are many Reiki people around.

These are a few things to consider. Again, self-treatment -- it's the one thing you can do at any time, for practice, AND you are doing self-healing. Just a few things, hope they help!

Carol said...

The only time Reiki doesn't work is when I use it for myself. I have acid reflux and peripheral neuropathy and neither condition has been aided with Reiki. When I use Reiki on others, either distance or hands on, it is wonderful and has helped many but for me, nada, zip, zilch, zero. I think it could be that I may have a hang-up about helping others before me, or maybe I feel I am not worthy of help. Those are difficult feelings to get past.

Kumari said...

What a great topic--some of my students have such a strong experience in the beginning, like lots of heat for several weeks, then it begins to dissipate and they think they're not doing Reiki anymore. This happened to me in meditation...at first lots of light shows and visions, then it got much more quiet, and i missed the light shows. Made me feel like i wasn't getting it right. Therein lies the catch.

When we apply an outer expectation to an inner experience, we are attached to the past and not in the present with what is. Hawayo Takata had a great way of keeping it very simple--she would say when you applied your hands "Reiki on" and removing hands "Reiki off". While the sensation is lovely, it is not necessary for Reiki to be flowing, or "on".

I often think some initially get stronger experiences when first coming into contact with a new or higher vibration or state of being, as the change in awareness and frequency is quite marked. But as we go along, and become more familiar with the higher frequency, we actually are not as aware of the distinctions, as we are feeling more natural in the newer place. It can feel like nothing is happening, however, what may be truer is that we are operating from a different plane altogether. And the other experience, of not feeling anything, can be cured by more practice, as sometimes we need to develop the subtler senses, and the ability to "feel" these subtler sensations are not as refined. To those practitioners, I would say keep going, keep practicing.

My mother was one who could never feel anything when i gave her Reiki. Then one day, she had burning sciatic pain, and she felt the Reiki heating up her leg and finally a healing warmth. But this took almost 10 years of not feeling anything. It is also advisable to get Reiki treatments for yourself as part of your practice. This too can really help to gain confidence as you receive for yourself the full range of personal Reiki experience.


Isabella said...

Reiki is always working. It may not be manifest, visible, tangible, perfumed, or felt but it is there, at work, at cellular, emotional and aura level. All the time. Most often it is the mind, the thoughts,the filters, and many other optional accessories that some like to add to their life that blocks the awareness of how pure life energy is blending with one's life.

Moreover, in a civilisation where intution has been relegated to a 'para-normal' state rather than being accepted and utilised as a guide for action, people tend to think in rational terms and base their action in left-thinking patterns. In these circumstances, Reiki will not seem to be working and even more some will go to the conclusion it is just not working. It is fluffy , mumbojumbo and placebo effect.

What is also possible is that it may not seem apparent for some person that Reiki is actually 'something' Expectations about results, about feelings or emotions are very high in this category of persons. I did Reiki on this" and " this did not happen" this means " it does not work" Expectations such as this are not applicable with Reiki.

One experience is that once a person get a Reiki treatment once, Reiki is at work at the most micro level cellular level and it may take many years before that same person gets in touch again with Reiki. There are synchornicities at work with Reiki. The timing is always appropriate. The mind must get out of the way.

Kiki said...

I always learn from others' examples and experiences (and am grateful they take the time to share), so here are a couple of mine...The Reiki energy seemed to be "taking" with one woman (who did not have a specific complaint), but when she sat up, she said, "I didn't feel anything." "That's fine," I told her. "But do stay aware of how you feel on all levels for the next few days."

The next day, she called me, very excited, to report that she'd just run into a person who "could always push her buttons." She had felt calm and had not been engaged by the other person, who had gotten more and more agitated as the normal scenario failed to develop. She said that since she had never been able to avoid getting riled up by the other person before, she felt sure the Reiki had helped.

In a second case, a woman told me she had suffered from plantar fasciitis for several years. As we talked, I could see the benefit she got from the problem--things she didn't want to do (and felt guilty about avoiding), but now she "couldn't" do them because of the pain. She accepted Reiki energy well all over her body, with all my normal "heat indicators" (where needed, and when we got to "enough"). But when I got to her feet, they seemed totally resistant. So I "spoke" to them (in my head): "You don't have to accept the energy; that's fine. But maybe you'd like to store it up and have it available for later, in case you do want it then. I'll just offer it, and you do as you like." They still seemed cold when I felt "enough" after about 10 minutes.

When she opened her eyes, she said her feet felt better than they had in years. She said at first she'd felt nothing, but then, "when you started using that heating pad, it really helped." She wanted to get a heating pad like it that could produce so much heat, to use at home.

When I feel that I want to "cure" something, I sense that my ego-desire helps inhibit the freest flow of the Reiki. But I also accept that, just as my guides have allowed me to "resist" their help when I've been stubborn, those on my Reiki table are allowed to resist, too, and that's fine. (Asking that "only those who are ready to change and whom I can help will show up there" is also helpful!)

Elaine said...

This is a great topic! Reading through the comments it is so interesting the variety of opinions and suggestions. For me I have found that my Reiki sensations appears stronger as I have continued to practice over the years, my 'heaty' hands have never become more quiet or balanced though it always delights me to get the feedback from others - for other poeple my hands can feel everything from hot, cold, gentle, buzzing, tingling, sharp pins and needles to nothing at all yet to me my Reiki pretty much feels hot and prickly all the time!

When I get asked this question my usual recommendations are:

1. Join a Reiki Share group in your area and go regularly to the groups - there is nothing like a group treatment to get your hands buzzing! I have yet to have someone NOT feel their Reiki during a group treatment session.

2. Believe you have it - this may sound strange but our own belief system can block your sensations completely. Again if you believe in yourself and trust you have Reiki, its surprising what can happen to your awareness.

3. Trust the feedback of others - this has been mentioned already, but I re-emphasise it. Everyone has different sensitivity to energy in much the same way that everyone has different eyesight, and if you simply don't have 20-20 energy sensitivity then you will be hard pushed to ever feel anything - my mum (also a reiki master) is one such person but she gets such amazing results that she has stopped worrying about it and simply trusts that her Reiki energy is powerful, and working perfectly.

Thanks, everyone, for such insightful responses. If you didn't get a chance to share your advice, it's not too late. Just use the comments box here. We hope to keep up the conversation for a long time - and if you have a question, don't hesitate to post it in the same place, either.

-- Beth Lowell, Contributing Editor