What Reiki actually is (and what it isn't)

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When I talk to people about Reiki I tend to get two types of responses: some have tried it and love it, and some (myself included, in the past) find it a bit "woo woo."

So, what is it?

Reiki is a Japanese energy-healing practice, developed in the early 1900s. The word itself translates roughly to "universal life energy." You can think of life energy as the energy that animates all living things.

Now I want to be honest: while there are studies done on Reiki (see sources below), some of the results have been inconsistent, or challenging to prove. This is one of the things that held me back in the past from exploring it more. Still, I can't ignore what's happened during the Reiki balances I've both given and received: a drastic change in mood or anxiety, big emotional releases, very clear sensations of heat, cold, tingling, twitching, or a sensation of heavy weight. Somehow I can often pinpoint where my clients hold pain or stress without having spoken to them.

In all honesty, I still question myself sometimes (am I just imagining my hands tingling like I've had an electrical shock? Is my client just sensing these things because they want to believe in it too?). But the more balances I've given, the more comfortable I've become with the one fact I do know: we don't know everything yet.

Here's what I do know: we run on energy, literally. Our cells maintain an electrical charge across their membranes, and when that charge drops, the cell struggles to function. Our mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell, use oxygen and nutrients to create ATP, the electrical currency behind every heartbeat. The heart's own electromagnetic field is strong enough to be measured several feet from the body, using a medical device called a magnetocardiogram.

None of that proves Reiki works. What it tells me is that "energy" isn't just a spiritual metaphor: my body runs on the stuff, measurably. Whether a practitioner can sense or influence someone else's is the part science hasn't backed up (yet), and I'd rather be upfront about that than dress it up. What I can offer you is what I've experienced giving and receiving hundreds of balances, and what clients tell me they feel. If you try a session and walk away calmer, more balanced, more grounded, I think that's worth something on its own, even without a settled answer for exactly why.

How Reiki is generally explained

This next part is the traditional framework, how Reiki has been described by practitioners for over a century. I'm not presenting it as scientifically established, just as the lens the practice itself has always used, because it's genuinely useful for understanding what a session is aiming to do:

Ki/energy flows in the physical body through chakras, meridians and nadis, and can pass directly through the organs and tissues of the body. It also flows around us in a field of energy called the aura.

In this framework, the organs and tissues of the body can be affected by a blockage in Ki. Reiki raises the vibratory level in and around the physical body where negative feelings and thoughts are attached. It's said to cause negative energy to break apart and fall away. When a block is released, some people feel a cold sensation; when it's melted or burned up, a hot one.

As a practitioner, my job is to act as a channel for that energy, helping clear blockages (emotional, energetic or physical) and restore balance. I like to view health as a triangle with three equal sides: mental health, physical health, and energetic health. If the vibration is off in one, it can affect the others. Reiki aims to bring balance to the vibration of the energy in our body and mind.

What happens in a session?

You lie down on a treatment table, fully clothed. I place my hands lightly on or just above your body, working through a series of positions. Most people feel warmth from my hands, a soft tingling sensation, and a growing sense of deep relaxation. Many drift into that state somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, where the body finally has permission to soften.

That's the practice, at its simplest. Someone with training holds space, offers presence, and gently supports your nervous system to release whatever it's been carrying.

What Reiki isn't

Reiki isn't a religion, and it doesn't require belief. Some of my most sceptical clients have had the most surprising sessions.

Reiki isn't a replacement for medical care. If you're working with a doctor, a therapist, or a specialist, please keep working with them. Reiki sits alongside conventional medicine, not instead of it. The best healing tends to weave both together, attending to the body, the mind, and the spirit at once.

Reiki isn't a diagnosis. I don't tell you what's "wrong" with you or predict your future. That isn't the work.

Reiki is quiet, gentle, and often profoundly restful. The changes tend to unfold in the hours and days after, not with fireworks in the moment.

My particular practice

I'm trained in Holy Fire Reiki II, a modern lineage of the traditional Usui method. I first trained in the Blue Mountains back in 2016, and I've been deepening the practice ever since through self-work, clients, and study.

If you're curious about a session, the Sessions page has details on what's on offer and how to book. And if you have questions I haven't answered here, sending me a note is always welcome.

The best way to understand Reiki is to experience it. But I hope this at least helped you understand what you'd be walking into.

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