When people come to see me for the first time they ask me, “What is Reiki like?” and, “How often should I have a Reiki session?”
To which I respond:
You can think of your body-mind like a house. A house that is the same age as you. This house has experienced everything you have experienced and has had as many visitors as you have had interactions.
Now imagine that this house has not been cleaned in that span of time. That clutter and dust has accumulated throughout the years. How long would it take to clean the house?
It all depends.
But we know that it would likely take more than one hour to deep clean the house, let alone even one room. A lot can be done in a small amount of time, I have even seen miracles after the first session. However, the entirety of a lived life may not be completely transformed in one session.
In the first session you can decide to be as targeted or broad as you want. Many people come in knowing something needs to change, but not sure of what. The initial session usually shows where the most immediate needs are. Many clients report feeling a burst of energy to make new changes. They seek follow-up sessions to do some deeper, targeted work. When those happen, again, all depend on the client. Healing takes time, so I never prescribe when the next one should happen.
If you’re anything like me, while doing a deep clean you may find little trinkets from the past to play with. Memories that had been forgotten. Dreams lying dormant. Passions hidden in the dark. As I clean my literal house I usually end up reading old journals, putting on my forgotten jewelry, and laughing (or crying) over old photos. What comes up in a session will need to be processed. How that happens is entirely up to you and the circumstances you find yourself within. There are no two people with same path through healing.
After a few sessions you may feel that you have a handle on it. Maybe you have some cleaning skills yourself (Reiki training, yoga, breathwork, etc). Perhaps you want to see how much you can clean up on your own before coming back in for some additional heavy lifting.
Then while cleaning you may realize that there are some inhabitants in the home. Ghosts from the past or fragmented parts of the Self. Your inner child might be hiding in the basement. Beliefs that have outlasted their usefulness. Through a Reiki session we can reveal these parts of the Self and help them find their new home, either somewhere else or integrated more peacefully into the present.
During a session we may find that there are parts of the framework that are cracked or rotting. There may be locks on doors that don’t need them and doors with locks that do. With a more thorough understanding of the situation you can start to address the issues. This may include more Reiki sessions but could just as well show a need for an expert in another area, like a therapist or support group.
Hopefully, we start to uncover where the root problems might lie. Bringing too many things into the house. Not throwing anything out. A lack of skills in how to care for the home properly. These are all metaphors of course, but I hope you see what I mean.
This process is to help you understand the root causes of the issues you may see manifest in your life. We help to remove what is not working and create new ways of living, so that it’s hopefully more of an upkeep situation for the future and less of an emergency.
Other times I might say:
Imagine your body-mind like a flowing river. The chakras sit aligned, one on top of the other, with energy running through them.
When a river is flowing freely the water is clear and safe to drink. If there are parts of the river that have been dammed up the water stops flowing in this area. What happens in stagnant water? Bacteria start to breed and the water becomes unsafe to drink.
Similarly, when we incur a trauma that remains unhealed it creates a “blockage” in the energy system. Manifestations of this block may show up as physical illness, anxiety, depression, or other symptoms. During a Reiki session we uncover where the issue lies, remove the blockages, and reveal the cause. My hope always is that I am giving you the tools to help create the conditions for health. Of course healing is a communal activity, but we play a central role in the healing of our own life.
Regardless of the metaphor I use, this is always true: With the clutter removed underneath is an already healed, whole person. This is your natural state.
Reiki isn’t trying to make you a “better” person. It is revealing the radiant, natural, and divine being who is already there. When each person remembers this truth, what is unessential and detrimental will fall away. More fulfilling and authentic connections will flow your way, with ease. It will be easier to see and know what is nourishing for you.
Healing yourself is a radical act of changing the world. In the most gentle way possible.
In the coming weeks I will explain Reiki in less metaphorical ways, with emerging research to describe what is happening in a session. <3