When I first tried Reiki, it was as distant healing. My health problems meant getting to a practitioner in person would have been a struggle. On top of that, I preferred the idea of being in my own space, where I would be comfortable and at ease.
At that time I didn’t know much about Reiki, but was keen to try it. My idea of Reiki was as a hands-on technique (which it is), but I was very pleased to find out you could have it as a distant healing. I didn’t struggle with the idea of being able to receive something at a distance because I had come across this before in a different context and had always found it worked.
Going into my first session I was curious. I wondered if I’d actually feel anything. I thought I probably would, because I think of myself as a ‘highly sensitive’ person, but I didn’t really know what to expect. I was lying on my couch with my eyes closed. A couple of minutes into my appointment time I could tell that something was happening. It’s hard to explain what I felt, but there was a definite sense of waves of energy. Then, a few minutes later, I found myself laughing out loud with joy, because what I was feeling was so lovely. I thought ‘My gosh! It’s as good as this!’ I can still remember what that first experience of Reiki felt like. What surprised me most was how strong it was. The effects lasted for several days.
As I had more sessions, I realised that no two experiences were quite the same. Some sessions were light, floaty and enjoyable, others felt deeper or more focused. Some sessions felt much more physical than others. I’d notice sensations in my body such as tingling in areas that seemed to be getting attention. These sessions didn’t feel quite as “lovely” in the same way as the first one did. It seemed to me that the energy was ‘getting down to business’ with the healing that needed to happen.
I definitely experienced emotional healing as well as physical healing. In one session I was asleep for almost the whole session. When I woke up I felt groggy and a bit ‘off’, then I could feel a great sadness welling up inside, and suddenly I burst into tears. I understood that some blocked emotion was being dealt with and that it needed to come out. So I was easy in my mind with what was happening, and afterwards I felt much lighter.
These distant healing sessions were just the beginning of my journey with Reiki. Soon I was training in Reiki myself, a wonderful experience, which should be the subject for another blog post. I now use Reiki every day- treating others and also using the energy on or within myself. I have never been happier!
