What is Reiki?

Reiki began in Japan in the early 1900s with a man named Mikao Usui, and it has travelled a long way since. It is now one of the most widely practised holistic therapies in Ireland.

What happens in a session

The session itself is very simple. You lie down fully clothed. Your therapist places their hands gently on or slightly above your body, holding each position for a few minutes, working through a sequence from head to feet. There is no massage and no manipulation. The room is usually quiet, sometimes with soft music.

What it feels like

This varies enormously. Warmth spreading from the therapist's hands is the most common report. Others describe tingling, waves of heaviness, colours behind their eyes, or simply the deepest rest they have had in a long time. A fair number of people fall asleep, which nobody minds at all.

Choosing a practitioner

Reiki practitioners train through a system of levels and are attuned by a Reiki Master. When you are choosing someone, it is perfectly reasonable to ask what level they have trained to and who they trained with. A good practitioner will be glad you asked.

It is worth being honest about what Reiki is and is not. It is not a treatment for illness and no responsible practitioner will claim it is. What it offers is deep relaxation and a rare hour of stillness, and for a lot of people carrying a lot, that turns out to matter more than they expected.

Reiki is one of several energy healing therapies practised in Ireland. If you are drawn to try it, you will find Reiki practitioners in every county in our directory. Every one of them has been reviewed before being listed.

This article is for general information only and is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.