If you’ve heard of Reiki, you may picture someone resting on a table while a practitioner holds their hands just above them. Distance Reiki is the same practice, without the table, and without being in the same room. I’m in one place, you’re in another, and I send Reiki to you for a set amount of time.
That can sound strange the first time you hear it. So here is a plain explanation of what it is, what happens, and what I can and can’t tell you about it.
What is Reiki?
Reiki is a Japanese practice that began with Mikao Usui in the 1920s. The word joins rei, often translated as universal or spiritual, and ki, life force energy. A Reiki practitioner learns to act as a channel for that energy and offer it to someone else.
People describe it in different ways. Some think of it as energy. Some think of it as focused care and attention. You don’t need to pick one. You don’t need to believe anything for a session to happen.
For me, Reiki is a gentle relaxation practice. It isn’t medical or mental health care, and it doesn’t replace either one.
What is distance Reiki?
Distance Reiki is Reiki sent from one place to another. In the Usui tradition, it’s taught at Level 2, also called Okuden. Level 1 is mostly about giving Reiki to yourself and to people in the room with you. Level 2 adds ways of sending Reiki across distance.
Level 2 also teaches a few symbols, including one used for distance work. Traditionally they’re kept private, and I don’t share them, out of respect for the teachings and for my teacher.
Can Reiki be sent to the past?
This is one of my favorite things about Reiki.
At Level 2, “distance” doesn’t only mean miles. In the Reiki tradition, practitioners also send Reiki across time. So Reiki can go to you as you are today, and also to you in a moment from your past: the year you moved, a hard goodbye, a day you still think about.
It can go to a relationship, through your side of it. It can go to a situation, like a hard week ahead, or something happening in the world that weighs on a lot of people.
And it can go to what you carry from your family. Many of us hold things that started before we were born: old griefs, ways of coping, patterns we didn’t choose. In a session, I can send Reiki to what you carry. Not to your relatives, and not to change anyone. Just to you, and to the part of it that lives with you now.
I can’t tell you what that will do, and I won’t promise it changes anything. But I find it meaningful that care can reach back, too. You can bring something that started long before you, and it can be held with care for twenty minutes.
How does a distance Reiki session work?
Every practitioner sets things up a little differently. Here’s how mine go.
- You book a time and answer a few short questions. You choose one focus: a relationship, a moment from your past, something you carry from your family, an object, a home or other space, or something coming up. You can also choose “I’m not sure yet.” A few words is enough, like “my dad” or “the move in 2015.” You don’t need to explain what happened.
- I text you when I begin: “I’m starting your session now. If you’d like me to stop at any point, just text ‘stop.’”
- I send you Reiki for twenty minutes. I write your focus on a small piece of paper and set it beside me. I light a twenty-minute candle to keep time. The candle is just my timer; Reiki is the point.
- You rest, or go about your day. Some people lie down. Some keep working. If you want to stop, text me “stop.” You don’t need a reason.
- I text you when I’m done, with a short note about what I noticed, in plain words. I won’t tell you what anything means.
There’s no call, and no camera. You don’t have to do anything at all.
More about how a session works →
What does distance Reiki feel like?
It’s different for everyone, and different from one session to the next.
Many people find it calming. Some feel warmth, tingling, or heaviness. Some feel sleepy. Some notice feelings come up. Some don’t notice anything, and that’s okay too. Feeling nothing doesn’t mean you did it wrong. There isn’t a way to do it wrong.
For some people, it also feels spiritual. They describe a sense of being connected, or not alone, or of something bigger than them being near. Some people feel that in a way that fits their faith. Some don’t have words for it. Some don’t feel it at all. You don’t need to have that kind of experience, and you don’t need to name it a certain way if you do.
It’s spiritual for me, too. When I send Reiki, I’m not pushing anything toward you or trying to make something happen. My teacher describes it as being, not doing. I sit, I keep you in mind, and I let Reiki move. I often feel quieter afterward. In a way, we’re both in the session.
Because some people get sleepy, please don’t drive or do anything that needs your full attention during a session.
If something heavy comes up during or after, be gentle with yourself. Drink some water and rest if you can. Reach out to your therapist or someone you trust, or call or text 988 if you need support.
Does distance Reiki work?
This is a fair question, and I want to answer it honestly.
Reiki has been studied for decades, and the picture is still forming. Here’s what studies keep finding:
- People often report feeling calmer, more relaxed, and more comfortable after Reiki, in settings from hospitals to end-of-life care.
- Several recent reviews find modest improvements in anxiety and stress, and in pain after surgery.
- In some trials that compared Reiki with a pretend version, Reiki did better for anxiety and stress.
Distance Reiki has a smaller but growing set of studies. In several, people who received four twenty-minute distance sessions reported less stress or fatigue, and more energy and wellbeing. Most of these studies are small, many had no comparison group, and results are mixed, so there’s still a lot to learn. Major reviews say the evidence isn’t yet strong enough to call Reiki a treatment for any health condition, which is why I don’t offer it as one.
Researchers also find that rest, kind attention, and expectation help people feel calmer. Some read that as a reason to doubt Reiki. I see it another way: resting quietly, being held in someone’s care, and trusting that care is coming are part of what a session offers. They’re real.
Reiki also began as a spiritual practice. Usui taught it along with five simple principles, often shared like this:
Just for today, do not be angry. Do not worry. Be grateful. Do your work honestly. Be kind to others.
Seen that way, asking whether Reiki “works” is a little like asking whether prayer or meditation works. Research can measure some things, like stress scores. It can’t really measure what it’s like to be thought of with care for twenty minutes, or to set something down for a while. For many people, that’s what a session is about.
That’s also why I don’t aim for a particular result. I’m not trying to fix anything, or to make you feel a certain way. I send Reiki, and whatever happens is yours.
So I can’t promise you any result. I can promise you twenty quiet, focused minutes, sent with care.
Who sends the Reiki, and to whom?
Only to you. That’s the simplest rule I keep: I only send Reiki to people who asked for it.
I never send Reiki to the other person in a relationship, or to your relatives. I don’t send Reiki to change what someone else feels, believes, or does.
Common questions
Do I need to believe in Reiki for it to work? No. You don’t need to believe in anything. Many people come curious, or unsure. That’s welcome.
Can Reiki replace therapy or medical care? No. Reiki is a relaxation practice. It can sit alongside therapy or medical care, but it can’t stand in for either. Please don’t stop or change any medication or treatment because of Reiki.
What if I’m in crisis? Reiki isn’t the right support for a crisis. Call or text 988, or text HOME to 741741. Both are free and open 24 hours a day.