Frequently Asked Questions

In a standard treatment Reiki energy flows from the practitioners hands into the client. The client is usually laying on a massage table but treatments can also be given while the client is seated or even standing. The client remains fully clothed. The practitioner places her/his hands on or near the clients body in a series of hand positions. These include positions around the head and shoulders, the stomach, and feet. Other, more specific positions may be used based on the clients needs. Each position is held for three to ten minutes depending on how much Reiki the client needs at each position. The whole treatment usually lasts between 45 and 90 minutes.

Most of the time a person will feel relaxed and uplifted by a Reiki treatment. However, sometimes a person will have what is called a healing crisis. As a person’s vibration goes up, toxins that have been stored in the body will be released into the blood stream to be filtered by the liver and kidneys and removed from the system. When this happens, sometimes a person can get a headache or stomach ache or feel weak. If this happens, it is a good idea to drink more water, eat lighter meals and get more rest. The body is cleansing as part of the healing process so this is a good sign.

Yes, see the section on the Center for Reiki Research.

Reiki is a technique that is passed on from teacher to student over and over. If one has Reiki, than she/he will be part of a succession of teachers leading back to the founder of the system of Reiki one is practicing. In the case of Usui Reiki, the lineage would lead back to Dr. Usui.

Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by "laying on hands" and is based on the idea that an unseen "life force energy" flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one's "life force energy" is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.

Mrs. Hawayo Takata (Takata Sensei) brought Reiki from Japan to the West in 1937 and continued to practice and teach until her passing in 1980. Because of her devotion, Reiki has been passed on to millions of people all over the world, and the numbers continue to grow! And as you will see, if it wasn’t for her, Reiki most likely would never have been discovered by the West and even in Japan would have been practiced secretly by only a small number of people.

Reiki is a very simple technique to learn and is not dependent on one having any prior experience with healing, meditation or any other kind of training. It has been successfully learned by over one million people from all walks of life, both young an old. The reason it is so easy to learn that it is not taught in the usual way something is taught. The ability to do Reiki is simply transferred from the teacher to the student through a process called an attunement that takes place during a Reiki class. As soon as one receives an attunement, they have the ability to do Reiki and after that whenever one places their hands on themselves or on another person with the intention of doing Reiki, the healing energy will automatically begin flowing.

A beginning Reiki class is taught on a weekend. The class can be one or two days long. I recommend that the minimum time necessary be at least six to seven hours. Along with the attunement, it is necessary that the student be shown how to give treatments and also to practice giving treatments in class.

A Reiki attunement is the process by which a person receives the ability to give Reiki treatments. The attunement is administered by the Reiki Master during the Reiki class. During the attunement, the Reiki Master will touch the students head, shoulders, and hands and use one or more special breathing techniques. The attunement energies will flow through the Reiki Master and into the student. These special energies are guided by the Higher Power and make adjustments in the students energy pathways and connect the student to the source of Reiki. Because the energetic aspect of the attunement is guided by the Higher Power, it adjusts itself to be exactly right for each student. During the attunement, some students feel warmth in the hands, others may see colors or have visions of spiritual beings. However, it is not necessary to have an inner experience for the attunement to have worked. Most simply feel more relaxed.

There are no governmental licensing programs at this time. However, the Center does have a licensing program for Reiki teachers. Please see our Center Licensed Teachers Guidebook from the Center.

Babies love Reiki. It is very healthy for them. Do not worry about it being too strong. Reiki automatically adjusts to what the baby needs.

Yes, this is one of the wonderful benefits of Reiki and is why it is such a wonderful technique for the new millennium...

Reiki is both powerful and gentle. In its long history of use it has aided in healing virtually every known illness and injury including serious problems like: multiple sclerosis, heart disease, and cancer as well as skin problems, cuts, bruises, broken bones, headache, colds, flu, sore throat, sunburn, fatigue, insomnia, impotence, poor memory, lack of confidence, etc. It is always beneficial and...

What one experiences during a Reiki treatment varies somewhat from person to person. However, feelings of deep relaxation are usually felt by all. In addition, many feel a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through and surrounds them. As the Reiki energy encourages one to let go of all tension, anxiety, fear or other negative feelings a state of peace and well-being is experienced. Some drift off to sleep or report floating outside their bodies or have visions and other mystical experiences. At the end of the treatment, one feels refreshed with a more positive, balanced outlook.

Yes, once you have received the attunement, you can treat yourself as well as others. This is one of the unique features of Reiki.

Chanting and toning the names of the Karuna Reiki® symbols while giving a treatment deepens the healing process. The vibration of the voice becomes a physical carrier wave for the Karuna Reiki® energy to travel on. This causes the healing energies to penetrate more deeply into the cells and tissues of the clients body. The chakras and auras of both the practitioner and client are also opened more completely allowing a wonderful vibrancy to take place within and around them. Those who have experienced this process report a feeling of becoming more awake, more alive and more completely healed.

We teach Karuna Reiki® only to people who are already Reiki masters and most of these students received their mastership from other lineages besides my own. In fact those who take the classes represent a wide range of teachers in the Reiki community. The general response of these students is that Karuna Reiki® is stronger or heals more deeply etc. than Usui Reiki. It is from the response of these students who are already Reiki masters and have a great deal of experience working with healing energies that this information is presented. It is asked that this idea not simply be accepted, but that anyone who is interested in Karuna Reiki® receive a Karuna treatment or take a class or talk to those who have and from this information form one's own opinion. However, it must be understood that Karuna Reiki® is not a substitute for Usui Reiki or any other kind of Reiki, but simply an additional technique one can use to promote healing.

There are many ways to teach Reiki and it is true that some teach Reiki I&II with a required time period between them and others teach them together.