What is Reiki?
- Victoria Saunders
- Mar 27
- 6 min read
Discover How Reiki Healing Balances Your Energy and Promotes Well-Being
Imagine if stress, anxiety, and fatigue were like tangled knots in your energy field—what if there was a gentle, natural way to unravel them, leaving you feeling lighter, clearer, and deeply at peace? That’s exactly what Reiki healing offers.
Hi, I’m Victoria, the Energy Healer and Intuitive here at Peridot Wellness. Since discovering Reiki in 2014, it has completely transformed how I understand my energy, my well-being, and my connection to myself. Now, I have the privilege of guiding others on their path to healing and authentic living through Reiki.
In this article, you will learn:
What is Reiki and where it comes from
How Reiki works to balance your energy (from both spiritual and scientific perspectives)
The key physical, emotional, and mental benefits of Reiki
What to expect during a Reiki session
So let’s get into it and explore how Reiki healing can support your overall wellness.
What is Reiki? Understanding the Basics of Reiki Healing
The History and Origins of Reiki
Reiki is an ancient practice that uses healing elements to enhance your natural ability to heal.
By balancing your energy centers (chakras), Reiki can help you heal your mind, body, and soul, remove any blocks, and raise your sacred vibration. It addresses the whole person on all levels. Reiki was developed by a man named Mikao Usui in Japan during the late 1800s to early1900s.
The term Reiki comes from the Japanese words Rei (meaning “universal”) and Ki (meaning “life force”). It draws inspiration from ancient spiritual traditions, including Buddhism and Shintoism. Usui’s teachings were passed down from student to student, creating a lineage that continues to this day.
The Meaning of Reiki: Universal Life Force Energy
The primary tool in Reiki is Life Force Energy. Every living thing in the Universe contains life force energy. When your life force is low, or if there are any restrictions in its flow, your energies are not in balance and you are more vulnerable to illness. When your life force is high and flowing freely, you are more in alignment and less likely to suffer from illness.
The main things to note about Reiki is that it works on the belief that the emotional body impacts the physical body, and that all healing is self-healing. In the end, the receiver is responsible for their own healing journey. The goal of the Reiki provider is to help the receiver to heal themself.
How Does Reiki Work? Exploring the Science and Spirituality
The Spiritual Perspective: Aligning Your Energy Through Reiki
From a spiritual perspective, Reiki is more than just a healing technique—it’s a practice of aligning with universal life force energy to restore balance on a soul level. Rooted in the idea that energy flows through and around us, Reiki helps to clear blockages, raise vibrations, and reconnect individuals with their innate ability to heal.
Many believe that Reiki enhances intuition, deepens self-awareness, and facilitates emotional or energetic releases that support personal growth. Whether experienced as warmth, tingling, or a profound sense of peace, Reiki is often seen as a bridge between the physical and the spiritual, guiding individuals toward greater harmony and inner wisdom.
Scientific Studies on Reiki and the Nervous System
While Reiki is primarily seen as an energetic and spiritual practice, some scientific studies suggest it may influence the body’s nervous system and promote relaxation. Research indicates that Reiki can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps reduce stress, lower heart rate, and improve overall well-being.
Some scientists believe Reiki works by affecting the biofield—a subtle energy field surrounding the body—while others compare its effects to the placebo response, where belief and intention play a powerful role in healing. Although more research is needed, many people report feeling deeply relaxed, balanced, and rejuvenated after a Reiki session.
Reiki Attunement: What Makes a Reiki Practitioner Unique
A Reiki practitioner is someone who is attuned to and can channel life force energy. What makes Reiki unique from other forms of healing/energy work is the attunement process. The Reiki attunement is a sacred process of opening a person up to the universal symbols of Reiki, allowing them to channel life force energy naturally. This person then becomes the Reiki practitioner, who can conduct healings for others.
In Reiki, intention is everything! Once the intention is set to heal, life force begins to flow from the practitioner and into the client. This can be done for in-person healing (both hands-on or hands-off) and distant healing (as Reiki does not know time or space). Because energy follows intention, Reiki can be just as effective whether the practitioner is in the same room or sending healing across the world, making it a powerful tool for holistic well-being.
The Benefits of Reiki
Reiki works on the physical body, emotional body, mental body and spiritual body. There are so many benefits for Reiki, and it is within my belief that everyone should experience its magic at at least once in their lifetime.
Physical Benefits of Reiki:
● Can support pain relief and reduce inflammation
● Can improve sleep and boost immune function
● Can release tension/stuck energy from different areas of the body
An important note: Reiki does NOT replace medical treatment, and it is unethical to practice outside of your scope of practice. However, Reiki does work on the principle that the emotional body impacts the physical body, and that our emotional blocks can be tied to our physical ailments. Remember: always use your discernment.
Mental & Emotional Benefits of Reiki:
● Reduces anxiety, stress and all types of emotional blockages
● Enhances clarity, focus and emotional resilience
● Promotes a balanced mindset
Spiritual Benefits of Reiki:
● Deepens your connection to yourself and your inner wisdom
● Promotes energetic balance and alignment
● Connects you to Divine energy, the Universe and your soul
What to Expect in a Reiki Session
How a Typical Reiki Session flows
If you’ve had Reiki sessions done by multiple different practitioners before, you will know that each practitioner is unique and everyone’s style might be different. That is because, while we all work on a similar foundation and principles, our relationship to life force energy is unique, and our interpretation of the energy is deeply connected to our own intuition.
Having taught Reiki to other practitioners for a few years now, there is a typical structure we all follow:
Usually, there is some kind of dialogue at the start, explaining what Reiki is and what the client can expect.
Then we go into the session itself. This is where it can get unique depending on the practitioner you are working with. Some keep it a silent session, some talk during. Some work hands-on, others work hands-off. Some get intuitive messages, others may not. Regardless of the style, the intention to heal is what matters.
After the session, typically there is a post-session integration, where you discuss together what you both experienced during the session, the intuitive findings (if there were any) and what to expect/do over the coming days (drink lots of water, reflect, pay attention to your physical and emotional state, etc.) This part is so important—after a
Reiki session, taking time to rest, hydrate, and reflect allows the energy to fully integrate, helping you process any shifts and deepen the healing experience.
Depending on you and your practitioner, you may want to book a follow-up session. We carry years and years of conditioning and patterns within us, and it can often take more than one session to peel back the layers and get to the core of who you are.
Common Sensations and Experiences
So what can you, as the client, expect to feel during the session? Again, each person may experience something different. Similarly to the practitioner, you will also have your own interpretation of the energy. Some people note tingling sensations, or feeling heat or coolness.
Some find themselves in a deep meditative state, while others might be thinking different thoughts (that could align with what your practitioner is releasing from your energy field).
Sometimes there is a big emotional release. You may even notice that what you experience varies from session to session.
As Reiki practitioners, we learn to trust that whatever you are experiencing in session is exactly as it is meant to be. My biggest piece of advice is to release any expectations and go into each session with an open mind and heart.
Common Myths and Misconceptions About Reiki
Myth #1: Reiki is a Religion
While Reiki draws inspiration from spiritual traditions, it is not a religion. You do not need to follow any specific belief system to benefit from Reiki. It is an inclusive, non-denominational practice.
Myth #2: Reiki Is Only a Placebo Effect
Although belief can enhance any healing practice, scientific research indicates that Reiki’s calming effect on the nervous system is measurable and real. Some of our clients consistently report feeling relaxed, centred, and energized, even those unfamiliar with Reiki.
Myth #3: You Need to Be Physically Present for Reiki to Work
Energy knows no boundaries. Distance Reiki sessions are equally effective because energy follows intention, whether you’re in the same room or miles apart.
Ready to Experience Reiki at Peridot Wellness?
Reiki is a gentle yet powerful healing practice that works on both an energetic and scientific level to promote relaxation, balance, and overall well-being. Whether you’re seeking stress relief, emotional healing, or a deeper spiritual connection, Reiki offers a supportive path to realignment. By understanding its origins, benefits, and how it works, you can begin to explore this transformative practice for yourself.
If you’re ready to experience the healing energy of Reiki firsthand, book a session at Peridot Wellness and take the next step in your wellness journey!
Victoria
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