What You May Expect To Experience During A REIKI Treatment With Ayanna
I am a certified Reiki Master. Although I currently practice only “distance healing” treatments with Reiki, and I use other forms of energy healing in person, I thought you might like to know what to expect if you book a session with a Reiki practitioner. Different providers use different techniques, but mine is typical.
Note: the description below is for the ideal Reiki environment, but I have provided Reiki to homeless people on the streets and in shelters. I’ve also done it in hospitals, offices, and other less ideal locations on people and on animals…all without the benefit of even a Reiki table, much less a lovely environment!
What Is Reiki?
Let’s start by answering the question, “What is Reiki?” Reiki (pronounced “Ray-Key”) means “Universal Life Force.” Since the word is Japanese, it is difficult to get an exactly correct definition, but here’s the gist. “Rei” is “higher intelligence” or “god-wisdom” or “infinite, all-knowing intelligence.” “Ki” is similar to “chi” – the non-physical energy which animates all living beings (human, animal, insect, plant, etc.).
Reiki energy, through the gentle laying-on of hands in specific scientifically-grounded positions, soothes and synchronizes body, mind, spirit, and emotions, while stimulating the body’s own innate wisdom and self-healing abilities. It leaves one with a greatly enhanced sense of calmness, well-being and relaxation. Whereas Reiki providers do not diagnose or cure illnesses, Reiki may be used to help identify the underlying sources of dis-ease and to reduce pain and discomfort associated with illness, injury, or surgery.
Do You Have to “Believe In” Reiki for it to Work? What About Animals?
It works on animals, as well! I have five cats who could testify to this if only you could speak their language! So, when people ask me whether they have to believe in it for it to work, I point out the fact that the animals have no such belief system. So, the answer is “no.” On the other hand, animals “know.” They sense the energy and are drawn to it. They want it. When allowed in the room during a session, they often place themselves under the Reiki table until the treatment has ended. When you work directly on them with your hands, they also absorb the healing energy much more quickly than humans, and they will move away when they’ve had enough.
My Reiki “Lineage”
This healing art was discovered by Dr. Mikao Usui, a Japanese Christian minister. Dr. Usui taught the methods and principles he discovered, and his student, Chiyiro Hayashi, documented them for posterity.
At a clinic in Tokyo, an American patient, Hawayo Takata, not only was cured of a potentially terminal illness, but she became an advanced student of the Reiki technique.
Upon Dr. Usui’s death, he commissioned her as “world master teacher” of Reiki, which now is practiced all over the world.
It was Grand Master Takata who initiated my own teacher, Reiki Master John Harvey Gray, who teaches in a very purist fashion, to my great delight.
To learn much more about Reiki, you can visit the website of William Rand, who has devoted his life and career to Reiki and whose goal is to have common standards for Reiki practitioners throughout the world. You will want to learn more from him if and when you decide to become a Reiki practitioner, not just a recipient.
How Do We Prepare for the Reiki Treatment Session?
Before you arrive, I shall have turned off all phones, television, computer devices, and other potential noise distractions. Animals are kept our of our Reiki room. However, if we are in my office and you’re highly allergic to cats, go home, because I must have forgotten to tell you that I have some! It’s their house! We should meet somewhere else.
If you are sponsoring me in your home or office, please ensure the phones, tv’s, and other devices are off, the animals are elsewhere, and people will not be allowed to interrupt.
Before your arrival, I also shall have “cleansed” the room with procedures designed to eliminate negative energies and to invoke purely loving, healing energy into our space. If you are the host, I’ll spend a couple of minutes cleansing our session space before we start.
What Is the Focus of Our Reiki Treatment?
We’ll spend the first few minutes in quiet conversation before the Reiki treatment. This enables us to become attuned to one another and to determine if there is a particular life challenge (physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual) on which you wish to focus.
Some practitioners have intake forms and/or conduct a health interview, but many do not. You may be asked to sign a consent form. Let the practitioner know if you have a health condition that might make it difficult for you to lie flat on your back or stomach. A bolster can be placed under your knees to ease back pressure.
The provider may ask for permission to touch. The practitioner can show you – on his or her own body – where the hands will be placed in a Reiki treatment. If there are areas where you do not want to be touched, say so.
A Reiki session often lasts from 45 minutes to an hour, including the time spent in communicating before and after the actual treatment. “Seated” Reiki may last half that time.
You Remain Fully Clothed During the Whole Reiki Session
You will lie on your back on a massage table, protected with freshly laundered sheets. There is no need to take off any clothing. If any practitioner tells you to disrobe, leave immediately, as that is never part of the process. Reiki energy can penetrate the heaviest clothing. (You don’t have to, but you may take off your shoes. It is traditional to do so. Please have clean feet and socks! If you don’t, you may ask the provider to give you alcohol wipes or a warm, wet washcloth to help eliminate distracting odors.)
Music and Movements
To aid relaxation, meditation music may be playing in the background; but, if you don’t like it, just tell me so, and I’ll turn it off! We might employ the sound of water from a fountain, nature sounds, or silence, as you wish.
You then will lie on your back on the massage table and just rest. You can concentrate on relaxing totally and on breathing slowly and deeply. I’ll scan your energy levels, sensing them in my hands which are held above your body over the chakras. (Note: some providers use a pendulum as pictured here.) Then, I’ll share Reiki with you through very gentle laying-on of hands.
What Does the Reiki Treatment Consist Of?
Reiki involves technically specific positions, starting at the trunk of your body, but eventually going “tip to toe,” (not including the genitalia). However, most practitioners will sense areas which need more or less concentration, and they will follow whatever guidance they receive about how long to maintain or to change a position.
If we were doing “seated Reiki” (as often happens in an office setting), the positions are similar. This is a “short version” wherein the Reiki recipient is seated in a chair with eyes closed, hands in lap (palms up), and feet flat on the floor. Reiki is administered by my standing behind the partner with hands on the person’s shoulders for a few minutes. I then work with the energies in the aura or may touch the body in one or two other Reiki positionings, depending on how I am guided.
Things You May Experience During the Reiki Treatment
Reiki can be considered to be sacred energy and process. Typically, we do not talk once the Reiki session starts, unless there is specific feedback to be shared. Usually, a person quickly enters a meditative state of peacefully heightened awareness. That is where they remain throughout the treatment – even if I occasionally am guided to convey a message of some sort.
Some people even go to sleep! That’s fine, too. You might enjoy sensations of heat, cold, tingling, or “rushing” energies. Some people feel nothing at all, except leisurely relaxation. No problem. It’s still working!!
After approximately twenty minutes, I’ll ask you to lie on your stomach, so that I can administer Reiki on your other side. (I apologize. I must use a timer because it is easy for me to lose track of time when I’m sharing Reiki with someone. It is important that I do not keep other clients waiting by extending your session beyond the hour.) Near the end of the therapy, you will turn onto your back again.
“Messages” Received During Reiki Treatments
I cannot read your mind. And, I certainly do not want to! (I have enough to do in reading my own mind!) And, I always ask (“Divine Guidance”) that the only information given to me to share with you in this process is that which serves the highest good for all concerned.
Sometimes I don’t get any messages. At other times, words, images, or physical sensations are given to me for interpretation. Often the messages come to me from your own body and its movements. If that is the case, it is likely that I not only will share this with you, but I’ll teach you a bit about how you can begin to “read your own body” so that you can enhance your own self-healing and self-discovery processes.
There are a few wonderful books and tapes that I recommend if you want to pursue the subject. I do not share this information from commercial interest, but because the information has been so enlightening for me that I want everyone to have the opportunity to learn about it!
What Happens At the End of the Treatment?
When I have finished, I’ll let you know by covering you with a clean sheet, and I may leave the room for a moment while you bring yourself back to complete conscious awareness.
You should sit up gradually and remain on the table for a few minutes to prevent dizziness.
I’ll give you some water to help ground you. We must ensure you’re fully present in your body-mind, especially if you are about to drive.
We then quietly exchange any pertinent experiences or insights, and you’re on your way home!
Post-Treatment Recommendations
I recommend not listening to any loud, abrasive music (or conversations) for about thirty minutes, to preserve the healing energies and to protect yourself as you will be highly sensitized to stimuli. (You may feel the effects of the treatment for several hours to come – kind of like time-release capsules – but in spiritual form). Feel free to call me with comments or questions after treatment.
People do not always get the result they want from any kind of treatment. In case you are interested in the “whys,” Click Here for a link to an article I wrote on this topic.
In addition, there are situations in which the person or animal is not going to be cured of anything because they are ready to move out of this life. I have shared Reiki with both people and animals in the dying process, and it has brought them great peace with less physical and emotional pain. It is a sacred and loving experience.
How Many Reiki Treatments Should You Have?
It all depends on the condition you are trying to address. There are instances in which one treatment is enough. However, your practitioner is likely to suggest a series of sessions for most conditions – particularly if it involves a chronic or serious illness or emotional condition.
It is common to schedule a minimum of four sessions which helps you evaluate what benefits you are receiving. This is important because of two things. 1) No two treatments are exactly alike, as the body/mind progresses. 2) The effects of Reiki last for hours and/or days beyond the actual appointment.
Appointments may need to be scheduled on consecutive days, or they could be spread across a period of weeks. Talk with your practitioner how best to space the treatment sessions to suit your needs and your schedule. There are Reiki practitioners in most areas of the country, and you don’t have to get all treatments from the same provider.
Reiki Testimonials for Nancy (Ayanna)
So, I cannot predict precisely what will occur when we’re together. What I can ensure is that you will feel much more relaxed and in touch with your inner Self. Perhaps my clients – who come from a wide variety of professions, cultures, races, and belief systems (both religious and sacrilegious) – best express how they feel after treatments.
- “It felt Holy! Never before in my life have I felt such peace and such ecstasy.” ~ Computer Systems Designer
- “Everything you said was right on target. I hadn’t realized those things still bothered me.” ~ Teddy: Drug Counselor for the Homeless
- “I trust you completely.” ~ Kathy: Victim of Sexual Abuse
- “When you touched me, it felt like the security of a baby in the womb. I never wanted to come out.” ~ Steve: Artist, Metaphysician, Healer, Antique Dealer
- “God has granted you the gift of Discernment. That wasn’t nuthin’ but the Lord!” ~ A good anonymous churchwoman
- “I always get even more than I give! It is soothing, healing, and rejuvenating.” ~ Nancy Wyatt: (I’m My Own Best Client)
I hope this has been helpful to you. Feel free to contact me with comments or questions!
Let’s Get Well, Stay Well, and Live Well Together Now!