Artwork credit: Chloe-Jade Simmons
Ever since I first tried reiki about six years ago, I believed in its power to soothe and encourage healing because I had experienced it. Reiki had helped me through trauma and anxiety, so I became attuned to continue to heal myself and others.
But even when I became attuned in level 2 reiki and was taught how to send distance healing, I was a bit sceptical.
When I have my hands on someone or near them in the same room, fair play, but miles across the city to someone in another post code? How could that work?
The first time I sent distance reiki was a few years ago, to my friend who had flu. I used a surrogate, which means using a teddy bear or doll in place of the person. My surrogate was my trusty turquoise Buddha mascot – you might have seen him on my home page or social media banners!
I put my hands on each part of the Buddha pretending it was her, and soon enough, I felt dizzy and strange. I told my friend I had sent it and described how I felt, and she said that was exactly how she had been feeling.
Still, I wasn’t sure if it had made much difference to her condition. I’d only send reiki to friends when I couldn’t get to them, but both myself and my clients preferred to have face-to-face sessions.
I am the co-organiser of Reiki Shining Light Circle - a regular workshop for practising reiki healers in Sheffield, from unqualified beginners, to master level practitioners. Our workshops involve a speaker sharing their gifts or practice, followed by the group practising reiki on each other.
Funnily enough, the session just before lock down was on distance reiki. Phil is a reiki master, who is relatively new to our group. He volunteered to be our guest speaker and shared some interesting distance healing exercises with us.
One exercise involved pairing up. One partner would go to the far end of the hall and lay down, while the other stayed sat in a circle with a photo of their partner to focus sending healing to.
Even though the distance was very short, the connection we had with our partners and what we managed to pick up about them was amazing. Plus, when I laid down to receive reiki, I felt just as relaxed and experienced the same level of sensation (tingling and seeing colours) as I would a hands-on session.
Then lock down happened. But I saw it as a great opportunity to continue with distance reiki. Besides, Phil’s session had finally allowed me to fully believe and embrace the practice. And I think that’s why my clients and I suddenly had a much more powerful experience with it.
But as the saying goes, “Energy flows where attention goes.”
I did a couple of reiki swaps with other practitioners at first, and we were amazed at how much information we had gained about each other from a distance session. We were also amazed that we felt the same sensations when it was our turn to receive reiki.
Usually when I receive reiki in person, I feel a huge shiver come over me. This same feeling came over me. When it finished, I had the same light-headed feeling, like waking up from a nap, that I'd get in person too.
Then I had a pretty crazy distance reiki experience with someone. Some reiki practitioners get spirits or angels coming through with messages when they work with clients, but I never had. Not when the client was physically present nor when they were at a distance.
Then on this occasion, I was focusing on my clients’ crown chakra, when I saw the goddess Venus! She was more like a green transparent statue than a flesh and blood figure, but I knew it was her.
I decided to pull a few tarot cards for the client too, to get a little more guidance, and sure enough, The Empress card appeared. The Empress is ruled by the planet Venus, and the symbol even appears on a shield in the corner of this card. Both mine and the client’s mind were blown.
I am not saying that every session is this eventful, but the fact this happened during a distance reiki session? Wow.
So, does distance reiki work? In my experience as both a client and a practitioner, absolutely! Of course, most prefer a face-to-face session because reiki is a treatment and an experience.
Though receiving it in my own home has been a great alternative during the pandemic, I know I feel much more immersed in a session when I visit someone else’s space.
But when it comes to the energy reaching the client, distance is certainly no obstacle!
As I am in the clinically vulnerable category, I am not currently inviting clients to my home office for reiki. If you would like to find out more or book a distance reiki session, please get in touch via the Contact section.