How a Reiki Session actually unfolds

When people get a Reiki session for the first time, they usually wonder what they're in for. I can't predict what you'll feel. But I can describe pretty well how a session in Shingon Reiki roughly unfolds.

Preparation 準備

A Reiki session doesn't begin the moment the hands touch the body. Before that, the person giving it prepares. Shingon Reiki has several techniques for this, each with its own name. Kenyoku hō 乾浴法 literally means "method of dry bathing" and is used for energetic cleansing. Gasshō 合掌 means the hands placed together in front of the chest, a gesture of gathering yourself and of respect that you'll see in every Japanese temple. With reiji hō 靈示法, literally the "method in which the spiritual shows the way," the hands follow the power to where they're needed. You'll find more on where these techniques come from and how well they're documented in the article on Japanese Reiki techniques.

Put simply, preparation is about going into the session with a clear head and calm hands, instead of bringing your whole day in with you.

The session itself 施術

The person receiving lies clothed on a treatment table, or sits if that's more comfortable. Many people close their eyes. In Shingon Reiki you usually start with a few basic positions and then let yourself be guided by the kind of perception called byōsen in Japanese. Where the hands feel warmth, tingling or a pulsing, they stay longer, and where things are quiet, they move on. That's why every session is a little different. I explain how this perception develops in the article on hibiki and byōsen.

A session usually lasts between 45 and 60 minutes. There's no fixed time limit. Sometimes half an hour is enough, sometimes it takes longer.

What the person receiving experiences 体験

Experiences are as varied as people are. Some feel warmth, others tingling, a pleasant heaviness or a kind of spaciousness. Some see colors behind their closed eyes, and some simply fall asleep. There's no right or wrong here. An experience doesn't have to be spectacular, either. Often what people talk about afterwards is a calm they hadn't known before.

Closing 終了

At the end, the hands slowly come away from the body. The person receiving usually needs a moment to come back, a bit like after a deep meditation. A glass of water and a few calm breaths are a good idea before heading back into everyday life.

In Shingon Reiki there's also no rush to interpret after a session. Whatever the giver perceived, they only share if the person receiving asks, because the experience belongs to them. I think that makes a lot of sense.

Attitude more than technique 心構

Japanese has the word kokorogamae 心構え, the inner attitude you bring to something. To me, a session is a kind of small ritual, with preparation, encounter and closing. That doesn't make it more complicated, it just gives it a frame. How to carry out the individual techniques is best experienced at a live event and in the community. What has mattered most to you in a Reiki session so far?