One of the questions I hear most often from people who are new to Reiki is:

"But what am I supposed to feel?"

My answer?

Nothing.

And potentially, a whole lot.

There is no test you have to pass during a Reiki session. You don't need to see colors. You don't need to feel energy moving through your body. You don't need to receive a message from Spirit, have an emotional breakthrough, or experience something dramatic enough to prove that Reiki "worked."

Some people feel warmth.

Some feel coolness.

Some notice tingling, pulsing, heaviness, or a sensation of energy moving through different areas of the body.

Some see colors or images behind closed eyes.

Some become emotional.

Some fall asleep.

Some experience an incredible sense of peace.

And some lie there thinking:

Am I supposed to be feeling something right now?

All of those experiences are okay.

So What Is Reiki?

Reiki is a Japanese energy-healing practice commonly associated with Mikao Usui and developed into various lineages and systems over time.

In the tradition I practice and teach, Reiki is approached as a form of spiritually guided life-force energy.

As a Reiki practitioner, I don't think of myself as giving you my energy.

And I certainly don't think of myself as the person doing all of your healing for you.

I am the practitioner.

I create the space.

I open myself to the Reiki energy.

And I allow the session to unfold.

That distinction matters to me because I never want healing work to become another place where someone is taught to hand their power over to somebody else.

You Are Not a Broken Thing That Needs Fixing

People often seek healing because something doesn't feel right.

Maybe they're exhausted.

Maybe they're grieving.

Maybe they're going through an enormous life transition.

Maybe they feel disconnected from themselves.

Maybe they simply know that they need to stop for an hour and receive.

Whatever brings someone to the table, I don't approach them as a collection of problems that I need to repair.

I approach them as a whole person.

Sometimes the most profound thing about a Reiki session isn't a spectacular energetic experience.

It's permission to stop.

To become quiet.

To receive without having to perform.

To listen to yourself.

In a world that constantly asks us to do, there can be something sacred about simply allowing ourselves to be.

What Happens During a Reiki Session?

A Reiki session is generally quiet and deeply relaxing.

You remain clothed and can rest comfortably while the practitioner works either with gentle hands-on contact, where appropriate and consented to, or with the hands held above the body.

Different Reiki practitioners work differently, and my sessions naturally incorporate the intuitive and spiritual awareness I have developed through my broader practice.

But I don't go into a session deciding what someone should experience.

I listen.

I pay attention.

I work intuitively.

And I allow space for whatever unfolds.

Sometimes I notice areas that seem to draw my attention strongly.

Sometimes imagery or impressions arise.

Sometimes the session feels incredibly quiet.

I can share observations when appropriate, but I don't believe every sensation needs to become a prophecy or every image needs to be turned into a spiritual message.

Sometimes an experience can simply be an experience.

What If I Don't Feel Anything?

This deserves its own section because people worry about it so much.

You haven't failed Reiki.

Being highly sensitive to subtle sensations isn't a prerequisite for receiving a Reiki session.

People perceive experiences differently.

And even the same person can have completely different experiences from one session to another.

I've learned through years of working with energy that chasing an experience can actually make it harder to settle into one.

If you spend the entire session mentally checking:

Is this it?

Was that Reiki?

Should my hands be tingling?

Why didn't I see purple?

...you're not exactly relaxing. 😂

You don't need to manufacture an experience.

Let yourself receive whatever the session is that day.

But Is Reiki Scientifically Proven?

This is where I think spiritual practitioners need to be willing to hold two things at once.

I have my own spiritual understanding of Reiki and years of personal experience with energy work.

That is not the same thing as saying science has proven every spiritual explanation associated with Reiki.

Research has explored Reiki for things such as relaxation, stress, anxiety, pain, and quality of life, but the evidence is mixed and continues to develop. Reiki should not be presented as a replacement for medical or mental-health care.

I don't need to exaggerate Reiki in order to value it.

For me, there is room for spiritual practice and intellectual honesty.

There is room for mystery.

There is room for science.

And there is room to say:

I don't know exactly how everything works.

I actually find that rather beautiful.

Distance Reiki: Do We Have to Be in the Same Room?

No.

Much of my Reiki work can be offered remotely.

Within Reiki practice, distance work is based on the understanding that energetic connection is not dependent upon physical proximity.

I recognize that this is a spiritual belief rather than an established scientific fact.

But it is an important part of how I practice Reiki, and it allows someone to receive a session without leaving their own home.

For some people, that's actually their favorite way to receive.

They're already in their safe space.

There is nowhere to drive afterward.

They can remain quiet, journal, take a bath, drink some water, go outside, or simply crawl under a blanket and let themselves integrate the experience.

Reiki Isn't About Giving Away Your Power

This may be the most important thing I teach about healing.

A practitioner can support you.

A teacher can teach you.

A ceremony can create a container.

A spiritual practice can give you tools.

But none of those things should convince you that your healing lives somewhere outside of yourself.

I don't want someone leaving my Reiki table thinking:

Angela healed me.

I'd much rather they leave wondering:

What did I just remember about myself?

Because Reiki, like so much of the work I practice, ultimately brings me back to the same place:

Your relationship with yourself.

Your relationship with your body.

Your relationship with Spirit, however you understand Spirit.

And your willingness to listen.

Maybe You Don't Need to Understand Everything

We live in a world that wants explanations.

I understand that impulse. I have it too.

But some of the most meaningful experiences of my life have existed in that strange space between what I can explain and what I simply know I experienced.

Reiki lives there for me.

I can teach its history.

I can teach the hand positions.

I can teach the symbols and techniques appropriate to each level.

I can initiate students into the practice.

I can tell you what I have experienced after years of working with it.

But I cannot promise you what you will experience.

And I wouldn't want to.

Your experience belongs to you.

So if you ever find yourself on a Reiki table — or curled up comfortably at home receiving a distance session — and you catch yourself wondering whether you're doing it correctly, remember:

There is nothing you need to perform.

Nothing you need to prove.

Nothing you need to force.

Close your eyes.

Breathe.

Receive.

And let whatever happens be enough.

— Angela Love Reiki Master Teacher Ascension with Angela