I’ve been writing about awareness this week, and how we tune in to the world around us. Today I thought I’d write about the ways in which I tune in to reiki clients.
The first way is the most obvious – speak with your client. Ask how they are feeling, why they are seeking a reiki treatment and what they hope to get out of it. I find that people are usually quite open about discussing these things. They did come find you for a reason, after all. However, some people are better at articulating than others. Also, people can be less aware of issues that have run so deep for so long that they seem more like facts – part of who they are instead of what is blocking them from being who they are. So as well as listening actively, check your client’s body language. Do they seem comfortable, anxious, distracted, engaged, distant, etc? Does the body language seem to reinforce what is being said or contradict it? Is there something not being communicated?
Intuition isn’t obligatory to give reiki effectively, but it can be useful for tuning in to a client. If you feel under confident about your intuition, don’t worry. Like most things, the more you practice the better you will be able to use it. Take it from someone who once felt like they were starting from zero.
When I have the time, I do a brief Tarot reading as part of the preparation for a session. It can provide insight or background that might not come out during a discussion.
Once I begin a session, I stay open for any messages I receive. One way I get information is through touch. A certain part of the body might feel “dense” to me, indicating a blockage, or it might feel like there is little energy getting to it, indicating a blockage elsewhere. I don’t really rely on the standard hand positions so much as I do on where I feel I need to go, and which way Archangel Michael’s blue sparkles are pointing me. When I’ve spent enough time in one area, I experience a feeling similar to a pressure drop before the rain.
I might also get visual images about a client during treatment. Sometimes these click with me right away, and sometimes they are so impressionistic they can be difficult to interpret. If you are inclined to share any of this information with your client, first consider whether you really understand what you are seeing, then consider whether it is in your client’s best interest to discuss it – often, it is not. For example, your client might not be all that interested in rehashing their relationship with their father in the middle of a reiki session and you might devalue the session for them by doing so. I would err on the side of caution. If you do choose to share what your intuition tells you, remember to be tactful, gentle and kind.
Above all, remember that the focus is on your client. The best way to tune in to your client during a reiki session is through direct communication, especially from your client’s point of view – they can’t see what’s going on in your head. Check in with them during the session. Get their feedback. This can also be the best way to approach anything you might pick up through intuition – ask them how they feel and let them drive the conversation. You’ll likely get a sense of whether you can or should reveal anything further.
If you have any experiences or advice you’d like to share, please feel free to express yourself here.
Related articles
- Reiki Hand Positions, Touch or Hover? (faerieprincessintuition.wordpress.com)
- Reiki – Expanding and Transforming Lives around the World (janebooth.wordpress.com)
- What is Reiki? (urbanenergywellness.wordpress.com)
- A Reiki Primer (everydayhealth.com)
Reiki Flow 
i agree… talking is best. that is what i do. I find it helps them to take responsibility for their own being if they can say (outloud or to them self) what it is they want reiki for. e.g. i might sense they really need some healing about the situation with their boss, and they could be asking for reiki because they want to have a baby.
i also get images, feelings, and sense energy blocks as you described. my method is to let the client know at the beginning of the session that if they wish to talk during, they are more than welcome. and i leave my comments until last. i follow my intuition through the after-chat. i don’t always say what i see/feel, and sometimes i don’t say all that is see/feel. somethings really freak people out, and it seems that to get into the detail afterwards, undoes all that the reiki had just balanced. other people REALLY want to know, and you get a sense of which client you have when you talk with them.
Reiki is not the same as psychic intuition, but it can help if you want it to – and i love it. thanks for a great article 🙂
Thank you Carina for that wonderfully articulated feedback!
Love the article David. Good basic approach for connection to something which is of course divine space.Talking for the client is releasing, sometimes talking from the therapist can block the client from their own process. Listening from the therapist is key with all your senses as the first point of healing is to be heard. Where does your intuition come from when in that sacred space of another being? To listen can be the bodies first time to be truly heard so your intuition may be communicating to keep your focus on what’s significant. Amazing,as ever, so little do we know.