FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I get hundreds of emails each year from people who have read one or more of my books, as well as from past students, and most of them include questions about Reiki, so I thought it would be a good idea to put some of the most popular questions (together with their answers, obviously!) on my website. So if you've got a question you've been wanting to ask, please email
info@reiki-quest.co.uk - I do reply to all emails from readers and students, but the most popular
questions will also be on these FAQ pages.
They are divided into various topic areas, so hopefully you won't have to read through everything - just scroll down to find what you're looking for. At the moment there are four subjects, and I expect more will be added as the weeks and months go by:
REIKI AND RELATIONSHIPS
Q: Can I use Reiki to make a particular person love me; or to make someone stay in a relationship with me; or to leave their current partner to be with me?
A: The short answer to this is "No". Reiki is a gentle, healing, harmonising energy, so it certainly cannot be used to "force" anyone to do anything, nor will it work towards anything which is unethical. The other thing to remember is that Reiki always works for the greatest and highest good, so if you do send Reiki to the situation of your relationship with someone, it
will work towards what you need, rather than what you want, so really there is no point in having specific expectations. We might think we know what is best for us, but often we don't!
Example: Someone I know used to send Reiki every day to her relationship with her boyfriend, because although they were having difficulties, she wanted the relationship to "get better". When her boyfriend left her, she was angry because she felt Reiki hadn't worked, by which she
meant it hadn't worked the way she had wanted it to. However, she decided to move to another part of the country, and within a year she was happily settled in a new home, a new job, and she had met someone else with whom she formed a really happy relationship. In addition, her former boyfriend also met and settled down happily with someone new.
Which just goes to show - Reiki always works for the highest and greatest good, and in this case that was for the relationship to break down so that each could go their separate ways to meet other people even better suited to them. It might not have been what she wanted initially, but it seems it was what she needed!
PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH
Q: Is it safe to attune a pregnant woman to Reiki?
A: My personal view is that, as Reiki can do no harm, it is perfectly acceptable to attune someone who is pregnant, as this means the expectant mother can then give herself and her baby Reiki, both before, during and after the birth. I have attuned a number of expectant mothers over the years, and they have all found it beneficial. During the attunement itself,
sometimes the baby becomes very lively, kicking its mother, whilst at other times the baby seems to be relaxed and calm.
Q : If a pregnant woman is attuned to Reiki, is her baby also attuned?
A: To be honest I don't think anyone knows the definitive answer to this! However, I believe that "everything is as it should be", so from that perspective, I don't think the attunement would take place at all (ie something unexpected might prevent it) if it was not also for the baby's advantage - and if the baby was also attuned, then the child would probably grow up with natural healing ability. Unfortunately none of the pregnant women I have attuned have
contacted me some years later to let me know if this is the case!
Q: Is it safe to give a pregnant woman a Reiki treatment?
A: Reiki is a safe and gentle energy, so there should be no problems in giving a pregnant woman a treatment, especially in the later months of pregnancy, as this can help to relax the expectant mother, and can also help to limit the discomforts associated with the later stages, such as back ache. However, it may be sensible in the first trimester to just give a short
treatment, such as the hand positions on the head and shoulders. Miscarriage is more likely in the first three months than at any other time during pregnancy, and although it is extremely unlikely that Reiki could have anything to do with that, it could be difficult for a practitioner if the client blamed him or her if they experienced a miscarriage shortly after a treatment. Also, do
remember that there are a number of aromatherapy oils which can be risky for pregnant women, especially juniper and myrrh, so it is best not to burn any oils in the treatment room when treating any woman of child-bearing age.
REIKI AND SENSATIONS
Q: What If I Don't Feel Anything When I'm Using Reiki?
A: It isn’t necessary to experience any feelings or sensations when using Reiki, either in your hands or in the area your hands are placed. Some people are very kinaesthetic, so they experience a lot of sensation, but many people aren’t, so they feel either nothing, or very little, but this doesn’t mean the Reiki isn’t working.
Reiki students often experience much less sensation when treating themselves than they do when they treat other people. The main reason for this is to do with the different levels of vibrational energy. Reiki is a higher and finer vibrational frequency than your own life-force/spiritual energy (your aura), which is itself a higher and finer vibrational frequency than that of your physical body, but the three are linked, because Reiki comes from (or through) your soul/spirit. When you treat yourself the three energies are in sync with each other, so there is very little vibrational dissonance created, which is what basically causes the sensations you get in your hands or wherever your hands are placed. However, when you are treating someone else, their aura and body have a different vibrational frequency to yours, and therefore to the
Reiki that flows through you, so that does create energetic dissonance, hence you get those feelings of warmth/heat, coolness/cold, tingling, buzzing etc. (NB - energetic dissonance isn't harmful, it's similar to two musical notes that just don't sound good when played at the same time!)
However, it is important to be open to the flow of Reiki, because if you make up your mind that it isn’t going to work, you won’t be as sensitive to the subtleties of the Reiki energy, and indeed could even be mentally blocking any effects. Your thought energy is important in the use of
Reiki, because it is your INTENTION which activates it, although you don’t need to do more than just INTEND to use it, there are no special rituals to follow. It is important to just LET Reiki flow, there is no need to try to force the energy – it is not possible to force Reiki into anyone, not even into yourself.
So to recap, when you don’t feel any sensation in your hands or on your body, that doesn’t mean the Reiki isn’t flowing, nor does it mean the Reiki isn’t working. Often you will get other evidence, such as feeling more relaxed or sleepy. In the end, you just have to learn to trust it!
REIKI AND EXPECTATIONS
Q : Why Doesn't Reiki Always Work In The Way I Want It To?
A: Most people seem to have very high expectations of what Reiki will do, but it isn't possible to predict what Reiki will do, because it is not under our control. Reiki is guided by our soul/spirit/higher self which knows what is for our greatest and highest good, and sadly we very rarely know what is for our highest and greatest good, even if we think we do!
Reiki isn’t “magic”, and you don’t have to “make” it happen. Reiki will flow when you intend it to, as long as you have been attuned by a qualified Reiki Master, and when it flows, it always works for your highest and greatest good, so it does what you NEED, not necessarily what you WANT! Reiki is a spiritual energy which works through, and with, your own soul to heal you on
all levels, physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual, so sometimes it needs to heal your mental or emotional levels before it works on the physical level to relieve symptoms. If you have high expectations of “miracle cures” you are going to be disappointed– it doesn’t work that way. Certainly occasionally miracles do happen, but that depends upon whether that person is mentally, emotionally and spiritually ready, as well as physically ready, for that type of healing, and in any case, even miracles can take quite a bit of time! Basically, you could give 10 people with the same physical symptoms the same number of Reiki treatments from the same Practitioner, but you would get 10 different results, because Reiki adjusts to suit the person, and works on what their soul, or Higher Self, requires.
Also, many people expect Reiki to be effective almost immediately, so they think that giving themselves Reiki for about 5 minutes will be enough if they have a stiff neck or a headache. Sometimes that will be enough, but at other times it will need 10, 15 or 20 minutes, or even longer, and of course more serious health problems may need hours of treatment over many
weeks or months. What you need to realise is that it isn’t actually the Reiki that does the healing anyway, it is your own body which does that – the Reiki helps to boost your own life-force energy to activate more healing ability within your body’s natural healing systems, so for example, it can help your body to heal a cut more quickly, but your body still needs a bit of time to produce the right kind of skin cells to grow over the cut. See what I mean?
info@reiki-quest.co.uk - I do reply to all emails from readers and students, but the most popular
questions will also be on these FAQ pages.
They are divided into various topic areas, so hopefully you won't have to read through everything - just scroll down to find what you're looking for. At the moment there are four subjects, and I expect more will be added as the weeks and months go by:
- Reiki and Relationships
- Reiki and Pregnancy/Childbirth
- Reiki and Sensations
- Reiki and Expectations
REIKI AND RELATIONSHIPS
Q: Can I use Reiki to make a particular person love me; or to make someone stay in a relationship with me; or to leave their current partner to be with me?
A: The short answer to this is "No". Reiki is a gentle, healing, harmonising energy, so it certainly cannot be used to "force" anyone to do anything, nor will it work towards anything which is unethical. The other thing to remember is that Reiki always works for the greatest and highest good, so if you do send Reiki to the situation of your relationship with someone, it
will work towards what you need, rather than what you want, so really there is no point in having specific expectations. We might think we know what is best for us, but often we don't!
Example: Someone I know used to send Reiki every day to her relationship with her boyfriend, because although they were having difficulties, she wanted the relationship to "get better". When her boyfriend left her, she was angry because she felt Reiki hadn't worked, by which she
meant it hadn't worked the way she had wanted it to. However, she decided to move to another part of the country, and within a year she was happily settled in a new home, a new job, and she had met someone else with whom she formed a really happy relationship. In addition, her former boyfriend also met and settled down happily with someone new.
Which just goes to show - Reiki always works for the highest and greatest good, and in this case that was for the relationship to break down so that each could go their separate ways to meet other people even better suited to them. It might not have been what she wanted initially, but it seems it was what she needed!
PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH
Q: Is it safe to attune a pregnant woman to Reiki?
A: My personal view is that, as Reiki can do no harm, it is perfectly acceptable to attune someone who is pregnant, as this means the expectant mother can then give herself and her baby Reiki, both before, during and after the birth. I have attuned a number of expectant mothers over the years, and they have all found it beneficial. During the attunement itself,
sometimes the baby becomes very lively, kicking its mother, whilst at other times the baby seems to be relaxed and calm.
Q : If a pregnant woman is attuned to Reiki, is her baby also attuned?
A: To be honest I don't think anyone knows the definitive answer to this! However, I believe that "everything is as it should be", so from that perspective, I don't think the attunement would take place at all (ie something unexpected might prevent it) if it was not also for the baby's advantage - and if the baby was also attuned, then the child would probably grow up with natural healing ability. Unfortunately none of the pregnant women I have attuned have
contacted me some years later to let me know if this is the case!
Q: Is it safe to give a pregnant woman a Reiki treatment?
A: Reiki is a safe and gentle energy, so there should be no problems in giving a pregnant woman a treatment, especially in the later months of pregnancy, as this can help to relax the expectant mother, and can also help to limit the discomforts associated with the later stages, such as back ache. However, it may be sensible in the first trimester to just give a short
treatment, such as the hand positions on the head and shoulders. Miscarriage is more likely in the first three months than at any other time during pregnancy, and although it is extremely unlikely that Reiki could have anything to do with that, it could be difficult for a practitioner if the client blamed him or her if they experienced a miscarriage shortly after a treatment. Also, do
remember that there are a number of aromatherapy oils which can be risky for pregnant women, especially juniper and myrrh, so it is best not to burn any oils in the treatment room when treating any woman of child-bearing age.
REIKI AND SENSATIONS
Q: What If I Don't Feel Anything When I'm Using Reiki?
A: It isn’t necessary to experience any feelings or sensations when using Reiki, either in your hands or in the area your hands are placed. Some people are very kinaesthetic, so they experience a lot of sensation, but many people aren’t, so they feel either nothing, or very little, but this doesn’t mean the Reiki isn’t working.
Reiki students often experience much less sensation when treating themselves than they do when they treat other people. The main reason for this is to do with the different levels of vibrational energy. Reiki is a higher and finer vibrational frequency than your own life-force/spiritual energy (your aura), which is itself a higher and finer vibrational frequency than that of your physical body, but the three are linked, because Reiki comes from (or through) your soul/spirit. When you treat yourself the three energies are in sync with each other, so there is very little vibrational dissonance created, which is what basically causes the sensations you get in your hands or wherever your hands are placed. However, when you are treating someone else, their aura and body have a different vibrational frequency to yours, and therefore to the
Reiki that flows through you, so that does create energetic dissonance, hence you get those feelings of warmth/heat, coolness/cold, tingling, buzzing etc. (NB - energetic dissonance isn't harmful, it's similar to two musical notes that just don't sound good when played at the same time!)
However, it is important to be open to the flow of Reiki, because if you make up your mind that it isn’t going to work, you won’t be as sensitive to the subtleties of the Reiki energy, and indeed could even be mentally blocking any effects. Your thought energy is important in the use of
Reiki, because it is your INTENTION which activates it, although you don’t need to do more than just INTEND to use it, there are no special rituals to follow. It is important to just LET Reiki flow, there is no need to try to force the energy – it is not possible to force Reiki into anyone, not even into yourself.
So to recap, when you don’t feel any sensation in your hands or on your body, that doesn’t mean the Reiki isn’t flowing, nor does it mean the Reiki isn’t working. Often you will get other evidence, such as feeling more relaxed or sleepy. In the end, you just have to learn to trust it!
REIKI AND EXPECTATIONS
Q : Why Doesn't Reiki Always Work In The Way I Want It To?
A: Most people seem to have very high expectations of what Reiki will do, but it isn't possible to predict what Reiki will do, because it is not under our control. Reiki is guided by our soul/spirit/higher self which knows what is for our greatest and highest good, and sadly we very rarely know what is for our highest and greatest good, even if we think we do!
Reiki isn’t “magic”, and you don’t have to “make” it happen. Reiki will flow when you intend it to, as long as you have been attuned by a qualified Reiki Master, and when it flows, it always works for your highest and greatest good, so it does what you NEED, not necessarily what you WANT! Reiki is a spiritual energy which works through, and with, your own soul to heal you on
all levels, physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual, so sometimes it needs to heal your mental or emotional levels before it works on the physical level to relieve symptoms. If you have high expectations of “miracle cures” you are going to be disappointed– it doesn’t work that way. Certainly occasionally miracles do happen, but that depends upon whether that person is mentally, emotionally and spiritually ready, as well as physically ready, for that type of healing, and in any case, even miracles can take quite a bit of time! Basically, you could give 10 people with the same physical symptoms the same number of Reiki treatments from the same Practitioner, but you would get 10 different results, because Reiki adjusts to suit the person, and works on what their soul, or Higher Self, requires.
Also, many people expect Reiki to be effective almost immediately, so they think that giving themselves Reiki for about 5 minutes will be enough if they have a stiff neck or a headache. Sometimes that will be enough, but at other times it will need 10, 15 or 20 minutes, or even longer, and of course more serious health problems may need hours of treatment over many
weeks or months. What you need to realise is that it isn’t actually the Reiki that does the healing anyway, it is your own body which does that – the Reiki helps to boost your own life-force energy to activate more healing ability within your body’s natural healing systems, so for example, it can help your body to heal a cut more quickly, but your body still needs a bit of time to produce the right kind of skin cells to grow over the cut. See what I mean?
