My Reiki Journey - Part 8: Reiki II Distance Healing

Distance Healing was part of the Reiki II training and practice that surprised me the most.  The level of my surprise was directly proportional to the level of skepticism I'd had around any of it actually working or being validated.  To say the least, I was highly skeptical that any of it would do anything...

After spending so much time learning about Reiki I as a hands-on healing practice with all sorts of different hand positions and learning how to understand various sensations through the hands, to then be tasked with completely removing ourselves from having a physical client body in front of us and immediate sensory experience just seemed like hocus pocus at first. 

This is where practicing Reiki II with a group of people in person made a huge difference, because we were able to try different techniques and share our experiences in ways that helped us understand what Distance Healing might feel like for the receiver/client and the sender/reiki practitioner.  Since much of what Reiki is and can be is learned through practice and experience, it gave us more opportunities to understand what distance healing could do with people who already had a shared language of the various things we experienced in Reiki I.

When I was in the role of the Reiki Distance Healing client, the experience felt soft and relaxing and I had a few mental impressions of beautiful scenery and moments.  It was peaceful and soothing like a simple guided meditation, but no one was speaking to me or guiding me, it was all just happening as a moment of me sitting still relaxing.  That experience was great, but it didn't really sell me on the idea that anything was actually going on or that any kind of healing was taking place other than simple relaxation, which was fine in and of itself, but didn't do much to really convince me that Reiki Distance Healing was really "working" or "doing anything" if that was the only experience I'd ever had with Distance Healing work.

However, when I was the Reiki Practioner, I ended up receiving all sorts of information and insight about someone's physical energy body and energetic experiences that were later confirmed by the receiving client.  How could I possibly know these things about this person without them ever telling me first?  How was I able to sense issues that I'm not able to see or feel directly with my hands?  Only after sharing what I experienced with several clients during the session, and having them confirm their awareness of the things I received intuitive guidance about, did I begin to think that maybe, just maybe, there's really some kind of truth in experiencing and practicing Reiki Distance Healing.  The more curious I became, the more I wanted to practice on people to see what kind of physical, emotional, and spiritual insights were possible to confirm through Distance Healing.  The more experience and confirmation I had from various people I'd never even met in person, the more I began to understand that it wasn't just an imagined experience, something was really happening and unfolding in that space of Distance Healing work.

Since everyone's experience is different, please know that I'm always and only speaking for myself.  I cannot guarantee that you will have similar experiences or that you will find Distance Healing to be so insightful or confirming as a Reiki Practioner.  We are all given different gifts and insights to help us work in ways that flow best with who we are.  For me, the information I was being given during these Distance Healing sessions made me aware that I should seek to be ordained as a Spiritual Counselor. The information I was receiving about clients was sometimes sensitive in nature and when discussed with the client, often led to me being in a position of working through a particular energetic, physical, relationship, or spiritual issue with a client for their awareness of their healing process, and I wanted to have an extra level of protection in the eyes of the law, which comes with being ordained as a spiritual counselor.  However, I didn't want to be exclusive to any particular religion or religious practice, because I truly respect all religious practices as personal choices for each individual, so I chose to be ordained with a non-denominational, non-dogmatic organization that works with a lot of healing practitioners.  

I also have to caveat this by saying, I do not see Reiki Distance Healing or Spiritual Counseling as a replacement for traditional counselors or psychologists.  I have witnessed that sometimes these modalities can help a client release enough energy that has been forgotten or stored away for later that they come to realize they need to spend more time working with a counselor or psychologist to work through a particular issue at a new level of consciousness that may have been brought to their awareness during Reiki Distance Healing.  Part of my responsibility is also to help point a client to additional resources beyond what I can offer, and I honor all academically and medically trained practitioners as part of those resources.  There's a reason I decided not to study traditional counseling or psychotherapy, and when a client appears to be in need, I'm happy to make the referral.

I also learned through Distance Healing work, that people must be willing and open to receiving, and that it is possible for people to block themselves from receiving healing energy.  This is why Distance Healing work, any Energy Healing work, requires permission and an open exchange between client and practitioner.  You can't go around just trying to heal a bunch of people or read their energy at a distance when they don't want it and aren't actively putting themselves in a place of receiving.  You can do things like praying and sending a little extra helpful energy that kind of hangs out in the ether waiting to be accepted when they ask for it and are open to receiving it, but you can't assume any healing will be received unless a client has invited that healing energy for themselves first and foremost.  This is also why Reiki Energy and Distance Healing can only be helpful and beneficial, because it will never enter someone's energy field that is not first welcoming of its energy healing intention to begin with.  You cannot force Reiki Healing Energy on anyone, it can only be invited.

Want to read more about my Reiki Journey?
Check out Part 7: Using Reiki II Symbols
Or start at Part 1: Skeptical Curiosity

Anne Ruthmann, Certified Reiki III Master Practitioner, www.abundantsphere.com