What Is Reiki?

During a Reiki healing ­session, it’s easy to think nothing much is happening. You lie on a table, fully clothed, while a practitioner hovers their hands over or rests them gently on different areas of your body. There is no tissue manipulation of any kind, and there is no talking.

Yet when a skilled Reiki practitioner is holding the session, something is definitely happening.

“I held a session for a genocide survivor who hadn’t slept through the night in years,” recalls Reiki master Rosie Cataldo, who is also an advocate for survivors of human trafficking. “When I checked in with her a couple days after our session, she said she had the best night of sleep she can ever remember having.”

Cataldo is quick to point out that she isn’t healing people. The energy that comes through her during a Reiki session helps clients heal themselves, clearing up energy from lingering traumas and old resentments.

“I serve as a pipeline,” she explains.

She describes energy from a divine source being funneled through her hands to the client, who does the rest. “Their mind, body, spirit pulls in the energy so that it goes to where it’s needed.”

Cataldo also emphasizes that Reiki, while spiritual, is completely non-denominational. She believes it can be useful for anyone who’s open, curious, and seeking new tools for healing.

Origins of Reiki

In Japanese, the word “reiki” loosely translates to “universal life-force ­energy.” The current practice ­appears to have been founded in Japan in the late 19th century, when Buddhist scholar Mikao Usui devised the method in his pursuit of spiritual enlightenment. When an earthquake struck Tokyo in 1923, he began using Reiki techniques to heal the injured; Usui was so effective that military leaders asked him to train naval medics in Reiki to treat wounded soldiers.

Reiki has been practiced in the United States since the 1930s, and today it is most likely to be found in a range of healing environments, from massage studios to complementary wellness programs in hospitals. It’s been studied for its effect on fibromyalgia, anxiety, and the discomfort of cancer symptoms, where it generally outperforms placebos.

Still, research on Reiki’s efficacy remains thin, a fact some practitioners attribute to the difficulty of studying energy-healing practices.

Cataldo discovered Reiki following the sudden death of her mother, when a friend suggested she try it to help ease her grief. After the first session, she recalls feeling like a heavy weight had been lifted from her chest. She felt more like herself again and knew she wanted to offer this same kind of relief to her clients. Many had experienced organized violence, and they often carried the weight of heavy experiences they couldn’t unload on their own.

Most Reiki sessions begin with a conversation. The client can ask the practitioner to focus on a physical or emotional issue directly — or not. One of the powerful things about Reiki is that it can stimulate healing without relying on verbal explanations.

“Sometimes, talking about the bad things that happened can unintentionally reinforce those neural pathways, making it hard to find a new way of thinking about something — or releasing it,” Cataldo says.

Exploring Reiki

Practitioners become certified in Reiki by receiving an “attunement” from a master teacher. There are several levels of training, culminating in Reiki master. Some practitioners, like Cataldo, offer Reiki healings exclusively, though many massage therapists and other healers include Reiki among their services.

If you’re in a remote area where no Reiki practitioners are available (or if you prefer to stay at home), you can receive a “distance” healing from a practitioner who’s received Level 3 training or above.

When Cataldo does a distance session, she has a brief call with her client to assess their needs, then asks them to sit in a quiet place and relax while she visualizes being present in the room doing a healing with them. “It doesn’t matter if you’re in the room together or across the country,” she says. “The energy has no limits.”

When you’re choosing a practitioner, she suggests, take a curious, open-minded approach while still trusting your gut. “Go by your own discernment and not what someone tells you,” she advises. “You are your best healer.”