Have you ever noticed how the most profound lessons rarely arrive with fanfare?
When I began my Reiki journey five years ago, I came armed with certificates, hand position charts, and enough enthusiasm to power a small city. I thought I knew what to expect.
I was wrong.
The real education happened in the quiet moments between sessions, in the unexpected results, and in the gentle course corrections that ultimately transformed not just my practice, but my entire approach to healing.
Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner or just starting your Reiki adventure, these five revelations from my first five years might save you some detours on your own path—or at least let you know you’re not alone in the journey.
1. Permission Isn’t Just Polite—It’s Essential
It happened during my second year of practice.
A close friend was going through a difficult divorce, and I could practically see the dark cloud of stress surrounding her. My fingers tingled with the urge to send healing energy her way.
So I did.
Without asking.
After all, who wouldn’t want some extra healing support during a crisis?
The next day, she called me, sounding disoriented. “The strangest thing happened last night. I felt this overwhelming surge of emotion come out of nowhere. I ended up crying for hours and barely slept. It was like something was pushing me to process everything at once.”
My stomach dropped. In my enthusiasm to help, I’d violated one of the most fundamental principles of energy work: consent.
What I’ve learned since then is that energy healing isn’t just about sending “positive vibes.” It’s a tangible intervention that can catalyze profound shifts. And like any intervention, it requires explicit permission.
Here’s why:
- Each person’s spiritual journey unfolds at its own perfect pace. Unsolicited energy work can disrupt that natural timing.
- Some people may be energetically sensitive in ways they don’t even recognize themselves.
- True healing happens when someone is ready and receptive. Sending energy without permission can create resistance or confusion.
- Respecting boundaries builds trust in the practitioner-client relationship.
This lesson transformed how I approach every aspect of my practice. Now, I ask permission before each session, for distance healing, and even when I feel intuitively called to send energy to someone in need.
The irony? When I actually ask, people almost always say yes—and the healing that follows is inevitably more profound.
2. Your Personal Connection Is Your Greatest Strength
“But that’s not how my teacher does it.”
I whispered these words to myself countless times during my early practice, second-guessing my intuitive pulls and unique approach.
You see, in my Reiki practice, Jesus is central. Not in a preachy way, but in a deeply personal connection that infuses every session with his healing presence.
This wasn’t something my Reiki teacher emphasized. It wasn’t in the manuals. For a while, I wondered if I was doing Reiki “wrong.”
Until the results became impossible to ignore.
Clients reported deeper experiences, more profound shifts, and accelerated healing when I stopped trying to practice “textbook Reiki” and instead allowed my authentic spiritual connection to flow through.
The breakthrough came after a particularly powerful session with a client suffering from chronic migraines. Halfway through, I clearly felt guided to call on Jesus’s healing energy. The shift in the room was palpable—like the difference between a gentle stream and a rushing river.
Two weeks later, she reported that her migraines had completely subsided for the first time in eight years.
That’s when I realized: Your unique connection to universal energy—whether you experience it through Jesus, Buddha, Source, or simply as pure life force—isn’t a deviation from “proper” Reiki. It’s your greatest strength as a practitioner.
This personal connection:
- Creates authenticity that clients can feel
- Deepens your own ability to channel energy
- Distinguishes your practice from others
- Attracts the clients who will benefit most from your specific energy signature
The lesson? Stop apologizing for your unique approach. It’s not a liability—it’s your superpower.
3. The Real Magic Happens in the Pause (and After the Session)
I used to rush into Reiki sessions like an eager puppy—hands immediately finding their positions, mentally reviewing protocols, focusing intently on “doing it right.”
Then one day, running late after a traffic jam, I arrived flustered to a session with a regular client. Knowing I needed to center myself, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and simply stood in stillness for about 30 seconds before approaching her.
The session that followed was one of the most powerful we’d ever experienced.
“What did you do differently?” she asked afterward. “The energy felt so much more…present.”
That accidental pause taught me one of the most valuable lessons of my practice: Energy work begins before your hands touch the client. The quality of your presence—your ability to be a clear channel—matters more than any technique.
Now, I intentionally create space before every session:
- A moment of stillness to clear my own energy field
- A conscious connection to the universal source (and for me, to Jesus)
- An intentional opening to receive guidance
- A silent request that the highest good be served
But the lesson goes further. I’ve also discovered that Reiki’s effects often continue to unfold long after the formal session ends.
One client came for help with insomnia. During our session, she felt little except warmth and relaxation—pleasant but not dramatic. She was slightly disappointed.
Three days later, she texted me: “I’ve slept through the night for the first time in years, and I’m dreaming again!”
This taught me to be patient with the process and to educate clients about Reiki’s timeline:
- Initial shifts may be subtle
- Integration can take days or even weeks
- The body’s innate wisdom determines the healing sequence
- Sometimes the most profound changes happen when we’re not looking for them
As practitioners, we plant seeds. Some sprout immediately; others take time to germinate beneath the surface.
4. Sometimes the Best Healing Looks Like Loss
“My Reiki session was amazing, but then my boyfriend broke up with me a week later. Did I do something wrong?”
This question from a distraught client led to one of the most important realizations of my practice: Sometimes, what falls away after energy work is precisely what needs to go.
In the case of this particular client, her relationship had been subtly draining her energy for years. She knew it intellectually but couldn’t seem to make the change. The Reiki session didn’t “cause” the breakup—it simply removed the energetic patterns that had been keeping an unhealthy situation in place.
Three months later, she returned for another session. “I can’t believe I was upset,” she told me. “That relationship was holding me back in ways I couldn’t see. I feel like myself again.”
This pattern has repeated with remarkable consistency:
- The job that no longer serves suddenly becomes unbearable
- The friendship that has run its course naturally dissolves
- The home that’s energetically misaligned suddenly sells
- The physical symptoms that were masking deeper issues intensify before breakthrough
I’ve learned to prepare clients for this possibility—not to frighten them, but to reassure them that if things seem to “fall apart” after Reiki, it’s often clearing the way for something better aligned with their highest good.
As one wise teacher told me: “Reiki doesn’t just bring light. It also illuminates what’s been hiding in the shadows.”
When we release what no longer serves us—even when that release is initially painful—we create space for something more aligned to enter.
5. Integration Is Everything: Why Complementary Modalities Matter
My most significant breakthrough came when I stopped seeing Reiki as a standalone practice and started integrating complementary healing modalities.
The catalyst was my own healing crisis during my third year of practice. Despite regular self-Reiki, I hit a wall—foggy thinking, unexplained fatigue, and a sense that something was blocking my energy channels.
Reiki helped, but it wasn’t resolving the underlying issue.
That’s when I discovered TRS by Coseva, a zeolite-based detoxification system specifically designed to remove heavy metals and environmental toxins from the body.
The transformation was remarkable. Within weeks of starting TRS, the mental fog lifted. My energy channels felt clearer than they had in years. My intuition sharpened. Most importantly, my Reiki practice deepened to levels I hadn’t thought possible.
This experience taught me that while energy healing is powerful, our physical bodies create the foundation for that energy to flow. When our systems are burdened by toxins—particularly heavy metals that lodge in tissues and disrupt nervous system function—our capacity as energy channels is compromised.
Since 2022, TRS has been an essential part of my health regimen, not just for my own wellbeing but for the integrity of my Reiki practice.
➥ Learn more about how TRS works.
But my integration journey didn’t stop there. I’ve found that different healing modalities address different aspects of our multidimensional nature:
➲ Neurofeedback helped me identify and shift stubborn patterns in my brain’s electrical activity—patterns that were creating energetic blocks I couldn’t address through Reiki alone.
➲ EMDR therapy allowed me to process and release traumatic experiences that were stored in both my energy field and my nervous system, creating greater coherence between my emotional and energetic bodies.
The lesson? Reiki is powerful, but it doesn’t exist in isolation. True healing addresses all aspects of our being:
- Physical (body)
- Mental (mind)
- Emotional (heart)
- Spiritual (soul)
By integrating complementary approaches that address these different dimensions, we create a comprehensive healing environment where Reiki can work even more effectively.
The Journey Continues
Five years into my Reiki journey, I’ve learned that the practice is less about accumulating techniques and more about continual refinement and deepening.
The certificates on my wall matter less than the wisdom accumulated through thousands of hours of practice, hundreds of clients, and my own ongoing healing journey.
These five lessons—respecting energetic boundaries, honoring my unique connection, allowing the process to unfold in its own time, recognizing that true healing sometimes involves release, and integrating complementary modalities—have transformed not just how I practice Reiki, but how I understand healing itself.
As I move into my next five years of practice, I carry these insights as foundations rather than conclusions. The beauty of energy work is that there’s always another layer to explore, another level of understanding to reach.
I’d love to hear what lessons have shaped your own journey with Reiki. What unexpected insights have transformed your practice? Share in the comments below—our collective wisdom makes each of us stronger practitioners.
[If you’re interested in experiencing the clarity and enhanced energy that supports my Reiki practice, click here to learn more about TRS by Coseva. As a practitioner, maintaining my own energetic clarity is essential for serving others, and TRS has been a game-changer in my personal practice.]