When people discover that I practice both Reiki and LaHoChi, the question comes naturally: "Is it the same thing?"
No. They are two distinct practices with different origins, different mechanisms, and effects that complement rather than repeat each other. Here is how to tell them apart, and how they work together in a session.
Usui Reiki: Precision and Depth
Usui Reiki, or Usui Reiki Ryōhō, is a Japanese practice developed by Mikao Usui in the 1920s. It is based on the transmission of vital energy (Ki) through the hands, within a precise structure passed from teacher to student in a documented lineage.
In the tradition of Hawayo Takata, one of the primary transmitters of Reiki to the West, Reiki works primarily with organs, glands, and chakras. Hand positions are held for two and a half to three minutes each, following a sequence adapted to the individual.
What characterizes Usui Reiki is its precision. When a client presents with a specific area of pain or tension, I can address it directly. Reiki adapts to anatomy and to the needs of the moment.
LaHoChi: Intensity and Meridians
LaHoChi is a more recent practice that emerged in the United States in the 1990s. Its name is made up of three syllables: La (light, love, wisdom), Ho (movement of that energy), Chi (life force).
Structurally, LaHoChi consists of five hand positions and one closing position. It is a shorter sequence than Reiki, but positions are held significantly longer, between six and twelve minutes each. This extended duration appears to be one of the reasons recipients tend to feel the energy more markedly and physically.
LaHoChi seems to follow Chinese meridian pathways, giving it a circulation logic different from Reiki. Where Reiki works organ by organ, LaHoChi creates a current that moves through the body more globally.
What I consistently observe: LaHoChi tends to feel sharper than Reiki. Almost no one remains insensitive during a LaHoChi session. Tingling, warmth, and physical sensations typically arrive within the first few minutes, particularly when beginning at the crown chakra.
How These Two Practices Work Together
In a session, I do not do Reiki then LaHoChi sequentially. It is more organic than that.
I most often begin with LaHoChi, not because it is "stronger," but because it tends to create a deep level of relaxation quickly, particularly when opening at the head and crown. This depth of settling prepares the ground for what follows.
I then integrate Reiki according to each person's specific needs. If a client has lower back pain, shoulder tension, or an area requiring particular attention, I address it with Reiki, whose positional precision is better suited to that kind of targeted work.
Most clients are not concerned with knowing which modality I am using at any given moment. What they want is relief. That is what I work toward, with whatever tools best match what they are going through that day.
What the Recipient's Experience Looks Like
With Reiki: sensations are often softer and more diffuse. Many people enter a state of half-sleep gradually. Effects settle in over time.
With LaHoChi: physical sensations are generally more immediate and pronounced. Tingling is almost universal. Some clients describe a sense of current moving through the body, or intense localized warmth.
In combination: the effect is complementary. The depth that LaHoChi establishes, amplified by the precision of Reiki, produces something neither practice would achieve alone.
A Question I Sometimes Get
"Is LaHoChi more powerful than Reiki?"
That is not the right question. They are different practices with different logics. LaHoChi is not superior to Reiki. It is complementary. Their combination allows for a wider range of needs to be addressed.
What matters is not the modality. It is what happens in your body. To experience the energy treatments combined, you can book with me here.
Reiki and LaHoChi support — they do not replace medical care.
Cédric Suming is a Usui Reiki Ryōhō Master Teacher, trained in person at the San Francisco Reiki Center, and a LaHoChi practitioner. He practices at Centre Reiki, located at 58 rue d'Argout, Paris 2nd arrondissement.
