What to Expect During Your First Reiki Session

People coming for the first time often arrive with a mix of curiosity and uncertainty. What is going to happen? Do you have to believe in something for it to work? Is it going to be strange?

These are normal questions. Here is what actually happens.

Before the Session

No particular preparation is needed. You can eat normally beforehand. Come in comfortable clothing — you remain fully dressed throughout the session.

I will ask you to switch off your phone. Not as a formality, but because a single notification is enough to reactivate the sympathetic nervous system and undo what we have been building together.

The session begins with a few minutes of conversation. I will ask you simple questions: how you have been sleeping, how your digestion has been, how you are feeling right now. I will ask what brings you in. This is not a medical intake. It is a way of understanding where you are, so I can adapt the session to what you need that day.

If you have any areas of physical pain or discomfort, this is the moment to mention them.

During the Session

You lie down on a treatment table, fully clothed, with soft relaxing music playing. I explain where I will place my hands and in what order, and I ask for your verbal agreement before each area. There are no surprises.

There is no fixed sequence. I work based on what you have shared and what I perceive during the session. Depending on your state, I may begin with LaHoChi (often starting at the head and crown chakra), or with Reiki in the Hawayo Takata style (which classically begins at the abdomen). If you are particularly tense or "in your head," I may use a tuning fork first to help bring your awareness back into your body before placing my hands.

Reiki hand positions are held for two and a half to three minutes. LaHoChi positions are held for six to twelve minutes. That longer duration is one of the reasons physical sensations tend to be more pronounced with LaHoChi.

There is nothing for you to do. No concentration required, no visualization, no trying to feel something. If you fall asleep, that is perfect. It is not actual sleep — it is the hypnagogic state, a transition zone where the nervous system regulates itself deeply. That is exactly where we want to go.

What people most often feel:

Tingling, almost universal when beginning with LaHoChi and the crown. Localized warmth under the hands. Occasionally light muscle spasms, the body releasing accumulated tension. Some people feel nothing in particular, and that is equally normal — physiological effects occur regardless.

After the Session

Allow yourself some quiet time afterward. Many people want to walk slowly, stay tranquil, drink water.

There may be a period of 24 to 48 hours where adjustments continue: mild background fatigue, deeper sleep than usual, emotions that continue to reorganize. This is the body integrating what happened during the session.

What people frequently report in the days that follow: feeling more patient, more at ease, finding it easier to reach a calm state during yoga practice or meditation.

Is One Session Enough?

A single session can already produce something real. The question of what comes next will arise naturally, and it is not something I push. I follow up with you 21 days after the session to see how you are doing. This timing is not arbitrary: it is a recurring number in the Reiki tradition, and it is also when the initial effects have had time to integrate. That is when we can evaluate together whether a follow-up session makes sense for you.

Reiki and LaHoChi support — they do not replace medical care.