If you’ve heard of reiki but still aren’t sure what happens, you’re not alone. Most people who book their first session with us have spent hours reading about it online. And still, when they walk through the door at 717 Highland Ave in Hollywood, the same question comes up: what happens during reiki?
Here’s our honest answer.
Reiki is a form of energy healing developed by Mikao Usui in Japan in the 1920s. The word comes from two Japanese words: “rei” meaning universal, and “ki” meaning the vital life force energy that flows through living things. It’s a complementary therapy, meaning it works alongside your regular medical care, not instead of it.
Our sessions typically run 60 to 90 minutes, though this can vary by practitioner and setting. You stay fully clothed the whole time.
Explore our reiki energy healing sessions at Word of Mouth | Integrative Wellness in Hollywood.
What is done during a Reiki session?
Reiki is a form of energy healing that uses light, intentional touch to support the body’s natural rest-and-repair process. Sessions typically run 60 to 90 minutes, though duration can vary. Here is what generally happens:
- You arrive, remove your shoes, and lie fully clothed on a treatment table
- Your reiki practitioner checks in about your health history and what you hope to get from the session
- Hands are placed gently on or just above specific areas of the body
- You rest quietly while the practitioner works through a slow series of positions
- The session closes with a grounding transition and a few minutes to reorient before getting up
Your Practitioner Checks In With You Before Anything Begins
A session at Word of Mouth doesn’t start on the table. It starts with a conversation.
We ask about what’s going on for you. Your stress load. Your sleep. Anything in your body that’s been calling for attention. This isn’t a medical intake. But the answers matter. They tell us how to pace the session and where to focus.
Jaime and Yonatan are certified Reiki Master Teachers and a married couple who work together every day. The check-in is where they start reading your nervous system before any hands-on work begins.
“Both draw on trauma-informed approaches, which means the pace of every session is guided by your system, not a fixed sequence.”
We’ve noticed that people often arrive with one stated reason for the session and a deeper unspoken one. The check-in is where those sometimes surface.
What the check-in covers:
- Your current physical state: any pain, tension, or discomfort
- Your stress and anxiety levels going into the session
- Any health conditions your practitioner should know about
- Your intention for the session, if you have one
- Whether you prefer light touch or hands held just above the body
You don’t need a specific reason to come in. Many clients in Hollywood and West Hollywood come in simply because the week was too much and they need somewhere quiet to land.
What the room looks like:
Shoes come off at the door. You lie down on a padded massage table in a low-lit, quiet room. There’s no music unless you want it. No pressure to talk once the session begins. Nothing to do except settle in.
Reiki doesn’t require any particular belief. We work with skeptics, spiritual practitioners, therapists, and people who found us after a long run through Runyon Canyon and just need to feel better. Professional reiki practitioners offer sessions to all kinds of people, and so do we.
Reiki is accepted in hospitals and hospice settings worldwide, and many reiki practitioners offer sessions within integrative health clinics and palliative care programs. Sound healing is also part of what we offer in private practice here at Word of Mouth.
Hands Are Placed Gently On or Just Above Your Body
Once the check-in is done, you lie down and the session begins. Here’s what the hands-on portion actually looks like.
We don’t follow a rigid script. The approach is always tailored to the person in front of us. That said, there is a general structure.
How hand placement typically works:
| Phase | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Opening | Practitioner settles beside you; light grounding touch at head or feet |
| Head and neck | Hands rest gently at the crown, temples, or base of skull |
| Shoulders and chest | Positions over the upper body; no pressure applied |
| Abdomen and lower body | Slow progression moving toward the feet |
| Closing | A grounding hold to signal the end; transition time before you sit up |
Each position is held for several minutes. The reiki work happens in near-total silence.
What this is not:
- Not massage: no rubbing, kneading, or pressure
- Not acupressure: no trigger points or manipulation
- Not an assessment: we are not diagnosing anything
Some practitioners trained in reiki work with their hands hovering just above the skin rather than making direct contact. Both approaches are common in Usui reiki. We ask your preference during the check-in and follow your lead.
As a Certified Reiki Master Teacher with years of hands-on practice, Yonatan describes how to give reiki as a matter of attention and presence, as much as any formal technique. When we use reiki as a starting point in a session, we may incorporate sound healing elements as well, depending on what the client brings in that day.
Clients have described sessions with Yonatan as feeling like “a pressure valve that had been released,” leaving lighter and clearer by the end of the week. Others say the outside world fades and only “focus, healing, and peace” remain.
According to what a 2017 clinical review found, reiki involves lightly laying hands just above or on the clothed body in a slow progression of positions. This makes it a gentle practice suited to most people, including those with physical fragility or sensitivity to touch.
You May Feel Heat, Tingling, Heaviness, or Emotional Release
Here’s the question we hear most often: will I feel anything?
Maybe. What you notice during a reiki treatment depends on the person, the day, and the practitioner. There’s no right way to experience it.
What clients describe most often:
- Warmth or heat where the practitioner’s hands are close
- A mild tingle through the hands, feet, or spine
- Heaviness in the limbs, like sinking slowly into the table
- A wave of calm, or a sudden quiet in a mind that rarely stops
- Emotional release: tears, a long exhale, or a feeling that something lifted
What about emotional release?
It comes up more than people expect. Some clients fall asleep. Others go still in a way they haven’t managed in months. Some cry quietly partway through. One client described leaving a session feeling like “my energy was made of champagne bubbles” after arriving stressed and upset. These are all normal expressions of a nervous system that finally has permission to let go.
Jaime notes that clients often report heat in areas they never mentioned during intake: old injuries, sites of chronic tension, places they’d stopped paying attention to. It comes up consistently enough that she considers it one of the most striking patterns she sees in session work.
What about the “healing crisis”?
We talk about this upfront. A small number of clients feel fatigued or emotionally raw in the 24 to 48 hours after a session. Reiki practitioners believe this reflects the body settling after a period of release. It passes, and some clients describe the days following as noticeably clearer.
We’ve had skeptics come in who expected to feel nothing, and that’s exactly what they noticed during the session itself — then slept better than they had in weeks. We’ve had longtime practitioners break down crying within the first few minutes. There’s no predicting it, and both responses are welcome here.
Your Body May Shift Into a State of Deep Rest
Something often happens beneath whatever you feel on the surface.
Many clients describe a reiki experience that brings on deep relaxation: a quieting of the mind and a settling of the body that goes beyond ordinary rest. A heaviness in the limbs. A sense of being held without effort.
What the research suggests:
Research suggests that reiki therapy may support the parasympathetic nervous system, the part of the body responsible for rest, digestion, and repair.
| What Research Suggests | What the NCCIH Says |
|---|---|
| Reiki may help reduce stress and anxiety in some people | Reiki has not been clearly shown effective for any health-related purpose |
| Some studies support reiki as more effective than placebo for relaxation | Most studies have not been of high quality and results have been inconsistent |
| Reiki may offer additional value for those managing a health condition alongside standard treatment | Reiki should not replace conventional medical treatment |
What we can say from our own work: when the nervous system shifts into rest-and-repair mode, things change. Breathing deepens. Muscle tension eases. The energy flow through your system shifts. Practitioners describe a qualitative difference between how clients hold their energy in a stressed state versus a rested one, and that shift is one of the most consistent patterns we see in session work.
What to Avoid After a Reiki Session
The session doesn’t end the moment you sit up. There’s a close, and it matters.
Your practitioner guides you through a quiet transition. You stay on the table for a few minutes before getting up. We’re not sending you straight back onto the 101.
Common post-session recommendations:
- Drink water: a common recommendation after energy sessions and bodywork
- Keep the rest of the day light if you can
- Avoid heavy exercise, alcohol, and skipping meals in the first few hours
- Give yourself permission to feel quiet or reflective
At our Hollywood studio at 717 Highland Ave, we build transition time into every appointment. A lot of our clients come in mid-afternoon between meetings in WeHo or right after a walk through Runyon Canyon. That buffer is built in on purpose.
Since reiki is a complementary therapy and not a medical intervention, the effects on any given health condition will vary. But the shift most clients describe after a session is consistent: they feel more grounded, more rested, and more like themselves.
After just one session, many clients notice a difference in how they feel that same day. Regular reiki sessions can build on each other over time. Sessions can also include other supportive elements like breathwork, depending on what you bring in that day.
Yonatan notes that clients who arrive most wired and most skeptical tend to go the quietest by the end. The nervous system responds regardless of what you believe going in.
What to Expect From Reiki Overall
What a typical reiki session gives you is something most people aren’t getting enough of: a full hour to actually stop.
You don’t need to understand the universal life force energy behind the practice. You don’t need a spiritual background or any prior experience with energy flow or healing practice. What a reiki session asks of you is simpler than most people expect: show up, lie down, and give your nervous system the space it’s been waiting for.
What makes a session at Word of Mouth different:
- Sessions are led by Jaime and Yonatan Elkayam, a married pair of Certified Reiki Master Teachers
- Both draw on trauma-informed approaches: your pace, not a fixed sequence
- Sessions may integrate sound healing and breathwork depending on what you need that day
- The check-in is real, not a formality
- We’re transparent about what reiki can and can’t do
A client who had spent years in traditional therapy described leaving one of our sessions feeling like “a pressure valve had been released.” A licensed clinical mental health therapist who came to us for a personal session left feeling “wiser, calmer, more present, and uplifted” and said she planned to refer clients to us.
The shifts clients describe are real to them. And for a lot of people, that first session is the beginning of something they didn’t know they were missing.
Word of Mouth | Integrative Wellness is at 717 Highland Ave STE 6, Hollywood. Ready to try it? Start with how to prepare for reiki and reach out when you’re ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens in a reiki session and what should I expect?
You stay fully clothed and lie on a massage table. Your practitioner checks in, then places their hands on or near different parts of your body. Sessions typically run 60 to 90 minutes, though duration can vary. Most people feel some level of relaxation. Some feel warmth or tingling. Some fall asleep. Some feel very little during the session but notice changes in the days after. Every reiki experience is different.
Reiki is a complementary therapy. It works alongside conventional medical care, not instead of it.
What are the main benefits of reiki as a complementary therapy?
Research suggests reiki therapy may help with:
- Stress and anxiety reduction
- Relaxation and nervous system support
- Mood and overall sense of wellbeing
- Supporting recovery alongside conventional medical treatment
The NCCIH notes that reiki has not been clearly shown effective for any health-related purpose. We share this honestly. What we offer is a safe, non-invasive session that many people find genuinely helpful as part of a broader wellness approach.
How does reiki work as an energy healing technique?
Reiki is built on the idea that vital life force energy flows through the body. When that flow of energy is disrupted by stress, illness, or emotional strain, it may affect how you feel physically and mentally. A trained reiki practitioner channels healing energy through their hands to support the body’s natural ability to restore balance and healing. The science on exactly how this works is still inconclusive. What’s consistent is that many people feel meaningfully different after a session.
What should I expect during my first reiki session?
Your first reiki session starts with a check-in conversation. You’ll talk with your practitioner about what’s going on, what you’re hoping for, and any health history they should know. Then you lie down, fully clothed, on a treatment table. The practitioner moves through a series of hand positions, holding each for several minutes. You rest. The session closes with transition time.
Who can become a reiki practitioner and what training is required?
Reiki training is organized into levels. Level 1 covers self-healing and basic hand positions. Level 2 introduces symbols and distance healing. Reiki Master and Reiki Master Teacher levels prepare practitioners to work professionally and train others. Training comes through attunement from a Reiki Master.
Is reiki safe and what are the risks?
Reiki is considered very safe. It’s non-invasive, involves no manipulation or pressure, and can be used alongside conventional medical treatment. A small number of people experience temporary fatigue or emotional rawness in the 24 to 48 hours after a session. This is generally considered a normal response and passes quickly. Always let your practitioner know about any current health conditions. Reiki is a complementary health therapy and should not replace medical care.
Can reiki help with specific health conditions?
Reiki may support overall wellbeing and may help some people manage stress and anxiety. The NCCIH states that reiki has not been clearly shown effective for any health-related purpose. We share this honestly. What we offer is a complementary practice that some people find genuinely supportive alongside conventional treatment: not a cure, and not a treatment in its own right.
What sensations are normal when receiving reiki?
Common experiences include:
- Warmth or heat at the practitioner’s hand positions
- Tingling or pulsing through the body
- Heaviness or a sense of sinking into the table
- Emotional release: tears, sighing, a wave of calm
- Deep relaxation, or even falling asleep
Some people feel very little. That doesn’t mean nothing happened. The effects of reiki on any individual will vary.