Reiki Healing Explained — What It Is, How It Works and Who Should Learn It

Every week someone asks me — “Dr. Monica, I keep hearing about Reiki. What exactly is it and does it actually work?” It is one of the most common questions I receive, and it is a genuinely important one. Reiki is one of the most widely practiced healing modalities in the world today — yet it remains one of the most misunderstood. This article is my attempt to give you a complete, honest, and practical answer.

I have been a Reiki Grandmaster and teacher for over two decades, trained thousands of students across 25 countries through IIOST — International Institute of Spiritual Trainings, and used Reiki both in my own healing practice and as a foundational tool in the spiritual training of every student who passes through our institute. What I share here comes from lived experience — not theory.

What is Reiki?

Reiki is a Japanese energy healing technique based on the principle that a trained practitioner can channel universal life force energy — known in Japanese as Ki (and in Sanskrit as Prana) — through their hands into a recipient, activating the recipient’s natural ability to heal physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

The word Reiki itself is composed of two Japanese words. Rei means universal or spiritually guided. Ki means life force energy. Together they describe a healing system that works with the intelligent, universal energy that underlies all living things.

Reiki was developed in Japan in the early 20th century by Mikao Usui, a Japanese Buddhist monk who rediscovered this ancient healing practice after years of meditation and spiritual discipline. From Japan it spread to Hawaii and then globally, and today it is practiced in hospitals, hospices, cancer centres, corporate wellness programmes, and private healing practices in over 100 countries worldwide.

In India, Reiki has grown from a niche alternative therapy into a mainstream healing and professional practice. The number of certified Reiki practitioners in India has grown exponentially over the past decade — and so has the demand for qualified Reiki teachers and healers.

How does Reiki healing actually work?

To understand how Reiki works, you first need to understand one fundamental principle — the human body is not just a physical structure. It is also an energetic system. Ancient Indian medicine (Ayurveda), Traditional Chinese Medicine, and virtually every indigenous healing tradition on earth recognised this long before modern science had the instruments to measure it.

Your body has an energy field — sometimes called the aura — that surrounds and interpenetrates your physical body. Within this field are specific energy centres called chakras, which govern different aspects of your physical, emotional, and spiritual health. When the flow of energy through these centres is balanced and unobstructed, you experience health, vitality, and emotional wellbeing. When energy becomes blocked, stagnant, or imbalanced — through stress, trauma, negative emotion, physical illness, or environmental factors — you begin to experience symptoms. These might be physical symptoms like chronic pain, fatigue, or illness. They might be emotional symptoms like anxiety, depression, or grief. Or they might be spiritual symptoms like a loss of purpose, disconnection, or persistent confusion about your life direction.

Reiki works by channelling high-frequency universal energy into the recipient’s energy field, dissolving blockages, restoring balance, and activating the body’s innate self-healing intelligence. It does not diagnose or treat specific medical conditions — it works at the energetic level that underlies all physical and emotional experience, creating the conditions in which healing becomes possible.

A Reiki session typically involves the recipient lying down fully clothed while the practitioner places their hands lightly on or just above specific areas of the body corresponding to the major chakras and energy pathways. Recipients commonly report sensations of warmth, tingling, deep relaxation, emotional release, and a profound sense of peace during and after sessions.

What conditions can Reiki help with?

Reiki is not a medical treatment and should never be presented as a replacement for qualified medical care. That said, the range of conditions with which Reiki has shown documented supportive benefit is remarkably broad.

Across my two decades of practice at Divine Centre, I have worked with clients experiencing stress and chronic anxiety, depression and emotional trauma, grief and bereavement, chronic pain and fatigue, insomnia and sleep disorders, recovery from surgery or serious illness, relationship trauma and emotional wounds, spiritual disconnection and loss of purpose, and the energetic effects of narcissistic abuse — a specialisation that has become increasingly central to my practice.

In every case, Reiki is most powerful when used as a complement to — not a replacement for — appropriate medical, psychological, or therapeutic care. The most effective healings I have witnessed over two decades have happened when clients approached their wellbeing holistically — addressing the energetic root through Reiki while also receiving appropriate support at the physical and psychological levels.

The different levels of Reiki — what they mean

Reiki is structured into levels, each representing a deeper initiation into the healing system. Understanding these levels is important whether you are considering Reiki as a healing recipient or as a professional path.

Reiki Level 1 — First Degree (Touch Healing): This is where every Reiki journey begins. At Level 1 you receive your first attunement — an energetic initiation performed by a Reiki Master that opens your channel to receive and transmit Reiki energy. You learn the history and principles of Reiki, the hand positions for self-healing and healing others, and the basics of the chakra system. After Level 1 you are able to practice hands-on healing for yourself, family, and friends. Our Reiki Level 1 and 2 Certification at IIOST covers both first and second degree in one comprehensive programme.

Reiki Level 2 — Second Degree (Distant Healing): At Level 2 you receive three sacred Reiki symbols and learn to use them to significantly amplify your healing ability, send healing across distance and time, and work with the mental and emotional layers of a person’s energy field. Distance healing — the ability to transmit Reiki to someone who is not physically present — is one of the most extraordinary and consistently validated aspects of Level 2 practice. After Level 2 you are ready to begin a professional healing practice.

Reiki Master Healer — Third Degree: The Master Healer level deepens your connection to the Reiki energy significantly through the Master symbol and advanced healing techniques. At this level you develop the ability to work with past life energies, karmic patterns, and deep ancestral wounds. Our Reiki Master Healer Certification at IIOST prepares you for advanced professional practice and the ability to hold space for deep healing work.

Reiki Master Teacher — Grandmaster: The highest level of Reiki training, the Master Teacher certification gives you the ability and authority to attune others to Reiki — to initiate new students into the lineage. This is the level at which you can teach Reiki formally and build your own student community. Our Reiki Master Teacher and Grandmaster programme at IIOST is the most comprehensive teacher training available in India, preparing you to lead your own Reiki lineage with professional authority and ethical integrity.

What does a Reiki attunement mean and why does it matter?

This is the aspect of Reiki that most distinguishes it from other healing modalities — and the aspect that most people outside the practice find difficult to understand.

An attunement is an energetic initiation performed by a qualified Reiki Master in which the student’s channel is opened to receive and transmit Reiki energy. It is not a symbolic ceremony — it is a real energetic transmission that permanently changes the student’s energy field and establishes their connection to the Reiki lineage.

You cannot learn to channel Reiki simply by reading about it or watching videos. The attunement is what makes the energy available through you. This is why the quality of your Reiki teacher matters so enormously — and why learning from a qualified, experienced Reiki Grandmaster is non-negotiable for anyone serious about Reiki as a healing or professional path.

Every student who trains through IIOST receives their attunements personally from me — ensuring the integrity of the lineage and the strength of the energetic transmission.

Who should learn Reiki?

One of the most beautiful aspects of Reiki is its accessibility. Unlike many healing modalities that require specific prior knowledge or physical ability, Reiki can be learned by virtually anyone with a sincere intention to heal — themselves or others.

Reiki is particularly powerful for people who work in caregiving professions — doctors, nurses, therapists, counsellors, teachers — who regularly absorb the emotional and energetic weight of others and need both a personal healing practice and professional tools for supporting their clients more deeply.

It is equally powerful for people who are navigating their own healing journey — recovering from trauma, managing chronic stress or illness, processing grief, or seeking to deepen their spiritual connection and self-awareness.

And it is an extraordinary professional path for those who feel called to healing work — whether as a standalone Reiki practice or as one modality within a broader holistic consultation offering that might also include tarot, numerology, Akashic Records, or other healing sciences.

At IIOST, many of our most successful graduates have built complete professional practices combining Reiki with other modalities — offering clients a truly holistic healing experience that addresses their needs at every level. This is precisely the approach we cultivate through our Master Diploma in Occult Teachings — a one-year comprehensive training across 14 healing and divination modalities.

How is Reiki different from other energy healing modalities?

India has a rich tradition of energy healing — from Pranic Healing to Therapeutic Touch to various forms of chakra healing and shamanic practice. Students frequently ask me how Reiki differs from these approaches.

The primary distinction of Reiki is its lineage-based transmission system. Reiki energy is not something the practitioner generates from their own personal energy — it is channelled from the universal source through a lineage that traces back to Mikao Usui. This means the practitioner does not deplete their own energy in healing sessions, and the healing energy available through an attuned practitioner carries the specific frequency of the Reiki lineage.

Reiki is also distinguished by its simplicity and accessibility. While some healing modalities require years of study before practice becomes possible, a Reiki Level 1 student can begin practicing healing on themselves and others the day after their first attunement. This immediacy — combined with the depth available at higher levels — makes Reiki uniquely suited to both personal healing and professional development.

How to begin your Reiki journey

If you feel drawn to Reiki — whether as a personal healing practice or a professional path — the most important decision you will make is choosing the right teacher and the right training.

The Reiki lineage you receive through attunement matters. The depth of the curriculum matters. The ethical framework your teacher brings to the practice matters. And the ongoing support you receive after your training matters enormously in the critical early months of your practice.

At IIOST, our Reiki training pathway is designed to take you from complete beginner to qualified Reiki Grandmaster Teacher — with every level taught personally by me, with full attunements, comprehensive study materials, and lifetime post-training support.

Whether you are beginning with Reiki Level 1 and 2, deepening your practice through the Reiki Master Healer programme, or stepping into teaching through our Reiki Grandmaster Teacher certification — your journey into one of the world’s most powerful healing traditions begins here.