The Reiki Cafe 

Hello,

I was wondering if there are any specific limitations on distant healing that there are not on doing Reiki in person? Is there any situation where only giving Reiki in person works and not Distant Healing?

Thank you!
SAH

Dear SAH,

If one has never experienced Reiki before, long distance can be confusing if one experiences intense sensations, especially if one is occupied in other activities..such as driving a car. Scheduling a time so that the recipient can be relaxed & receptive is a good idea.

There is no situation I know of in which long distance treatment never works simply because it is long distance Reiki rather than hands on. So, I do look forward to the other replies your post will receive.

Intent & focus is key for both sender & recipient. Focus may be harder for some with long distance. I was taught to use a picture of the person, or a stuffed animal as proxy. Experience has proven these to be valuable tools to learn the process & to build confidence. However, they are not always required. Each experienced practitioner will have certain ways of preparing themself so that their intent & focus is truly where it should be...with the recipient.

It is extremely important not to send when one is focusing on self or absorbed in ego issues. You do not have the benefit of being with the person, seeing them, hearing them, taking in their response, so it is easier to focus on yourself. Wait for a time when you can be the channel you have agreed to be.

This may not be a popular view, but it is helpful to know the laws of the state in which the recipient resides & the laws in your own state. There may be rules regarding informed consent, etc. For those you know or have given hands on to, this may never be an issue. However, for those you do not know, caution may be needed. There are many, for example, who use the net to hide their true identity or intentions. There are those who will twist honest intentions into something it was never intended to be. Unfortunately, laws do not always protect the innocent.

peace & joy,
holobon

Holobon brings up a good issue with "informed consent" - however, it's application to something like distance Reiki treatment is probably going to be pretty sketchy.

Most of the legal issues related to Reiki treatment are limited to hands-on treatment - particularly whether Reiki is considered Massage therapy in a given area (and regulated as such) and whether the practitioner has provided adequate information regarding what Reiki is and what it can and cannot do (this is the informed consent part). The massage therapy issue is usually the one practitioners run up against. Generally informed consent cases involve some level of deception on the part of a practitioner.

It is very unlikely that these arguements could or would be raised with regard to distance treatment since there's pretty much no way to prove, barring a confession, the practitioner did anything. What arguement could be made? "They sent me life force energy without my consent"? Probably hard to prove, but one should never underestimate the creativity of a successful Personal Injury lawyer.

The much more important issue is one of free-qill and integrity - some people don't want help - or perhaps they are working through something they are meant to work on alone - whether someone should have treatment is not the practitioner's decision to make. Reiki should be given only when requested or agreed to.

Dear wilyboudicca,

Yes, free will is a more important issue. :)

If you have been visiting the Cafe the last month, there was some controversy here. There were strong emotions & thoughts. Many times legal action is taken, especially in the healthcare field, because someone is angry, feels abused by a system or person/s or simply arent treated properly, from their perspective. Often laws are born from the action/reaction of a person or group of people who simply decided to act. Our country grew from the belief that religous & political persecution was unjust. I never under estimate the clout of those who feel they have been treated unjustly.
We are entering a new era in health, science & the mind/body connection. For the first time we are publicly recognizing that we are more than a physical body. Studies are being done that 50 years ago would not be taken seriously. There will be many changes ahead. The rights of an individual not to be subject to unconsented thought or energy influences will be an issue. Things move slowly, but they are moving.

peace & joy,
holobon

I don't know of any limitations sending distant Reiki. From my own experience, I have found that I am able to send more and stronger energy in distant Reiki than in doing hands on. This has been verified by clients who have had hands on and distant Reiki done by me.

I beleive that the reason is that I can focus my intent much better when doing distant Reiki than when doing hands on. This is because when doing hands on, I am usually distracted by questions from the client. When I am answering questions, I am not able to focus as well. This may just be me, but it is what I have experienced.

Dean

Dean

Namaste,

I have had the same results in a client that was asking questions continuously during a session. After 2-3 sessions I asked him if he would mind asking after the session. And I alloted ample time for him to do just that, usually when he is drinking water and getting grounded again.

Yes it is hard to maintain your focus when constantly interupted.

>;-)

Blessings,

Priestess

SAH,

/*\ Namaste :-}}

- one view is that for the dense and etheric bodies there is no substitute for in-person, hands-on reiki

>:-}}

- this does not mean distance reiki won't be of use to the recipient to deal with dense and etheric body issues

>:-}}

- recipient, of course, must also use Mindful Intent in receiving and utilizing the energy

>:-}}

- once one begins to focus energy work more on the subtler energy bodies then in some instances distance reiki or other energy work is preferrable

- distance of course can simply be across the room

>:-}}

- hope this helps,

Reiki all around,

all blessings,

Firekeeper

I have my Master level, but do not have a lot of experience with Distant healing. I think, for some reason, my confidence hasn't been very high in this area. So I've really enjoyed hearing all your responses here. It's building my confidence. On the few occasions that I have attempted distant reiki, I have found that my mind begins to wander, or I quickly become board. Is the reiki only doing the distant healing while I'm sitting there concentrating, or is there a way to send it even beyond my time sitting there?
Love and Light to you all!

soulwigs,

/*\ Namaste :-}}

- you "confess" very beautifully to the value of some of the Keys to distance energy work -

- Intention, Attention, Mindfulness, Practice

- as for the energy "working" beyond the time you send??

- of course it will - but part of that is up the Recipient utilizing the energy with Mindful Intent

- hope this helps

- and practice, practice, practice

>:-}}

Reiki all around,

all around,

all blessings,

firekeeper

I have found that a distance session of shorter duration with intense focus can do as much or more than an extended session where the focus is not as intense, or where the mind wonders. It just becomes a matter of practice. You practice distance Reiki as well as practice maintaining your focus.

Dean

Thank you both. Sometimes I guess I need a reminder about practice. I have a habit of when I really enjoy or want something I expect myself to just be able to pick up and do it perfect. I know I have to practice my abilities with Reiki just like I would any other job or skill. I also had not looked at it from the perspective of a shorter duration may at least have more intense concentration. I know there have been plenty of hands on sessions where the persons questions and discussions had been a part of me losing concentration. I will keep working on my confidence level with the distance as well. Thanks again so much!
Love and Light!

Ok, I 'm quite confused now...Firekeeper and others have suggested that mindful intent on the recipient's part is extremely important if not a requirement for distant healing to work...But the way I 've been taught Reiki suggests that distant healing is possible even if you don't have the recipient's consent...something like sending Reiki to Iraqi children who are suffering from malnutrition etc...you just know they want/need the healing even if they haven't asked you personally to send it to them...Of course, their soul may be using the ordeal for a reason and therefore not utilize the energy in the end...at least not in an observable way...Yet in many instances, the recipient is ready for the healing but due to circumstances may not be in a position to ask for it...

So...what do you all think about that?

Peace,

Emmanuelle

Dear Emmanuelle...

I believe that consent is key when giving Reiki, either hands on or distance. I know that many believe that if consent can't be given you can ask the person's higher self for consent and, if given, proceed. The problem for that, with me, is that I'm not sure how to hear such an answer! So, I don't send Reiki unless I've received that person's consent. That consent also allows the recipient to focus their own intent and gain highest possible benefits.

As far as healing world situations such as you mentioned...I would be interested in hearing opinions on that myself. I think that it helps, if only a little, to concentrate on allowing our inner light and love shine through to everyone we know. If we all lighten our own little corners of the world, we can start to pick apart the shadows a little at a time.

Peace and Light,
Lesley

Emmanuelle,

/*\ Namsate :-}}

- who am I to say whether an Iraqi child (or anyone else for that matter) is in a position (or not) to ask for healing??

- one view is that "readiness" is, at least in part, diagnosed by the request

>:-}}

- hope this helps

Reiki all around,

all blessings,

Firekeeper

I was taught the way someone mentioned of asking the persons higher self for consent. I think each individual is different as far as how they receive an answer. For myself, I'm very intuitive and have learn to trust it, and have learned the different ways I receive the information. For someone else, it may be different. I don't think there is any right or wrong concerning this. The Reiki is going to do what it needs to do so I don't think there is any harm in asking the higher self for permission and then proceeding. I kind of look at it the same way we view prayer. We don't ask each individual before hand if it's ok to pray for them. We just do it, and trust that God or whomever we pray to is hearing us and doing his will. We may feel our prayers are answered, we may not, but we did it with good intention. I guess the recipient of our reiki may receive it, or they may not, if our intention is good, and there, I hope at the very least the person benefits in some way. Just my thoughts!
Love and Light.

Soulwings,

/*\ Namaste :-}}

- one view is our own High Self and Low Self do not always communicate well - thus there may always be some uncertainty about ourselves

- which of course means there will most certainly be uncertainty about someone else -

- yet, of course, we each do as we see fit and the effects accummulate and resolve Karma for us

>:-}}

Reiki all around,

all blessings,

Firekeeper

I think the only limitations in distance Reiki are the limits we place on it. I even send Reiki to recently deceased loved ones. If nothing else, I believe strongly that they receive the love intended. Sandy

what my former instructor taught me was that if the talkin becomes distracting to you just peacefully explain this to your patient. Ask them nicely to please wait until the end and you will address their questions then. Explain that they will benefit more that way because you are capable of having more of yourself into what you're doing.
And I do agree about there being no difference. I think really both ways are equal. But people may notice differences on a personal level which i believe are due to which they use more and which they simply feel more comfortable with and what the patient is comfortable with.
Most of my hands on work is in my self treatments other than that i mainly do distant work. When i first bagan distance work i was a little shaky on it in terms of thinking it was just another skill to be worked on and unsure of how successful i was in using it at the time. I've got a few friends that i used to reiki for. And the first time or two i tried the distance work for them they noted they could feel it better in person but were still able to tell the energies were flowing. Same types of experiences just toned down a little. As i practiced more and became more comfortable with the concept in general they noticed less and less of a difference.

Practice definitely helps on many levels. It helps us become more familiar with the concepts as well as stengthening our own energy channeling abilities.
I would like to say that from my experience having a relaxed mind is the best.There is such a thing as your mind wandering too far. But i find my head can be jumbled with thoughts that i just let flow freely while remining just disciplined enough to keep in the back of my mind what i am doing. I find if i try and be too aware then i am slowing myself down and not accomplishing as much. As long as you;re not totally forgetting what you're doing its okay for your mind to wander. That for me is actually when i begin to get the sensations fo what someone's problem is. I think being too firm in focus is as detrimental as being too "flighty". As long as i retain enough focus to simply remeber i am sendinghealing energy it works jussssst fine.
I really think with things of tha nature tho, that everyone is different. I think it based on our expectations. If we think we have to be firmly superbly throughly in JUST the healing and nothing else than when we do have our minds wander it creates doubt. It makes us think we are not in the proper mindset for reiki to work, so the it doesn't flow as it should. If i focus on bringing the energies through my crown and push it out my hands then my flow is bumpy not smooth with frequent disruptions. If i relax and just let it happen and don't try to sense jes know its flowin fine( i often think of it like water running through a piping system) then i can tell it's much smoother and more continuous. Same with sensing. when i try to follow the flow of energy and focus to "see" the movements of the chakras and just merely detect them at all i find my mind is jumbled and i can;t sense anything. But when i don't try to look and just let the sensations come and be open to them i recieve just fine.
So my suggestion is to be attentative without trying to be diehard rigid in your focus.If we try to push out images that crop up how are we ever going to recieve the information we need too?

Blessed Eternal Moment,
Dave

Otoharo!

We have found that there is no limitation on what Reiki can do. There may be a limitation felt by the one receiving the energy that would be better focused and with more specific intent by having hands on the positions.

finality

Otoharo!

Lesley, I find that I can get permission from people like children in a foreign country. Also, when I heal something in myself, I turn to all humanity and heal the same issue there. To do that, I simply say, I take all of this issue from humanity into me and heal it as I healed it in myself.

finality

Otoharo!

Firekeeper, I agree with this!

finality

I was taught that method as well. For me personally, if i can ask the person if it's okay i will ask the concious mind and go with that answer. If there is some reason why i can't speak with the person directly i will ask their higher self. I usually get a clear cut yes or no. Rarely but sometimes i have to explain to the other higher self a brief version of what Reiki is, as not everyones higher self knows what it is. Sometimes the responses are unclear to me. I was taught in these situations to then have the intent that i will not violate someone's free will and that if they do not wish to recieve the energy and i am mistaken then it returns to the Universe from where it came. Additionally when i am praying for a large group or praying for the world in general, where you just cant ask everyone,
then i have the same intent. Those that wish to recieve this blessing i ask the Divine to send to all will recieve this love and healing energy.Those in target group that don;t wish to recieve it will have the energy redistributed to those who do.