Making Sense of Reiki: Explaining Energy Healing

When I first came across Reiki over twenty years ago, I can remember feeling perplexed. I had no idea what had just happened in the little therapy room in Rotherham, but I had left feeling grounded and calmer. However, when excitedly talking to my friend about it afterwards, I couldn't explain what it was. "Something to do with energy.." I shrugged. What did it matter, it worked!

Now as a practitioner, I am asked by most of my new clients to explain what is happening and I still struggle. I am not good at science and dropped physics as soon as I could at school. And space and the universe always felt too big and confusing. I have always been happy to leave some things (like the concept of a God) as too big to understand. It's fine to leave that stuff to others more clever than me to explain...

The language of “energy,” “channels,” and “healing” feel abstract and, at times, difficult to reconcile with a more evidence-based, structured way of understanding the world. People tend to trust what can be measured, observed, and explained in clear, scientific terms. Reiki doesn't seem to fit neatly into that framework.

Yet through both personal experience and working with clients I have noticed that just because we can’t fully explain something yet, doesn’t mean it isn’t real or valuable.

My reiki clients tell me that they feel a shift - sometimes an actual physical release - like a jerk in the body or a sensation or sometimes warmth or coolness from my hands. Others see colours and a "clearing". Something is clearly happening for them. I explain such sensations as a shift in energy, a clearing when energy was stuck, or a movement as the energy flows. Clients accept this but is it enough and is there a better explanation?

From a scientific perspective, the idea that “energy is everywhere” is not controversial — it’s fundamental. Science tells us that everything in the universe is made up of atoms. These atoms are in constant motion, vibrating at different frequencies. This applies to solid objects, the air around us, and our own bodies. At a basic level, we are not just physical structures — we are dynamic systems of electrical and biochemical activity.

The human body, for example, operates through electrical signals:

• The heart generates measurable electrical fields (as seen in an ECG)

• The brain communicates via electrical impulses (EEG)

• The nervous system transmits signals that regulate how we feel, move, and respond

So when we Reiki practitioners talk about “energy,” it doesn’t have to mean something mystical or ungrounded. It can be understood, at least in part, as working with the body’s natural energetic and regulatory systems.

Where Reiki becomes harder to define scientifically is in how this energy is influenced.

There is ongoing research into areas like biofields, touch-based therapies, and the impact of intention and presence on physiological states. While the evidence base is still developing, we do know that:

• Calm, regulated states in one person can influence another (co-regulation)

• Gentle touch can reduce stress and activate the parasympathetic nervous system

• Belief, expectation, and environment all play a role in healing outcomes

From this perspective, Reiki can be seen as a structured way of facilitating deep relaxation, safety, and regulation — all of which are essential for the body to repair and rebalance itself.

For a long time, I felt uncomfortable not being able to fully explain Reiki.

I wanted to have definitive answers and certainty. However as time goes on I am comfortable with not fully knowing - and it doesn't seem to reduce my credibility. In fact there is something that feels more trustworthy when I say: “This is what we understand so far and this is where the evidence is still emerging.”

It is definitely helpful to give a reference to "ongoing evidence" when discussing Reiki in professional settings. Although still not formally recognised by the NHS, most hospices recognise its incredible healing and gentle ability to support those with life-limiting conditions or at the end of life. Some of my clients at the hospice, for example, would not necessarily have found Reiki if it were not for their current circumstances. Yet it can be those individuals, the ones that would say they are non-spiritual, like reason and want evidence, that can be the most receptive and openly recognise the shift and power of a Reiki session.

In summary, when I try and describe Reiki to clients, this is what I say.

Reiki is a practice that helps the body move into a state of deep rest and regulation, using light touch and positive intention at the various energy points through the body. In doing so, this enables the body to balance its energy fields, therefore reducing stress, processing emotion and supporting inner healing.

For me, it's energy work, for others, perhaps nervous system regulation. Whatever description, it works..

I still don’t feel the need to have all the answers. However, I’ve seen the impact — in myself and in others. And I can talk about Reiki in a way that feels both grounded and accessible, without needing to overstate or over-explain.

For me, it is the balance between science and the unknown is what makes it feel both magical and powerful.