Your Essential Reiki Guide - What to do before, during and after your Reiki Session
What to do before, during and after your reiki healing session
Whether you're preparing for your first Reiki session or have already experienced its healing benefits, this guide serves as a helpful refresher on how to make the most of your session—before, during, and after.
If this is your first reiki session and you’re feeling nervous, I get it. Before I experienced reiki healing I struggled to understand what I was supposed to ‘do’ so I thought I would create this essential guide to Reiki Healing so hopefully I can answer your questions and help to put your mind at ease.
What is Reiki?
Reiki is a soothing Japanese energy healing technique that encourages deep relaxation and enhances the body's innate healing process. Using gentle touch, a Reiki practitioner facilitates the flow of life force energy—the vital essence that sustains all living beings. When this energy moves freely, we experience a sense of harmony, vitality, and overall well-being. However, when it becomes stagnant or depleted, it can contribute to stress, fatigue, or health imbalances. Reiki works to restore this natural energy flow, helping to bring the body and mind back into alignment for greater balance and rejuvenation. During the treatment you remain fully clothed (without shoes) and you are tucked up so you are completely comfortable and at peace. I like to also call my treatments deep relaxation sessions because I want you to feel completely relaxed allowing the energy to flow and shift where needed.
Your session typically lasts around an hour, but as a clinical naturopath who values deep conversations and truly understanding my clients, I extend this to 75 minutes. This allows us to dedicate at least 15 minutes to discussing what’s happening in your life right now. While I let the treatment naturally unfold as needed, I find it incredibly beneficial to connect beforehand. This helps me gain insight into your current state and ensures that I can offer the most supportive and tailored care for you.
During your session while you will rest comfortably and fully clothed on a treatment table, I'll use gentle hand placements to channel healing energy. Starting at your head, my hands will move through specific positions, each helping to release tension and restore flow. These positions correspond with your body's energy centers, or chakras, creating a systematic approach to balancing your entire system.
Working intuitively, I'll spend extra time where your body needs additional support. Some areas might feel warm or tingly under my hands - this is completely normal and indicates energy movement. Other areas might feel cool, showing where energy needs to be revitalised. Throughout the session, you might notice sensations of deep relaxation, gentle pulsing, or waves of release moving through your body.
The beauty of Reiki lies in its responsiveness - the energy naturally flows to where it's needed most, whether that's calming an overactive mind, soothing physical discomfort, or releasing emotional tension. All you need to do is relax and receive.
What to do before your reiki session?
One of the most frequently asked questions is ‘What should I do before my session - how to I prepare for reiki’? I get it, I too like to feel prepared but if I am being honest, you don’t really have to prepare much before a reiki session. Having said that here are a few mindful steps can help you fully embrace the experience and maximise its benefits.
Reflect on Your Intentions
Consider areas of your life where you feel stress, emotional imbalance, or physical discomfort.
Be ready to share any specific concerns, such as anxiety, negative thought patterns, or chronic fatigue.
Communicate Health Concerns
Let me know of any injuries, medical conditions, or past health history that may affect your comfort during the session.
Adjust Your Diet (Optional but Recommended)
To aid in energy flow and detoxification, try to avoid alcohol, red meat, and excessive processed sugars for at least 12 hours before and 48 hours after your session.
Refrain from recreational drugs to ensure a clearer energy field (do that anyway ok……drugs are bad).
What to expect during your reiki session
The flow of your session will typically go like this:
Initial Discussion
When you arrive at the session the first thing we will do is have a brief conversation with you to understand your needs. During this chat we will discuss:
Current emotional or physical challenges
Sources of stress (work, relationships, major life transitions)
Any issues around self worth, self esteem boundaries, loneliness or confidence
Your personal goals for the session (self-care, energy balancing, or emotional release)
You might not have any issues at all - and just want an energy maintenance session or a top up.
Energy Scan
Once we finish having a chat, I will conduct an initial energy scan by lightly assessing the energy flow around your body. This helps identify blockages and areas that need extra attention during the session.
The Reiki Treatment
You will lie comfortably on a massage table, fully clothed.
Reiki is typically performed with light touch or hands hovering slightly above the body.
If you prefer a hands-off approach, please let me know this in our chat. There is never any judgement and I can work hands on or off the body. It doesn’t impact the effectiveness of your treatment).
Distance Reiki sessions (remote healing) are equally effective for those unable to attend in person (you can find more on distance reiki here). I personally love distance reiki sessions especially when I schedule them before bed. They allow me to receive and then drift off to sleep. Perfection.
During your session you might feel a sense of warmth, tingling, or deep relaxation as healing energy flows through your body. You also might not feel anything. Just stay open minded and be willing to receive reiki healing and it will do what it needs to do.
What You Can Do During the Session
Treat it like a massage—simply relax and let go. Comfortable and at peace. You have nowhere to go, you have no-one to be. You just simply have to be here right now.
You might like to meditate if that helps. Some people will drift into a restful state, or even fall asleep. Again, there is no right or wrong. There is no judgement. It will be what it will be and whatever it is is perfect.
I do have some clients prefer to talk during their session, while others remain silent—do what feels right for you.
Post-Care after your Reiki session
After a Reiki session, energy continues to shift and integrate for up to 48 hours. After my first session I really felt it. You might not. We are all different so be ok with that. What I would love for you to do after your session is to observe any shifts or sensations in your body and mind. Do you find yourself reacting differently to situations? How are you feeling emotionally, and how long does that feeling last? Take a moment to check in with yourself. If you were experiencing physical pain before, has it lessened, intensified, or remained the same? If you felt mentally drained or creatively blocked, do you notice a difference now? Recognizing even subtle changes—whether physical, emotional, mental, energetic, or spiritual—can offer valuable insight into how your body responds to Reiki. As I mentioned, some people may not notice specific changes but simply sense a difference, and that is just as meaningful.
To support your healing process after your session I would like you to consider the following:
Hydration and Diet
Drink plenty of water to flush out toxins and maintain energy flow.
Minimise or avoid alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, and processed sugars for optimal detoxification. I know it can be hard and if you are struggling, just try to reduce your intake. For example if you are used to having a few coffees and teas throughout your day you might like to cut down to one in the morning. If you are used to having a glass of after work can you cut down to 3 days a week rather than 7. Small steps help too.
You might like to book a naturopathic consultation with me so we can address what's coming up and how I can support you naturopathically. Reiki and naturopathy go beautifully together which is why I have both qualifications.
Observe Changes in Your Well-Being
Pay attention to emotional shifts, stress levels, and any physical sensations.
Notice whether you feel lighter, more balanced, or if specific discomforts have diminished.
Allow Yourself to Rest
Reiki can leave you feeling deeply relaxed—give yourself time to process and integrate the experience.
Engage in gentle activities such as journaling, light stretching, or a warm bath.
Avoid rushing, the news, social media and anything that propels you straight back into “reality”. None of these things help us. They rob us of our peace. Limit them. If you need help with this let me know.
Follow Up Sessions
Reiki works cumulatively meaning I recommend regular sessions to really enhance long-term wellbeing. If you are going through something challenging, I recommend regular sessions (some have them weekly with me) and you may like to combine it with naturopathic consultations or EFT sessions. If all is well in your world and you are simply after energy maintenance sessions I recommend booking in every 4-6 weeks. Reiki is a beautiful gift you can give yourself and I encourage you to prioritise these treatments just as you would a treatment on your physical body.
Energy is all there is and reiki which was once considered a little out there, has now become mainstream. Hospitals around the world. Reiki treatments are increasingly being accepted as supportive practice in health centres and hospitals. In fact, reiki is now offered in more than 900 hospitals around Australia. This is music to my ears and just so exciting. It's also being offered in hospitals in the USA, UK, Mexico, Ireland and Brazil. Its being used in childrens hospitals, emergency rooms, pre-op and post op, oncology, cardiology, palliative care and orthopaedics. How wonderful is that.
If you would like to book a reiki healing session with me, please email me hello@carolynallenhealth.com I offer In person sessions at The Joy Collective in Maleny, Qld every Sunday. This is by appointment only so you will need to pre-book. I can also come to your home and give you a treatment in your own space. As part of this I can also clear your home of any stagnant energy. And if you are not living on the Sunshine Coast or Brisbane, distance reiki sessions are just as powerful.
However you need me to work with you - I am here to help. Just email me and we can get started.