How Many Reiki Sessions Are Needed?

Ever since opening my own Boston Reiki practice a year and a half ago, a question that has frequently come up is: “How many Reiki sessions are needed?” How often should clients come back for this relaxing and gentle touch therapy? Here’s my honest answer about what frequency of energy work is most beneficial.

Background About Reiki

First: What is Reiki (pronounced RAY-key)? Reiki is a seemingly simple touch therapy, originating from Japan, in which the practitioner gently places hands in a pattern on the receiver’s body. This allows energy to flow in a way that allows the client to begin processing and healing mental, emotional, and even physical stresses.

Reiki is done fully clothed (see my tutorial on what to wear for Reiki here), and has similarities to acupuncture, in that both methods assist in unblocking and cleansing chakra energy centers of the body so that the recipient feels — quite simply — better. Unlike acupuncture, Reiki doesn’t use needles: just hands. Sessions usually last around an hour in duration.

How Often for Reiki?

Now that we have that background, I can begin to answer: How many Reiki sessions are needed for optimal healing? Here’s my honest answer: No matter what you’re dealing with that brought you to Reiki, the more sessions you do, the better (ideally at least once a month for 6 months)… but even one session is an improvement over not trying Reiki all. Here some real-life examples from my practice (in-person examples, not distance Reiki) to illustrate this.

Effects of Reiki One Time Only

Any energy worker will have a similar story to this one, and I’ve seen it dozens of times already in my practice: A new client comes in and has a WONDERFUL experience, explains how much better they feel, writes a rave review online… and then never books another session again! Let’s unpack the pros and cons of this one-time taste of Reiki.

On the pro side, I am absolutely thrilled when people take the chance to try Reiki and benefit from their one session, even if they never try healing touch therapy again. Remarks I’ve heard after a single Reiki session include the following:

• “When I came in here, I felt as if I could hardly breathe, I was so stressed out. After your Reiki session, I feel like a new person! I’m breathing deeply and freely, and I actually feel lighter. I have hope for my life again.”

• “During the Reiki session I felt joy for the first time in years.”

• “After Reiki today, I have a love for myself that I never experienced before.”

• “I saw meditation colors for the first time, and it was amazing. The session today gave me clarity and guidance for my future life path. I’m going to go home and make some changes!”

• “I haven’t let myself relax like that in a very long time. That felt so good.”

Sounds amazing, right? So what’s the “Con” side of the Pros and Cons of only doing Reiki once, if a single session is so good? My thought is this: If one session was this beneficial, what could open up, heal, or develop after MORE than one Reiki session???

What is being missed out on by only trying Reiki once, instead of doing a sustained program of bookings? Let’s explore some real examples of what happens when people regularly stick to energy healing work.

Once a Month Reiki Results

Here is a story from a client who did Reiki once a month for fourteen continuous months. When this man first came in, he was dealing with a chronic physical illness, as well as extremely painful grief. During our first session, his energy was frenetic and jagged, and he was having trouble breathing, he was so worked up. Through Reiki, I worked with him to begin to find a way to help energy start to flow and find calm again.

Crying during Reiki is common in states like this, and this client’s sobs during our first session helped release some of the tension. At the end of that hour, the man had made huge headway in finding balance. He thanked me profusely and walked out. Now, some people might have stopped booking after that first release — but this man made the wise choice of signing up for another session for the following month.

Over a year later, I just saw this client for his fourteenth Reiki session, and let me tell you: he is an absolutely different person now, in the best way imaginable. His energy is flowing and healthy (I can see it clearly in his chakra colors, as well as his affect), and his physical and emotional state is balanced and vibrant. He has worked through his grief and started to come out the other side, and he has found a number of ways in addition to Reiki to manage his chronic illness. He positively glows now!

Seeing this man’s progress through monthly Reiki meditation sessions over the course of a year, I couldn’t help but wonder: What would his life be like if he hadn’t made such a powerful commitment to self-care and self-improvement? It’s clear to me that he made the right choice to book Reiki more than once.

Other Reiki Frequencies

Once a month may not be the right number of Reiki sessions for everyone, however. I have one client who does Reiki with me once every 3 weeks. Another woman booked once a week for a month in order to work through a specific, immediate issue. Others do every two months, or every six weeks. There is no correct amount of time — except not trying it at all, or never going back after one great session!

Why Not Book Reiki?

What are reasons people don’t book a second Reiki session after their first good one — or never even try one? Considerations include the following:

1. Cost of Reiki

It’s true that Reiki can get expensive; therefore, if money is a limitation for you, I encourage you to ask your local Reiki practitioner if they’d consider offering you a discount or sliding scale in exchange for a commitment to regular bookings. In my case, I offer a steeply discounted monthly subscription package, since the lower price is worth it to me in order to see progress over time, and to provide a regular schedule for both of us.

2. Time logistics

It may be that you have young kids or a demanding job, and it seems nearly impossible to fit a Reiki session into an already packed schedule. Humbly, please allow me to suggest the following: An investment of a one-hour Reiki session every two months can ultimately SAVE you hours of time.

Why can Reiki save time in everyday life? Because it lets you reset and revitalize so that you can return to your daily life with renewed vigor and clarity. Many of the clients I see are so used to giving to others, they struggle with making the time or space to allow themselves to be contributed to in self-care — but it’s so important! You help others more effectively when you’re replenished, yourself.

3. Goals with Reiki

How often you book Reiki — or whether you book it at all — often depends on your specific aims. If you’re dealing with an ongoing issue such as anxiety or a chronic illness, sessions at least once a month absolutely make sense. If you’d just like an hour of insight or uplift, however, I can see how a one-time session could fulfill those goals.

I suppose I’d just add the question: If that one time made you feel great, why stop at just one session? This brings us to the last reason many people don’t book the first time, or again.

4. Fear of Reiki‘s Power

Sometimes something is so good — or is rumored to be so good — that people actually become worried about experiencing it! For example, seeing one’s aura colors for the first time during a Reiki session with a practitioner who specializes in them (like me) can be somewhat jarring, even though it’s a positive thing.

Having a powerful energy work session opens up a whole new way of looking at the universe and one’s self that can feel scary. It’s tempting to retreat back to the comforting familiarity of just binge-watching television or snacking to numb out one’s own depth. But… why be scared? It’s just the wonderful power of human energy!

I invite you to take the chance and try booking Reiki more than once. The fabulous thing about energy work is that it is all about the body naturally finding the greatest good in healing. Give it a try!

So, How Many Reiki Sessions Are Needed?

After reading this in-depth article from my honest experience as a Reiki practitioner, I hope the answer is now clear. If someone asks, “How many Reiki sessions are needed?” you can reply: “The more, the better.” If people are getting a headache after massage or Reiki, for example, sometimes it’s because the progress is only halfway processed.

Another way to sum up the best frequency for how often to do Reiki chakra balancing is this: “Once is better than never, and once a month is better than a single time — but it all depends on your specific aims and situation!” Play around with different time frames to assess what fits best with your life and goals.

When in doubt about timing, reach out to your local Reiki practitioner and talk it out with them. They can truthfully help you think through a plan that will provide the best results for YOU. I will also add that if you do a series of appointments, it really helps work through pent-up emotions, and thus fix feeling tired after Reiki sessions, because the stress is being processed.

If you have insights, experiences, or questions on the topic of Reiki frequency to add, feel free to put them in the comment section, below. Best of luck, and sending you good energy!

Want to get more in depth with the art of Reiki? Check out analysis of the symbols Cho Ku Rei and Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen.