How Often Should You Have Reiki? Once, Weekly or Monthly?
How often should you have Reiki?
Once a week? Once a month? Every time life goes completely tits up?
Well, here's the thing.
There isn't one perfect Reiki schedule that suits everybody.
You can have a single Reiki session and thoroughly enjoy it. You might prefer weekly treatments for a while, or you might decide that having Reiki once a month is something you'd like to make part of your regular wellbeing routine.
Personally, I usually recommend starting with three sessions, one week apart.
Not because three is some magical number, but because of what I've learnt through around 20 years of practising Reiki, and my own experience of receiving it.
Let me explain.
Quick answer: how often should you have Reiki?
One session is absolutely fine.
I usually recommend starting with three sessions, one week apart.
After that, weekly, fortnightly or monthly depending on what suits your life.
You always have the final say.
Why I started having Reiki every week
There was a period in my life when everything felt completely overwhelming.
I was navigating a difficult divorce, bankruptcy, serious financial worries and problems with my own physical health, all while raising two young children on my own.
My youngest daughter was also seriously ill and needed multiple heart operations.
It wasn't one difficult thing. It was everything, all at once, and it went on for years.
I remember feeling as though I was suffocating.
I felt trapped. I couldn't see the wood for the trees.
But actually, I've recently realised there was another word for how I felt.
Vulnerable.
Incredibly vulnerable.
I was hurtling forwards from one disaster straight into the next, desperately trying to hold everything together for everybody else, when what I really needed was somebody to look after me.
It felt relentless.
And, if I'm being truthful, quite frightening, because I couldn't see an end to it.
During that time, I started having Reiki every week.
Just one hour.
One hour when I didn't have to be somebody's mum, solve another problem, make another decision or hold everything together.
I could just lie there and let somebody look after me for a change.
And I loved it.
I noticed how much better I felt after each session. As the week went on and my next appointment approached, I could feel myself looking forward to it again.
It didn't sort out my divorce, pay my legal bills or replace the medical care I needed.
But it gave me something that felt incredibly valuable at the time.
Space.
Eventually, I started feeling much better within myself.
And the interesting thing is, I didn't stop going for Reiki.
I kept having it every week because I genuinely enjoyed it.
It was years before I moved to monthly treatments.
These days, I don't spend much time talking about that chapter of my life. I've lived through it, learnt from it and moved forwards.
I'm not ashamed of my past. I'm actually incredibly proud of how far I've come.
But it's one reason I'm so passionate about preventative wellbeing.
You don't have to wait until you're at breaking point before you start looking after yourself.
Why do I recommend three Reiki sessions?
When someone comes to see me for Reiki, I generally recommend three initial sessions, one week apart.
And I use an analogy that some of my clients will already be very familiar with.
An onion.
Bear with me.
From my spiritual perspective, we're born with this beautiful essence of who we are.
Then life happens.
We experience disappointment, rejection, grief, guilt, shame, worry, loss and all the other things that come with being human.
And I believe we develop layers around ourselves as we go through those experiences.
Almost like an onion.
By the time somebody arrives in my treatment room, they might feel completely overwhelmed or disconnected from themselves.
Now, I don't believe I'm there to fix somebody or magically remove everything they've been through.
I see myself as a channel for Reiki, supporting their own healing process.
And this is how I tend to experience the first three appointments.
The first session: Getting to know your energy
When somebody comes to me for the first time, I'm not yet familiar with their energy.
I tend to describe it as getting to know their energetic blueprint.
I work from head to toe, learning how their energy feels to me and giving them time to settle into an experience that might be completely new.
Using my onion analogy, I see this as beginning to peel back that first layer.
For some people, it's the first time in ages they've allowed themselves to properly stop.
The second session: Going a little deeper
By the second treatment, the client knows what to expect.
They know the room, the treatment bed, my voice and how I work.
And I'm more familiar with them too.
From my perspective as a practitioner, this is often when I feel able to give them more Reiki, building on the first experience.
Some people also find it easier to relax because they're no longer wondering what's going to happen next.
The third session: Finding a sense of balance
By the third session, my intuitive focus tends to shift towards balancing.
That's how I describe what I'm doing energetically, rather than a promise that a particular change will happen in exactly three appointments.
And I think it's a useful point for us to reflect together on what the client has noticed.
How have they felt between sessions?
What have they enjoyed?
What would they like to continue doing for themselves?
Three isn't a miracle number. It's simply the foundation I've come to recommend through my own practice.
And it isn't compulsory.
But wasn't Reiki traditionally taught more frequently?
Interestingly, during my own Reiki training, I remember being taught a much more intensive treatment schedule.
It began with Reiki every day for seven days, then six days the following week, then five, gradually reducing the frequency.
Now, that's lovely if you're practising self-Reiki or receiving treatments for free.
But let's be realistic.
Most people haven't got the time or money to have an hour of professional Reiki every single day.
I certainly couldn't have committed to that.
So I've found that three appointments, a week apart, is a much more achievable starting point for many people.
And after that, we can look at what feels appropriate for their circumstances.
I respect what I was taught, but I also believe in being practical about the lives people actually lead.
What do clients notice between Reiki sessions?
One of my favourite parts of seeing somebody for a follow-up treatment is hearing what they've noticed since their last appointment.
Quite often, they come through the door looking more relaxed, with a smile on their face.
And I can't tell you how many times I've heard someone say they slept like a log on the night they had Reiki.
That's one of the most common things clients report back to me.
Other people talk about feeling emotionally lighter, more peaceful or having greater clarity.
And then there are some of my business clients, including male CEOs, who tell me something slightly different.
They might have had a to-do list hanging over them for months.
And they'll come back describing how, after their Reiki appointment, they suddenly felt able to sit down and work through things they'd been avoiding.
They describe it as having a clearer head, or the mental fog lifting.
Some of those clients choose to come weekly because they enjoy that feeling of mental space.
Others aren't interested in productivity at all.
They simply want peace.
And I love that.
We're all different.
These are experiences clients have described to me over the years. They aren't guarantees, and I don't assume everybody will feel the same.
Is one Reiki session enough?
It absolutely can be.
Sometimes somebody contacts me because they simply fancy having Reiki.
They might have had a particularly busy few weeks, or perhaps they've been meaning to book for ages and finally decided to do something nice for themselves.
Wonderful.
Not everybody wants to start a regular routine.
And there's no reason someone can't enjoy a one-off Reiki experience.
I will usually explain why I recommend three initial sessions, because I believe there's value in giving yourself that time.
But ultimately, it's your decision.
I'm not going to tell you that one appointment is pointless unless you book another two.
Because I don't believe that.
Should you have Reiki weekly or monthly?
This really depends on you.
Weekly Reiki suited me during one of the most difficult periods of my life.
And later on, I continued weekly because I enjoyed it.
Eventually, monthly became the right rhythm for me.
I see something similar with clients.
Some prefer to have a treatment every week.
Others come fortnightly.
And some love having a monthly appointment in their diary, something that's already booked rather than another thing they have to remember to organise.
For me, that's what preventative wellbeing is about.
Not waiting until you're exhausted, overwhelmed or feeling completely out of sorts before giving yourself some attention.
And not assuming that because you're feeling good, you no longer deserve time to yourself.
I think we can become so accustomed to pushing through that we forget we're allowed to feel well and still look after ourselves.
Can you have Reiki too often?
There's no scientifically established ideal frequency of Reiki treatments, and more sessions don't automatically mean better results.
Within traditional Reiki practice, some people give themselves Reiki regularly, even daily.
Professional appointments are a different consideration because they involve someone's time, money and personal circumstances.
I'd encourage you to think about whether the treatment feels helpful, whether the schedule is comfortable and whether it's sustainable.
And if you have a medical condition or symptoms that concern you, Reiki should complement appropriate healthcare rather than replace it.
I don't believe looking after yourself should become another obligation that makes you feel guilty.
You've probably got enough of those already.
How might you feel after Reiki?
Everyone is different.
Some people leave feeling refreshed, peaceful or unusually relaxed.
Others feel sleepy and want to go home for a nap.
Some feel emotional.
Occasionally, someone tells me they've experienced a headache or felt a little out of sorts afterwards. It isn't something I encounter frequently, but I do mention that people's experiences can vary.
I encourage clients to take things gently, drink some water and rest if they feel they need to.
I wouldn't automatically attribute a headache or other physical symptoms to Reiki, though. Persistent, severe or concerning symptoms deserve appropriate medical attention.
And you certainly don't need to experience some dramatic emotional release to have had a worthwhile session.
Sometimes you just have a lovely rest.
And that's enough.
How do you know when to book your next Reiki session?
This is something I've been reflecting on recently.
For years, I've been so conscious of not wanting anybody to feel I was selling them Reiki that I've sometimes been reluctant to recommend exactly what I think would suit them.
I would explain their options and leave them to decide.
And there's nothing wrong with giving people choices.
But I've realised that there's a difference between giving somebody a choice and leaving them to work everything out for themselves.
When you're the person who's constantly making decisions, organising everything and looking after everybody else, sometimes it's a relief when somebody you trust simply says, "Here's what I'd recommend."
I know that feeling myself.
Sometimes you don't want another decision to make.
You just want somebody to look after you.
So that's what I try to do.
I listen, I consider what you've told me and I recommend a treatment rhythm that I believe would suit you.
That might be next week, in a fortnight or in a month.
And I'll explain whether I think you'd enjoy the full 90-minute Reiki Experience, with the additional time for conversation, the foot ritual and guided meditation, or whether a straightforward 60-minute Reiki Refresh would suit you just as well.
Because sometimes the shorter treatment is exactly what somebody wants.
And sometimes people love the whole 90-minute experience so much that they'd happily have it every time.
Neither choice is wrong.
You always have the final say.
But you don't have to make every decision on your own.
Sometimes, being looked after means allowing somebody else to take the lead for a change.
And I think that's an important part of what I offer.
Not simply Reiki, but the opportunity to feel seen, heard and held.
Making Reiki part of your life in Alderley Edge
If you're considering Reiki for the first time, I offer a 90-minute Reiki Experience at One Inner Beauty Studio in Alderley Edge, Cheshire.
It includes time to talk, a personalised foot ritual, guided meditation and Reiki.
I've also written about What Happens During Your First Reiki Session? Let Me Put Your Mind at Rest and How to Choose the Right Reiki Practitioner, if you'd like to explore those questions first.
For people who want to make Reiki part of a regular wellbeing routine, I offer individual appointments and treatment packages.
But whether you book once, weekly or monthly, here's what I'd really like you to remember.
You don't have to earn your rest.
You don't have to justify needing an hour to yourself.
And you certainly don't have to wait until everything falls apart before deciding you're worth looking after.
Put your soul in good hands.
Penelope x
Comments