You have given enough today.

Many people have not heard of Reiki – or what they have heard has left them uncertain about what it actually is. Reiki is a Japanese mind–body practice with roots stretching back over a century, integrated into hospital settings worldwide and offered by some of the world’s leading medical institutions, including the Cleveland Clininc.

Reiki was developed by Mikao Usui in Japan in the early 1920s. Hawayo Takata, one of Usui’s student’s students, brought Reiki to Hawaii in the 1930s and later taught it across the United States, Canada, and beyond – ensuring the practice spread throughout the Western world. Today it is practised in over 100 countries, including in hospital settings across the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia.

The Cleveland Clinic, a non-profit academic medical centre and global leader in research, education and health, describes Reiki as “a safe, gentle, non-invasive form of natural hands-on, energy-based healing.”

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), one of the world’s foremost medical research centres, classifies Reiki as “a complementary approach to health.”

C. Norman Shealy, MD, PhD, founding president of the American Holistic Medical Association, referred to Reiki as “one of the leading safe energy medicine approaches.”

Sheldon Marc Feldman, MD, Chief of Breast Surgery & Breast Surgical Oncology at Montefiore Medical Center and past President of the American Society of Breast Surgeons, describes Reiki as “compassionate mind–body energy medicine” and is currently leading clinical research into the use of Reiki alongside breast cancer surgery.

Reiki is not symptom-specific – it does not target a particular condition or diagnosis. Instead, it works with the whole person. This is one of the reasons it has found a place in integrative care settings worldwide, supporting people across a wide range of circumstances, health situations, and life seasons.

Many people come to Reiki not with a specific diagnosis, but with a quiet sense of exhaustion – the kind that accumulates when you have been holding too much for too long. When daily demands persist continuously and you rarely feel a genuine sense of rest, the body and mind can feel stretched and depleted. Reiki offers a space to simply stop – not to fix anything, not to solve anything, but to rest at a level that is genuinely restorative.

The Cleveland Clinic is clear about how Reiki works alongside existing care:

“Reiki complements all other types of medical and therapeutic treatments. Reiki treatment should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a physician, a practitioner of natural therapeutics or a psychotherapist.” — Cleveland Clinic

Whether you are navigating a season of significant change, supporting someone you love through difficulty, managing the competing demands of work and family, or simply feeling the quiet weight of doing everything for everyone – a Reiki session offers something most of us rarely allow ourselves. An hour of complete, uninterrupted rest and stillness, held with gentle, professional care.

You are encouraged to speak with your GP before your first session, and to share your experience with your healthcare team afterward.

Source: Cleveland Clinic Massage Therapy & Reiki

You do not have to believe in Reiki for it to be worth experiencing.

Reiki is a standalone balancing practice that shares qualities with mindfulness, meditation, tai chi, and yoga – in that all of these practices cultivate inner stillness, self-awareness, and a quality of presence that the body recognises as restorative. The key word in every one of these practices is the same: practice.

I came to Reiki from a background in data science – trained to question, to measure, to require evidence. What changed my mind was not being intellectually convinced. It was the experience itself. And that is true for many people who arrive uncertain and leave having felt something they didn’t expect.

You don’t have to figure it out in advance. You just have to be willing to arrive.

Yes – Reiki has been offered in hospital settings around the world for several decades, particularly in integrative oncology, palliative care, cardiac care, and patient wellbeing programs.

According to the International Association of Reiki Professionals, Reiki is among the top complementary in-patient therapies offered in US hospitals. US hospitals with established Reiki programs include:

The Cleveland Clinic · The Mayo Clinic · Brigham & Women’s Hospital · Johns Hopkins · Dana-Farber Cancer Institute · Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital · Children’s Hospital Boston · George Washington University Hospital

The Cleveland Clinic’s patient materials describe their Healing Services program as offering complimentary Reiki sessions to patients, families, and staff – available 24 hours a day through their dedicated Healing Services team.

According to Medical Reiki Works, a non-profit organisation founded to support research and education of Reiki in healthcare, Reiki is used across hospital departments including emergency rooms, pre-op and post-op care, oncology, cardiology, orthopaedics, and internal medicine.

In Australia, a number of hospitals have incorporated Reiki as part of holistic patient care, including Fiona Stanley Hospital Cancer Care (WA), Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (WA), St John of God Subiaco Hospital (WA), Albany Hospital (WA), J.W. Whittle Palliative Care Unit (TAS), and Mater Hospital North Sydney (NSW).

My mission is to see Reiki offered in every Australian hospital – not as an alternative to the exceptional standard of care our hospitals already provide, but as one more layer of gentle, evidence-informed support for patients, families, and staff who need it most.

Sources: International Association of Reiki Professionals (iarp.org/reiki-clinical-setting); Medical Reiki Works (medicalreikiworks.org); Cleveland Clinic Healing Services

This is a question I am asked often – and it is a fair one, because the terminology can be genuinely confusing.

Reiki, Clinical Reiki, and Medical Reiki all refer to the same underlying practice. The different names have emerged over time to reflect the settings in which Reiki is offered – particularly as it has found its way into hospitals, operating rooms, and clinical care environments. Some practitioners use these terms to signal that they work alongside healthcare professionals, or that they have specific experience supporting patients through medical treatment.

Regardless of the name used, what matters most is the quality of the practitioner’s training, their lineage, and the care and presence they bring to their work.

It is also worth knowing that you do not need to be unwell to receive Reiki. Many people come simply because they are tired, overwhelmed, or quietly disconnected from themselves – not because something is medically wrong, but because something essential is missing. That is reason enough.

A session begins with a brief, unhurried conversation about what you are bringing that day  – what is present for you, what you are hoping for, and anything your practitioner should be aware of. There is no pressure to explain or justify anything. You are met exactly where you are.

You then rest fully clothed on a comfortable treatment table, or seated in a chair if you prefer. The session involves gentle hand placements – either lightly resting on, or just above, the body – held with calm, intentional presence. There is nothing asked of you other than to rest. No undressing, no equipment, no breathing techniques, no effort of any kind.

Remote sessions follow the same principles. You will be guided and supported from your own location – seated or lying comfortably wherever you feel most at ease – while the session unfolds in real time.

Sessions typically last between 45 and 60 minutes. Afterward, I always allow time to gently reorient, and to share briefly — if you would like – what you noticed. I recommend giving yourself a little quiet time after the session before returning to demands, and drinking plenty of water in the hours that follow.

Everyone’s experience is unique – and your experience may shift from one session to the next.

Many people describe a deepening sense of relaxation quite early in the session -sometimes drifting toward sleep and waking with a feeling of quiet, peace, or a spaciousness they hadn’t expected. Others notice gentle physical sensations such as warmth, coolness, tingling, or a soft rumbling in the stomach – the body settling into its natural resting state. Some people notice an emotional softening, a sense of release, or a quiet shift in perspective. Others feel very little at all during the session and notice the difference most clearly in the hours and days that follow.

How much you notice during the session is not an indication of how meaningful it has been. The body is always responding – in its own way, in its own time.

The Cleveland Clinic describes Reiki as something that “can help ease stress and tension and help support the body to create an environment for physical, emotional and mental healing.”

Source: Cleveland Clinic Reflections Wellness Program

This varies from person to person, and there is no fixed answer. Many people notice something meaningful after their very first session. For others, the experience deepens gradually as the body becomes more familiar with this quality of rest and begins to settle more readily into it.

The Cleveland Clinic notes that “regularly applied Reiki treatments enhance your ability to respond to unhealthy elements in your environment and help you to handle stress” – suggesting that consistent practice, even in relatively brief sessions, can be supportive over time.

I generally suggest experiencing two or three sessions before forming a strong view of what Reiki offers you personally. After that, many people find a rhythm of monthly sessions supports a steady sense of ease and balance – though you are always welcome to come as frequently or infrequently as feels right for you. I will always offer personalised guidance based on what you share with me in our sessions together.

Source: Cleveland Clinic Massage Therapy & Reiki

No. Reiki is a complementary practice — it works alongside medical and psychological care, never instead of it.

The Cleveland Clinic is direct on this point:

“Reiki complements all other types of medical and therapeutic treatments. Reiki treatment should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a physician, a practitioner of natural therapeutics or a psychotherapist.” — Cleveland Clinic

If you are currently receiving medical treatment, psychological support, or any other form of healthcare — please continue that care. Reiki is not a reason to stop, pause, or reduce any treatment you are receiving. You are warmly encouraged to mention Reiki to your GP or treating team, and to share your experience with them as you go. Many healthcare professionals are already familiar with Reiki and supportive of their patients exploring it alongside conventional care.

Source: Cleveland Clinic Massage Therapy & Reiki

Yes. Because Reiki is gentle, non-invasive, and complementary, it does not interfere with medications or medical treatments. This is precisely why it has found a place in hospital settings – it can be offered safely alongside the full range of conventional care, including chemotherapy, surgical recovery, cardiac care, and mental health support.

That said, I always recommend discussing Reiki with your GP before beginning, particularly if you are managing a health condition or undergoing active medical treatment. Your medical team knows your situation best, and their awareness of what you are exploring matters.

My role in our sessions together is to offer a calm, supportive, and completely non-judgmental space. I am not a medical practitioner and I do not advise on, diagnose, or treat any medical condition. What I offer is presence, care, and a practice that has supported people through some of life’s most demanding seasons.

I came to Reiki not as a practitioner, but as someone simply looking for a way to bring more peace, calm and inner strength into my life — without even knowing a practice like this existed.

After more than two decades in data science and analytics — a career built on evidence, the disciplined analysis of complex data, and constant deadlines — I found myself worn down by chronic stress. I understood, intellectually, exactly what was happening to me. What I didn’t have was a way to actually move through it. It was learning that Reiki was offered at the Cleveland Clinic that gave me both the curiosity and the courage to explore it.

So I went and learned it — at first, mostly for myself. And slowly, I began to feel calmer, more at ease, more able to enjoy the simple grace in an ordinary day. The more I practised, the more compassion I seemed to find — for myself, and for the life around me. It became a quiet way of honouring who I am, and of finding a little peace within.

Along the way, I’ll admit I got confused. There was so much conflicting information. I came to see that Reiki is practised in very different ways: for some it is a simple, contained practice; for others it arrives wrapped in channelling, psychic insights, oils, sometimes reflexology. And I kept asking myself one simple question — if that were all Reiki was, how had it reached so many hospitals? What was the difference?

So I sought out teachers grounded in the Japanese lineage, including one with decades of experience bringing Reiki into the American hospital system. From them I learned that the practice the Japanese created was, at its heart, a gentle one — a quiet way of being present and still with yourself. Everything else — the crystals, the oils, the psychic readings — was never part of the original system. It had been added later, or drawn from other modalities, many of them old and worthy in their own right, but separate.

And so my mission became a simple one: to share how I found Reiki, and how I came to understand it — for anyone quietly looking for a little more calm and ease in their own life, so that they, too, might come to know the Reiki the Japanese created. Just as I did.