Returning to Reiki After a Long Break: Have I Forgotten Everything?

by | Reiki

Maybe your Reiki certificates are tucked away in a folder somewhere.

Maybe your hands haven’t rested on someone’s shoulders in months, or even years.

Maybe your Reiki books are sitting on a shelf, waiting for “someday.”

Every once in a while you think, I really should start practicing again. But almost immediately another thought follows:

“It’s been so long… I’ve probably forgotten everything.”

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. In fact, it’s a very common concern I hear in the Reiki community, from folks who haven’t practiced in awhile and are thinking about returning to it.

The good news is: You haven’t lost your Reiki!

Can You Lose Reiki?

One of the beautiful things about Reiki is that it isn’t like memorizing multiplication tables or cramming for a test. It is not a “use it or lose it” kind of thing. After you’ve been trained and received your attunement (or placement, depending on your lineage), Reiki remains available to you. What often fades isn’t the Reiki itself – it’s your confidence.

You may feel uncertain about hand positions. You may have forgotten the process of a self-treatment. You may hesitate because you can’t remember exactly how your teacher demonstrated something.

That’s completely normal.

It's Okay to Feel Rusty

Think about riding a bicycle. If you haven’t ridden one in ten years, you’re probably not going to hop on and feel perfectly smooth in the first thirty seconds. You might wobble a little. You might feel awkward. But the ability is still there.

Reiki is often much the same.

After a break, it can take a little time to reconnect with the rhythm of your practice. As you begin using it again, things that felt forgotten often start coming back surprisingly quickly. Your hands remember. Your awareness returns. Your confidence grows. And none of that requires perfection.

Why So Many People Step Away

Life has a way of filling our calendars. Careers change. Children grow up. Parents need care. Health challenges appear. Stress piles up.

Sometimes our Reiki practice quietly slips into the background, not because it stopped being meaningful, but because life became full. If that’s been your experience, there’s no need to feel guilty. You don’t have to “make up” for lost time. You simply begin again.

Why Practicing With Others Can Make All the Difference

One of the hardest parts about returning to Reiki is doing it alone. You may find yourself wondering:

  • Am I remembering this correctly?
  • What if I’ve forgotten something important?
  • Does everyone else know more than I do?

Practicing alongside other Reiki practitioners can help quiet those worries. You see that everyone brings different experiences. You remember things you had forgotten. You ask questions. You receive Reiki. You offer Reiki.

Most importantly, you realize you don’t have to figure everything out by yourself. Confidence grows through practice, not before it.

You Don't Have to Be "Ready"

Sometimes we convince ourselves that we need to practice at home for weeks before joining a Reiki gathering. I’d encourage you to look at it another way.

Community practice isn’t something you earn after you’ve become confident. It’s one of the places where confidence is rebuilt. You don’t have to remember everything. You don’t have to have practiced recently. You don’t have to perform or prove anything. You simply come as you are.

An Invitation

If you’ve been thinking about reconnecting with Reiki, consider this your invitation. Whether it’s been six months or sixteen years, you’re welcome.

Our Community Reiki Practice gatherings in Des Moines, Iowa are designed to be warm, supportive, and relaxed. They’re a chance to practice, receive Reiki, ask questions if you’d like, and spend time with others who share an interest in Reiki, without pressure to have all the answers.

Sometimes the hardest part of returning to Reiki is simply taking the first step. I’d love to help make that step feel a little easier. I hope to see you at an upcoming Community Reiki Practice!

Some links in this post may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you make a purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

Reiki for Self-Discovery: How Reiki Sparks Curiosity About Who You Really Are

by | personal growth, Reiki

When most people hear “Reiki,” they think of relaxation, stress relief, or perhaps alternative healing. While Reiki does support the body and mind in powerful ways, its influence doesn’t stop there. Reiki can also act as a catalyst for self-discovery—sparking curiosity about who you truly are and how you want to show up in the world.

The practice can quiet the mental chatter long enough for deeper questions to emerge: What do I value? What patterns keep showing up in my life? What strengths have I been overlooking? For many practitioners and students, Reiki becomes less about symptom management and more about curiosity, exploration, and living with intention.

Why Reiki Awakens Curiosity About the Self

Reiki is unique in that it bypasses intellectual “fixing” and works directly with energy. This often creates openings that invite self-reflection:

  • Slowed nervous system = more self-awareness. Research from Harvard Medical School shows that relaxation responses can activate regions of the brain linked to introspection and self-awareness (Lazar et al., 2000). Reiki, by reducing stress, naturally supports this shift.

  • A felt sense of energy. Many people experience warmth, tingling, or shifts in sensation during Reiki sessions. These subtle feelings often lead to curiosity: What else is happening beneath the surface of my daily life?

  • Nonlinear insights. Unlike a structured therapy session, Reiki can bring sudden, intuitive understandings. People may walk away realizing something about themselves they hadn’t consciously considered before.

This gentle but powerful process encourages you to see yourself not just as a body or a set of problems to solve, but as a layered, evolving being.

Self-Discovery Questions That Reiki Often Brings Forward

One of the most powerful aspects of Reiki for self-discovery is that it doesn’t give you the answers—it helps you ask better questions. Here are some examples:

  • “Why do I always put my needs last—and what would change if I didn’t?”

  • “Am I truly aligned with the work I’m doing, or am I just staying comfortable?”

  • “Why does my body feel tight in certain situations but not in others?”

  • “What relationships feel nourishing, and which ones feel draining?”

You don’t need to solve these questions in the moment. The act of noticing them is itself a step toward understanding yourself more deeply.

Practical Ways to Use Reiki for Self-Discovery

If you’re curious about using Reiki as a tool for self-exploration, here are some specific, practical approaches:

  1. Post-Session Journaling. After a Reiki session, spend 10 minutes writing freely. What emotions came up? What thoughts surprised you? Journaling immediately helps capture insights before they slip away.
  2. Energy Mapping. Use a simple body diagram (outline of a human figure) and mark where you felt heat, tension, or release during Reiki. Over time, you may notice patterns connected to emotions or situations.
  3. Curiosity Prompts. Pair Reiki with a weekly reflection question:

    • What am I most drawn to right now?

    • Where in my life am I holding back?

    • What brings me genuine joy, even in small moments?

  4. Reiki + Creative Exploration. Try engaging in art, dance, or music after Reiki sessions. Many people find they access more authentic self-expression when their energy has shifted.

The Role of Community in Self-Discovery

Self-discovery doesn’t have to be solitary. In fact, belonging to a supportive community can deepen the process. In my Reiki classes, many participants share that hearing others’ experiences helps them notice patterns in their own lives.

For example, one student realized she always dismissed compliments until she heard another classmate describe doing the same. That reflection sparked a breakthrough in self-worth that she carried into her daily life.

This mirrors findings from psychological studies on group dynamics, which show that supportive communities increase accountability and self-understanding (Yalom & Leszcz, 2005). Reiki, practiced within community, becomes both a mirror and a safe space for personal exploration.

Resources to Deepen Your Exploration

  • Book Recommendation: The Art of Self-Discovery by Nathaniel Branden is a practical guide full of structured questions that pair beautifully with Reiki reflection.

  • Scientific Research: The National Library of Medicine provides evidence-based articles from studies on Reiki.

  • SBV Classes: Explore my upcoming Reiki classes to experience how structured practice and community support can accelerate your own self-discovery journey.

Reiki for Self-Discovery Goes Beyond Healing

Reiki for self-discovery isn’t about “finding” a different version of yourself—it’s about peeling back layers to notice what’s already there. Our world pushes constant busyness and external validation, so this quiet, curious practice is radical.

Reiki gives you permission to ask: Who am I really, underneath the noise? And perhaps more importantly: How do I want to live now that I see more clearly?

Some links in this post may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you make a purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!