Why It's So Important to Feel Safe with Your Reiki Practitioner
When you step into a Reiki session, you do more than receive energy work—you're opening yourself to a subtle and robust exchange. You're allowing someone into your energetic space, and for many, that can feel deeply vulnerable. Safety isn't just a "nice to have" in Reiki—it's the foundation.
Safety First: Not Just Physical, but Energetic
Feeling safe with your Reiki practitioner goes beyond having a quiet room and a cozy table. Safety is about nervous system regulation. It's about consent, trust, and the ability to relax without your guard up.
If your system is unsafe, your body may stay in fight, flight, or freeze mode. Reiki flows best in a state of rest—when your parasympathetic nervous system is online. Your body can receive more deeply when you feel emotionally and energetically safe. You're not just lying on the table—you're present, grounded, and open.
Trauma-Informed Reiki Is a Different Experience
As a trauma-informed somatic and mindfulness coach, my approach to Reiki is gentle, collaborative, and choice-centered. I never assume what's best for you—I ask, offer options, and create space for you to speak up, pause, or guide the session if needed.
This isn't about performing healing on someone. It's about holding space with someone. That's a very different relationship.
For those with trauma histories, even subtle forms of disconnection—like being touched without consent or feeling unseen—can make energy work feel overwhelming. When your practitioner is trauma-aware, there's room for all parts of you, even the protective ones.
Your Body Knows
One of the things I often remind clients is that their bodies know. Even if they can't articulate why, their bodies will tell them if something feels "off." Maybe they find themselves tensing up during a session or checking out mentally. Those are cues worth listening to—not signs of failure but invitations to get curious.
Your body doesn't have to brace when you feel safe with your practitioner. You can drop into the moment. You might even begin to feel something you haven't felt in a long time: trust.
What Safety Can Look Like in Reiki
Here's what I intentionally offer in my sessions to support a sense of safety:
Consent-based touch. You always decide whether I use hands-on or hands-off Reiki. I check in and honor your preferences.
Clear communication. I explain what to expect, and we go at your pace.
Non-judgmental presence. However you show up—anxious, emotional, numb, or unsure—is welcome.
Co-regulation. My presence isn't passive. I'm grounded, attuned, and holding space with you, not just for you.
You Deserve to Feel Safe
Too often, people push through discomfort because they assume the practitioner "knows best." But you are the expert of your own body and experience. You can say no, pause, or ask for a different approach if something feels wrong.
Reiki is about balance and alignment, but it begins with a relationship, and that relationship should always be rooted in respect, consent, and care.
If you're looking for Reiki that honors your body, pace, and story, I'd be honored to support you. I offer trauma-informed Reiki sessions both in-person and virtually, and everyone is welcome here. A sliding scale is available.
📍 Virginia Beach
