Reiki Practitioners: Signs You Are Taking On Unwanted Energy From Your Reiki Client - And What To Do About It
During or following a Reiki Session have you ever felt:
Heavy?
Emotional?
Exhausted?
In physical pain?
Dizzy or imbalanced?
Generally out of sorts?
These physical and emotional sensations can all be potential indicators that you are unnecessarily taking on the energies of the people you are working on during a healing session, or that you are unnecessarily giving your own vital force energy away. This phenomenon is sometimes referred to in the spiritual healing community as ‘energy transfer’ – and it’s NEVER required in order to facilitate a healing session effectively, in fact it can be quite damaging.
It’s not uncommon to pick up on energy from those we are channeling Reiki for, especially among intuitive empaths. For example, it’s quite easy to feel if someone we meet is upset, in fear, or angry, but if proper boundaries are not in place during a healing session, energetic enmeshment can occur with our clients and if this remains unchecked it can lead to us taking on these lower energies, or giving away our own vital force energy, both of which will lead to energetic depletion and even possibly the manifestation of unwanted physical issues, over time.
As a Reiki Healer you can avoid this unnecessary transfer of energy by being mindful of the following:
Set A Clear Intention:
This is a fundamentally important aspect of energetic protection: Remember that as a Reiki Practitioner you are a Channel for healing energy. Reiki is Universal Life Force Energy and it flows to you from Source, through your energy system and out from your palm chakras. It is this abundant Source of unlimited energy that provides healing for the client, so there is never any need for you to give your own vital force energy away. This is something I talk about in my Level 1 Reiki Training, where I share the following visualisation technique with my students:
When you connect to Reiki, visualise the Reiki energy flowing down through your crown chakra and down through your central channel, filling your body with light from head to toe and flowing down both arms and out of your palm chakras. If you want to strengthen your intention with a mantra you can intend aloud, or silently: “Reiki flows through me, but not from me” or “Only love and light can enter my energy field.”
Reiki is a ‘one way’ system, as such there is never any need for you to give your own energy away, or become affected by any negative or heavy energy from your client because you are never using your own energy for healing and also you aren’t taking on energy from your client.
Ground Yourself:
Being ungrounded can cause dizziness, or a sensation of being ‘off balance’ during a Reiki session. As energy shifts and flows, if you lose touch with your connection to the physical Earth, you may feel lightheaded, spacey, or unsteady on your feet. This can be exaggerated if your eyes are closed during a Reiki session. I often like to close my eyes at times while channeling Reiki, but I rarely feel ungrounded.
If feeling ungrounded while channeling Reiki is an issue, try a grounding exercise prior to connecting. If you are Level 2 attuned or above, you can ground your energy by drawing the power symbol on the soles of each of your feet. If you are not Level 2 attuned you can stand with feet flat on the ground and imagine energetic roots growing down from the soles of both of your feet. Imagine these roots as silvery threads going down through the floor, down into the ground beneath you, anchoring you deep down into the Earth. You can also ask your Reiki Guides to help you to remain grounded throughout the healing session.
Take Care Of Your Vibration:
In this vibrational Universe, everything is energy and due to the universal Law of Attraction, like attracts like. If you are in a low vibration, you are likely to be more vulnerable to taking on lower emotional energies. However, if your vibration is high, you are going to attract high vibrational situations into your experience and you are going to be better able to sustain positive and beneficial energies in your field. The health of your energy field directly impacts the state of your physical, emotional and mental well-being, so taking care of it is crucial.
A regular self-healing practice with Reiki is essential to keep your energy system clear and your emotional, mental and physical states balanced. It’s helpful to have well-being practices that you can do in your own time, or in-between sessions, even if it’s just slow breathing exercises (like Box Breathing), or light stretching. Regular meditation and mind-body practices such as yoga, tai chi or qi gong can help you to keep your vibration high and your energies balanced, as well as spending plenty of time in the balancing and cleansing energies of nature.
Be mindful of your thoughts, the emotions you might be holding onto, the environments you expose yourself to and the relationships you sustain. Are they raising your vibration, or depleting you?
The foundation of the physical body is just as important to consider too. Are you looking after your physical body? Is the food you eat of a high vibration? Are you detoxifying your body, drinking clean water, exercising and getting plenty of rest?
Evaluate Your Beliefs:
Do you hold a belief that in order to be an effective healer you must ‘take on’ the burdens of your clients? Your beliefs determine your point of attraction and if you hold a belief that in order to be an effective healer, or to receive accurate intuitive information you must take on the energy or the pain of your client, not only are you mistaken, but you are putting yourself at risk of chronic depletion and illness.
There is never any need to create energetic enmeshment with your clients, or to ‘feel’ whatever it is they are feeling in order to be an effective healer. Realistically, the opposite is true, because if your vital force energy and overall physical health is low because you are either giving your energy away or taking on the negative energy of a client, much the energy you channel during Reiki will be used for your own healing and less of it will actually get through to your client.
What about the widespread belief around hard work? Many of us have been conditioned that in order to do things ‘well’ we need to put in lots of ‘effort’- this is certainly not true when it comes to Reiki. Reiki is a very natural and quite passive practice – allow it to be easy. There is no need for it to be hard work and there is definitely no need to take on a clients pain or suffer in any way in order to be an effective healer.
If you are naturally a clairsentient person and you receive a lot of your intuitive information in a feeling-based way, set the intention that you do not need to take on anyone’s energy or pain in order to help them. You can ask your Reiki Guides to help you with this intention.
Before you see a client try this affirmation, “There is no need to take on my client’s pain. I allow this Reiki session to feel good and to be easy.” You can also imagine yourself surrounded in a bubble of protective light prior to a Reiki session.
Practical Tools For Energy Management:
Here are some simple tips to keep your energy field clear.
Before or during Reiki:
Wear a hematite, obsidian or shungite bracelet on your left wrist to block heavy energies.
If you are Level 2 attuned, draw the power symbol (large) infront of you and step into it, then imagine it expanding to fill your energy field and surrounding you with protective light.
After Reiki:
Change and wash your clothing after doing your final Reiki session of the day. Clothing tends to hold a lot of energy – a quick clothing change is an easy way to help you to feel refreshed and lighter as you move on with the rest of your day.
Use a selenite wand to ‘sweep’ through your energy field. Sweep it down your front from the distance of a few inches infront of your head, down your torso to your root chakra and then sweep it down each arm and leg to brush off any energetic residue.
Take a shower or bath. Water is wonderfully cleansing for the energy field. You can speak your intentions into the water during, or before your bath or shower, of if you are Level 2 or 3 attuned, you can use the symbols for programming and charging the water. Even a simple ‘thank you’ can enhance the energetic signature of the water in a powerful way!
If you work from home, lighting some Palo Santo, or even just an incense stick can help to purify the energy of your work space. You can use the Level 2 symbols (power and emotional) to clear the space by drawing them in the corners and centre of the room.
The Impact Of Soul-level Blocks:
Certain blocks and karmic patterns held at Soul-level (many of which are rooted in past life experiences) can cause you to attract unwanted, or limiting situations in present life and this can be especially true of healers. Certain karmic energies held at Soul-level, such as healing contracts, or vows of suffering and sacrifice can play out in present life if ‘like’ energies are upheld, causing us to attract experiences that can be depleting, or negative.
If you find yourself repeating the same limiting patterns that are leading to depletion or unwanted circumstances and would like to find out how a Soul Realignment session can benefit you in terms of receiving insight, clearing and moving forward with intention, more information is available here, or you can book a free consultation to find out more!