Trauma-Informed Care in Reiki Sessions: Why It Matters
Facing our pain often sounds easier than it feels. We may want healing, but when we finally slow down or receive support, things can stir: memories, emotions, discomfort. Even relaxation can feel unfamiliar if your body has been holding tension for a long time. Sometimes, the very act of showing up is an act of courage.
But what happens when you do build up that courage—and instead of feeling calm, you find it hard to relax? Or something inside you gets activated mid-session, and you're not sure why?
That’s where trauma-informed care comes in.
At its core, trauma-informed care means understanding how past experiences shape our sense of safety—in our bodies, in relationships, and in healing spaces. It’s a nuanced approach that centers choice, trust, and emotional awareness, so your body doesn’t have to brace its way through the healing process.
Reiki, in its essence, is already gentle. Most holistic practices are. But even with the best of intentions, a practitioner can unintentionally make someone feel uncomfortable. Or in a moment of surrender, a past experience makes itself known. The client might not know why. They might just walk away thinking, “That didn’t work for me,” or even feeling resigned.
Trauma Defined
Before we go much deeper into how trauma can show up in healing sessions, it helps to clarify what I mean by trauma.
Honestly, it was a term I had to relearn. Growing up Hispanic, and in my generation, I remember hearing phrases like “Oh stop, it’s not that bad.” Trauma, to me, meant something extreme—a major accident, an assault, something life-altering. Anything less than that was something you were expected to shake off. You were supposed to bounce back and move on.
But the new understanding of the term is broader. Trauma isn’t just about what happened. It’s also about how alone we felt when it did. It’s anything that overwhelmed your ability to cope, especially if there wasn’t enough support around you at the time. And it’s certainly not just about extreme events. The best and simplest definition I’ve adopted is: it’s what your body had to carry, alone, in the absence of enough support.
Some trauma is acute—a single overwhelming moment, often what we associate with PTSD. Some is developmental, meaning we grew up without the emotional support we needed. It’s subtle but sustained over time—what we understand as a form of C-PTSD. Other trauma is relational, where connection itself felt unsafe. And for many, there are deeper layers—ancestral or collective pain woven into the body’s memory, even when the story is hard to name.
Understanding How Trauma Affects You
To truly appreciate the value of trauma-informed care in Reiki healing, it's important to understand how trauma shows up in the body and mind.
Research from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing tells us that more than 70% of adults in the United States—over 223 million people—have experienced at least one traumatic event. Even using the traditional definition, this speaks to how common trauma really is and why trauma-informed Reiki is such an essential support.
Trauma doesn’t just live in your memories. It can leave a lasting imprint on how your body and mind respond, especially in moments of rest, touch, or vulnerability. When trauma occurs, the body activates natural protective responses: fight, flight, or freeze. These automatic reactions are designed to keep you safe in the moment.
But sometimes, those trauma responses don’t reset. The body stays in a heightened state of alert, even long after the danger has passed. For example, someone who has experienced sexual trauma may find even a gentle healing session difficult to tolerate. Touch—or even the idea of stillness—can feel overwhelming, even when there’s no immediate threat. It’s not a conscious reaction. It’s your body doing what it learned to do to protect you.
These patterns can affect many areas of life, showing up as trauma symptoms like anxiety, depression, chronic tension, or sleep disruption. Sometimes the impact is emotional. Other times it’s physical—like pain or fatigue that seems to have no clear source. All of these are valid responses. They’re not signs that something is wrong with you. They’re signs that something happened, and your body remembers.
Many people use Reiki to complement therapy or medical care, especially when navigating anxiety, depression, or burnout. If you're exploring that path, this post on Balancing Your Mental Health: Reiki as Complementary Care shares more about how Reiki can support your mental and emotional well-being.
The Vital Connection: Trauma-Informed Care in Reiki Healing
Understanding how trauma shows up helps us see why a compassionate, attuned approach is so essential, especially in energy healing. Trauma-informed Reiki sessions create a space where your body and mind are respected, your pace is honored, and your experience is never rushed or forced.
The goal isn’t to fix anything. As I share in You Aren’t Broken, healing isn’t about changing who you are. It’s about creating the kind of environment where your body can soften and feel safe enough to receive.
Safety and Trust
Safety is foundational to any healing process. Trauma-informed Reiki creates conditions where trust can grow. You don’t need to explain everything you’ve been through. You don’t need to perform or be open in any particular way. You get to arrive as you are.
Here’s what that can look like in practice:
Warm welcome: We begin each session with presence and warmth to help you settle in and feel comfortable from the start.
Clear expectations: You’ll always know what to expect during your session, including whether there will be any physical contact. Nothing is ever a surprise.
Privacy and confidentiality: What you share stays between us. This work is personal, and your trust is deeply respected.
Active listening: We listen with care, without trying to fix or interpret. What you share matters.
Consent at every step: Your comfort and agency are always honored. We ask before initiating any touch, even light or energetic.
Open body language: We create an atmosphere that feels warm, steady, and supportive, both verbally and nonverbally.
Non-judgment: Whatever arises is welcome. There is no wrong emotional response, and you’ll never be asked to explain more than you want to.
Open Communication and Encouraging Dialogue
Trauma-informed Reiki makes space for whatever shows up, including the unexpected. Sensations, emotions, memories, and even numbness can arise. None of it needs to be explained or understood in the moment.
We encourage you to share only what feels right. Here's what that support can include:
Empathetic language: We use clear, gentle language throughout, so nothing feels vague or clinical.
Validation: You don’t need to prove your pain or justify your feelings. Your experiences are valid, even if they don’t have a name.
Check-ins: We pause as needed and check in regularly to make sure the pace feels right and the session continues to support your needs.
Respecting Your Pace and Honoring Your Autonomy
Healing from trauma takes time. It doesn’t follow a straight line, and it’s not something you push through. Your body gets to lead.
Session pacing: You can pause, stop, or shift the structure of the session at any point.
Choice empowerment: From seating preferences to techniques used, your input shapes the session. There is no correct way to do this work.
Safety signal: We’ll establish a simple word or gesture so that you can let me know if something feels off or too much, without needing to explain.
Empowerment and Support
Ultimately, trauma-informed care is about restoring trust. In yourself, in your body, and in your ability to heal. My role is not to guide you somewhere specific. It’s to hold the space while your own body guides the way.
Post-session reflection: You’re invited to notice what came up, what softened, or what surprised you. There is no pressure to make sense of it.
Self-care planning: If helpful, we can co-create simple practices for grounding and integration between sessions, tailored to your needs.
If you’ve tried Reiki in the past and didn’t find the relief you hoped for, you’re not alone. Sometimes, it wasn’t that Reiki didn’t work. It may have simply not felt safe enough for your body to receive.
Trauma-informed Reiki is a different kind of experience. It is slower, more spacious, and built around the understanding that healing happens best when you feel seen, supported, and in charge.
You don’t have to go through it alone. If you have questions or want to explore whether this approach is right for you, I invite you to reach out.