Can't Feel Anything with Reiki

Christian Stone | Standing Stones Healing Co.

My 10 year old son has autism and ADHD and can’t feel Reiki on himself when I send it. I thought Reiki would be really good to calm him down and align his emotions. Is it because he’s over thinking it or blocked? It is quite hard as after a couple of minutes he says "it’s not working" and jumps up. Why doesn't he feel anything?

It's absolutely ok if your son can't feel anything when he receives Reiki. This doesn't mean there's something wrong with him, that he's over thinking or blocked, and it also doesn't mean that Reiki isn't working.

Many people don't feel anything when they receive Reiki, and your son is not abnormal because he doesn't feel anything. Whether his ADHD and autism make it challenging for him to sit still or not, it's very common for all kinds of people, sitting still or not, to not feel anything when they receive Reiki.

Unfortunately, too often we think we and others should feel something and that Reiki isn't working or we/they aren't open to receiving it if we/they don't. I encourage releasing setting the expectation for your son that he should be feeling something. I sometimes don't feel anything during a session, especially during self-Reiki. So please make sure you're not telling him he should be feeling something, which sets up the expectation that he should and that something is wrong or "it's not working" when he doesn't. Please make sure you're reassuring him that it's ok not to feel anything.

It's also ok to simply allow him to do whatever he wants. This can include being quiet and enjoying a moment of peace and relaxation if he wants, but with the permission to not have to do or feel anything. There is nothing he needs to focus on, feel, or do and there are no expectations. I imagine he has a lot of expectations placed on him, as our children do, especially these days. Yes, he can even run around while you send Reiki. That's ok, too! Reiki doesn't need to seem like a punishment in which he has to lay down and stay quiet when he doesn't want to and if he doesn't he's being "bad" or "something's wrong."

How I might approach this is to make a game out of it to see how long he can sit still and do nothing. I would set a timer for one minute and work up from there each time. Because, of course, while we can send Reiki no matter what he's doing, it's the relaxation, quiet, and stillness of Reiki that can be most impactful.

​This video on what to do when you feel like Reiki isn't working might offer more encouragement for what to do. Above all, please offer our son a lot of positive reinforcement without punishment. Reiki isn't a punishment and not feeling anything isn't bad for sure. Please feel free to reach out with any questions and blessings to your son!