Why Did I Feel Sick During a Reiki Session?

While doing a healing session today, I began to feel severe nausea. I couldn't figure what was going on let a lone how I was going to leave abruptly. So I moved away from the heart/chest area of the client and the feeling subsided. I couldn’t explain but knew it was related. Luckily it was towards the end of the session. Can you tell me what this means? This was a family member, so maybe the healing had an impact on me, too. When I was finished with the session I made sure I cut the cord multiple of times. I took a salt bath and felt a bit off for a while.

Thanks for this question. I had an experience similar to this a few years ago when I did a distance session for a close friend. The energy at his heart chakra was just like a puddle, which I had never experienced before, and my thought was "What do I do with this?" My guides said, "You know what to do...just send Reiki."
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When I explained it to him after the session what his heart chakra was like, I burst into tears and just sobbed. This had never happened before and has not happened since, and I'm sure it had to do with how close we were. I don't know this for a fact, but your experience may have had to do with your connection to the person. ​
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Deep work on close family members and friends can be very different from likewise powerful sessions with more unfamiliar clients.
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I wouldn't be surprised if you never experience something like this again, but of course you may. You definitely didn't do anything wrong, though, and this kind of experience can happen no matter who we might be offering Reiki to. It can even happen if we're the recipient of Reiki!

Practitioners can feel and sense all kinds of things during a session and not all of them are pleasant. Sensations can include nausea like you experienced, headaches, dizziness, or any other kinds of pain or discomfort. When we experience these sensations, we may be picking up on the experiences, feelings, and sensations of the client or sensing the movement of energy or even having our own experiences of healing.

Clients, too, can have a whole range of experiences. Most people feel relaxed during a Reiki session, but sometimes clients might feel negative sensations, too.

But if Reiki can do no harm (it's simply universal life force energy that is always already everywhere and in everything), then why does this happen? How can something that does no harm cause pain, whether for the sender or receiver?

Healing is a complex process that happens in layers. We can never know how the healing might unfold, but healing can and does involve uncomfortable sensations, just like how how a scab itches as it heals. The itching is a positive part of the healing process, even though it feels uncomfortable. I explain it in this video Why Do Some People Experience Pain After Reiki? It's from the perspective of the Reiki recipient, but it's true for the sender, too.

You may also want to grab the free Reiki Kit for more information on Reiki and the free Reiki Biz Kit for lots of Reiki business information. Sending blessings!!!