A Reiki Experiment to Send Healing to Your Past Self

As a Reiki practitioner, you know what a gentle yet powerful healing system it is for yourself and and your clients or friends and family in the confines of a traditional session. But have you considered stepping outside of the box to experiment with different types of healing sessions?

Should Reiki only be limited to the here and now? Or do you feel, like me, that it can transcend time and space? Here is a glimpse into healing work I did for my childhood self. This isn't a new concept and may have been touched upon in your Reiki classes by your instructor. You may have even decided to try it some day but left it on the back burner when you started doing regular sessions.

The technique I used is simple and incorporates what you've probably already learned. I share with you what I did in hopes of inspiring you to heal those parts of your past that may be hindering you in some way now.

Your experience on receiving the Reiki symbols may differ, but when I was attuned to Usui Reiki in 1993, I received the distance healing symbol in Reiki level II. For those unfamiliar with Reiki, this symbol is called Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen, pronounced Hahn-Sha-Zay-Show-Nen. One meaning associated with it is no past, no present, no future. It's learned by Reiki students after they learn the first two symbols associated with empowering Reiki as well as physical, mental and emotional healing.

This symbol can be used to activate distance healing for someone. As the definition suggests, it can also be used in healing trauma from the past, sent to the future when you think you'll need it and even in past life regression.

As stated earlier, this isn't a new idea, but it wasn't something that was explored deeply in my Reiki levels. This was completely experimental on my part. I considered doing this based on effects from childhood trauma that I was still suffering from at the time I was attuned. Being attuned to the energy was healing in itself, but I thought it would be beneficial to send Reiki back to the child I was to help get me through that trauma.

This wasn't an attempt to stop the actions of others. I didn't believe that was possible. I merely wanted to help my child self survive and retain a sense of hope and faith.

One of the tenets of Reiki is that you need to get permission to do healing on someone. I'll confess to always finding this a bit odd in relation to a system that is purported to not be able to harm anyone and that the energy is rejected by those who don't want it. At least that's what I was taught. So, I disagree with purists on this. Still, the sessions that I've done in person were always with the express permission of the people receiving them.

But how do you ask yourself from your childhood permission to send Reiki? You can and I did, but you must remember that it's very likely that what you want now may be influencing any impressions you get during meditating on this issue. I will leave this up to you as to whether you think this is necessary.

Once you've dealt with the permission issue to your satisfaction, you can begin the session. This isn't very different than a distance session like you've done for another person.

I focused on three different years to send Reiki to. The first was when I first experienced the trauma, the other two times were periods that I was suffering acutely from the emotional effects of that period.

I set aside a time when I wouldn't be disturbed for at least an hour in the evening. On a table in front of me I placed a picture of my young self. I lit a candle and incense and then grounded and centered.

I began the session like any other by praying to God that this healing be for the highest good of all involved, thanking my Reiki guides for assisting me and opening with the Cho Ku Rei symbol to activate and amplify the energy. I then focused on my picture and what I was going through at that time. I visualized the Cho Ku Rei symbol again followed by Sei He Kei for mental and emotional healing.

I tried to stay an open channel for the healing energy instead of giving specific direction on how I wanted it to help me. Reiki knows where to go once you open the channel. I also was trying not to get too emotional during this process in order to stay focused.

I let the energy flow until it seemed to stop. I thanked my Reiki guides for being there and ended the session. I wrote down any impressions I received. I saved the other two sessions for different days and repeated this process when I was ready.

The thing with this kind of distance healing is you don't have the luxury of verbal feedback from your younger self. I felt a sense of calm with each session and I accepted that as confirmation of at least succeeding in sending loving Reiki energy to that time. I knew it wouldn't keep me from being hurt, but I believe I sent a ray of hope for the future to that scared little girl.

If you're one who believes in signs, I'll share this with you. When I was out driving not long after I did these sessions, I saw semi trucks of a type I hadn't noticed before and rarely have since. I saw them on different days and each one had a huge set of numbers painted on the sides. There was nothing else identifiable such as a company name that I could see. Each set of numbers corresponded with one of the years I sent Reiki to.

Make of that what you will, but also consider keeping your senses aware to any signs of confirmation around you after you try this technique. Also try to keep an open mind as to the effects you'll feel in the present. If you expect this to chase away all your current problems, you're apt to be disappointed. But you may just be instigating healing on a deeper level that seems ever so subtle now but will last for years to come.

As stated, this is an experimental technique. There are no guarantees and this information isn't meant to replace the advice of your health professional.