Last weekend, I met virtually with some of my senior students, and we discussed our experiences with Reiki and Covid. I am sharing our observations here, in case they are useful to readers.

First, I want to mention that all of us who have had Covid talked about the importance of rest, fluids, healthy food, and nutritional support. Reiki works best when the physical body is cared for properly! And of course, Reiki is complementary care, so it’s important to consult health care providers.

Second, I should mention the importance of protecting ourselves. Many of us have given ourselves hands-on Reiki when we had Covid. However, when we were working with others, we did not perform Reiki hands-on. Reiki, like a lot of forms of energy work, has excellent procedures for working with those who are not physically present – which are taught in Reiki 2 and are known as remote, distant, or absent procedures, depending on the Reiki style.

We all agreed that Reiki and various forms of energy work seem to make a significant difference in the course of Covid, and other types of infection. In ourselves and in our recipients, we saw symptom relief, apparent reduction in the length of active infection, and prevention or lessening of post-infection issues.

It’s not surprising that volume seemed to matter – the more Reiki we received, the more benefit we received. In my opinion, this is a general truth about Reiki and many other forms of energy work. We talked about the benefits of going to bed and doing self-Reiki, cycling through the hand positions until we slept, and then continuing when we awoke. When we were well enough to return to activity, we took “Reiki naps” whenever possible.

When giving Reiki to others, I find that some the advanced Reiki 2 methods can be very helpful to maximize the time we have available. “Stacks” with scheduled treatments and automatic treatments are great ways to make every minute count.

As is generally the case with any serious health issue, we used the “full-body treatment” with the standard positions, adding optional positions for symptomatic areas. Extra time and extra positions on the chest, armpits (lymph nodes), spleen, liver, and symptomatic areas are often used with Covid and other infections with a respiratory component. Immune points, such as the top of the shoulder blade (midway right to left, between acupoints SI 11 and SI 12), the point at the crease of the elbow (LI 11), and high on the pecs next to the shoulder (LU 1) are often helpful. 

I have found that Covid tends to disorganize the energy body. The first time I treated someone with Covid, in March 2020, I was amazed at how disorganized my recipient’s energies had become. Positions to help reorganize are helpful during the illness and also for quite some time afterwards. Reorganizing positions include links down the center of the body, diagonal links (i.e. shoulder to opposite hip), and holding the toes. The classic way to hold toes is to start with the little toes, holding between thumb and two fingers, for 2-5 minutes. Then move to the fourth toe, repeating the procedure, successively working your way to the big toe. Some Reiki styles incorporate figure-8 movements done in the aura, and this can help to reorganize energies and strengthen energetic boundaries.

During the active phase of infection, we often gave full-body treatments with extra time spent on the chest, armpits (lymph nodes), and any symptomatic areas. We made sure to treat the abdomen thoroughly so that the spleen and liver were supported. Immunity points seemed to be helpful. If possible, we included some positions for energy reorganization.

After active illness, we continued to use thorough full-body treatments. The standard positions touch many of the areas where people might have post-covid complications such as brain, heart, or kidneys. We often used extra positions to cover the chest thoroughly and support the lungs.  We used immunity points, positions at the armpits (lymph nodes), and extra time over the spleen and liver to help root out any leftover pockets of infection. Positions for energy reorganization became very helpful for full recovery.

Later, if there appeared to be specific post-infection complications, we continued full-body treatment and made sure to thoroughly support wherever those symptoms manifested (i.e. brain, heart, kidneys, lung, liver). With vague post-infection symptoms such as fatigue, we gave full-body treatments and also prioritized immune points and reorganization of the energy body.

When someone has been exposed to Covid but hasn’t yet shown symptoms or tested positive, I generally use the full-body treatment with thorough coverage of the lungs, the armpits, and also the immune points.

If you have training and experience in crystals, essential oils, flower essences, or other methods, these can be utilized to add another dimension to any Reiki session.

I hope our experience is helpful as you deal with Covid infection in yourself and others. Of course, every person has their own individual needs, so follow your hands! Many Reiki practitioners can feel where the body particularly wants Reiki. Trust this sensory input and stay in those areas to answer the individual’s needs in the moment.

I wish health and happiness to you and your loved ones. May Reiki support you beautifully!