Why Reiki Is Not a Drive-Thru Experience

Every so often, I see Reiki classes advertised online as “all levels in one day” for a very low price. Sometimes even the Master level. Six hours or less. Attuned and done.

I understand why this is appealing. People feel called to Reiki. They want to help others. Reiki looks simple on the surface, so it can seem like something you can move through quickly and be finished with.

But Reiki was never meant to be a drive-thru experience.

An Attunement Is a Beginning, Not a Finish Line

An attunement is not a certification stamp or an energetic download you rush through and check off a list. It is the beginning of a relationship with Reiki.

Something opens. Then you live with it.

Your body adjusts. Your nervous system responds. Your intuition starts to shift. Old patterns can surface. New awareness comes online. This is not theoretical. It is experiential.

When attunements are stacked back-to-back with no integration time, the system does not have time to stabilize. Energy may still move, but the person often has no context, grounding, or support for what happens afterward.

That is how people end up feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or unsure how to work with Reiki.

Reiki Is Simple, Not Shallow

Reiki is simple in the best sense of the word. You do not need complicated rituals or dramatic techniques to use it. Presence matters more than performance.

But simple does not mean shallow.

The depth of Reiki comes through practice, self-treatment, and lived experience. It comes from learning how to sit with another person without fixing, forcing, or trying to prove anything.

That kind of presence cannot be rushed.

Six hours is barely enough time to let the energy settle in the room, let alone in the body.

What Gets Lost in Fast-Track Trainings

When everything is compressed, important things quietly disappear.

There is little space for real questions. Little conversation about what happens after attunement. Little guidance around energetic boundaries, emotional release, or ethical practice.

Students may leave with a certificate, but no confidence. Or confidence without understanding.

Neither serves the practitioner or the people they hope to help.

Reiki deserves more care than that.

Why Integration Matters

Integration is where Reiki actually becomes Reiki.

It is where you learn how the energy moves through you, not just how it is described in a manual. It is where trust builds, discernment develops, and your relationship with the practice deepens.

Without integration, Reiki stays abstract. With integration, it becomes embodied.

That takes time. There is no shortcut for that part.

Why I Teach Reiki Privately

One of the reasons I teach Reiki privately is that it creates space for real learning, not just information. In a one-to-one setting, students can move at their own pace, ask the questions they might not ask in a group (or a recorded video, as most of these quick classes are), and actually feel what is happening in their body and energy. There is time to pause, integrate, and make sense of what is coming up instead of pushing through it. My students consistently tell me they feel more confident, more grounded, and more connected to Reiki because they were seen as individuals, not processed as a group.

Choosing Depth Over Speed

Not every Reiki class is meant to be fast. Not every student is meant to rush. Taking time does not mean you are behind. It means you are listening.

If you are drawn to Reiki, it is worth honoring the pace that allows it to root, rather than skimming the surface and moving on.

Reiki is not fast food.

It is nourishment.

My Reiki classes

Reiki on,

Vickie