Visualisation in Reiki Practice

I recently discovered that not everyone sees mental images in their mind, and that some people can see them much more clearly than others. This got me thinking about how much seeing images in our heads impacts Reiki therapists. To explore this, I put up a few polls on Instagram to find out what other Reiki therapists experience. I gathered all the results within a 24-hour period, organised the data into a spreadsheet, and wrote this article to share the findings.

The Spectrum of Mental Imagery

This short article looks into whether the ability to visualise is needed for Reiki.

Those that joined in the Instagram poll were categorised based on their visualisation style:

• Aphantasia: An inability to visualise images (however they might be able to when sleeping)

• Phantasia: The standard ability to visualise images. This exists on a spectrum where some images may be clear and vivid, while others are more vague or fleeting.

• Hyperphantasia: The ability to create exceptionally vivid and lifelike mental images.

Methodology and Instagram Poll Results

30 people joined in the Poll but a few were excluded from the results if they didn’t answer the full 3 questions or if they were clients rather than Reiki therapists. 

Final Numbers: 19 Reiki therapists were included

• Master Level: 11

• Level 2: 6

• Level 1: 2

Results 1: Distribution of Visualisation Types

The results indicate that Reiki therapists exist across the entire spectrum of visualisation, proving that seeing images in the mind is not required to give Reiki.

Key Finding: 16% of the therapists who answered the poll have Aphantasia. Since these individuals are active at both Level 1 and Level 2, it is clear that mental imagery is not a requirement to perform Reiki.

Results 2: Imagery Experiences During Reiki Sessions

Those that joined in the poll were asked when they experience images: while giving a session, receiving one, both, or neither.

Reported Imagery in Both Contexts (Giving and Receiving):

• Total: 58%

• Master Level: 91%

• Level 2: 50%

• Level 1: 0% (Note: Both Level 1 participants are Aphantasic).

Interpretation:

While the results show that imagery reports increase at the Master level (91%), the Level 2 results (50%) confirm that half of the Reiki therapists see images regardless of being at the highest level. Plus with the two Reki therapists at level 1 and 2 that are Aphantasic and said that they don’t see images in either giving or receiving.

Outliers

This poll found that even with the ability to visualise (Phantasia), imagery is not guaranteed.

• One Master Level practitioner with Phantasia reported seeing images in neither context.

With only 1 out of 19 participants showing a disconnect between their ability to see and their experience during Reiki, further info would be needed to find out why some Reiki therapists do not see images during sessions.

Conclusion

The results of this poll suggest that it doesn’t matter whether a person can see images in their mind regarding their ability to perform Reiki. While those with Hyperphantasia or Phantasia may experience vivid visual feedback during sessions, those with Aphantasia are equally capable of giving Reiki. Visual imagery should be viewed as a subjective experience rather than a functional requirement for Reiki practice.