How Long Does A Reiki Attunement Take?

Reiki is a Japanese method of alternative healing that involves channeling energy both through physical contact and distance in order to provide healing and pain relief. An attunement involves a reiki master opening a client's channels at the crown of the head, the heart and through the palms of each hand in order to receive and process the energy being offered. Depending on the level of attunement, the set up or potential lessons surrounding the event and whether or not a treatment will be incorporated, attunements can take anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour. If you are a client seeking a receive reiki treatments, consult your trusted medical practitioner before proceeding.

Time to Prepare

While practices vary, preparing a space for healing can clear negative energy or physical disruptions, such as dust and odor, from a room. These at the very least allow for a removal of disruptions during a reiki attunement, and often need only thirty to forty-five minutes of attention if spaces are well-maintained and used for similar activities on a regular basis. As a client, you may want to avoid alcohol, eat healthy meals and practice meditation for several days before receiving an attunement, preparing your body and mind as the practitioner prepares the space.

Chair Attunements

Sitting in a chair for an attunement is one of the fastest methods for opening channels. No matter the level, the basic method requires a minute to allow a client to become comfortable and focused, another minute for the practitioner to center and begin channeling, and between one to three minutes for the energy to be channeled into the client. A reiki treatment might also be incorporated into the attunement, which can increase the time spent in the chair. Group reiki attunements can take only a matter of minutes as a practitioner can go from one client to another quickly before moving on to group practice and instruction.

Massage Table Attunements

Massage tables are used often by reiki practitioners to allow easier access to a client's legs, feet and abdomen. However, using a massage table will slow the attunement process, since the client may take longer to become comfortable in a flat laying position than when seated. Once comfortable, though, an attunement still is focused at the top of a client's head to open channels and takes about three to five minutes. As with the chair attunement, if a treatment is included, the process could take up to an hour.

Instructions and Practice

In addition to the attunements themselves, clients seeking instruction on how to channel reiki themselves will need to factor in extra time for the lessons whether one-on-one or in groups. Group sessions and reiki retreats often provide swift attunements lasting only minutes, with day or weekend-long intensives filled with instruction, practice and healing.

Long-Term Effects

Attunements, like reiki treatments, may leave you feeling heady from the surge of energy. Drinking an extra one to two glasses of water and consuming a grounding snack such as nuts, fruits, vegetables or a healthy protein source can help stabilize your energy afterward. According to Diane Stein, author of "The Essential Reiki," the effects of attunements can last beyond the few minutes it takes to experience them, and their manifestation depends upon the reiki level attained. She suggests that it is common for people receiving level one reiki attunements to feel run down for a week or experience cold-like symptoms. For level two, she says, a six-month emotional upheaval could present itself as a recipient of such an attunement begins to remove unhealthy relationships both with herself and the people around her. She cautions that people seeking mastery level attunements be sure of and dedicated to healing others, because they may soon encounter a year that challenges them spiritually.