The body will always take the energy at its own pace. Don't get discouraged
if improvement isn't happening as quickly as you would like. Typically the
body has a great deal of accumulated toxins stored up which it will need to
release before significant healing can occur. This brings us to the healing
crisis.

This pain is a natural part of the "healing crisis", and may be an indication that the healing process has been accelerated. Unless the pain is unbearable, be assured that this is a positive and temporary occurrence, and asked to let me know when the pain subsides.

Most people feel an improvement after each reiki session, occasionally some
may feel worse – this is the healing crisis. This comes about when there
are toxins that have been stored in the body and then are being released
along with any feeling, emotions or thoughts that are no longer needed but
this should pass quite quickly.

There are times where Reiki practitioners experience this due to advancing in levels too quickly for the clearing process to fully and gently acclimate. This is why it is very important to reconsider doing the workshops that attune 1, 2 or even 3 levels in one weekend. You can read an article about that here called "Blue Light Reiki-Beware" by my friend and associate Karla LaVoie.

What you can do to help yourself through this process is:

Take walks, preferable in a park, etc.

Drink A LOT of water

Drink herbal teas

Take hot baths and showers, sea salt is excellent

Receive massage or other bodywork

Be gentle and quiet with your time, meditate.

Choose to be around loving, uplifting people and animals.

Receive more Reiki to assist in the healing crisis.

There may come a time when the symptoms will appear to get worse for a
period of one to three days. Typically, this occurs because their body is purging itself of accumulated toxins, so don't be too alarmed. In acute cases, it will most likely occur just after one of the early sessions. In chronic cases, it may happen after several weeks or even months. When the "crisis" comes, it is a good idea to add extra sessions.

Ideally, when working through acute, chronic illness or old wounds, heavy
trauma, or any life crisis, it is best to receive 3 Reiki treatments in a fairly short time between sessions. For example, 3 in one week, or within 2 or 3 weeks.

It is important to realize that my use of the word "toxins" refers to both energetic and physical toxins. In a healing crisis you may experience one or
both being released.

Some things that can happen when receiving Reiki regularly: A person can
become more emotional than usual because of emotional clearing. A person
may start eating differently, drinking lots of water, or sleeping more in response to listening to what their body wants. A person may start evaluating their relationships in new ways, which may involve intense changes in current relationships. Pre-existing physical ailments may go through crises and start clearing.

It is always a good idea to drink lots of water, and even more so when
receiving Reiki (and/or other types of body work) because the Reiki loosens
up toxins in the muscles and bodily systems. Water helps to flush the body
of these waste products effectively.

Sometimes things get worse before they get better. Reiki "roots out"
blockages in every system of the body/mind/emotions/spirit. I have found
that this is most obvious physically and emotionally, and it is possible for
a condition or situation to become more intense before clearing. This is
called a healing crisis.

Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that crushed it. ~anon