Accessing Past Life Information in the Reiki Session

When my spiritual journey began in earnest more than thirty years ago, I was strongly attracted to the twin concepts of reincarnation and past life exploration. After several years of self-study and research, my journey led me to receive training and certification as a past life regression (PLR) therapist, and I began working with individuals to help them access and release energetic residue from previous incarnations. A few years later, Reiki found me, and, with its loving guidance, I discovered and embraced a new way to Be. During this time, I continued my work with clients’ past lives and quickly learned that adding Reiki to those sessions enhanced the regression process by relaxing the client and strengthening the connection between the physical and spiritual realms necessary for PLR.

Over time, as my practice attracted more Reiki clients and I became more experienced, I noticed that clients’ past lives information began to surface during Reiki sessions. This observation was confirmed during the post-session discussions when clients frequently described similar experiences. Being a curious sort, I asked Reiki about this development. It told me that my work with Reiki and PLR was inextricably linked and would continue to be, as it provided an additional means for clients to release energies and patterns from long-ago lives. Reiki reminded me of the enormous need for healing in modern times and advised that the “double shot” of healing accelerated each individual’s growth.

Since then, Reiki has guided me to work with clients in the ways that are best for them and always in accordance with their Highest Good. And frequently, that work involves receiving information and impressions about their past lives to release energies and blockages affecting their current incarnation. It helps to know that PLR can be the key to understanding oneself on the soul level by realizing the relationship between specific past lives and the current one. That naturally leads to a greater awareness of one’s true nature as a spiritual being. The new understanding can create positive change by identifying and releasing those influences from past lives that no longer serve.

Also, PLR can help one achieve a deeper understanding of current relationships, especially the challenging ones. Karmic issues may be uncovered and provide a new perspective of the relationship’s soul history and its purpose in the present incarnation. This new-found awareness can lead to greater harmony and increased compassion for oneself and others.

With that in mind, it is easy to recognize the value of receiving past life information in the context of a Reiki session, and I am always grateful for the opportunity. Just as Reiki has guided me to work with clients in the best way for each one, it has also taught me the most efficient methods to access past life information during the session. In my experience, and according to Reiki, retrieving past life memories is most likely to occur while the practitioner is channeling energy to specific points of the person’s subtle body while remaining open to receiving relevant information. These energy points are detailed as follows:

1. Psyche Position – Although not well-known, this hand position is conducive as a gateway for past life memories. It establishes an intimate energetic connection between the practitioner and recipient, which allows a greater energetic exchange. For this position, the practitioner places their non-dominant hand gently under the recipient’s neck, near the Alta Major, while placing the dominant hand lightly across the recipient’s forehead (Third Eye area). This position is where I first began receiving clients’ past life information years ago. A nice bonus is that almost all clients report a strong feeling of being loved, protected, and nurtured while receiving Reiki from this position. Some have described a sense of being held in a loving embrace.
   Typically, I hold this position for several minutes or until it feels complete. I have also noted that channeling Reiki from this position is very soothing and uplifting, and it creates a sense of Oneness.
2. Alta Major Position – Also known as the “Mouth of God/Mouth of Goddess” or sometimes the Zeal Chakra, the Alta Major area is located at the base of the skull at the back of the neck. In metaphysical circles, it is regarded as a spiritual gateway through which divine messages and communications can easily pass while activating the pineal and pituitary glands. During a Reiki session, the practitioner channels energy to this area with their hands behind the recipient’s head and fingers pointing toward the feet. In essence, the practitioner “cradles” the individual’s head while channeling Reiki. Because it is a gateway for divine communication, past life memories and images may be experienced by both the practitioner and recipient at this point.
3. Past Life Chakras – These are located off-body, slightly above and behind each ear. Although they are considered “minor” chakras, they can have a significant impact on current incarnations. They carry energies of prior lives’ unmet promises and vows, outdated beliefs, lingering issues in relationships, and emotional debris. These contribute to a lack of clarity, feelings of being stuck, and an inability or reluctance to make wise choices in the current lifetime. Interestingly, I was unaware of these chakras until Reiki guided me to channel energy to them during a session more than a year ago, just before the pandemic began its relentless sweep across the globe. Reiki’s guidance indicated that clearing and releasing old unnecessary energies from past lives is essential for successful evolution and growth.¹ As a result, treating these chakras is now included in all my Reiki sessions. Working with these chakras and other past-life energy points can yield relevant and beneficial past-life impressions.
4. Tenth Chakra (Grounding Chakra) – This chakra is essential for staying grounded, which is often overlooked or minimized in spiritual communities. The tenth chakra is located one to four feet beneath the feet and energetically acts as an anchor for all the chakras by firmly aligning and grounding their energies.² Reiki practitioners generally recognize the role of grounding in spiritual growth and advancement but may be unaware of the tenth chakra’s function in revealing and releasing past-life issues. Many of the challenges in current incarnations, such as transgenerational trauma and family of origin patterns, can be traced to the ancestral line.³ Treating the tenth chakra in a Reiki session can encourage these blockages to surface where they may be acknowledged and released.

Note: Please note that past life information does not arise in every Reiki session but does so when it is in the interest of the recipient’s Highest Good. Reiki’s wisdom is unerring and always knows when such messages are appropriate and beneficial for the individual.

In recent years, Reiki’s guidance in my sessions has emphasized the value of uncovering and releasing unnecessary past-life energies. Indeed, clearing karmic residue and addressing outdated patterns is necessary to move toward the New Consciousness successfully. Dismantling and removing all that no longer serves allows the Light within each of us to shine more brightly than ever before as we claim our rightful place as children of the Divine.

Resources:

1. Distant Reiki Guidance and Insights During the Pandemic – Reiki Rays
2. Dale, Cyndi. The Complete Book of Chakra Healing: Activate the Transformative Power of
   Your Energy Centers. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1996.
3. Stein, Diane. Women’s Psychic Lives. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1988.

Article by Kathleen Johnson

Free eBook download: We’ve created an eBook with our best articles on this topic, and offer it for free to all our newsletter subscribers.

Kathleen Johnson is a Holy Fire III Reiki Master, Usui Reiki Master, Kundalini Reiki Master, and a Certified Crystal Healer. She is also a Past-Life Soul Regression Therapist, and an Angelic Soul Activation Practitioner. As a Spiritual Teacher and Mentor, she assists others in discovering their unique path to wellness, wholeness, and authenticity.

Kathleen is the Founder of UniverSoul Heart, LLC, a holistic healing and wellness practice based in Pennsylvania, USA. Her education includes a B.A. in Psychology and an M.A. in Criminology, as well as extensive postgraduate studies in Mental Health Counseling and Transpersonal Psychology. Although she taught Reiki for several years, this changed in 2020 when Reiki’s guidance redirected her focus to working with individuals during this pivotal time in humanity’s history.

Kathleen is committed to raising awareness of the benefits of Reiki and holistic wellness. To that end, she has been a co-host as well as a presenter and sponsor for the Reiki Rays Annual Summit since 2017. She has also been a featured guest in numerous radio interviews and also hosted “UniverSoul Heart Radio with Kathleen Johnson- Sensible Spirituality for Everyday Living” on Transformation Talk Radio. Most recently, she co-hosted Seasons 1-3 on the “Beyond the Reiki Gateway” podcast, and in January 2025 was interviewed by MysticMag, in which she shares healing insights and revelations during her transformative journey as founder of UniverSoul Heart. In February 2025, she was a guest on “The Way 126” podcast to discuss Reiki and its benefits.

In her personal life, Kathleen is a passionate advocate for animals and Mother Earth, and as such, committed to a compassionate plant-based lifestyle. In 2021, she became certified as a Plant-Based Nutritionist through Cornell University’s Nutrition Studies Program. She is the mother of 4 grown sons and grandmother to two beautiful babies, who each clutch a substantial piece of her heart in their precious little hands.

Kathleen’s articles about Reiki and Spirituality have been published on Reiki Rays, Reiki News Magazine, and Medium.com. Her eBook “Let Reiki Guide the Way” is available on her website.

Kathleen can be contacted at kjohnson@universoulheart.net.