The belief is that the energy will flow through the practitioner's hands whenever the hands are placed on, or held near a potential recipient. Some teachings stress the importance of the practitioner's intention or presence in this process, while others claim that the energy is drawn by the recipient's injury to activate or enhance the natural healing processes. Reiki treatments can also be administered from a distance. This method involves the use of special symbols to form a temporary connection between the practitioner and the recipient, regardless of location, and then to send the Reiki energy.
The energy involved in a Reiki treatment is said to be "from the Universe", rather than the personal energy of the practitioner, and is therefore inexhaustible. As a consequence, Reiki practitioners are taught that they can treat themselves with Reiki.
Reiki is also used by practitioners as preventative medicine, as it is claimed that the energy encourages healing before any noticeable symptoms have emerged.
Reiki is described by adherents as a holistic therapy which brings about healing on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels.[5] It is said that healing may occur in any or all of these domains in a single treatment, without any conscious direction needed by either the practitioner or the recipient.