There is a moment in a healing session when something shifts. The body softens. The breath deepens. Whatever the person carried in with them seems, for a moment, to set itself down.
I have witnessed this as a nurse. I have witnessed it as a Reiki practitioner. And I have come to believe that this moment of release, of restoration, is not accidental. It is, in the truest sense, sacred.
For those of us who hold a Christian faith, or who are simply drawn to the healing traditions woven through scripture, energy healing is not a departure from that belief. It is, I would suggest, a reflection of it.
Healing Was Always Part of the Story
The Gospels are, among many things, a record of healing. Jesus laid hands on the sick. He spoke restoration into broken bodies. He acknowledged the faith of those who sought wholeness and met them there — in their pain, in their need, in their longing to be well.
What strikes me most about these accounts is not just the miraculous outcome, but the manner of the healing. It was personal. It was compassionate. It was attentive to the whole person — body, spirit, and heart.
This is precisely the spirit in which I approach energy healing.
What Is Christ-Centered Energy Healing?
Christ-centered energy healing is not a formal denomination or a defined practice with rigid boundaries. It is, more simply, an orientation — a way of approaching the healing arts that is rooted in love, in service, and in the belief that life-giving energy flows from a divine source.
For many practitioners and clients who hold Christian beliefs, Reiki and other forms of energy work become a way of participating in that divine flow — of being an open vessel through which healing love can move. The practitioner does not claim to be the source of healing. They are, in the language of faith, an instrument.
This resonates deeply with me. In over 40 years of nursing, I never believed I was the one doing the healing. I was holding space for it. I was creating the conditions — of safety, of care, of presence — in which the body’s own wisdom could do its work. Reiki, I have found, does the same thing. It simply does it at an energetic level.
Where Faith and Energy Healing Meet
There are several places where the principles of energy healing and the teachings of Christian faith naturally converge:
The laying on of hands. This practice appears throughout scripture — as a gesture of blessing, of commissioning, of healing. It is one of the oldest expressions of intentional, loving touch as a conduit for divine grace. Hands-on Reiki is, in many ways, a continuation of this ancient tradition.
The power of intention and prayer. In energy healing, intention is everything. The practitioner enters a session with focused, loving intention for the client’s highest good. This is not so different from the posture of prayer — a deliberate turning of the heart toward something greater, on behalf of another.
Rest and restoration. Scripture is full of invitations to rest — to be still, to be renewed, to let go of striving. A Reiki session creates exactly this kind of space. It is an hour of genuine stillness in a world that rarely offers it. Many clients describe it as the most deeply rested they have felt in years.
The belief that we are more than physical beings. At the heart of both Christian faith and energy healing is the understanding that the human person is not merely a body. We are spirit. We carry invisible wounds alongside visible ones. We need healing that reaches deeper than medication or surgery can go.
A Note on Discernment
I want to be thoughtful here, because I know this topic raises genuine questions for some people of faith. There are Christian communities that approach energy healing with caution, and I respect that. Faith is personal, and discernment matters.
What I can offer is this: my own practice is grounded in love, in ethical care, and in a deep reverence for the divine. I do not approach Reiki as a religion or ask clients to adopt any particular belief system. I approach it as a healing art — one that, for me personally, is held within a framework of faith and gratitude.
If you are someone navigating this question for yourself, I encourage you to sit with it, pray over it, and trust your own inner knowing. You do not need to resolve every theological question before you allow yourself to receive care.
Healing Is an Act of Love
Whatever tradition you come from — or whether you hold no tradition at all — I believe that genuine healing is always an act of love. It is one person saying to another: you matter, your suffering matters, and I will show up for you with everything I have.
That is what I try to bring to every session. And it is, I think, what has been at the heart of every healing encounter throughout human history — from the shores of Galilee to a quiet room in the south Chicago suburbs.
If you are curious about energy healing and wondering whether it has a place in your faith life, I welcome your questions. There is no wrong place to begin.
Ready to experience healing for yourself?
Diane Wentzel, RN offers compassionate Reiki sessions for people and pets — in person and virtually.
With Gratitude,
