Your First Energy Healing Session: 6 Essential Things to Know Before You Go

A practitioner's honest guide to understanding what energy healing really looks like

Curious about energy healing? Maybe a friend recommended it, you stumbled across something online, or you're simply ready to try something completely new. Whatever brought you here, I'm excited you're exploring this path.

Here's what I've noticed after years of practice: most people walk into their first energy healing session with absolutely no idea what they're getting into. And I completely understand why—there's a real information gap out there. You might find details about specific modalities like Reiki or sound baths, but rarely does anyone talk about energy healing as a complete experience.

Today, I want to give you a baseline understanding of how this transformative work actually unfolds, regardless of which specific modality you choose. Think of this as your roadmap for navigating the beautiful, complex world of energy healing.

1. Healing is Cumulative (Not a One-Session Magic Bullet)

If you remember just one thing from this entire article, let it be this: energy work is cumulative. Every single session—and everything you do between sessions—builds momentum toward the transformation you're seeking.

Many people arrive expecting a massive breakthrough after just one or two sessions. I understand this impulse completely. You've invested your time, money, and energy, and your logical mind wants to check the box: "Yep, it worked. I'm better now!"

But the truth is, healing usually unfolds in layers. It's typically a slow, steady process punctuated by profound "aha!" moments and emotional releases. While some people do experience major breakthroughs immediately, in my experience, that's not the norm.

Healing is inherently complex—something we chip away at over time. Think of it as embarking on a journey rather than reaching a destination. The most profound transformations happen gradually, as each session creates space for the next layer of healing to emerge.

2. Your Inner Wisdom is Running the Show

In most healing modalities, we work with energy that's "up for release"—essentially, your inner wisdom preparing you to let go of something that no longer serves you, even if you have no conscious idea what that something is.

Your inner wisdom is essentially directing the entire process. It knows exactly what needs to be healed, when, and in what order to help you move forward most effectively.

For example, you might set an intention like, "I want to resolve the anxiety I feel in workplace environments." But once the session begins, your inner wisdom might say, "I love this goal, but if you want to address this anxiety, we need to start with those unresolved issues with your father first."

This is why it's crucial to stay curious and flexible throughout the process. You never know what memories, emotions, or insights will surface during a session. Part of the healing journey is getting out of your own way and allowing things to unfold as they're meant to. Trust what comes up, even if it's not what you expected.

3. The Most Profound Healing Can Be Silent

I see this constantly in energy work—once you're no longer suffering from an issue, you might not even remember it was ever a problem.

It's like stubbing your toe. In the moment of impact, it's all you can think about—but a few hours later, you've completely forgotten it happened. Emotional and mental pain can work the same way. Once the energetic charge is cleared, it simply fades from your awareness.

Then one day, you suddenly realize, "Huh… that thing my mom does doesn't get under my skin anymore," or "I haven't had that recurring nightmare in months."

Much of the most significant transformation happens quietly, beneath your conscious awareness. If you're not having those dramatic breakthrough moments, that's perfectly okay—the work is still happening. The healing is still unfolding.

That said, practicing self-awareness both inside and outside of sessions helps you catch those quiet shifts as they occur, allowing you to fully appreciate the profound healing taking place in the background.

4. Get Ready for Some Serious Plot Twists

The unexpected turns can be simultaneously the most challenging and liberating aspects of energy work. When you step into this kind of healing, your journey will likely unfold in ways you never saw coming.

For instance, you won't just be processing what happened to you—you'll also need to take responsibility for the patterns those experiences created in your life. And that's not always comfortable.

You might find yourself pulling on threads that lead to ancestral trauma, past-life memories, or concepts that don't fit neatly into your current worldview. The process may require releasing long-held beliefs and ideas you've depended on for security. As you move through it all, you'll likely need to expand into entirely new perspectives and ways of thinking—which is itself a powerful form of healing.

Another significant shift: as you transform internally, your outer world starts reflecting those changes. You might naturally drift away from old friendships that no longer align with who you're becoming, find yourself changing careers, or discover new passions that perfectly match your evolving identity.

The healing path is challenging, surprising, and deeply rewarding—often all at the same time.

5. True Healing is Holistic (Mind, Body, Spirit, Emotions)

Here's something crucial that many people overlook: genuine healing involves every aspect of who you are—emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual. When we get stuck focusing on just one area, we often hit frustrating plateaus in our progress.

If you've been in talk therapy for years without significant shifts, it might be time to explore energy work to address what's stored in your body and energy field.

Conversely, if you've been doing energy work and feel emotionally lighter but your body still feels heavy, you may need to physically process and integrate the work. Adding movement practices like dance, yoga, massage, or weight training could be beneficial. Or it might be time to check in with a medical professional to ensure there's nothing physical requiring attention.

Healing is like tending to an entire ecosystem—you can't just water one plant and expect the whole garden to thrive. Every part of you deserves care and attention, and real growth happens when you nurture all aspects of your being.

Energy work is one powerful piece of the healing puzzle, but it works best when integrated with other supportive practices and approaches.

6. You're the Lead Character of This Show

I absolutely love what I do. I'm deeply honored to hold space for people on their healing journeys. But let me be completely transparent with you: you're the one who has to do the actual work.

Practitioners can move energy, help you gain insights, and support your process—but at the end of the day, you're in charge of your own healing. You have to engage with the work between sessions. This means doing the inner work: processing what comes up, examining your patterns, sitting with uncomfortable truths, and making sense of your experiences so you can leave the past behind and live more fully in the present.

Please don't try to outsource your healing to other people—you won't get very far on this journey that way. And honestly, it's not fair to place that type of burden or expectation on your practitioner either.

What This Means for Your Journey

Now you have a much clearer picture of what you're stepping into. Energy healing is mysterious work. Sometimes it's subtle, sometimes it's completely soul-shaking. But it's always worth the effort when approached with realistic expectations and genuine commitment to your own growth.

Healing isn't a linear process, and it's rarely what we expect it to be. But that's often exactly what makes it so transformative. When we allow ourselves to be surprised by the journey, we create space for healing that goes far deeper than we ever imagined possible.

The path of energy healing invites you to become an active participant in your own transformation—to trust your inner wisdom, embrace the unexpected turns, and show up consistently for the most important relationship you'll ever have: the one with yourself.

Are you ready to take that first step?