Energy Healing vs Reiki, Understanding the Bigger Category

Energy healing is the umbrella term. Reiki is one specific tradition inside it, among many: Sekhem, Seichim, SKHM, Qigong-based healing, and others, each with its own lineage, training, and approach. If you searched "energy healing" hoping to land on general information, this is that page. If you specifically want Reiki, know upfront that Jason Donaldson practices Sekhem, an older Egyptian-lineage tradition related to Reiki, not Reiki itself. The full Sekhem vs Reiki comparison covers that difference directly.

What "energy healing" actually covers

The category includes any practice built around the idea that a subtle energy system in and around the body can be worked with directly, hands-on or hands-off, to support relaxation, release stuck patterns, and help the body's own processes settle. Reiki is probably the most widely known example in the West, but it's one branch among several. Qigong, certain forms of shamanic practice, and lineages like Sekhem all fall under the same general umbrella while differing significantly in origin, method, and language.

Where Reiki sits inside that category

Reiki has a well-documented modern history: Mikao Usui developed it in Japan in the early 20th century, and it spread from there through a fairly traceable chain of teachers. It typically works with the body's main chakra system in the present moment, uses a specific attunement process, and has a recognizable, standardized structure across most practitioners, even as individual styles vary.

Where Sekhem sits inside that category

Sekhem, sometimes called Egyptian Reiki, shares Reiki's channeled, hands-on structure but comes from a different lineage, tracing back to Egyptian healing traditions. Jason's training runs through Juliet Carillo and her teacher, Gamal, a fifth-generation alchemist in Egypt. Sekhem as Jason practices it works through the soul chakra, about twelve inches above the head, and the earth chakra, about twelve inches below the feet, and draws explicitly on the Neteru, Egyptian archetypal energies including Horus, Sekhmet, Thoth, and Anubis. It's described as working more multidimensionally than typical Reiki, touching past, future, and parallel lives. For the names and disputed history connecting Sekhem to related branches like Seichim and SKHM, see that comparison.

Why the umbrella term matters for your search

If you searched "energy healing" because you wanted options rather than a specific named tradition, that's useful information for a practitioner to have. It means the deciding factor probably isn't the label on the modality, it's the practitioner's training, how the session is structured, and whether the approach fits what you're looking for. Jason brings Sekhem specifically, shaped also by his background in psychology, his own breathwork method (Galactic Breathing), and two decades of tarot reading, none of which are Reiki-specific but all of which inform how he holds a session.

What a session with Jason looks like

90 minutes, $222, online, or in person by request on Hawai'i Island. Grounding into deep relaxation, channeled energy with hands over the body, often sound, sage, cedar, and Egyptian oils, journaling, and a debrief with cards pulled for confirmation. Experiences with Sekhem vary from person to person. Clients have described feelings of deep relaxation, warmth, emotional release, greater clarity, peacefulness, and a stronger sense of connection with themselves. Some people also describe physical sensations or shifts during or following a session. These experiences are personal and are not presented as expected or guaranteed outcomes. This is complementary support, not a medical treatment, and it doesn't replace care from a doctor or mental health provider.

How to choose within the broader category

If "energy healing" is the term that brought you here rather than a specific modality, the most useful question to ask isn't which tradition is objectively best. It's which approach and which practitioner you feel a genuine pull toward, and whether their training is something you can verify and trust. Jason is specific and consistent about his own training: certified in Sekhem through Juliet Carillo, whose teacher is Gamal in Egypt, twenty plus years in healing and facilitation work broadly, and about five years with Sekhem specifically. That specificity is itself a useful signal when you're evaluating any practitioner, in any tradition under this umbrella.

It's also worth noting that many practitioners, Jason included, draw on more than one discipline in how they actually run a session, even when one modality is the named offering. His own background in psychology, his breathwork method, and his years of tarot reading all shape how he holds space, even in a session that's formally billed as Sekhem energy healing. The label on the service is a starting point for understanding what you're booking, not the whole picture of what happens in the room.

A word on terminology confusion generally

Energy healing as a category is loosely organized compared to, say, licensed medical or mental health fields, and that looseness means terms get used inconsistently across websites, practitioners, and regions. One practitioner's "energy healing" might mean a structured, lineage-based tradition like Reiki or Sekhem. Another's might mean something far more informal and self-developed. Neither is inherently wrong, but it means the label alone won't tell you much. What tells you more is asking specific questions: what tradition, trained by whom, for how long, and what does a session actually involve. Jason answers all of those specifically and consistently across this site.

A practical takeaway

If you're still deciding where to start, the most useful move is usually to pick based on the practitioner and the specific description of their session, not the category label alone. Read how they describe their own training and what actually happens in a session. If that description resonates and the practical details, location, cost, format, work for you, that's generally a better signal than trying to first settle an abstract debate about which named tradition within energy healing is the right one.

Frequently asked questions

Is all energy healing the same as Reiki?

No. Reiki is one specific tradition within the broader category of energy healing, which also includes Sekhem, Qigong-based practices, and others, each with different lineages and methods.

What kind of energy healing does Jason Donaldson practice?

Sekhem, an Egyptian-lineage tradition. He is not trained in or certified in Reiki.

How is Sekhem different from Reiki specifically?

Different lineage (Egyptian versus early 20th century Japanese), different chakra points worked (soul chakra and earth chakra in Sekhem), and Sekhem draws explicitly on Egyptian archetypal energies. Full comparison on the Sekhem vs Reiki page.

Does energy healing replace medical treatment?

No. It's complementary, not a substitute for medical or mental health care.