TL;DR
There's no right thing to feel during an energy healing session. In my practice the most common experiences are warmth, often in the area that's bothering you; a deep, heavy relaxation that sometimes turns into sleep; and emotions coming up, sometimes with tears. Occasionally someone feels very little and their 0 to 10 rating still comes down. That's why I measure results by the number you report at the start and end, not by sensations. Remote sessions feel much the same as in-person ones.
Free guide: Healing From Home
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Send me the guide"What am I supposed to feel?" is probably the question I hear most from first-time clients, usually right before we start and usually with a little worry behind it. They've read accounts of people seeing colors or feeling electricity shoot down their arms, and they're afraid they'll lie there for 45 minutes and get nothing, and that it'll somehow be their fault.
So let me take the pressure off. There isn't a right thing to feel. After about 20 years of doing this work, here's what I actually see in my own sessions.
Warmth
Warmth is the most common thing people describe. Sometimes it spreads through the whole body. Often it settles in one spot, and that spot is frequently the place that's been bothering them, like a lower back, a knee, or the chest. People will say "my hands got hot" or "my stomach felt warm," and they're often a little surprised by it, because the room hasn't changed.
I don't make big claims about what that warmth is. Some of it is very likely your body relaxing and blood flow changing as muscles let go. What I can tell you is that it's common, it's pleasant for most people, and it isn't something to chase or worry about.
Deep Relaxation, Sometimes Sleep
The second most common experience is a heavy, sinking kind of calm. Breathing slows down. Shoulders drop. Some people drift in and out, and some fall fully asleep, which I take as a good sign rather than a missed session.
This one has solid science behind it. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health describes the relaxation response as slower breathing, lower blood pressure, and a reduced heart rate, the opposite of the stress response. Every session I do starts with grounding for exactly this reason. A nervous system that feels safe can finally stop bracing, and I go into that in more depth in the Polyvagal Theory piece.
"Falling asleep isn't a wasted session. For a lot of people, it's the first time their body has fully let go in weeks."
Emotion Coming Up
This is the one that catches people off guard. Someone comes in for a sore neck and halfway through the session there are tears, sometimes with a clear reason attached and sometimes with no reason at all. A memory might surface. Or a wave of sadness or relief shows up and passes.
If that happens, it's okay. You don't have to explain it or stop it. A lot of us carry stress and old grief in the body without noticing, and when the body finally relaxes, some of it moves. I've seen it often enough that it doesn't worry me, and it usually leaves people feeling lighter afterward. If grief is what brought you in, I wrote more about that in Energy Healing for Grief.
A Note on Strong Emotions
Emotion that comes up in a session is usually gentle and passes on its own. If you're working through trauma or something heavy, it's worth having a therapist or counselor in your corner as well. Energy work sits alongside that kind of support. It doesn't replace it.
What If I Feel Nothing?
It happens, though not often in my practice. Once in a while someone opens their eyes at the end and says, a bit apologetically, that they didn't really feel anything. Then I ask for their number, and it has still come down.
That's why I don't use sensations to judge whether a session worked. Sensations are interesting, but they're not the measure. The measure is the SUDS rating, a 0 to 10 number you give me at the start and again at the end for whatever brought you in. You report it, not me, and a big tingly experience with no change in the number counts for less than a quiet session where your pain went from a 6 to a 2.
Does It Feel Different Over Distance?
Not in my experience. Most of my sessions happen over Google Meet, and clients at home describe the same warmth, the same heaviness, and the same emotions as clients in the room with me. Some find it easier to relax at home, on their own couch, with no drive afterward. I wrote more about this in Distance Energy Healing.
After the Session
Most people feel calm and a little slowed down for a while afterward. Some feel tired that evening and sleep unusually well. Some notice changes over the next few days rather than in the moment. I suggest drinking water, going easy on yourself for the rest of the day, and paying attention to what shifts. If you'd like the full step-by-step picture, I walk through what happens in a Shiva Murti session from start to finish.
So come in without a script. Feel warmth, feel sleepy, cry a little, or feel almost nothing at all. Then give me your number at the end, and let that tell you what happened.