Signs Your Nervous System Needs a Reset (and How Reiki Helps)

Heather Headley
Sep 21
7 min read

Updated: Oct 3

Reiki for nervous system reset session — *Hands channel healing energy in a Reiki session, illustrating a natural approach to resetting the nervous system.*

Introduction: Why You're Tired (Even When You Sleep)
The Science of the Nervous System: Fight, Flight, Freeze... and Fatigue
Spiritual Burnout: When Your Soul Is Just As Tired As Your Body
7 Subtle Signs Your Nervous System Is Crying for a Reset
How Reiki Regulates the Nervous System (Backed by Science)
A Spiritual Perspective: Reiki as a Portal to Peace
What to Expect in a Reiki Session (Especially Online)
Nervous System Reset Rituals to Try at Home
Final Thoughts: Healing Is Remembering Who You Are

1. Introduction: Why You're Tired (Even When You Sleep)

You’ve been running on caffeine and coping skills for far too long.

You meditate when you can, keep it together at work, and give your heart to others generously. But lately, something feels off: your mind is foggy, your body aches, and no amount of rest seems to help.

If you’ve ever whispered to yourself, “I just want to feel like me again,” you’re not alone — and you’re not broken.

You may simply need a nervous system reset.

And here's the beautiful thing: the healing you seek isn’t outside of you. It’s within. And tools like Reiki — a form of gentle, energetic healing — can help bridge the gap between your spiritual exhaustion and scientific recovery.

2. The Science of the Nervous System: Fight, Flight, Freeze... and Fatigue

Your nervous system is your body's command center — silently coordinating your thoughts, heartbeat, digestion, and stress responses. It’s divided into two main parts:

Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) — your “fight or flight” system
Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) — your “rest and digest” system

In a healthy body, these two systems balance each other like a seesaw.

But in today’s world, most of us live in a constant state of low-level stress — deadlines, grief, people-pleasing, doomscrolling — keeping the sympathetic system on alert, flooding our body with cortisol and adrenaline.

This is called nervous system dysregulation, and science shows it's linked to:

Anxiety, depression, and emotional outbursts
Digestive issues, chronic inflammation, autoimmune flares
Insomnia, chronic fatigue, and burnout

Research shows that chronic stress can rewire the brain, shrinking the hippocampus and impairing memory — the very part of the brain responsible for learning, memory, and emotional regulation.

3. Spiritual Burnout: When Your Soul Is Just As Tired As Your Body

Science explains the how — but spirituality often explains the why.

From a spiritual lens, chronic stress isn't just biological — it’s energetic disconnection.

You're out of alignment with your intuition. You're carrying emotions that aren't yours. You're trying to solve internal battles with external fixes.

Spiritual burnout looks like:

Feeling numb or dissociated, even during happy moments
Over-giving and under-receiving in relationships
Losing touch with your inner voice
Feeling a constant sense of "not enough" no matter how much you do

And the truth is, no supplement, to-do list, or productivity hack will heal you if what you really need is energetic regulation and spiritual reconnection.

This is where Reiki becomes more than just “woo” — it becomes essential.

4. 7 Subtle Signs Your Nervous System Is Crying for a Reset

Not all stress screams. Some of it whispers. Here are some signs your nervous system may be dysregulated:

You flinch at sudden sounds or feel “on edge” constantly (Hypervigilance is a classic sign your SNS is stuck in overdrive.)
You can't sleep — or you sleep all the time and still feel tired (Your body may be producing stress hormones at the wrong time of day.)
Digestive issues flare when you're stressed(The gut-brain connection is real. Your vagus nerve gets suppressed.)
You feel emotionally numb or disconnected from your body (Freeze response — a lesser-known but powerful trauma response.)
You burst into tears or snap over “small” things (Chronic dysregulation shrinks your emotional window of tolerance.)
You crave sugar, caffeine, or screen time (Your body is self-medicating through dopamine-seeking behavior.)
You’ve “checked out” spiritually (Energetic misalignment often follows physical dysregulation.)

5. How To Reset Your Nervous System with Reiki (Backed by Science)

Reiki — a Japanese healing modality — translates to "Universal Life Force Energy."

During a session, a practitioner channels this energy through their hands (either hands-on or remotely), clearing blockages and promoting flow.

A nervous system reset with Reiki works by shifting your body from chronic fight-or-flight into a state of deep rest and repair. This subtle yet powerful process helps release stored tension, emotional residue, and energetic blocks—allowing your system to finally exhale.

Here’s how Reiki can reset your nervous system from a scientific standpoint:

Activates the Parasympathetic Nervous System Studies using heart rate variability (HRV) show that Reiki promotes deep relaxation by engaging the “rest and digest” mode.
Reduces Stress Hormones A 2011 study published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine found that Reiki significantly reduces cortisol levels.
Increases Oxytocin and Serotonin Reiki may help boost feel-good hormones, which promote emotional balance and resilience.
Lowers Pain Perception According to research in Pain Management Nursing, patients receiving Reiki experienced less physical discomfort and more emotional relief.

In simple terms? Reiki creates space in your body and mind for healing to occur — naturally, gently, and without forcing.

Begin Your Journey

6. A Spiritual Perspective: Reiki as a Portal to Peace

Spiritually, Reiki isn’t about “fixing” you — it’s about reconnecting you with your own healing intelligence.

When energy becomes stuck (due to grief, fear, trauma, or burnout), you start operating on autopilot. Reiki helps to:

Unblock stagnant emotional patterns
Clear inherited or energetic imprints
Restore the flow between body, mind, and soul
Reawaken intuition and inner guidance

Client Reflections on Energy Healing and Nervous System Reset:

"I laughed, I cried… and after the session, I didn’t just feel lighter—my lifelong anxiety patterns started to shift." Amy

“I left my session feeling so much lighter and more balanced energetically. She picked up on exactly what I was struggling with without me even having to say a word.” Cristin

“After every session I’ve become a better version of myself. I will be forever grateful.” Jennifer

This is the true magic of Reiki: it doesn’t “give” you peace. It helps you remember it.

7. What to Expect in a Reiki Session (Especially Online)

Contrary to what some might think, distance Reiki is just as powerful as in-person — sometimes more so, because you're in a familiar environment where your guard is down.

During a session with Look Within Holistic Coaching, you can expect:

A brief intake to understand your current emotional and energetic state
A guided settling-in to calm your body and mind
30–60 minutes of energy work, where you may feel warmth, tingles, emotional release, or even visuals
Optional intuitive messages received during the session
A brief post-session recap or audio message (if added)

We combine trauma-informed care, intuitive guidance, and traditional Reiki — so your nervous system feels seen, safe, and supported.

Begin Your Journey

8. Nervous System Reset Rituals to Try at Home

While Reiki is powerful, your healing doesn’t begin and end in session.

Here are a few tools you can try on your own to support regulation:

Vagus Nerve Stimulation: Try humming, gargling, or breathwork (like 4-7-8 breathing) to activate the parasympathetic system.
Grounding Practices: Walk barefoot, lie on the earth, or visualize roots from your feet into the soil.
Energy Sweeps: Use your hands to sweep energy away from your body — down the arms, chest, legs — with intention.
Water Rituals: Bathing with Epsom salt, or even a mindful shower, can help release emotional buildup.
Affirmations for Safety: Whisper: “I am safe. I am held. I trust the flow of my life.”

And of course, schedule regular Reiki sessions as an energetic “tune-up.”

9. Final Thoughts: Healing Is Remembering Who You Are

You’re not broken. You’re not too sensitive. You’re not lazy for needing rest.

You’re likely someone who has spent years in overdrive — emotionally, mentally, spiritually — and now your body is asking for something deeper:

A reset. A return. A remembering.

Reiki is not a cure-all. But it is a portal — one that gently guides your nervous system, mind, and spirit back into alignment.

So if you’ve been longing to feel peace in your body again, to come home to yourself…

It may be time to Look Within.

Ready to Reset? Book a remote Reiki session with Heather at look-within.com and take your first step toward nervous system healing — the spiritual and scientific way.

Begin Your Journey

Locations:

Offering Reiki in Medford, Oregon, and remote Reiki healing services nationwide. My practice supports clients with energy healing, inner child healing, and holistic coaching. Whether you’re seeking a “health coach” or “energy healing near me”, I provide both in-person and online sessions tailored to your needs.

Become Reiki Certified

If you’ve been searching for a way to deepen your healing work, my Reiki certification programs may be the next step.

Level I introduces you to Reiki for self-healing and hands-on sessions.
Level II teaches distance healing and emotional release with Reiki symbols.
Level III / Reiki Master Level offers the full Master attunement, advanced techniques, and training to pass Reiki on to others.

These courses are designed to support both personal transformation and professional practice. Available in Southern Oregon (Medford) and online, you’ll receive the tools, attunements, and mentorship to confidently share Reiki in your own life or with clients.