Absentia Reiki treatments can be given to individuals who are not in physical contact with the Reiki practitioner. Similar to offering prayers, sending Reiki's healing energies remotely involves visualization and mental focus, and it is done as a request for improvement in the recipient's health, life circumstance, and so on. Absentia treatments are not a substitute for hands-on treatments; they are a convenient alternative for circumstances in which it is either impractical or simply not possible to do a hands-on treatment.