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The resources below will help you learn how to safely & legally provide reiki services, whether you're just starting or already providing sessions.
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Reiki is a Japanese healing modality that promotes peace and relaxation by channeling of universal energy. The practice of “laying of hands” has been used as a form of energy healing across the world and throughout human history.
Reiki is practiced by millions around the world for physical, mental and spiritual rejuvenation. Known as a “non-invasive” technique, it is usually practiced with minimal touch or no physical contact at all. The reiki healer holds their hands close to or on the body in a series of specific positions to channel healing energy, focusing on affected areas and energy blocks.
Reiki can be received in person or via distance healing. The practice can also be applied to oneself, for example through the personal daily practice of reiki meditation.
Reiki can support health by clearing blockages to facilitate self-healing. For this reason it can be a harmonizing complement to almost any modality, especially massage, arising in what has come to be known as reiki massage.
Although it is sometimes lumped into the category of “massage” by state regulatory boards, reiki itself is not considered massage by its practitioners because it doesn’t involve manipulating tissue or applying pressure.
Reiki can hold its own as a healing art, and it can be infused into any other modality such as essential oils, massage or bodywork. Reiki healing can serve as the focal point of your holistic health business, or as an additional tool in your wellness toolkit to support yourself and others in times of imbalance and stress.
If you are interested in giving reiki sessions as a holistic health practitioner, it is vital that you know how to offer your services legally.
Part of reiki philosophy is that the universal life force energy is present in every living thing. Thus, each and every person has the potential to unlock and use reiki healing for their own benefit and the benefit of others.
There are many benefits of embarking on a reiki training. Reiki is said to awaken your capacity for wonder and access a level of consciousness that you may have never experienced before. Starting quality reiki training can benefit many aspects of your life including your personal and spiritual development.
The first step to becoming a reiki healer or reiki master is to select where and how to receive reiki classes. Consider whether you wish to study reiki online or in person. Make sure that you are receiving quality, well-founded reiki training. Find out who is teaching the class, their credentials, experience, years of training and practice, and seek out both testimonials and independent reviews by people who have taken their classes. Inquire about how large the classes are, the location, and hours of each class.
It is important to receive a reiki certification from a quality and reputable reiki school. If you decide to offer reiki services professionally, your credentials are important. However, it is very important to know that having a reiki certification will not protect you from the hidden risks of being a holistic health practitioner.
In the past few years, state regulatory boards have been ramping up their enforcement of laws relating to massage and “license to touch.” Unlicensed reiki healers are particularly vulnerable to this, especially if your state lumps reiki into “massage.”
You can read the full article here to get all your questions answered about becoming a reiki practitioner.
Reiki symbols are an important part of the teachings in the Usui lineage and a core element in reiki training. These Sanskrit-based Japanese forms have been passed on through generations of reiki masters and reiki practitioners around the world in the century since Dr. Mikao Usui developed the ancient energy healing system in Japan.
These symbols were once kept secret and were only revealed to reiki practitioners through attunement. Today they can easily be found, but still require attunement by a reiki master to activate.
Most reiki masters have received reiki certification and training in the Usui lineage, in which there are five main symbols. The first three symbols, power, harmony and distance, are given at the reiki second degree (Level 2). The second two symbols are mastery and completion and are given at the reiki third degree (Level 3).
A reiki master is a person who has completed reiki training by moving through the progressive three levels. They have received the necessary symbols and attunements that initiate them as a channel of reiki energy and allow them to teach and initiate others. Some reiki masters choose to teach, while others do not.
Generally, reiki master training involves the theory, initiation, protocol and procedure of reiki. Some reiki systems have further broken up the degrees of reiki, expanding them to five levels. The training involves lectures, talks, meditations, symbols and attunements as well as personalized study with a reiki master.
It can take several years to become a reiki master. Although there are many accelerated courses that can take you through several levels of reiki in a few weekends for a few hundred dollars per level, it is recommended to take the time to integrate and practice each level before moving to the next. Becoming a reiki master requires study with another reiki master and many recommend taking a year or more to fully integrate the information and energetic activation.
Because reiki is not regulated or standardized at the federal level in the United States, there is a lot of confusion, debate, and inconsistency surrounding the practice and legality of reiki depending on the state.
This uncertainty, combined with increasing crackdowns by state regulatory boards, cease-and-desist orders and fines, create a risky environment for reiki practitioners. Adding fuel to the fire, many states are passing new legislation that further marginalizes energy healers such as reiki practitioners.
If you are interested in giving reiki sessions as a holistic health practitioner, it is vital that you know how to offer your services legally.
As a reiki healer, it is vital that you are proactive and stay up-to-date on changing state policies and regulations to avoid serious legal and financial consequences. If you are receiving compensation (payment) for reiki services without an applicable license where one is required, your state could consider this a crime and any or all of the following could apply to you:
Even in states where reiki may be considered “massage or bodywork,” a solid legal basis can protect your services. The one way to know for sure that you’re protected is by having a defendable legal basis, like that offered by the Professional Wellness Alliance (PWA).
Reiki is an acceptable holistic health modality under the PWA License Program and it provides reiki practitioners with the protection to offer their services in a safe, legal environment.
Learn more about what a defendable legal basis is and why it's important to holistic health practitioners.
