Introduction: The meteoric rise of Reiki
Since it was first introduced to mainland USA, in the post-WW2 years by one of the pioneering giants in Reiki, Hawayo Takata (a US citizen, born in Hawaii, who was inspired to share Reiki with the world after receiving Reiki for a health condition, in Japan), Reiki has exploded in popularity amongst people regardless of cultural, social or financial position, and enjoyed celebrity endorsement in the US from such names as Danny Kaye, and possibly Aldous Huxley. In recent times, Reiki has come back into the public eye, with celebrities like singers Erykah Badu training as a Reiki Master. The singer Christina Aguilera, and Gwyneth Paltrow (actor & owner of the spiritual lifestyle brand “Goop”), are also reported as having spoken about receiving Reiki treatments.
On the other side of the media fence from A-list celebrities, some Religious organisations have recently been making public statements on the subject of Reiki.
The Church of England has spoken out against Reiki, and representatives of the Catholic Church (in the United States), and in Ireland have also issued statements warning against using Reiki, and likening it to “Satanism” and talking about it doing harm, although despite the sensationalist narrative and rhetoric being bandied about, Reiki has been popular with many individual Christians and local congregations since Hawayo Takata first shared Reiki with Christian students, in the USA – and some Catholic nuns have apparently trained as Reiki Master Teachers with the full support (moral and financial) of their local congregations.
So.... What is Reiki? Reiki is a form of Energy Work, which uses qi (chi / ch'i / ki) just as acupuncture, acupressure, reflexology and other therapists do. Many of the techniques employed by Reiki practitioners are also used in other Complementary therapies as well. So why are some religious organisations singling Reiki out? Read on to find out more about the possible reasons, and historical context affecting the perceptions around Reiki, in the United Kingdom, and further afield.
Love it or hate it, it's pretty safe to say that Reiki has become a household name!
Reiki’s growing acceptance by the scientific & medical communities
But let’s just step away from the backlash of organised religion, and the high-profile accounts of A-list celebrities for a moment. Reiki has been making waves in other areas of mainstream society; quietly, outside the spotlight, and having a seriously positive effect. Did you know that Reiki has actually been steadily growing in credibility and acceptance by mainstream Traditional Medicine in the United States and United Kingdom? It’s actually possible to receive Reiki on some Health Insurance plans, as well as to be referred to a Reiki practitioner by your GP.
Interestingly, whilst some of the more old-fashioned “establishment” figures in the West, have been pouring scorn on Reiki as a practice and a therapy, and attempting to position it as quackery at best, and dabbling with the forces of evil, at worst (lol!!! My apologies - I couldn’t keep a straight face there); or as unregulated, unscientific and unreliable; these colourful opinions are never backed up by fact, whereas the Reiki Community has quietly been doing the work - Professionalising itself, gaining recognition and accreditation, and working with the scientists, government regulators and National Health Service, to bring a Therapy which has its origins in Buddhism and Shinto, into a respected position, working in tandem with Healthcare Providers in Hospitals, Clinics and Palliative Care and more, in mainstream Western society.
What is Reiki?
Scientific Proof of Reiki
The fact is that scientists have been carrying out a plethora of scientific, professional, scholarly studies into the effects of Reiki, as well as using technology to see what happens during Reiki sessions (studies measuring radiation/bio-electricity coming from Reiki practitioners’ hands during treatments, for example).
In one recent notable example in 2018, a series of experiments was carried, out to measure and photograph the effects that Reiki has on the molecular crystalline structure of ordinary, bottled, Swiss tap water. In the photos before, taken from the Reiki Academy London Ltd website, you can clearly see the change that the Reiki energy has made to the water, on a molecular level. Reiki Master Teacher, UK Reiki Federation Committee member & Research Co-ordinator, and Hay House Author Torsten Lange, who carried out these experiments at the only specialist lab of its kind, in Switzerland, has shared the extraordinary results of this series of experiments online (images below).
Scientific testing and studies in the field of Reiki have been ongoing for at least 12 years - since at least 2010. The UK Reiki Federation has an objective “to provide more information on the type of research that can provide… evidence” to win acceptance of Reiki from scientists and medical professionals. So there is, in fact, a wealth of robust, evidence-based research on the positive and measurable effects of Reiki. Scientists may not be able to explain Reiki, but we do know that Reiki is observable and has measurable (positive) effects – at least one study noted that the effects of Reiki are better than a placebo. Therefore, I would assert, Reiki exists, and it works.
The Benefits and effects of Reiki
Reiki has been shown to have the following effects and benefits:
Encouraging relaxation;
Bringing balance to the mind and emotions;
Feelings of peace, and/or of being uplifted;
Promoting a calm, peaceful sense of wellbeing;
Encouraging positive lifestyle changes;
A greater inner harmony and balance;
Greater emotional resilience;
So what’s behind the fact that Reiki is mistrusted and judged out of hand by some?
That’s an interesting question. Why does this stigma/prejudice against Reiki (described above) still persist? Is it simply because the conservative tabloid media likes to have a cause célèbre to rail against on slow news days? Or because some of their less open-minded audience have a mistrust of things they can’t easily explain, and haven’t experienced for themselves?
It’s quite true that Reiki is difficult to explain, and to describe to someone who hasn’t experienced it before. Maybe this is partly why some people remain mistrustful of Reiki and have negative theories and narratives. However, it should be said that Meditation has some of the same types of effect as Reiki (although meditation generally requires practice, patience and the right teacher to move past the “monkey chatter” of the brain), and yet Meditation tends to be easily understood in light of its Eastern origins. So why not Reiki too?
Spiritualism Links
Another possible explanation lies in the parallels between Reiki and Spiritualism. The Spiritualist movement began in the 1800s in the USA, and became very popular in Victorian Britain, with the first mediums practising in 1835, and seances becoming very popular in Victorian homes.
Spiritualism and Spiritualist phenomena/activities and practises didn’t fit into either of the established categories of mainstream Religion or Rationalist science, and gained such a negative reputation in the United Kingdom that people were being accused under the Witchcraft Act of 1735, and the Vagrancy Bill of 1824 – and Spiritualists were being convicted without the cases even needing to go to court. This became such a problem, and it was such an issue that in 1951 the Fraudulent Mediums Act was passed, to protect the public from being defrauded by confidence tricksters posing as mediums, (and more importantly) protecting genuine practising Spiritualists from being unfairly convicted simply for their beliefs, under those pre-existing laws, and was then superseded by the “Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008”, which protects all consumers from all fraudulent traders.
A historical prejudice
This prejudice against practices which were being explicable by science, and not fitting within Christianity, could be another element in the context of the UK’s prejudice against Reiki. The fact that Spiritualists were being tried under archaic anti-Witchcraft legislation also to me, suggests that there was an undercurrent of fear and an association in many people’s minds, with Witchcraft and Spiritualism. The fact that the Catholic church has thrown similar fear-based warnings against Reiki (meddling with forces, satanism, danger) as it had implanted in people’s minds around Spiritualism (think of the horror film trope where a group of people recklessly hold a ouija board séance for fun, and end up unleashing forces of darkness which then have to be put back in their box, to make everyone safe), and prior to that, similar stories, fears and persecution was spread, about “witches”, which also led to people being persecuted unfairly.
Theosophy and Western Reiki
So, it’s worth noting too that Spiritualists also use a (different but similar) form of palm healing to Reiki, and that Hawayo Takata had been supported by, and associated with, the Theosophy Society (a philosophical/spiritual/religious organisation founded in 1875 in the US, with one of its main founders being a Russian Mystic called Mme Helena Blavatsky). The Theosophy Society’s membership also had a cross-section with Spiritualism in the US, despite some of their beliefs and views being different. So the parallel may have been even more strongly present in people’s consciousnesses, whether or not it was spoken of, outright.
Inconsistency and historical inaccuracies
Another aspect of some Reiki practitioners which may also ring alarm bells (it did rather with me at first too) is the fact that there are so many differences and contradictions between the different lineages of Western Reiki (the Japanese Reiki association called the “Reiki Gakkai” has more recently shared some of the more historically accurate facts and original teachings of Reiki, which are different again, and a more reliable source). The fact that there is seemingly no “one version of the truth” when it comes to Western Reiki certainly doesn’t enhance its credibility, and is likely to turn some folks off – particularly if they’re really interested and engaged with Reiki, learning that the “truth” you were told by your Reiki Master (which has apparently come all the way down from teacher to student from Usui Sensei) could understandably lead some students to feel disenchanted with Reiki and doubtful of other teachings.
However, there are actually some very good and understandable reasons for why we’re in this position now – and I do wish that teachers would read this, educate themselves, and change their teaching materials accordingly, to bring them up to date, and remove the unnecessary “safety mechanisms” which were put in place for (as I say) very good reason.
The “Why” behind Reiki’s Conflicting Narratives
Having been treated and cured by Reiki for major illness, Hawayo Takata learned Reiki from a famous Japanese Master & Practitioner Chujiro Hayashi, who had Professionalised Reiki in Japan, and ran a Reiki Clinic close to a hospital.
Takata not only made Reiki famous in Hawaii – she was resourceful and driven, and networked in high places – and somehow she managed to ensure that Reiki could continue being practised during WW2. Let me put this in context – these were dangerous times for US citizens with any Japanese ethnicity – especially those living in Hawaii, as that country is so close to Japan. Hawayo Takata and her family could easily have been seen as a threat to National Security, and given the fact that she had organised (and publicised heavily) a long visit to Hawaii by her Reiki Master from Japan and his daughter, only a matter of months before War was declared, and Japan became the enemy of the United States, there was a very real risk that she could have been put in a US concentration camp for this alone. Doing anything which implied any connection or loyalty to Japan was unthinkably dangerous. So Hawayo Takata continued to practise and offer Reiki, but renamed it.
The anti-Japanese sentiment remained strong in the United States, long after the United States and Japan declared peace. Takata’s mission was to spread the practice of Reiki, which she believed the world needed. She travelled to mainland USA, and travelled around, offering Reiki and teaching it to people from different backgrounds and belief systems. She made Reiki as accessible, approachable and relatable to her American students as she could – and this changed from social group to social group, and changed over the decades, with attitude shifts and new generations. As a result, she created variations on the history of Reiki, so that people’s prejudice would not prevent them from learning or practising Reiki. This is the reason why some Reiki Masters still teach that Mikao Usui was a Christian Missionary and was a school teacher, or that he was a Doctor, when in reality, he was none of those things.
Reiki in Japan was more easily understood, because of the cultural context. The values and principles of Reiki in the context of the society in which it was born – or maybe the effect of those values and principles in their cultural context, are actually an intrinsic part of using Reiki effectively. Knowledge and understanding of Qi or Ki (energy) is also widespread in Japan – or at the very least, most people had an awareness of it. So Hawayo Takata wanted to spread Reiki quickly across the United States, and teaching people with no common ground in these areas was not on her roadmap. Instead, she tailored her teachings to instil the qualities and ideas/energy behind the culture and principles of Reiki and Japanese culture – translating them and embedding them in her teaching, adapting them to the student group and times, to more efficiently and effectively get Reiki out there. Consequently, teachers she taught early on were still passing down the same teachings they had learned directly from her, whilst her later Master Teachers were taught something very different. And the people she taught in Hawaii were taught something different again. This is also why different lineages teach different “rules” – such as the rule that a person must never give Reiki for free/that it doesn’t work when given for free (along with a parable to illustrate her reasoning), compared with another set of students being taught that a person must never take money for Reiki.
Hawayo Takata used “word of mouth” teaching practice, and insisted that no-one was allowed to take notes during her courses (not even the Reiki MasterTeachers she trained). Her courses tended to be short – one or two days long. Word of mouth teaching, when done over a period of time, can be effective, but when a student has only one or two days to learn by heart everything they need to pass on to their students - well the human memory can be patchy at the best of times, especially under pressure, and even more especially when there’s strong energy in the room (which there always is, during a Reiki course). Mistakes, mis-rememberings and the fallibility of the human memory also leads to variations, and changes – especially when this oral tradition is passed from master to student several times over.
There is a popularly accepted mistranslation of the word “Reiki” as meaning literally “Universal Energy”. This is absolutely 100% not the case. Rei means spirit, and Ki means energy. “Universal” energy was a term/phrase coined by Hawayo Takata when she was first associated with the US Theosophical Society (as “Universal Brotherhood” is a key concept in the Theosophy), and as it communicates the ethos of Reiki being universally for everyone, and the idea that it comes from the Universe. However – it is possible nowadays to communicate that idea without telling people that it’s literally the translation of the word. Japanese culture Buddhism & Shinto are not so alien to all Westerners these days, and we do have a frame of reference which is easily found. So the fact that the UK Government’s Complementary Therapy Regulator states that Reiki’s translation is “Universal Healing Energy” does rather undermine its credibility – as honest a mistake, made in good faith as it would doubtless have been when this definition was shared with them, there’s no need to hang onto these unhelpful old ways and practices now, in my opinion as a Reiki Master Teacher (and former Public Servant).
(A side note)
I find this an absolutely fascinating subject (can you tell?), and having researched and read up on the context and the history of it, I now see the discrepancies and variations (which used to concern me) as a connection to the humanity, resilience, persistence and sheer strength of this great, charismatic (yet very human) pioneer in the world of Reiki. However, I do think that we now need to start teaching the facts (as we know them), and teach students about the journey of Reiki, rather than continuing to blindly follow outdated instructions created through necessity, but which no longer have the purpose to serve for which they were created.
This is all very interesting, but what is Reiki, exactly?
Reiki is a form of energy work, with its roots in Esoteric Buddhism and Shinto, but with its methodology and practice created in the early 1920s, by a Japanese man called Mikao Usui who, after his business failed, left his life behind and tried to gain enlightenment - eventually finding success, on Mt. Kurama (the sacred mountain near Kyoto).
Reiki is also a spiritual path, and combines perfectly with other spiritual practises such as meditation. It does not require any belief system, or even any belief, but people of any religion can be attuned to Reiki, should they choose to.
Reiki can never do any harm, although Reiki always needs to be practised ethically (informed consent is always needed for a Reiki treatment)
Reiki as an energy existed and was known about, before Mikao Usui’s method – and other, not dissimilar Japanese healing/spiritual practises came about in the same sort of way, around the same time as Usui’s Reiki method, and afterwards as well (for example, Sei-ki Soho, which was Akinobu Kishi’s practice, coming from an event which brought a “change of consciousness” (quote Antony Fidler www.easternpeace.com/pdf/seiki-intro) in 1978.
All this may seem strange, but if you liken Reiki to meditation or Yoga, then it starts to make sense. And as a side-note, if established Western religions started to preach against practising Yoga or Mindfulness, as meddling with dark forces, or spiritually dangerous, that would seem as preposterous as the statements made by leaders within certain churches, against Reiki.
What are the differences between Reiki and other Complementary Therapies?
Reiki practitioners all have a lineage back to the founder of Reiki: Mikao Usui.
Reiki practitioners are “attuned” to Reiki, by a Reiki Master Teacher, in order to be able to give Reiki (to themselves or others).
The first degree of Reiki is primarily for self-treatment and self-development.
Many people who are attuned to Reiki find that it enhances their sensitivity to and perception of energy. This can happen immediately, or over a longer time.
Forms of “palm healing” exist in martial arts, and “ki projection” in Shiatsu (which is also taking in energy and “projecting” it into the recipient), can be similar to Reiki treatments. But with Reiki the ability to do this can be activated by simple intention. Also, the ability to give Reiki exists in Reiki, immediately after the attunement takes place, with no practice needed (although practice develops and enhances a person’s Reiki abilities). In other modalities, this technique (along with energetic sensitivity, energetic connection and heightened intuition), is an ability which usually requires time, practice and cultivation. Reiki gives these abilities a boost.
Because Reiki is treated similarly to Spiritual Healing, under UK law, and because it’s possible to give a highly effective treatment simply by channelling and sharing Reiki with a client, there is no need for training or studying the framework and theories of Qi (including 5-elements theory, Daoism and the meridian systems) which exist in Japan and China, in order for a person to be a Reiki professional. It’s safe for a person to give a powerful and effective Reiki treatment, without any knowledge of energy systems, whereas this would be unthinkable in other modalities, and potentially very dangerous.
Complementary therapists in other qi-based modalities, such as Shiatsu, Acupuncture and Reflexology, study theory, meridians, and theory around Traditional Chinese Medicine. This understanding means that they can make informed choices in treatments, and combine theory and practice. This is also possible with Reiki, but in the UK people more commonly simply learn about the basics of the chakra system, and auric fields. Treatments by Reiki practitioners can often be more led by the Reiki’s flow – which goes to where it’s most needed, whether or not the practitioner is aware of the subtleties of what is happening or how.
Reiki is not regulated – there is a voluntary Register, but in order to qualify and get professional insurance as a Reiki Practitioner, the only requirement is to have a second level Reiki certificate and a lineage back to Mikao Usui. Some teachers will run a 2-day Reiki 1 and 2 course together, which means that a person can qualify and practice Reiki professionally, after just 2 days of training (and the quality and content of training is also not regulated). Consequently, this means that there are wildly differing qualities of practitioner and teacher, compared with other modalities which are regulated.
Where should I start with finding who to I should go to for Reiki?
Here are a few pointers and practical suggestions, from someone who has done all the digging and research (yes, you've guessed it - it's me!). Please do share anything I may have missed here - I love to learn :-)
The term “Reiki” has been used by creators of numerous other energy-work modalities, many of which have no basis in Usui Reiki. This isn’t to say that that this means they are not effective or powerful healing methods – it’s simply that they are different to, and distinct from Usui Reiki and since Usui Reiki is the original form of Reiki in the West, it’s worth making sure you’re clear on what you’ll be receiving, before you book a treatment: whether it’s the original form of Reiki (Usui Shiki Ryoho or Usui Reiki Ryoho) or a different modality.
Some famous modalities in this category are
Angelic Reiki, and
Holy Fire Reiki.
If you’re unsure of who to go to for a Reiki treatment, there are a number of Professional Associations for Reiki, in the UK, all of which are members of the UK Reiki Council. The Professional Associations generally have a searchable list of qualified Reiki professionals and teachers, so you can find a verified Reiki practitioner in your area, and you can be sure that they are insured and have committed to continuous professional development, and a Code of Ethics.
Reiki is included in many Health Insurance schemes, and is also available through the NHS. If you’re looking for a Reiki practitioner who is covered under these schemes and within the NHS, then you’ll need to find an accredited, registered professional. The CNHC (Complementary & Natural Healthcare Council) has all the information you’ll need, as well as a searchable list of practitioners in your area.
Word of mouth can be a good way to go, if you know someone whose judgement you trust, who’s tried Reiki in your local area.
Caught the Reiki bug? Book a Reiki 1 course for yourself, get attuned, and learn more about Reiki and energy work, with Ema.