by Rev. Jason Storm

Important Information for U.S. Reiki Practitioners

For legal reasons in the U.S., it is a good idea to have your clients sign a release form that informs them that you are NOT offering medical advice, treatment, or service of any kind, and that Reiki treatment is essentially a "religious practice" similar to the "laying on of hands" in other religions. Tell them in no uncertain terms that if they have a medical problem they should also seek out qualified, licensed medical treatment providers. I will also let you know that it is a very good idea for you to become an ordained minister so that there can be no question whatsoever of your "authority" or "qualifications" to practice "laying on of hands".

Initial Consultation

When your client first comes to you there are some things you need to know. Find out the reason they are here to see you, taking notes if necessary, and ask about any existing medical problems or issues the client might have, and if they have ever had a Reiki treatment before. You should establish a level of rapport with your client and put them at ease. This will help them participate in and more readily absorb the healing energies you are about to share with them.

Explain to them what Reiki is and tell them a little bit about your experience with Reiki. Explain that it is completely natural and can, in NO WAY WHATSOEVER, cause harm. Also you should let them know that it is completely normal for any pains or other symptoms to be temporarily amplified or increased during the Reiki treatment, but that THIS IS ONLY TEMPORARY AND WILL PASS SOON. Sometimes as the body is releasing blockages or increasing its healing resources, the discomfort of a problem is increased just as the healing time is greatly decreased.

Tell them they should be free to ask you any questions they may have, relay to you any sensations they have during the treatment, and talk about any images or feelings that come up unexpectedly. It is not at all uncommon for clients to break into tears during a treatment. Assure them that this is ok and even normal, as the body lets go of old unresolved issues and pain sometimes the feelings associated with the pain comes too. Welcome the tears, they are a great sign of release and healing.

The Treatment Procedure

When you are both ready to begin, have the client remove any jewelry they may be wearing around their neck, especially if they are wearing crystals. Crystals can greatly amplify the energy and can be very distracting energetically. Have them loosen neckties or belts and make themselves comfortable. They can sit upright or stand, whichever you prefer. It is sometimes easier to do a full treatment with them lying down, but don't do it on a bed as the tendency is to sleep. Assure them that everything is ok and ask them to simply relax in whatever way they feel most comfortable. Begin by centering your thoughts on healing and positivity. Remember the feeling of love and joy and open yourself to the flow of Reiki. When you are filled with its energy, place your hands gently into the first treatment position. I like to begin each time with my hands on their shoulders. This helps to gently introduce the energy to their system and allows me to gain physical rapport with them. I like to follow their breathing with my own and allow myself to fully relax into a meditative state. Without exception, the client will unconsciously follow me into a meditative state. This allows them to more completely and quickly absorb the energies.

When you first allow Reiki to flow you will probably feel something like this. Reiki will begin to flow, accelerate and amplify greatly in your hands, then slowly start to decay and slow down to a stop. This is the normal flow cycle for most people, and it's completely normal. The body sometimes needs to take the energy in "chunks" to digest it more completely. If you keep your hands in the same place after it decays the energy will eventually begin to flow again and the cycle will repeat. As a general rule of thumb, when the energy has decayed to a complete stop, this is probably the time for you to change your hand position. You can either follow the traditional and/or optional positions or let your intuition and guides show you the way. When the time comes, you will ABSOLUTELY KNOW IT there will be NO QUESTION! Reiki is itself a great teacher and healer. It can show you a lot more than I or any other teacher can.

The traditional session length is about one hour for a full-body treatment. Take your time and let the energy show you the way. When you have treated all the areas you feel you needed to, and you have treated any areas the client has specifically asked for, you can move into the grounding and closing phase of the session.

Grounding and Closing

When you are ready to begin to close down, return to the head area and place your hands on their shoulders, and breathe with them for a short time. At this time I like to quickly visualize their spinal channel fully open, chakras fully balanced, radiant, and spinning properly. (Read the meditations for level one for a full explanation of the "chakra balancing" technique).

I open their ground circuit and allow the excess energy to flow down into the Earth. As an added measure, I also visualize a giant, egg-shaped sphere around their "aura" (technically it's at the level of the emotional body) that is stong, impenetrable plexiglass that will not allow negativity and any harm to come to them. This is a Taokan Advanced Reiki™ technique, and is not a traditional part of Usui Reiki, but I include to give you an idea of some of the other techniques available to you.

The final step is to flow Reiki into their entire being and allow it to balance them in the most appropriate way. When the energy decays away for the last time, I gently withdraw my hands and allow them to return to normal waking consciousness at their own pace. It is very, very common for clients to fall asleep under the very deeply soothing and relaxing flow of Reiki. If they do, you can gently say their name with a slight nudge of the shoulders. Don't talk loudly or move too quickly, allow them to keep the great feeling of deep, tranquil peace and healing that Reiki has just created. Answer any questions they might have and treat any discomfort that might have arisen during the session with Reiki. If necessary you can make another appointment for the follow up session at this time.

The last step of the session, which you can complete after the client has already left, is to open your own ground and clear the excess energy from the session. Go have a glass of cool, clean water and relax. You are a potent, blessed, and deeply tranquil beacon of healing. Enjoy the awareness of that every moment of your life. :-)