Frequently Asked Questions for Practitioners
Q – Why do you say that my Reiki school/style is not recognised by the Reiki Council?
A – There are certain schools of Reiki that have moved significantly away from the way that Reiki’s founder, Mikao Usui, practised and taught Reiki. These changes are not recognised by the Reiki Council which is dedicated to the Usui System of Reiki. This is the form of Reiki that is recognised for professional practise in the UK.
In the main these are online Reiki teachings including distance attunements and the creation of ‘new’ Reiki symbols. Reiki Council member organisations adhere to in-person training and attunements using the traditional Usui Reiki system and symbols.
Q – What difference will it make to me if I do my Reiki training on-line?
A – One of the main things is that insurance companies do not usually insure students who have learnt via online training and The Reiki Council and the CNHC Register do not accept this mode of training. Another, most crucial difference is that online training does not offer the opportunity to practise what has been learnt in the presence of your Reiki Master, who is there to teach, guide and assess your progress each step of the way, ensuring that you are following Usui’s teachings. One thing that sets Reiki apart from other therapies is the reiju/attunements/initiations, which are given whilst being in the Reiki energy along with your Master Teacher.
Q – Even though I’ve been a Reiki Practitioner for many years I’ve heard that I will have to re-train in Reiki in order to become a Reiki Verified Practitioner. Why is that?
A – This is not the case provided you can evidence your Reiki training, have a recognised lineage and have had in person training as opposed to on line learning. Most Reiki Master Teachers offering accredited, verified courses offer professional practitioner training to cover all the non-Reiki aspects of what is required in the National Occupational Standards for Reiki.
Q – Can I get a Reiki Council Professional Practitioner certificate direct from the Reiki Council?
A – The Reiki Council agreed pathway to verification is through a Reiki Council Member Organisation that also qualifies as a verifying organisation for CNHC. Click here to see the list of verifying organisations for Reiki Council and CNHC.
Q – Do you suggest I join a member organisation of the council?
A – If you wish to represent your Reiki practice in a professional manner, yes. Your teacher should be subscribed to one of the Council’s Member Organisations; most welcome all styles of Reiki, and will be able to advise. If not, then approach the organisation which represents your lineage. This means you will show that you have agreed to abide by a Code of Conduct and if you are a verified professional practitioner, understand the Reiki Council’s Core Curriculum which is recognised by CNHC
Q – What is a lineage?
A – A lineage is like your pedigree or family tree. It shows that your were taught Reiki by a Reiki Master/Teacher who was taught by a Reiki Master leading back in your Reiki family tree to Mikao Usui.
Q – What are National Occupational Standards?
A – National Occupational Standards are the minimum required training and knowledge which need to be passed on and understood by a student in order to operate a professional practice. To have been trained to National Occupational Standards also involves having your competence in them tested within any work place.
Q – I took a Reiki course many years ago. I have a lineage and I have paperwork, but when I trained, there weren’t any independent regulatory bodies [Accredited Registers] for this. How would I register without going through the expense of re-training?
A – The ability to join an independent regulator [or Accredited Register] such as CNHC as a Registrant is about having acquired the skills and knowledge and experience required to handle clients and to run a practice, together with a recognisable lineage to Mikao Usui and in-person training. If you have the lineage and the necessary paperwork from a Usui Reiki teacher, then that is a sufficient starting point. You will need to go through a verification process but any of our member organisations will be able to support you.
As a good starting point, reading through the NOS will give you an understanding of the level of knowledge and competence required for verification. You can attain this standard through prior training and your experience of working with Reiki, through any suitable reading and/or additional training as needed.
Q – How did the Council come about?
A – Over time, once Reiki came to the UK, many associations/organisations were created to act in the best interests of their members and both represent practitioners and deal with any complaints made against them, to either that organisation or regulator. With different organisations representing different schools and teachers, the Working Regulatory Group was formed in 2003 to respond to voluntary regulation within the UK. Because not all schools were represented and to encourage an equitable group to give a voice to voluntary standards in Reiki, the Reiki Council was formed in July 2008 from that original group.
Q – I don’t belong to an organisation/association, can I still become a registrant with CNHC by gaining the Reiki Council certificate?
A – Yes you can, but it is likely to cost you more. You will also lose the benefits of belonging to an association e.g. cheaper block insurance schemes.
Q – Is there more than one regulator?
A – Yes. At the moment there are three regulators accepting Reiki: The Complementary & Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) www.cnhc.org.uk is an Accredited Register and falls under the oversight of www.professionalstandards.org.uk/what-we-do/accredited-registers/about-accredited-registers/faqs
Then there is The General Regulation Council for Complimentary Therapy (the GRCCT) www.grcct.org
Finally there is the FHT, the Federation of Holistic Therapists. www.fht.org.uk/
The Reiki Council believes it is up to the practitioner to choose which one to join, however we have always worked closely with the CNHC especially in creating the core curriculum for professional practice.
Q – What is the point of regulation?
A – Voluntary regulation is there to protect the public. Much of the impetus for regulating complementary health arises from uncertainty occurring within conventional medicine and around certain unethical individuals. Remember that complementary therapy and conventional medicine are very different. While complementary therapies in general are safe by their nature and while Reiki in particular has no known contraindications when Reiki is used on its own, there is a societal need to replicate the regulations existing within conventional medicine in the complementary health sector, to ensure a level of standard practice is adhered to by Professional Practitioners.
Q – What is the point of, and do I really need to do, a client signed consent form?
A – Having a client sign a consent form it shows that the client has chosen to have the Reiki treatment; essential should there ever be an insurance claim made.
The client is also signing agreement for you to contact their doctor if you feel it’s necessary and appropriate. This is especially relevant should you find the client has a notifiable disease (Public Health notification is a legal requirement – for more information see https://www.nuh.nhs.uk/notifiable-diseases/). With some conditions e.g. mental health issues, it would be expected for the practitioner to request a letter from the client’s doctor agreeing to the Reiki before the treatment starts, plus in this instance to work with the clients mental health team paying particular attention to client medications.
Q – What is Reiju and what is an Attunement or Initiation?
A – Whether receiving Reiju or an Attunement or Initiation, all allow for the ability of the receiver to deliver Reiki to themselves or others.
Reiju is the original term ascribed by Mikao Usui and Chujiro Hayashi to the process whereby the teacher works with the student, as part of his or her training, to clear the connection to the energy around us that they already have, so allowing Reiki to flow through them in greater abundance.
The word Attunement is an English translation of Reiju and is used in many Western Reiki schools. The emphasis may be slightly different between the schools, but the intrinsic meaning and the goal are the same.
The term “Initiation” is also used in Takata lineages to describe the process of attunement.
Q – What is Denju?
A – There seems to be some confusion over the use of the word “denju”. Denju translates from Japanese as “instruction”, “training” or “initiation”. Denju most likely originates as the training – or “initiation” – programme during which the student receives Reiju.
Q – How is Reiki different from other natural systems of healing?
A – Reiki, when taught according to the Usui system has no known contraindications, can only do good, nor will the practitioner take on any energy or sickness from the recipient.
Reiki is neither a religion nor a cult. However, in the “Kokai Denju” (a question and answer session with Mikao Usui) he stated when asked, that Reiki could be considered as a spiritual healing technique, although it should be considered primarily as a method for treating physical illness.
Many traditions and cultures include natural healing modalities, but Reiki is particular in that it is the system created by Mikao Usui and the practitioner must have received face to face instruction but also received Reiju – or attunements. The treatment is primarily a hands-on technique, and a number of practice hours and clients are required before being invited to move to different levels, and indeed to become a teacher.
Q – How should I explain a Reiki treatment?
A – This depends on the style of Reiki you are receiving, but a normal treatment will last approximately 60 minutes, and the practitioner will place their hands gently on the recipient’s fully clothed body, or just above (with some styles). Some schools/teachers work with a series of pre-set hand placements, some find the areas by feeling where Reiki is needed and other styles are more intuitive, but in all cases, the effects will be similar as the Reiki energy is drawn into the body through the hands of the practitioner. The recipient may feel heat from the practitioner’s hands and may feel other sensations, and overall should find the session very relaxing. The benefits of the treatment may be immediate or may unfold over a period of time.
Q – Do I need Insurance
A – Yes, if you are working with the general public either in a private practice or when volunteering in a health organisation. You may also require insurance for student case studies. Please speak to your teacher.
Q – Do I need to do CPD
A – If you are subscribed to a Council Member Organisation at Professional Practitioner level, then yes. Keep an audit of what you have read, learnt, attended with a summary so it can be checked by a verifying organisation. In most cases insurance companies, and definitely the CNHC Register require evidence of CPD.
Q – What are the plans of the Reiki Council and its member organisations regarding Reiki for Animals?
A – Shortly we plan to launch recognition of Reiki Practitioner for Animals and Reiki Master Teacher for Animals. An process will also be introduced for course approval. Initially this will be at level 2, equating to level II Reiki and will be described as Foundation level. Professional Practice recognition, a level 3 qualification meeting National Occupational Standards, will follow next year. More details, with guidelines and application forms will be provided when we launch.
Q – I want to have my Reiki course verified, but I have been told that I have to become a Verified Practitioner first. Why is that?
A – Very simply, you need to experience the verification process in order to fully understand how and why it works. How can you teach something that you yourself haven’t experienced? You can also more easily formulate how you want your course to be presented – from being on a course. You would know what worked for you as a student/applicant and what didn’t, and write your course accordingly.