People are seeking more and more ways to reconnect with their inner selves and find balance. Reiki, a Japanese form of energy healing, has gained significant popularity as a gentle and effective method to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and facilitate healing.
Whether you’re drawn to Reiki for personal growth or wish to help others on their healing journey, becoming a Reiki healer can be a transformative and fulfilling experience.
In this blog, we’ll explore the steps to becoming a Reiki healer, the benefits it offers, and how you can embark on this empowering path to wellness.
Table of Contents:
What Is It Like to Be a Reiki Master?
First, let’s briefly review the history, definition, and importance of Reiki. It is a Japanese practice developed by Dr. Mikao Usui in Tokyo in 1922. Dr. Usui worked tirelessly to find a universal healing modality that is accessible to all.
Reiki involves placing hands over various areas of the body and offering attunements and meditation to harness and unblock the universal energy within us all. The idea is to build inner strength to help people cope with the stressors of everyday life, including chronic illness. In the West, Reiki healing is considered a complementary practice to traditional medicine and can help with stress, anxiety, pain, and more.
For a Reiki Master, no two days are the same. Many Reiki Masters offer complementary services, some offer Reiki healing as their full-time profession, and some simply share their gifts. There are a few commonalities among Reiki Masters who have wellness businesses:
- Daily Practice: Reiki healers typically start their day with a consistent spiritual practice like prayer or meditation, which usually involves performing Reiki on themselves. They often spend time throughout the day grounding themselves to be at their best for clients.
- Commitment to Helping: People are typically called to this profession because they care about people and want to help them with stress, anxiety, and other stressors.
- Business Management: Reiki healers typically spend time each work day following up with clients, scheduling, and managing their overall business. Some have their own spaces, while others rent space or provide distance Reiki online.
Reiki Credentials
Reiki is not standardized or regulated, but there are generally accepted levels of training and roles. However, requirements can vary widely across the globe. For example, in the United States, each state has different requirements.
Some require a “license to touch” for hands-on Reiki healing, and many Reiki practitioners will become certified in massage since these modalities blend nicely. You can also become an ordained minister and practice Reiki as a part of a spiritual healing practice.
The bottom line is that you need to check the requirements in your area to ensure you’re meeting them. These, generally speaking, are some of the levels recognized by the Reiki Licensing Commission for Reiki Masters & healers:
- Licensed Reiki Apprentice Healer: This is typically a beginner learning Reiki healing while under the guidance of a more experienced Reiki healer focusing on foundational skills.
- Licensed Reiki Healer: This is someone with extensive experience with Reiki healing and allows them to practice advanced techniques while also introducing others to the practice.
- Licensed Reiki Healer Coach: A coach goes beyond practicing Reiki on others by helping them with personal growth by weaving Reiki healing into their daily lives.
- Licensed Reiki Master: Someone who’s completed the highest level of training, provides Reiki healing to others, and teaches and initiates others to all levels of Reiki healing.
- Licensed Reiki Master Coach: This role is similar to a Reiki healer Coach, but these individuals have more continued education and practice.
- Licensed Reiki Master Instructor: This role is held by someone with impressive credentials, training, and coaching. They can teach all levels and certify new practitioners, including other Reiki Masters.
Reiki Level One
A level one Reiki certification, known as Shoden, will provide you with the basic history of Reiki, basic techniques, and positions for hands-on treatment. Most importantly, this level is open to all. You will also learn four attunements, or sacred rituals, that heighten awareness of universal energy.
Below are key highlights of this level of training:
- Initiation: Being initiated by a Reiki Master is a vital part of the training as you’ll become an empowered conduit of Reiki energy that you can share with others.
- Treat Yourself: This training is genuinely open to all and is a great gift to give yourself. This level can be completed in less than 12 hours.
- Treat Friends & Family: While this level doesn’t allow you to charge, you can practice and share the gift of Reiki healing with others.
Reiki Level Two
A level two Reiki certification, known as Okuden, builds upon the first level and allows you to practice Reiki on others. It includes the following:
- Distance Healing: In level two training, you’ll learn how to replace hands-on Reiki with a mental connection so you can practice online or wherever touching is unavailable or not appropriate.
- More Attunements: You’ll learn three additional attunements. The attunements shared in this level help you go deeper into universal energy.
- Intro to Symbols & Mantras: You’ll learn to weave many symbols and accompanying mantras into your healing techniques after this training. For example, Sei He Ki symbolizes harmony, represented by a wave or dragon with a sweeping line throughout.
Reiki Level Three (Reiki Master)
A level three Reiki certification, known as Shinipiden or Reiki Master, is the highest level. The key differentiator is that this level allows you to coach and teach others Reiki, and in the past, you had to be invited into this level of training, which includes:
- More Advanced Healing Techniques:
- Increased Attunement: A final attunement is learned at this level, giving Reiki Masters the widest variety of healing techniques.
- Ability to Teach: While not all Reiki Masters go on to teach, this is a critical difference at this level.
Steps to Become a Reiki Master
Now that we’ve shared the basics, you may be wondering how to become a Reiki Master yourself. Because this training isn’t standardized, you’ll see an overwhelming variety of trainings available.
We’ll share how to find a quality program that is best for you and provide additional steps to becoming a Reiki Master.
Research and Choose Your Training Program
Once you’ve decided to become a Reiki healer, you’ll want to be very careful in choosing your training program as there is an overwhelming variety of options out there, which is one downfall of a non-standardized healing technique.
If you’ve had a positive experience receiving Reiki, check in with your practitioner and see what they recommend, in addition to dedicating time to researching your options.
There are some best practices we advise:
- Take Your Time: No matter how excited you are to become a Reiki healer, please give yourself time and practice between levels to absorb all the information to serve yourself and future clients.
- Online or In-Person Training?: While in-person is best, this is not always available to all. If online is best for you, you can share the gift of Reiki through distance healing.
Earn Your Credentials
The process for becoming a Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3 Reiki healer is pretty straightforward and can vary by location.
Let’s highlight the three levels along with some best practices for long-term success along with things you’ll experience during training regardless of the training you select:
- Level 1/Shoden Training: This course covers introductory concepts, initiation, four attunements, practice—sometimes with a partner—and philosophy. A code of ethics is typically covered here.
- Level 2/Okuden Training: This is a brief overview of what’s been learned in Level 1. More business topics are often covered, including what to charge for sessions, along with more attunements and the introduction of symbols and mantras.
- Level 3/Shinipiden Training: It’s generally best to take this level shortly after your level 1 and 2 trainings, as you’ll want to be confident in your abilities and knowledge whether you plan to teach or not. This training continues to build upon what you learned in levels 1 and 2 and allows you to teach others.
Gain Experience
Once you receive each level of training, gaining experience is essential, and there are many ways to go about this. Here are a few we recommend:
- Practice on Yourself: One of the great things about Reiki is that you can practice on yourself. Starting a daily practice can help you deepen your experience while building your confidence.
- Offer Free Reiki to Friends & Family: Since you cannot charge until after Level 2 training is complete, why not let your circles know that you’re available for free sessions to gain experience with a variety of people? You can even practice on animals!
- Ask for Feedback: Once you’ve had some practice, be sure to ask for feedback to learn what areas you need more knowledge in. Many books and websites can provide additional support.
Building Your Own Reiki Business
Becoming a Reiki Master and starting a wellness business may seem overwhelming, but allow time to lay the foundation for success.
In addition to completing your training and developing your offerings, you’ll need to develop a business plan, create a website, collect payments and client information, and execute your marketing strategy to gain clients.
While this might sound overwhelming, an all-in-one solution like Offering Tree can help you thrive by offering the following (and more):
- Website Builder: No tech skills? No worries! Build your site seamlessly with our intuitive website-building tool.
- Booking & Payments: This tool will help your clients book sessions and pay online, allowing you to focus on your offerings and daily practices.
- Marketing Tools: Simplify your marketing efforts with an automated email marketing tool to help you gain and retain more clients.
- Client Management: Streamline your client information and segment your email list by easily creating targeted messages for current and prospective clients.
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Common Challenges for New Reiki Practitioners
Like all worthwhile endeavors, you’ll likely experience some challenges as a new Reiki practitioner. But don’t worry, we’ve listed the most common challenges along with ways to handle them in stride:
- Self-Doubt: This is natural, and thankfully, there are many ways to combat it. Your daily practice, seeking support through a mentor, and taking time to brush up on areas you feel less confident about will go a long way. This self-doubt will eventually fade as your experience grows.
- Financial: Some Reiki practitioners believe Reiki should be free of charge. This may have worked when it was initially developed, but it is not realistic in modern life. Try to think of money as energy—Reiki is all about the exchange of energy. Remember, you’ll be helping people with their overall wellness, and you deserve a fair rate.
- Handling Skepticism: When you mention Reiki to others, you may see some eyes roll, which can be discouraging. Just remember how helpful Reiki has been for you, and be prepared to answer questions you may receive from doubters. You may even be able to convert some of them to clients over time.
- Gaining Clients: This is a challenge for many new businesses, but if you consistently market your services, your client base will grow.
FAQs About Becoming a Reiki Master
Do you still have questions about becoming a Reiki healer? Here are some answers to the most frequently asked questions.
How Many Levels of Reiki Are There?
There are three levels of Reiki – all need to be completed to become a Reiki Master.
How Much Does It Cost to Become a Reiki Master
Once again, there is a wide variety, but the average cost is around $1000, not including travel, lodging, books, or other resources you may want or need for your training.
How Much Do Reiki Practitioners Make?
The average Reiki practitioner makes $65,542 USD annually, with sessions averaging $70-90. In a large metropolitan area, some Reiki Masters can earn over $200 per session.
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Embarking on the path to becoming a Reiki Master is a journey filled with personal growth, healing, and the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on others’ lives. By understanding the history and principles of Reiki, gaining the necessary credentials, and committing to daily practice, you can cultivate the skills needed to become an effective healer.
Remember to take your time, choose the right training program, and build your experience gradually. Whether you aim to start your own Reiki business or integrate it into your current practice, the journey to becoming a Reiki Master is both transformative and rewarding.
Whether you’re learning reiki as a new practice to add to your existing wellness business or want to start a new business from scratch, OfferingTree can help!
From booking and payment to website hosting, robust marketing tools, and so much more, our all-in-one business management platform is designed to help folks just like you succeed. Start a free trial today or watch a demo to learn more.
