Are you a massage therapist interested in learning Reiki? Are you already a Reiki practitioner? Do you teach Reiki? Do you practice another modality such as coaching, therapy or aromatherapy?
I am a Usui Reiki Master Teacher and I have been teaching an online Reiki Master Teacher course for nearly 10 years. Currently, my course is approved for CE (continuing education) credit through a counseling accredited board and an aromatherapy accredited board.
Reiki Training for Massage Therapists
I recently applied for course approval by a national massage therapy board. May I say, it was not a fun experience.
My primary goal was to widen the audience of potential students to include massage therapists, obviously. But my course was not approved because for starters, I didn’t read their handbook thoroughly enough. Apparently buzz words like crystals and essential oils are not allowed in the Reiki course description. They don’t want the woo.
Fair enough. But they also don’t want anything mentioned about auras or subtle energies. But it didn’t stop there. They don’t want any mention of Reiki symbols or distant Reiki – only hands on.
It was suggested I create a course “just for massage therapists” void of the aforementioned topics.
Say What?
As a Reiki Master Teacher with Usui Reiki lineage, it would be unethical of me to teach a Reiki course minus key components of the Usui tradition. I would certainly not be able to issue a certificate passing on my lineage. They might take my training but they would not be considered an attuned Reiki practitioner.
So what’s this about?
Is this an attempt to sterilize Reiki- to turn it into something “acceptable to the board” – to appease the few states that have regulated Reiki to only allow licensed massage therapists as Reiki practitioners? That’s absurd, by the way. I have written previously that regulating Reiki is like regulating prayer.
Is Reiki a form of massage therapy? No. Although the Reiki practitioner may use gentle strokes or light pressure on the body, the goal isn’t to manipulate the muscles or tissues. According to one law (FL Statute, 480.033), which is similar to most state laws,
“Massage therapy” means the manipulation of the soft tissues of the human body with the hand, foot, knee, arm, or elbow, regardless of whether such manipulation is aided by hydrotherapy, including colonic irrigation, or thermal therapy; any electrical or mechanical device; or the application to the human body of a chemical or herbal preparation.
Again, Reiki is not about the manipulation of soft tissues. Reiki is a subtle vibrational, energy modality facilitated by light touch (hands on), hands- off by which the Reiki practitioner’s hands hover over the body and within the auric field, or from a distance. This national board is attempting to “cleanse” the Reiki profession, and seems to want to approve courses that can only be described at best as generic, but more likely, misleading.
Reiki as a Spiritual Practice
Reiki, while popular here in the United States, and westernized in it’s approach, has its roots in Japanese culture and for many, is considered spiritual, even incorporating self-Reiki into a daily spiritual practice. To only approve courses that teach select tenets of Reiki is providing professional development opportunities that are devoid of spiritual and cultural literacy.
To massage therapists who are interested in learning Reiki
Be sure the Reiki course you enroll in teaches the full tenets of the Reiki method you are hoping to learn. Usui Reiki, which is one of the most common and popular methods, offered by practitioners and in hospitals around the world, includes the concept of subtle energies (chi, prana, source), auras, chakras and other metaphysical tools. Invest in training that gives you the full toolbox, regardless of whether the course offers CE.
I am a firm believer in being a life-long learner. As a therapist and coach needing CE to fulfill my license and certification requirements, I get it. But when I learned Reiki I didn’t receive any CE for my efforts. When I became certified in akashic records, I didn’t receive any CE for my efforts. When I became certified in aromatherapy, I didn’t receive any CE for my efforts. But with each learning endeavor, I have grown professionally AND personally.
Image courtesy: Sakaso
