You may have completed Reiki Level 2 because you would eventually like to offer Reiki professionally. Then the doubts start in. This is beyond Reiki Level 1 nerves of getting the hand positions right, or the embarrassment of being a bit nervous healing a friend or family member.
But the doubts are different and often the pressure can feel greater as this client is not just giving up time, they are paying you for your Reiki healing.
After a over a decade of teaching Reiki and having my own Reiki practice the common fears are: “What if I don’t feel enough?” “What if the client doesn’t feel anything?” “How will I know the Reiki is actually flowing?” and “What if they leave disappointed?”
In fact, I had similar fears starting out.
EXPERT TIP- Students often avoid taking on a professional client and spending time doing Reiki voluntarily or collecting other healing certifications, anything rather than the first client. I put an advertisement in the local newsagent and offer a far lower price and told people on booking I was a new Reiki therapist and my prices would be going up after I had gone through my “learner phase”. After your first few paying clients, your confidence grows and you start to see yourself as a Reiki therapist. The slightly discounted price can take pressure off you and saying you are new you are managing client expectations.
Reiki Confidence Doesn’t Mean Feeling Reiki Strongly Every Time
One of the biggest mistakes you can make when you begin giving Reiki to other people is using what you feel as the measurement of whether the Reiki session is going well. The way I was taught, you are the hollow bamboo.
Universal Reiki energy flows through you. You are not there to manufacture the healing energy, and you are not the measurement tool for the Reiki treatment. That distinction matters.
Over more than a decade of teaching and practising Reiki, I have worked with many students who have worried that they weren’t feeling enough or that the person receiving Reiki wasn’t having a dramatic enough experience.
As a Reiki Master Teacher and one of Cheshire’s leading Reiki trainers, one of the things I want my students to develop alongside their Reiki skills is confidence. Not false confidence.
Confidence built through good training, practice, professional boundaries and experience. This also means learning to stop analysing every sensation in your own hands.
What You and Your Clients Feels Can Be Completely Different
I’ve had Reiki sessions where my hands have become very hot and even sweaty, yet the client has told me that they felt cold. I’ve had other sessions where my hands have felt cold while the client has experienced warmth. So which sensation was the “correct” Reiki sensation? Neither, they were simply different experiences of Reiki.
That’s why I teach – Don’t go by you, you are the hollow bamboo. Your role isn’t to spend the treatment checking: “Are my hands hot enough?” “Can I feel tingling?” “Is something happening yet?” If you’re constantly assessing your own performance, you’re taking your attention away from being present with the Reiki session.
But what if the client says they felt nothing? This is where confidence can really wobble. You’ve finished the session and you ask how they feel. Instead of, “Wow, that was amazing!” “I felt so calm” you get, “that was nice.” Or, they say “I didn’t really feel anything at all.”
Don’t immediately assume that means your Reiki wasn’t good enough. Stop yourself wanting to quit or take the day off feeling deflated. Clients experience Reiki differently, and the same client can experience Reiki differently from one session to the next.
They might fall asleep during the treatment and sometimes don’t even realise that they slept. One session they may see colours, feel warmth or notice lots of sensations. The next time they might experience none of those things and simply rest.
They may be taking medication or have had surgery they haven’t chosen to tell you about. You cannot assume that everything personal or medical will have been written on a client form, and you don’t always know what may influence what somebody physically notices during a treatment.
EXPERT TIP – It varies by client and from session to session. Don’t chase “That was amazing” There can also be a very human need to please when you first start seeing clients.
You’ve trained, you care and you want to do a good job. Of course it feels lovely when somebody sits up afterwards and says- “That was amazing.” But be careful that you don’t start needing that response to reassure yourself that you’re a good Reiki practitioner. Because sometimes a Reiki session can feel completely unremarkable. The client says very little. They leave and you hear nothing.
If you’re lacking confidence, your mind can start filling in the gaps- “Perhaps they didn’t like it,” “perhaps they didn’t feel anything.” or “perhaps I didn’t give enough Reiki,”
Then you receive a phone call from somebody new who tells you that the client has recommended you to them. Or six months later, after complete silence, that original client contacts you and tells you how much the Reiki helped them and asks whether they can book another treatment.
I’ve also had sessions where a client reports feeling nothing at all, yet later they contact me to say they’re sleeping more deeply, feeling calmer or noticing emotional shifts over the following days.
EXPERT TIP – Over the years, I have learned something important- The response you receive immediately after a Reiki treatment is not always the measure of what that person experienced or took away from it or a prepared to tell you. So don’t chase the compliment. Don’t chase the reaction. Don’t use your client’s immediate response to measure your Reiki ability.
Confidence also comes from knowing how to look after your client Being a confident Reiki practitioner isn’t only about understanding Reiki energy. It is also about helping another person feel comfortable and safe while they are with you.
Before beginning a Reiki treatment, I ask whether there is anywhere the client doesn’t want me to work. People often say: “No, anywhere is fine.”
EXPERT TIP – Check with your client if they are comfortable with you:
• covering their eyes
• working around their throat
• lightly touching their feet
Why? Because lots of people are perfectly happy receiving Reiki but dislike one or more of those particular areas being touched. Someone may also have experienced assault, anxiety or panic attacks, or simply prefer not to be touched. When somebody knows what to expect, they are much more likely to relax.
You don’t necessarily know everything that has happened in someone’s life. They don’t owe you every personal detail before they are allowed to receive Reiki. Giving them choice is part of treating them respectfully.
Some Areas Should Naturally be Treated Above the Body
Professional boundaries matter too. When giving Reiki, I would naturally work with my hands above the body rather than directly touching areas such as the breasts or genital area. I also personally work above the body around areas such as the top of the thighs and bottom. You don’t need to make this complicated or uncomfortable. Clear boundaries protect both you and your client.
EXPERT TIP – When reading Reiki books written outside the UK, please take into account that in the UK we tend to have different social etiquette. If someone has breast, testicular or tongue cancer one country may consider it is perfect acceptable to touch these areas for Reiki healing. As I inform my students, due to our social expectations and norms here in the UK we have to advance beyond just solely touching areas of the body, as there are quite a few areas we need to need to heal by placing hands above in the aura rather than directly on
Your Client Form Won’t Tell You Everything
A consultation form is important. But don’t fall into the trap of thinking that because somebody hasn’t written something down, it doesn’t exist. Someone may have had surgery they consider completely personal. They may take medication they haven’t chosen to disclose. They may have had experiences in their life they have absolutely no intention of discussing with you.
Your job isn’t to interrogate them. Your job is to give them clear choices about touch and personal space so that they remain in control of what happens during their Reiki session. That is good Reiki practice.
Reiki Level 2 Includes More Than Learning the Symbols
Reiki Level 2 traditionally introduces the Reiki symbols and additional ways of working with Reiki energy. Learning those symbols is important, but it is only one part of becoming confident at Reiki Level 2. If you want to work with clients, you also need to become comfortable with the practical side of giving a Reiki treatment.
When should you use the different symbols? Do you need to use every symbol during every treatment? What happens if you suddenly worry that you can’t remember one perfectly? Those questions deserve their own article.
For this one, the important point is that learning more Reiki techniques and becoming confident treating another person are related, but they are not exactly the same thing. Practical experience matters too.
Reiki 2 is not Only About Learning More Reiki
This is why I believe Reiki Level 2 should do more than simply give you additional Reiki knowledge. If you want to work with other people, you also need opportunities to develop confidence in actually using Reiki. Not all Reiki qualifications are the same. Your training should help you understand what you’re doing, practise your skills and begin developing the confidence to take those skills into real life. You don’t need to emerge from Reiki 2 feeling like you know everything.
Experience will continue teaching you. I still learn from Reiki. But you should have a foundation you can trust.
You are not there to perform Perhaps this is the most important thing I can tell a new Reiki practitioner.
You don’t need:
- to give them a spectacular Reiki experience.
- for them to see colours.
- your hands to become boiling hot or ice cold.
- them to tell you they felt energy shooting around their body.
- to prove Reiki to them.
Become centred and set your intention. Respect their boundaries of where they are ok for you to touch and allow the Reiki energy to flow. You are the hollow bamboo.
The more experience you gain, the more you begin to understand that a quiet Reiki treatment can be every bit as meaningful to a client as one filled with sensations. That t is where genuine Reiki confidence begins to grow.
Have you got Reiki 2 but Still Lack Confidence?
If you’ve completed Reiki Level 2 but still feel unsure about using your Reiki with other people, don’t automatically assume that means you don’t have the ability. Sometimes you simply need more practice or need to revisit what you were taught. Maybe, your original training didn’t give you as much practical experience or explanation as you needed. I am still learning about Reiki everyday and still reading books on Reiki. Keep learning, keep practising and ask questions. If you have any questions go back and ask your Reiki teacher, I know I encourage my students to. Please don’t measure your Reiki healing gift by whether every clients tells you “that was amazing”.
EXPERT TIP – As I am psychic I see old unwanted energy leaving clients, feet chakras unblocking, anger from rage rising up and dispelling and see their auras becoming more sparkly again. Even when I am seeing the whole healing experience and feeling it – STILL the client can say “I didn’t really feel anything”. I wish I could film what I see and record what I feel but I can’t. Just trust the energy is going where it is needed.
Would You Like to Develop Your Reiki Skills and Confidence?
If you’d like to develop your Reiki skills and confidence further, take a look at the Reiki Training and Events section of this website for my upcoming Reiki Level 2 and Reiki Master training. If you’re unsure which training is right for you, or feel nervous yet want to carry on your Reiki training, call me on 07931 337941 and have a chat.
My Reiki training takes place in Culcheth, Warrington, Cheshire, with students travelling from Cheshire, Greater Manchester and across the North West. Thanks to my students recommending me, I’ve grown to become one of Cheshire’s leading Reiki trainers.
I believe in helping your Reiki gift and Reiki confidence flourish.
Julia
Proud Member of the UK Reiki Federation
Executive Training Provider for the IPHM
