Feiki? I hadn’t heard the word either until I recently came across a 2025 placebo-controlled clinical trial on chronic knee osteoarthritis pain that used the term “Feiki” to mean sham Reiki. It instantly made me think of real life, because as Reiki isn’t tightly regulated, how do you know you’re receiving (or learning) the real thing – not something that looks like Reiki on the surface?
Feiki” in the clinical study means sham Reiki. In everyday life, “fake Reiki” often means minimal training and no solid teaching framework. Proper Reiki training includes grounding, ethics, a professional reiki attunement and practical teaching.
A real phone call that changed how I explain Reiki 1 training
A few years ago, a lady called me and asked what’s covered in Reiki Level 1 and what I charge. We ended up chatting for around 20 minutes.
She then said: “Why would I pay when I can get attuned for free on YouTube?”
So I explained gently what people are actually paying for when they train with a recognised teacher:
- A structured course (not just a moment).
- Clear guidance and a grounded learning environment.
- Time for questions on the day, so you leave feeling confident rather than confused.
- A teacher with real-world experience – not just theory.
That, I’ve been teaching Reiki for over a decade, and I run my own Reiki business, Culcheth Healing. I love teaching Reiki, had lots of student 5 star reviews and that you don’t just get reiki training, you achieve an accredited qualification.
A few months later, that same lady called again. She was having problems after “learning Reiki”. I asked who trained her (because the best support usually comes from the person who taught you).
She told me she’d done the free YouTube attunement.
That’s the moment many people don’t realise: an attunement isn’t the whole training. The teaching around it – grounding, ethics, boundaries, and how to practise safely – is what makes the difference between “I watched something” and “I actually know what I’m doing.”
Feiki (Sham Reiki) Is Happening
Over more than ten years of teaching Reiki, I have been contacted by potential students wanting to do their Beginners Reiki Level 1 and Reiki Therapists Level 2 straight away. I have to explain that you need a gap of at least a month between the two qualifications, to practice Reiki on yourself for 21 days. This is to get used to the Reiki energy and to help heal yourself. Most students are simply super keen to learn Reiki. On hearing the reasons why to wait a month, they book on the next Reiki 1 training day they can attend and then wait the recommended period before commencing their Reiki 2 training.
However, some potential students now start to sound stressed. They then often ask if I will teach them and qualify them over a weekend if they pay more. I decline, explaining simply, it’s a bit like art, you can’t suddenly become Matisse, Vincent Van Gough or Michelangelo after two days.
Once, they realise I won’t qualify them as Reiki therapists, the call abruptly ends. Some, I have found are already doing Reiki on the public. As they not qualified, effectively they are charging clients for sham Reiki or Feiki. They will therefore not be covered by insurance.
I do believe there are people with natural healing abilities, like a natural flair for art. I have had massages and can feel the warmth coming from the massage therapists hands. Maybe some Feiki therapists have been simply trying “reiki” out, to see if their clients actually want it, before they invest in qualifications.
Unfortunately, I do believe, some see Reiki as an easier way to make money. To simply stand and place their hands on someone and at the end of the allotted time, collect the payment.
Why Thorough Reiki Level 2 Training Matters For a Reiki Therapist
Reiki is more than simply copying hand positions or a Reiki attunement. Reiki training is about teaching it in a structured way to keep you safe, your client and the environment where you are doing the healing. Here are some things that aren’t often discussed about a Reiki healing session
The Client:
- Your clients may cry – there seems to be a recent trend of putting eye masks over clients, as if it Reiki is simply a “relax and lie down treatment”.
- You can nearly get kicked by clients in the face as you heal their feet and the old energy is trying to leave the body.
- Clients can report feeling a pressing sensation on them, which makes them want to open their eyes suddenly.
- Clients can suddenly start complaining of their hands hurting.
- Clients may have a sudden change in their body temperature changes.
- Clients tell you they are seeing visual images whilst you heal. If they start seeing grey it can frighten them.
You Reiki Master teacher should be able to cover these practical client experiences and what to do.
What about you, the Reiki therapist:
- You could suddenly feel overwhelmed.
- You could feel anxious.
- You may feels aches or sensations in your body that are not normally associated with you.
- Rarely you may feel scared, sense that the client has something more than usual human body energy, like an energetic attachment.
- The client may tell you they are having the reiki for a general “feel better, time out ” session, yet on arrival they tell you all their darkest trauma. You need to know how to energetically protect yourself.
Again, your Reiki Master teacher should have the depth of practical experience to help. This might be covered on your training or your Reiki Master is happy to take your calls after. I still have Reiki therapists and Reiki Master Teachers, that were my former students, phoning me occasionally .
Reiki is More Than Woo Woo
Reiki often is portrayed as woo woo. It isn’t about sparkles, rainbows and unicorns. It is a form of energy healing. You can nowadays, read a book on Reiki, do an online Reiki course or you can go and watch a YouTube video.
The reason why traditional Reiki training is passed from one master to another, is not for a secret club. It does keep Reiki sacred and also allows the much needed core Reiki teaching information to be included. However, you also receive the practical wisdom of the Reiki Master.
Reiki was taught originally orally, and students had to learn it by heart, become at one with the Reiki energy. Paper was also very expensive when Reiki was first starting in Japan, so you didn’t typically receive an accompanying Reiki brochure to take home from your training, to help remind you.
When I teach Reiki, I verbally include stories of my experiences of Reiki. For my Reiki students, I can teach Reiki theory, as well as give them the practical insights that I have gained from a decade of teaching and actually being a Reiki therapist, Students love this practical teaching style, as it helps them to avoid pitfalls, gain greater confidence and advance their reiki.
Some students and clients want to know your Reiki lineage. They like if it is traceable to Usui, the original founder, century in Japan. Investing in decent Reiki training makes you stand out from other Reiki therapists.
What “Feiki” means in the study (and why it matters)
In the trial, Feiki, the sham Reiki, was available with the same time, similar setting and hand placements, so the researchers could compare results properly for the clinical trial.
What the trial found (kept simple)
The study included 164 adults with physician-confirmed knee osteoarthritis, assigned to one of four groups: Reiki, sham Reiki (Feiki), mindfulness meditation, or a waitlist control.
(“Waitlist control” simply means they did not receive the study sessions during the trial period – they were the comparison group.)
Each active option was four weekly 30-minute sessions – so two hours total.
The headline result (clinically meaningful improvement: over 30% symptom reduction):
• 55% in the Reiki group
• 55% in the mindfulness group
• 20% in the sham Reiki (Feiki) group
• 13% in the waitlist control group
Reiki and Mindfulness
Mindfulness performed strongly in the trial, producing similar results to Reiki. But here’s the real-life truth, for many people mindfulness is brilliant when you have the capacity to practise it consistently.
When you’re busy, stressed, exhausted, or in pain, adding a daily practice can feel like another thing you’re failing at. That’s where Reiki can be so helpful, as you can receive it when you’re depleted, or learn it so you have a skill you can use in minutes at home.
For me, what is exciting about this study, it highlights using Reiki with mindfulness, in a way that fits real life to help your health.
There are so many styles of mediation and mindfulness. A Reiki Teacher usually knows different ways to meditate to fit around your needs, as they usually include meditation when training students.
Ready to Learn Reiki ?
Reiki Level 1 is ideal if you want a healing skill for life and self-care. Reiki Level 1 typically teaches you how to use it on yourself and your loved ones.
Reiki Level 2 is for or those ready to deepen their practice. To discover how to use the sacred Reiki symbols and how to heal remotely. Also, a few students at this stage choose to become reiki therapists .
Reiki Master/ Teacher Level 3 is about the spiritual aspect of Reiki, where you receive your final Reiki attunement. If you wish, you can teach Reiki to the public or maybe a loved one. Hawayo Takata, who brought Reiki to the west, taught her Grand daughter, Phillis Lei Furumoto, to become a Reiki Master.
Useful Links
I am registered with the UK Reiki Federation at Reiki Master Teacher Level. My Reiki courses are accredited by the IPHM to give me more flexibility on my teaching style, as students are coming from a variety of backgrounds. You’ll find all my Reiki training dates on one page here https://www.culchethhealing.co.uk/training-events/
You can call me, Julia, on 07931 337941 if you want to book on or have any questions.
Study links (if you like the research)
PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41183719/
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2025.103278
