Shaun’s Reiki Articles

Shaun Mckeown 20/09/2024 Shaun Mckeown 20/09/2024

Should I Become a Verified Reiki Practitioner?

You don’t have to be a Verified Practitioner to work with the public with Reiki your Jikiden Reiki training is sufficient, there are just additional elements that would be useful to you that are not in Reiki training courses. I think it’s a good thing to do for Reiki practitioners who work with the public or intend to soon.

This article speaks to the question someone may have who has already taken Reiki training, Shoden and Okuden courses, so a Reiki practitioner, who is maybe doing Reiki treatments with the public in a voluntary or professional capacity, who then comes across the term ‘Verified Practitioner’ (this is sometimes termed an Accredited Practitioner in some courses, but they are the same thing here and Verified practitioner is a more accurate term for it). Raising the question: ‘Should I become a Verified Reiki Practitioner?’ Well, it depends.

To understand a bit about verification and the requirements to achieve a Verified Practitioner award see my article: Accredited Reiki Courses in the UK and then look at my website page: Verified Practitioner Course. Those places cover what it is, here I want to focus on if it’s a good idea for you.

In a nutshell, a Verified Practitioner award means that you have completed a CNHC Verified Course, which the one I helped create and deliver for the Jikiden Reiki UK Association (JRUKA) is. Ours is called the JRUKA Professional Practitioner Programme. Once completed you get acceptance (should you wish to apply) to become a registrant of the Complimentary and Natural Health Care Council (CNHC) Practitioner register. The Verified Practitioner award shows that you have completed a process of learning and assessment and have a base level of experience delivering Reiki treatments, it also demonstrates that you work to best practice guidelines. All Verified Courses are set to the same National Occupational Standards for Reiki in the UK.

Once you have achieved a Verified Practitioner award and are accepted onto the CNHC register, it provides a level of credibility with places like hospices, or hospitals, and indeed is commonly a requirement to work there in a voluntary, or professional setting.

The process takes 9-12 months for most and involves building a portfolio of evidence of in-person Reiki treatment experience, self-treatments, and accumulated levels of in-person Reiki training hours. It's all about learning and implementing UK regulations and best practices. There are some observations from an approved teacher/assessor (of which I am one), where we are looking at how you deliver consultations and treatment sessions, to meet a set standard. There is a 1-day in-person workshop around regulations and professional practice with the public. There are case studies to complete and a written assessment at the end. After which you gain a Verified Practitioner award. The whole thing tends to cost around £400, with the cost spread out over a year commonly.

Once you have achieved a Verified Practitioner award you will just be expected to accumulate a base level of Continued Professional Development (CPD) hours every year, which is easily done for members of the JRUKA, as we put on so many opportunities for you to accumulate CPD hours, they are not that hard to accumulate. However, should you wish to be on the CNHC register, in addition to the same CPD requirements, you will have an annual fee of around £70.

So, let's look at the core question, is becoming a Verified Practitioner something for you? Let's assume you become a verified practitioner finish the job and join the CNHC register. You don’t have to join it, there is value in going through the verified practitioner course tasks, however for most the reason to do a Verified Practitioner course in the first place is to get on the CNHC register.

On the plus side, the process of working through the tasks to become a Verified Practitioner will make you a better practitioner, it helps you understand regulations and, in a way avoids problems with a better understanding of approved claims around Reiki and what is not. How to approach different situations you may come across doing Reiki treatments with the public, professional boundaries, onboarding processes and ensuring you are gaining proper informed consent and record keeping as well as other useful things, that won't be covered in a Reiki training course. All this is useful if you work with the public with Reiki, be that at a hospital or not.

It can give an extra public perception of professional proficiency. Or at least remove a question around your professional competence or ability. The CNHC register is the gold standard in best practice for any complementary therapy in the UK. You get to use the CNHC register logo. You would likely have additional Verified Practitioner logos you can use, such as with the JRUKA course we recognise our members who are Verified Practitioners and allow them to use our JUKA Verified Practitioner Logo, we have the Reiki council one too as well as the Verifying organisations one (we use The Reiki Connection at this time).

So, let's say you are a newer practitioner surrounded by experienced Reiki practitioners in your area, you can gain some credibility quite quickly with such an award and register. Consider the fact that the UK Reiki register is only a few hundred, so a very small percentage of those out there doing Reiki have met these standards. You can do a quick online search on the CNHC in your area to see, then compare that to a Google Maps search of Reiki practitioners in your area. Many Reiki practitioners have been fine without the need for a Verified Practitioner award, there are also plenty of Reiki practitioners out there who unknowingly cause problems for themselves and the image of Reiki practitioners in general by not understanding the regulations they are subject to, and attract complaints, bad press, or present what they do in a way that puts public and health professionals’ perception of Reiki back a decade or so.

Just be aware CNHC register is there for the protection/ confidence of the public, rather than the benefit of you the practitioner, the CNHC do have information keeping you up to date with guidelines etc. I wouldn’t look to the CNHC public register as a big source of enquiries for those looking for Reiki, but for some of the public it does hold weight, so it depends on who you work with. For example, those in fields such as nursing, GPs’, medical-orientated people, or those who value regulations and standards might look to such a register if they were aware of it. For example, most inquiries I have received from such a register are themselves medical professionals or those who work in those environments.

There is the cost of completing the Verified course to consider, it is focused on providing tools and understanding to help you better professionally deliver Reiki treatments (which you would tend to receive payment for). Considering the time and work an organisation, assessor and examiner have to put into supporting you through the process, it's not that much relative to what you get.

If finances are a limiter with you at this time, you can always start the process, gain access to the materials start the process and just take longer to complete the sections, doing so as you create the funds to pay for each element, or simply do it at a future time.

Be aware if you are starting up a Reiki business, a Verified Course will not do much to help you build a business. It will go some way to help you run it professionally, but that’s about it, that is not its focus. To help you build a successful Reiki business see my: Reiki business and marketing courses. For some (especially those who like to accumulate courses and certificates) I might suggest not doing it quite yet, at least until your Reiki business is established, as time could be better used at this moment, for activities such as marketing, but for most, it can be done alongside other activities.

If the next step for you is to gain work (voluntary or professionally) in a hospital or hospice, then completing a Verified Course, to become a Verified Practitioner and join the CNHC register would likely be the next step. However, if getting on the CNHC register is not the next immediate step for you, and you wish to build a Reiki business, the Business side of a Reiki practice needs to come first. As you sort that out and get established that provides the funds to pay for the Verified Practitioner course, as well in the meantime you can record evidence of Reiki treatment experience, which you need for the Verified Practitioner route anyway.

You don’t have to be a Verified Practitioner to work with the public with Reiki your Jikiden Reiki training is sufficient, there are just additional elements that would be useful to you that are not in Reiki training courses. I am a Verified Practitioner and have been on the CNHC register for 12-plus years now. I think it’s a good thing to do for Reiki practitioners who work with the public or intend to soon.

As ever start with accurate quality Reiki training courses, see Jikiden Reiki courses,

Then consider a Verified Practitioner Course

I am mainly known nowadays for my work with Reiki, as a specialist in authentic Japanese Reiki. I am an experienced, Reiki teacher and practitioner with a proven track record of results. I offer Jikiden Reiki training courses, promoting authentic Japanese Reiki teachings. I am based in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, in the UK. I have a background in coaching and training in the areas of exercise coaching, holistic lifestyle, fitness, and performance coaching. I also have a BSc.(Hons) degree in Sport and Exercise Science, for more information visit: www.shaunmckeown.com

The information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this article are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this article. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article. Shaun Mckeown, disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this article.

Shaun Mckeown 12/09/2024 Shaun Mckeown 12/09/2024

Benefits of Joining the Jikiden Reiki UK Association (JRUKA)

In the UK, we are lucky enough to have our own national Reiki Association specifically for those who are trained in and practise Jikiden Reiki. So, once you have attended a Jikiden Reiki training course you have the opportunity to become a member of the Jikiden Reiki UK Association (JRUKA).

In the UK, we are lucky enough to have our own national Reiki Association specifically for those who are trained in and practise Jikiden Reiki. So, once you have attended a Jikiden Reiki training course with me (or any authorised Jikden Reiki teacher) you have the opportunity to become a member of the Jikiden Reiki UK Association (JRUKA).

Before I go into how I think it’s a great thing to join, full disclosure, I helped set it up along with 3 other Jikiden Reiki teachers and I serve as one of the 4 committee members, so yes a bit biased maybe, but so what, if it's helpful to you, it's helpful to you. It's run by myself based in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, along with, Rika Tanaka (based in Ealing, London), Jonathan Stuart (based in Woking, Surrey) and Amanda Jayne (based in Padstow, Cornwall). We run the organisation online but organise some national in-person events as well.

Together we run the association for the benefit of its members as a not-for-profit association, the association is also recognised by the Jikiden Reiki Institute in Japan. As I write this it has been around for 4 years now (2024).

In Jikiden Reiki, as was the original Usui Reiki tradition in Japan, we place importance on support for Reiki practitioners once they have completed Reiki training courses. Consider the formal Reiki training courses of Shoden and Okuden as the start point of your study of Reiki. As individual teachers, we may do group workshops called Reiju Kai (Reiju meetings) periodically. I support practitioners on a 1-1 basis as well. However, having a national Reiki association specific to Jikiden Reiki is a great bonus to those in the UK.

Our aims are:

· To create a central hub to promote a cohesive national Jikiden Reiki community in the UK

· To support Jikiden Reiki students, professional practitioners, and teachers in the UK

· To Foster the growth of Jikiden Reiki in the UK, maintaining the integrity and spirit of the founder of Reiki

We built it for the reason to support Jikiden Reiki practitioners in the UK. You can join after completing Shoden course. You just need to be a Jikiden Reiki trained and a UK resident. The membership is designed for those who are practising Reiki for their own personal journey, or supporting family with Reiki, as well as those who may do Reiki with the public, both voluntarily and professionally. I have listed some key benefits of membership below, have a look and if you wish to join us and support our aims links are at the bottom of this article.

Key benefits of Jikiden Reiki UK Association (JRUKA) membership:

Education & Community

A big thing that we offer is regular online webinars, that are both free and exclusive to members. These are on a range of topics relevant to Reiki, at a frequency of every 1-2 months. Topics range from Reiki, Professional Reiki practice, Japanese language and culture, as well as community-focused events. Recent webinar topics have included: Arjava Sensei (the vice representative of Jikiden Reiki), joining us from Greece to talk about Reiki. We had a presentation from the International Hado Institute, on the topic of energy and its effect on water. Before that, we talked on the business side of Reiki The one before that was an end-of-year community webinar to get to know each other better. There is also access to archive webinars (we also have a webinar library where you can view past webinars).

National in-person events- Training and Community

We hold in-person national Reiju Kai meetings around the UK for our members, 2-3 times a year at present. We recently did one in Exeter, and the next one is in Surrey, at the end of last year I hosted one in Edinburgh. These are great events to have Reiju from multiple teachers and to meet and practice with practitioners outside your local practitioner groups. There is also a Reiki training element. These in-person events do have a small additional fee as it is with any Reiju Kai events, currently £30 per event.

Discounts

We secure heavily discounted public and professional insurance for Reiki with the public (needed Reiki voluntarily or professionally) with Balens LTD. We have secondary discounts for a few other things as well, such as quality Reiki therapy couch company, however, the insurance discount alone can be a reason for membership.

Royalty-free Reiki Music

We commissioned composers to create some Reiki background music tracks for us, which we license to members free of charge, so you get royalty-free music (so play in public without additional license fees).

Practitioner resources

You get access to a range of useful resources which include a free public directory for Professional Practitioners. Use of professional JRUKA practitioner logo. You have the option to get a public listing page on the JRUKA national website and be added to the national Jikiden Reiki practitioner map at no additional cost. You can even join the JRUKA Professional Practitioner Programme where we can support you to achieve Verified Practitioner status (additional fees). There is much more available, I have jut put some highlights for you here.

To find out more and apply to join visit the JRUKA website: https://www.jikidenreikiuk.com/membership/

If you have any questions regarding JRUKA membership email us directly at the JRUKA email:

https://www.jikidenreikiuk.com/contact/

For more information about Jikiden Reiki training courses see my Jikiden Reiki courses page.

Shaun Mckeown 05/08/2024 Shaun Mckeown 05/08/2024

The Environmental Merits of Reiki

This is an interesting topic to me with Reiki. I write this article now as I recently publicly announced my 1% Conservation Pledge. Where I donate 1% of all revenue of my business to my chosen Global Environmental Conservation Charities, so it seemed a good time to speak on this topic, and I write this from my observations over the years mainly from teaching Reiki.

For a bit of background, I have been supporting a global environmental conservation charity in a small way financially as I could over the last 15 + years, mainly supporting initiatives buying land and protecting one acre of a rainforest at a time, before environment protection was a mainstream topic. In recent years I built my 1% of revenue conservation pledge into my business model and added another charity, that covered other areas of environmental protection. I previously kept this pledge private, but as my business is the vehicle that provides these donations, I thought it was time to reveal this part of me in my business. I also wanted to show other solo practitioners that it is possible to do such things. More information can be found about my selected charities on my about page: more about Shaun’s Environmental Conservation Charities.

People don’t tend to come to Reiki for an environmental benefit, however, there are a few ways it can have a positive byproduct for the environment. Not things I considered when I first came to Reiki. Below I share some ideas and observations for those who like me have a passion for protecting the environment, if you are trained in Reiki, or if you are interested in the benefits of Reiki to both yourself, those around you, and the world we live in.

Taken individually, or for just one person, you may view these benefits as not that significant, yet I encourage you to consider them more collectively and at scale for a greater appreciation of the potential, for a start that’s how I think, and secondly challenges of such magnitude require such thinking and actions to start momentum. These points are here for you to lightly ponder, as much around this topic can feel heavy and difficult. Also, these observations tend to happen without much effort, or disruption to our lives. Many people are paralyzed into doing nothing as the topic in its entirety can seem too large or daunting, but as with many things this large it takes individuals to lead by actions in the desired direction, for others to join in. Individuals working together towards something are powerful, think of ants! Preaching over, let's get started.

An interesting point that others have raised is Reiki’s potential to help see a reduction in medical waste. This is seen in a wish for a future society with more Reiki being used especially in the home and in support of medical practitioners, this point is well recognized within Jikiden Reiki.

Reiki is a natural healing energy that is understood to promote the body’s natural cleansing and self-healing ability, working on every level of your being, physical, mental, or emotional, bringing you more in alignment, or balance with your natural state. So, the more we use Reiki to help us (I would consider other natural therapies also supportive on this point) especially proactively, the more our migration out of balance could be minimized, creating the potential for our consumption of medications as a society globally to be less, reducing environmental waste as well as the economic cost to society. For example, if you learn Reiki, you have it for life, to promote well-being, to support you, your family, and those around you, with no packaging, transportation, or chemicals involved. Other than relatively low-cost one-off course fees, it is free to access anytime you need it- now there is a scary thought! This example alone provides a strong case for the merits of Reiki to support the environment.

I am not saying there is not a place for medications and am not saying to use Reiki as an alternative to medical care, the point to consider is there is a place for Reiki as a support for our health in an integrative view.

On this point, I also notice as we understand Reiki and holistic health in general, our understanding of our bodies and their reactions to stress shift, as such I notice people's attitudes to medications shift. An example of this is a re-evaluation of the previous common practice of suppressing symptoms of detoxification releases in the body with medications. This point can lead into a big topic so if this point interests you, see my article ‘The Potential of Reiki to Support Your Health’.

As a group you just find Reiki trained people don’t tend to be at a pharmacist for everything going on in their well-being. Maybe partly as we focus a lot on reducing stress, our well-being, and managing our thinking and actions in a way that is healthy for us, it’s just an observation.

Another observation in those who train and learn Jikiden Reiki (Reiki in its complete original form). During the training courses you receive what is called Reiju, the process of clearing your channels to be able to channel Reiki yourself, but also and specific to this point a process of connecting, reminding you of your original state, working at a level of your Tamashi (soul) so subconsciously. You could think of it as a reminder of your true self. This is done repeatedly with Jikiden Reiki training, and commonly received periodically after training as well. The relevance here is that we at our very core, at our true natural state are part of nature. We are connected to our environment. Nowadays days most of the population globally are highly separated from the natural world. In the last few centuries, humanity has moved great distances away from our natural place as part of the natural world.

This point is seen more so nowadays in our well-being, science is now starting to get the idea our health and well-being are better when we are connected to nature. I could have told them that. From an old Japan and as such a Japanese Reiki view of our place as humans we are considered guardians of the earth and that which inhabits it. Not sure what grade would give ourselves on that one presently.

Another point is what I also see is as people who learn Reiki, and importantly practice living it (and there is a difference there) you see people living more in alignment with their natural state. Myself included. Living in greater co-operation with humanity, rather than competition. I see people being more authentic and stripping back to what is important to them at their core.

As people heal with Reiki, I observe behavior changes, which can be less self-medication (which can be in many forms), less consumerism, better alignment in life, and layers of conditioning are dropped. I see more mindful, or considered consumption and awareness of others and the environment. The relevance here is thinking more as a part of nature, not separated from it. Those who have taken Reiki training with me or worked with me in some way, have likely been aware of my connection and need to be in nature for my well-being.

One point I want to make for those who are trained in Reiki, which can be a misunderstanding we see in some Western approaches in Reiki, where Reiki-trained people look to heal the planet. This is misguided, it's not the planet that needs healing it’s the population/humanity that is damaging it that the healing is best focused on. So, I would say to focus your efforts of healing on the people around you.

In closing, there are a few ways Reiki could be considered supportive of the environment, I think the main one is the effect Reiki has bringing us more in harmony with our natural state and therefore our actions and impact on the environment. I hope you have found this article interesting. For more information about the environmental charities I support see my About page.

For more information about Jikiden Reiki see my Jikiden Reiki courses page.

Shaun Mckeown 13/06/2024 Shaun Mckeown 13/06/2024

Is Reiki Safe during Pregnancy?

Many women at all stages of pregnancy have reported the benefits of having Reiki treatments during pregnancy. The short answer to the question: ‘Is Reiki safe during pregnancy’ is; that hands-on Reiki is safe during pregnancy.

This question understandably comes up for a variety of scenarios around pregnancy. I have personally worked with many women at all stages of pregnancy who have all reported benefits of having Reiki treatments during pregnancy. The short answer to the question: ‘Is Reiki safe during pregnancy’ is; that hands-on Reiki is safe during pregnancy. There are no contraindications, or reasons not to use Reiki during pregnancy. As a professional Reiki practitioner, it is however sensible to consider a mother’s health and how the pregnancy is progressing, when considering commencing a course of Reiki treatment sessions, as well as regularly checking in as the pregnancy progresses, which a practitioner would do within their own initial consultation/ onboarding process with someone new.

All this is dependent on your health status and how the pregnancy progresses. If there are challenges with your health status or how the pregnancy is progressing, as required a practitioner may consult with your licensed health practitioner as appropriate. I would suggest speaking to a Reiki practitioner you were thinking of working with, ask them some questions, ensure they can answer them, and you feel comfortable with them, and go from there. From a technical proficiency view, I would suggest looking for an experienced Jikiden Reiki practitioner in your area. If that is not possible, then just who you feel comfortable with.

So, let's look at a few common questions about this topic. The first question is: Is it safe to commence a course of Reiki treatments when pregnant? This question commonly comes from the mum-to-be, who is maybe looking to Reiki as a positive thing to do, looking for a benefit such as reducing stress, relaxation, self-care, or a similar benefit. This question also comes from those I have trained in Reiki, who are asking if they can start to do Reiki on family members who are now pregnant. The answer is yes, this is fine. For those who are trained in Reiki and looking to do Reiki on friends and family, if someone is new to Reiki, you might consider performing a short mini-Reiki session initially and check on how they respond afterward, if they have an initial strong detox, or clearing experience after, maybe keep sessions short and build into it, or delay a few weeks before the next one. It's more to ensure the experience is a positive one for the mum-to-be.

Sometimes the question comes from those who are having Reiki treatments and become pregnant, asking if it’s OK to continue. This is fine, again being aware of a person’s health as the pregnancy progresses.

Some notes to consider (this is more speaking to Reiki practitioners reading this). Extra care would be required around finding the right position for a person during pregnancy, such as laying on their side as opposed to facing up or down during the session, and some creative use of cushions as the pregnancy progresses to ensure the comfort of the client.

The benefits of Reiki can shift as the pregnancy progresses. For example, in the 1st Trimester, we might be with a general well-being focus, such as reducing stress, improving relaxation, and self-care objectives. Many later, say in the 3rd-trimester report aches in the lower back, from postural changes, or lower leg discomfort from circulation as examples, so the focus of the Reiki session can shift to relief around those areas, of issues specific to that time of pregnancy.

In a general sense, Reiki energy is an energy in all life (Rei-Ki), it’s an energy a person absorbs and the person’s mind and body direct what it does, so it's not a thing to worry about.

The Reiki treatment is performed on the mum-to-be, rather than the baby, however, as it's flowing through the mum, it's reasonable to assume the baby would absorb some of this wonderful energy.

Anecdotally it's interesting to observe clients who have a child already, who come to Reiki for some benefit, say to reduce stress, then become pregnant again and continue with their Reiki sessions during this second pregnancy. Many of these women report that the second child has a much calmer way about them than the first child. This is just an observation, however, I’m not the only one to see this, there is a term in Reiki circles of Reiki babies, referring to those children whose mothers had Reiki when they were pregnant with them, who tend to have a calmer presence than their older siblings. Again, this is just an interesting observation on this topic- not a claim and not definitely not a guarantee (so don’t bring your screaming baby to me quoting this paragraph please) it’s just an interesting observation we see in the world of Reiki, its here more to reassure you there is nothing to worry about with Reiki.

As a side note, for those looking to learn Reiki whilst pregnant, this is also possible. I have taught Reiki to women who are pregnant many times. For a start it's such a beneficial thing to have available to you all the time, as once trained in Reiki, its benefits can be used every day for yourself as well as the baby and as the baby develops into a small child, and then on really. If it's learning Reiki you are interested in, just speak to a Jikiden Reiki teacher for guidance, it might be sensible to just confirm how you respond to a Reiki session or two then consider learning. For information on Reiki training courses see my website, or get in touch. So, in summary, Reiki during pregnancy is fine. Just speak to the practitioner you are going to work with about your health status and they can advise accordingly.

Shaun Mckeown 08/04/2024 Shaun Mckeown 08/04/2024

Can Reiki Help with Anxiety?

In this article, I want to explore the question: Can Reiki help with anxiety? It is common for people to come to Reiki looking for support and wish to see reductions in anxiety levels. Many people who approach me for help using Reiki have this as the primary outcome they want from Reiki treatments. In my experience over the years, many clients I have helped with Reiki report they have indeed experienced reductions in anxiety symptoms after a course of regular Reiki treatments with me.

At this point, it is useful to state that in this article I am using a general view of the condition termed anxiety, and the word anxiety can apply to a wide range of challenges and contributing factors as well as a variety of symptoms and severity in those symptoms. However, to answer the question of this article: Can Reiki help with anxiety? That is all that is needed. So, for this article, I am framing the word anxiety as anything from chronic, or prolonged feelings of worry upwards, clinically diagnosed or not. As professional Reiki teachers/practitioners, with Reiki treatments and diagnosed conditions, such as anxiety, we do not claim to be a treatment to resolve such conditions, yet with a bit of basic understanding of Reiki and intelligent thought, we can see why many do find it helpful.

So, let’s look at some reasons why so many people report Reiki as being helpful with anxiety. Although there are a variety of potential benefits to Reiki, for this topic I would group them in two areas. 1. Creating a calmer state, and 2. The deeper emotional healing/wellbeing capacity of Reiki.

1. Creating a calmer state

We can start with the well-known and accepted ability of Reiki to provoke a deep sense of relaxation and calmness during a Reiki treatment, which we could say is the opposite state to a state of anxiety. This relaxation is a very common experience at the Reiki treatment session itself and can continue for some time after the session.

The physiological effects of a calmer mental and emotional state in itself would likely create a better hormonal environment (reduction in cortisol- stress hormone for example) and a more preferable nervous system state (promoting parasympathetic dominance- the chilled-out side of the nervous system if you like). We would likely see reduced heart rate, and breathing rate, along with better breathing mechanics (less stress breathing), all moving a person as a whole away from an anxiety state, whichever way you look this has the potential to be helpful, in management of anxiety if nothing else. Other approaches can help promote this state, such as meditation, mindfulness, and others. With Reiki, it tends to create this state in a very deep way and ease, and as the receipient of Reiki, you don’t have to do anything either.

2. The deeper emotional healing capacity of Reiki

Reiki is known and accepted for its emotional healing capacity/ emotional well-being capacity. This is a harder one to quantify, yet we see this every day. It's in the name of the thing! The ‘Rei’ in Reiki means Tamashi, or soul, the very core of us in our subconscious- that’s where we are working with Reiki energy. Or more precisely the energy is coming in neutral (through a Reiki practitioner and out their hands), your body and mind are absorbing the energy and you at your core/ deep subconscious, absorbs it and your body and mind in its wisdom uses the Reiki energy to best help you, now if that doesn’t have the potential to be helpful, I do not know what is! How clients communicate this to me commonly is to report one or a combination of the following statements: feeling calmer day to day, or less stressed nowadays, or things that bothered them do so less now. So, report less internal mental/ emotional stress.

Even if the last point is hard to mentally grasp for you, just basically recognise the reality that our emotional state is going to be a factor in our day-to-day symptoms in a condition such as anxiety, and anything that helps our healing, or state on that level has potential is fine in terms of understanding for this point.

From my experience using Reiki to help people with anxiety, it is likely to be a regular course of treatments that would be required, a one-off session is unlikely to provide you with the relief you are looking for with something like anxiety. The experience of a period of calmness is more likely the result from one single session. What I would say, is try a single Reiki session, and see if you like the experience, then if you do, commit to a course of sessions, say a further 5 regular sessions, i.e. weekly then review and see how Reiki is helping you. From there you can decide if to continue with Reiki treatments or, as a higher frequency and volume of treatments works best with Reiki, you could decide to learn to do Reiki for yourself by taking Reiki training courses, so you have Reiki energy to support yourself daily if you wish.

If you do choose to learn Reiki, take Jikiden Reiki training courses (recommended) note: that is what I teach, but with whom you learn matters less, we have a specific psychological treatment that is only taught in Jikiden Reiki that could be helpful also, that you learn in the Okuden course, and I simply have found the way we deliver Reiki treatments in Jikiden Reiki (which is how they were done in Japan when Reiki started- how they were ment to be done) to be most effective.

In closing it is reasonable to see potential in Reiki to help with anxiety, be that in a supportive or main role. As will anything best results may come from approaching the challenge from a variety of angles or therapies, along with support from a healthcare professional where appropriate. It's worth a look, maybe have a chat with a Jikiden Reiki practitioner in your area, or look at taking Jikiden Reiki training courses.

I hope this article helps you in your search for the right Reiki training courses for you. If you are in the UK and would like to find out more about learning Jikiden Reiki see my Jikiden Reiki Training Courses page.

Shaun Mckeown 12/09/2023 Shaun Mckeown 12/09/2023

How to Find Authentic Japanese Usui Reiki Training Courses

In this article, I help those looking for authentic Japanese Usui Reiki training courses and give you some clues on how to spot courses that might be further from the original.

This article is to help those looking for original Japanese Usui Reiki teachings and would like help to find Authentic Japanese Usui Reiki training courses, among a sea of options out there. If you like approaches to Reiki that have moved far from the original, that’s fine, This article is not for you, it is for those who are looking for Reiki training as close as possible to the original, in its complete form how Reiki was originally taught in Japan.

The Reality

There are many different Reiki courses, and many misunderstandings in Reiki courses, In addition, many courses present themselves as authentic Japanese Usui Reiki, yet are quite a distance from that. Many teachers don’t realize this, others are aware of this, and some look to appear more Japanese than the Reiki training they provide. Which makes it difficult for those looking for authentic Japanese Usui Reiki training (Usui Sensei being the founder of Reiki).

Why I am writing this article:

Many people contact me looking for original Japanese Reiki training and are confused about how to find it, or have previously taken Reiki training and have been disappointed with what they got, thinking it was the original, to later find out it was not, and are coming to me for help. For some, this is the journey, as it was with myself learning Usui Reiki, which was unknowingly more Westernised, to then later discover more original Japanese Reiki training in Jikiden Reiki. Something that has helped me, understand what is taught in other Reiki courses, so I am well-positioned to write articles such as this. So, with my Consumer Champion hat on, I am writing this article to help you navigate through the choices out there, to help you get to the Reiki training you are looking for.

Avoiding Disappointment

Some who attend my Reiki training courses are new to Reiki, and others have received previous Reiki training, so are now attending my courses to deepen their understanding of Reiki, which is all fine. Others, however, did not get what they thought they were getting with other Reiki courses the first time they took Reiki training courses, so then sometime later after not feeling what they were taught was that effective, or did not seem what they were looking for come to me for help. The only solution is to retain them, so many decide to take Jikiden Reiki training with me. What I want to do here is to help people avoid the need to retrain in Reiki, by helping them understand how to get to the original teachings from the start and avoid any potential disappointment.

This Article is for you if:

You can self-identify if I am talking to you, as you will be wanting to learn Reiki and want to learn it in its complete original form, The accuracy of what you are taught is likely important to you as well. Many students use terms like they want ‘pure’ Reiki, or ‘non-watered-down Reiki’. You would want to learn the system of Reiki with no Western influences of different healing therapies or concepts mixed in, that muddy the water. In a nutshell, you want to learn Reiki in its original complete form, with no missing parts, no non-Reiki additional content, without misunderstandings, as it was created by Usui Sensei in Japan. If that sounds like you, read on.

The Solution

So, if this is you the quick answer is to learn Jikiden Reiki with an authorized Jikiden Reiki Teacher. If you are in the UK have a look at my Jikiden Reiki training courses page for further details and course dates. I am based in the Birmingham area, UK. Many travels quite a way to get to my training, however if you live at the other end of the country, and want a course a bit closer have a look at the Jikiden Reiki UK Association’s UK Jikiden Reiki course schedule for upcoming Jikiden Reiki courses in the UK. For those not in the UK have a look at the International Jikiden Reiki Association for teachers internationally.

The only sure way to ensure you get original Japanese Reiki training is to take Jikiden Reiki training courses. We know this is the only known credible route that is available to the public in the UK, or internationally. Be aware many Reiki schools, teachers, and courses use terminology that makes them sound more authentic and Japanese. Some add Japanese concepts, or actual original techniques into their teachings. The origins of some Reiki courses can be very well hidden. So, again the best way I can help you find original Japanese Reiki training is to suggest you take Jikiden Reiki training courses, with an authorised teacher. Without the inside understanding, it’s going to be difficult to uncover all those that present as original Japanese Usui Reiki, yet are something much different. Below are some points that should help you screen out 80% and give you some clues to start.

11 x Clues to help you Spot Reiki Courses that might not be a fit for you if you are looking for original Japanese teachings

1. The fact it is called Usui Reiki, or Japanese Reiki, or has a Japanese-sounding name, is no indication that it is close to the original Usui Reiki teachings. Most Western Reiki approaches use the title Usui Reiki.

2. Just the fact a teacher is Japanese themselves is no indication what they are teaching is close to the original Japanese Usi Reiki teachings (as much of the Reiki taught in Japan to the public has its roots in Western Reiki).

3. If the teacher calls themselves a Reiki Master, or even terms sounding even higher levels of a teacher than that, it is unlikely they are not teaching original Usui Reiki. In Jikiden Reiki we use the term Shihan (meaning teacher). See my article Reiki Levels Explained for more on this.

4. With a teacher's Reiki Lineage (a teachers teacher's family tree traced back to the founder of Reiki Usui Sensei- this being each teacher in that lineage being trained to teacher level and given permission to teach what they were taught by the teacher above). If Mrs Takata is in the lineage it is Western Reiki. Note: Although teachings from Mrs. Takata onwards were changed, she did a lot for Reiki and its spread in the world. See my article What is Reiki lineage?

5. Also understand some Reiki schools and teachers (be that the teacher themselves, or more commonly a teacher further up in the teacher’s lineage have altered their true teacher lineage to look more Japanese, for example, some might take practitioner-level training with an original school, then claim to have been a teacher with that person and add them to their lineage. A common sign of such problems is a teacher's Reiki teacher lineage with various branches. This is a big problem with Reiki courses, or teachers wanting to appear more Japanese. Again for more understanding of this point see my article What is Reiki Lineage?

6. If a training course uses terms such as attunement, or initiations, it is an indication it is away from the original. Reiju is the original term used for clearing the channel so you can channel Reiki energy yourself.

7. On a practical level, if a course teaches to deliver Reiki treatments from set hand placements (usually 10 or more), commonly with 5 min durations or less at each point, delivering a standardized Reiki treatment, or relies heavily on your intuition, or communication with guides and other entities, we are getting away from the original. The way Treatments were delivered in Original Usui Reiki is targeted and uses a concept called Byosen (not to confuse with byosen scanning). Treatments are delivered by placement of hands in contact with the body, then the body giving you sensations through your hands, as to the degree of need at that hand placement, that is the information used to guide the treatments this was the original way. Note: books have been published with information on Byosen in the public domain, that teachers may have read and added to their training courses, but if a course teaches standardized approaches to delivering treatments, it gives you a good indication of the roots of it. See my article Jikiden Reiki and Western Reiki, What’s the Difference? which expands on these practical differences.

8. If there is a theme of improving on the original, developing, or evolving Usui Reiki in some way, they have the concept of Reiki backward and are away from the original. If you want original Reiki, look for those that try and preserve the original teachings, not change them.

9. Amazon's best-seller list is not an indicator of authenticity in Reiki training. Yes, some teacher-authors are teaching original Usui Reiki, but popularity is not a good indicator of authenticity. So not always a good place to look for a teacher. For some recommended Reiki book titles see my Recommended Reiki books page.

10. Original Usui Reiki uses the Japanese Lemoto system, in that permissions to teach are more controlled and granted with consideration and in stages. We continue this system in Jikiden Reiki, so we have Shahain Kaku (assistant teachers) who can teach the first level of Reiki courses, Shoden (level 1) then Shihan (teacher) who is permitted to teach the complete system. Shoden and Okuden levels. (level 1 and 2). Yet a select 1-2 senior teachers in each country are permitted to teach the assistant teacher, but not the full teachers, it then falls on the head of an organization that creates full teachers (we have 2 people in the world who create Shihan) so most teachers would deliver Reiki training to teach the whole system, but not permitted to teach teachers. So as a Shihan myself I teach Shoden and Okuden courses. The point to look out for is that if a Reiki course works that you get to teach very quickly and can create your teachers, you can see it as another indicator of an approach that has moved away from the original.

11. You learn Reiki in person with a teacher. Some parts, Most importantly Reiju (where the teacher performs a process handed down from their teacher to clear your energy channels, is just not done remotely. If someone offers some way to do that remotely, they have moved a long way away from the original and I would question how effective such a clearing was compared to the original in-person way. See my article Are Online Reiki Courses A Good Idea? for more on this point.

Shaun Mckeown 12/09/2023 Shaun Mckeown 12/09/2023

What is the Best Reiki Course For Beginners?

This article is for you if you are looking at Reiki Training Courses and are wondering what the best course for you might be as a beginner, or someone new to Reiki.

So, if you are interested in Reiki, you have a look online and there is a sea of course providers, all with slightly different names for the type of Reiki they teach, along with an array of levels of study. Where do you start trying to work out what is going to be a good course for you? In this short article, I want to help those looking into learning Reiki find the right course.

To start with before anything else I would suggest you hone into what type of Reiki you are looking for, as although they may be called the same thing ‘Reiki’, or ‘Usui Reiki’, etc., you WILL be taught very different things with different Reiki teachers or course providers. Key in your selection of Reiki courses is what you will be taught, so what the Reiki teacher is actually teaching is the most important thing, or otherwise, you might not actually get what you are expecting from a Reiki course.

To help you hone in very quickly as at its core Reiki training courses fall under 2 main categories, so to help you choose which path to take I would ask you a simple question. Note: I have been a teacher of Reiki in both these categories, so understand each well.

Select A Path of Reiki Training that is Right for you

Which of these options appeals to you most?

1. Learning original authentic Japanese Usui Reiki, as it was in Japan before it came to the West and got changed, so training with no Western influences, the Japanese cultural thinking behind Reiki intact, with a focus on simplicity and depth, that preserves the original. In a nutshell, you learn Reiki in its complete original form as it was created by the founder Usui Sensei.

2. Or would you prefer a more ‘new age’ system of healing with hands and energy, which has its roots in Usui Reiki, but has been changed dramatically from the original, and has missing parts, so does have some misunderstandings of Reiki. These approaches are likely to include a focus on spiritual, chakras, and possible concepts such as spirit guides, angels, and a system that has differing interests merged in with Reiki if you like with both Western and other world influences.

If you are looking for number 1. A more original authentic Reiki, you are looking for Jikiden Reiki, period. That is what I teach (having previously been a teacher in other approaches to Reiki). So if this is you simply need to find an authorized Jikiden Reiki teacher in your country. I am based in the Birmingham area of the UK, Have a look at my Reiki training courses, I also help run the Jikiden Reiki UK Association, where we have a list of Upcoming Jikiden Reiki courses across the UK. For more information on More original Japanese or Western approaches to Reiki, see my article Jikiden Reiki and Western Reiki, What’s the Difference? For information about Jikiden Reiki, see my article What is Jikiden Reiki? For tips on helping you identify authentic Japanese Reiki training courses see my article How to Find Authentic Japanese Usui Reiki Courses.

If number 2. Sounds more what you are looking for, then the school of Reiki would be less of a thing, as with these approaches to Reiki, what you would learn would have had a variety of modifications and other healing ideas would have been added into the training to different degrees, added to which each individual teacher might have adjusted the teachings at various stages along that teachers Reiki lineage (kind of any Reiki teachers family tree, from their own teacher back to the founder Usui sensei- indicates what teachings were pasted down and might indicate how far away from the original the training is likely to be).

In-person or Online Reiki Training for Beginners

So firstly, have a look online at in-person Reiki courses. Reiki is something to learn in person, I would not recommend online Reiki courses at all, for most info on that see my article Are Online Reiki Courses A Good Idea? Have a look at the teacher’s reviews. Are others who attended their courses broadly saying positive things? Then have a chat with any teachers that look promising. Then go with what you are drawn to. For more info, I have written an article on the topic of finding the right Reiki Course and teacher for you.

Reiki Beginner Course Levels

In original Reiki the beginner course is called Shoden (beginner level) in most Reiki you will see it termed Level 1. Once you find the right course provider, they can guide you as to whether it is appropriate to take level 1, then level 2 at a future date, or what route to take, as some have a variety of levels. Most of the training is broken into 2 course levels. For more on understanding Reiki levels see my article Reiki levels explained. In Jikiden Reiki we tend to learn both levels Shoden (equivalent to level 1) and what is called Okuden (meaning deeper level- equivalent to level 2) at the same time, over 3 days of training, so you have all the techniques and a better understanding to then go and practice. There is second-level content that is relevant and useful for complete beginners, as well as other benefits of this approach. See my article Attending both Reiki course levels together or separately.

So, in closing the best Reiki course for Beginners is the one that will teach you what you want to learn ideally in the country you live in. I would suggest focusing on that. If you would like to find out more about Jikiden Reiki and upcoming course dates in the Birmingham area UK, see my Jikiden Reiki courses.

Shaun Mckeown 12/09/2023 Shaun Mckeown 12/09/2023

Accredited Reiki Courses in the UK

This article is for those looking for Accredited Reiki Training Courses in the UK. The aim is to help you understand this topic and help you find the right Reiki training courses for you.

This article is to help those looking for Reiki courses in the UK find the right courses. The fact you are reading an article with the title of Accredited Reiki Courses in the UK suggests are looking for quality Reiki training Courses and believe looking for those that are accredited is a good idea, makes sense, right?

A common question people ask is: Are Reiki courses Accredited in the UK? Overall they are not, however, a small percentage of Reiki course providers/teachers have gone through a process to create additional course content, training, and mentoring to achieve an Accredited Reiki Course title.

These courses are Verified courses, so think of the words Accredited and Verified as the same thing here. being a CNHC-verified course is what matters.

The term accredited is more the endpoint of such a course after a verification process where the candidate can gain acceptance onto the Complimentary and Natural Health Care Council (CNHC) accredited register as a practitioner. So if the course provider is not a CNHC-verified course, it’s not that helpful, as that would be the main reason for most for doing such a course, to get accepted onto the register, under the discipline of Reiki (the CNHC register covers other complementary therapies as well).

Becoming a Verified Practitioner is as relevant if not more for those delivering Reiki in voluntary settings, as they are for professional Reiki Practitioners. As they tend to be in more medical-based settings more often than professional practitioners, such as hospices, or hospitals. Which is the main focus of these courses- professionalism in such settings. Many of the Verified Courses have titles like ‘Professional’ in the title, the JRUKA one included, usually as the focus is on professionalism in Reiki practise, but be aware they are for voluntary settings as well.

Technically accreditation is through Skills for Health, the course meets the National Occupational Standards for you to gain acceptance onto the CNHC register, the course provider is not doing the accreditation, or awarding accredited status as such, more they are taking you through an approved course process that ensures you meet certain experience and competence levels to meet the requirements to get onto the CNHC register after the course requirements are met, commonly referring to their role as a teacher/assessor. The final part is called verification which is done through a CNHC-approved Verification organisation., they issue the Reiki Council written assignment and oversee a final observation assessment (you performing a consultation and treatment session with someone), and they then award the Verified Practitioner certificate. with this, you can get onto the CNHC register. So really such courses get you to a Verified Practitioner status, rather than an accredited Practitioner, but that is terminology that you see course providers using for marketing, just think of both words taking about the same outcome, or level, or being the same thing as far as you need to think about accredited or Verified Reiki courses.

I can help you achieve the Reiki Council Verified Practitioner Award & meet the Complimentary and Natural Health Care Council (CNHC) accredited register requirements through The Jikiden Reiki UK Association’s (JRUKA)- Professional Practitioner Programme, however rather than just promote the merits of the course that I offer I want to deepen your understanding of this topic to help you the right Reiki training course for you.

To start with when it comes to all Accredited Reiki Courses/ Verified Reiki Courses, you need to be aware of a couple of points:

You do not need to have completed an Accredited/Verified Reiki course to become a professional Reiki practitioner in the UK. In the UK you need to have completed Shoden and Okuden level Reiki training (termed level 1 and 2 in Western approaches to Reiki). As that is what you need to get insured to do Reiki treatments with the public. In reality, only a small percentage of Reiki professionals are accredited. It can be a good thing to do, but it is not a requirement. It is however likely to be more advantageous, or even in some settings preferred/required if you want to work in some hospitals, hospices, or health care settings.

Accreditation/Verification has little to do with the accuracy of the Reiki training you will receive. Its focus is on best practices in how you interact with clients, deliver Reiki treatment sessions, and conform to the relevant regulations in place in the UK.

Verification is about the course provider fulfilling national occupational standards and having a process to take a candidate/student through a course that fulfils requirements of training hours, recording experience delivering Reiki treatments, accumulating hours of self-treatment, being observed delivering consultations and Reiki treatments, case studies, as well as a written exam at the end. So is focused on understanding professional boundaries and regulations relating to delivering Reiki to the public from a professional standards, best practice view in both a professional and voluntary capacity.

The actual Reiki training bit is not the focus. Nuts right? It took me a bit to get my head around this. With regards to Reiki, it is mainly a case of doing what your Reiki training taught you. As long as a few basic requirements are met from your Reiki training course provider it ticks that box.

Think of Verification as being about professionalism in Reiki. The idea is to ensure a standard of professionalism, minimum therapy experience, and competence in the therapy you deliver to the public. The endpoint is acceptance to the CNHC register as a Reiki Practitioner.

Verification could be thought of as providing a standard in public or organizational confidence that you are capable of delivering your Reiki sessions in environments like hospitals, and hospices, with the public in a professional manner, ensuring your awareness of key regulations and professional boundaries of Reiki treatments with the public.

This is not a bad thing at all, as it supports the public perception of Reiki in a professional light. Possibly providing more opportunities in more healthcare settings. Mostly voluntary, but some professional.

A problem I see is people looking towards Accredited/Verified Reiki courses, as an indication that the Reiki Training Course (the most important bit) is accurate and complete. This is not the case.

As I said before the accreditation process for a Reiki course would not be able to determine authentic Reiki training over approaches to Reiki that had misunderstandings and missing parts, it’s just not what it is looking at.

My view is to find the Reiki course that best fits what you are looking for. Accreditation/Verification second. I would however say it's safe to say teachers who offer accredited/Verified courses value professionalism, and work to best practice, or they would not bother going through the process of getting their course accredited, so they do tend to offer a good quality in what they deliver. My question is always about what teachers are teaching in their Reiki courses to begin with. Have a look at my article Finding the Right Reiki Course and Teacher for help.

Pretty much all Accredited/Verified Reiki course providers would be delivering Western Reiki, so first determine if you are looking for more authentic Japanese teachings or approaches to Reiki that have moved away from the original. See my article Jikiden Reiki and Western Reiki, What’s the Difference? Luckily now through the JRUKA Professional Practitioner Programme, I can offer the best of both worlds of authentic Reiki training and achieving Verified Practitioner status.

You commonly see Reiki teachers who teach Accredited/Verified Reiki courses sign students up to the complete process, which is at least 9 months in duration. So, you start with 3-4 days of Reiki training, then you move into what I class as the Verified course phase, where you study likely a manual on regulations and best practices, start building records of Reiki treatment hours, attend an in-person 1-day workshop on topics of professional best practice, then start the observations where a professional observes you delivering consultation and delivering a Reiki treatment against a standard criterion and collect case-studies. This continues until all elements have successfully been completed over months. I would suggest viewing Verified practitioner courses as a 2-step process. In the common approach above you move through both parts of the process from the start.

There is however another way you can complete a Verified Practitioner course, which is the way we have set it up in the Jikiden Reiki UK Association (JRUKA). You can take the Jikiden Reiki training Courses, and then at a future time, you can join the Verified Practitioner Programme, where you then take the verified course elements. The beauty of the way we set this up is that we can accept your Jikiden Reiki training, with any authorized Jikiden Reiki teacher as ‘part 1’ of your verified practitioner (as all Jikiden Reiki teachers teach the same content). So, you for example can take Jikiden Reiki training then become a member of the Jikiden Reiki UK Association (JRUKA) and join the Professional Practitioner Programme at a later date. At this time there are a couple of us, soon to be 3 of us in the UK that can support you through the 2nd part, the Verified Practitioner bit. However, any Jikiden Reiki teacher can take you through the 1st bit, the Jikiden Reiki training bit.

So, How long is a Verified Reiki Course? The minimum duration to complete an accredited course is 9 months from when you took the Reiki training course training. This is more about having a minimum duration of experience as a trained Reiki practitioner. However many do take longer, it depends on how long it takes you to move through the requirements and accumulate the required treatment experience hours.

How Much Does an Accredited/Verified Reiki Course Cost? This depends, as it has 2 parts, the Reiki training part, the Reiki training courses Shoden and Okuden (or level 1 and 2) vary quite widely as what teachers teach is very different as a broad idea expect £500. The Cost of the Accreditation process (part 2) is usually around the same, maybe abit less all in at most, So if you are taking an Accredited course that has the Reiki course built in you are looking at around the £900 mark as a total investment. In the Reiki training and Accreditation together. Some might be a bit cheaper, but the quality of the Reiki course is the most important element, so cheap is not always the best. Either way can get you to the point of having completed an Accredited/Verified Reiki course. The initial ‘Reiki training part’ is likely to be a larger investment at the start. The second part, the Verified course element could allow spreading out of the investment, dependent on the time frame you want to work to. The JRUKA Verified course does it this way with smaller paced-out payments at each stage of the process.

Where to Look for Accredited/Verified Bodies. One thing to consider is if a course is claiming it is accredited. Check who with. With any complementary therapy in the UK, the one that matters is the Complimentary and Natural Health Care Council (CNHC). At the time of writing this article, there are just under 50 Reiki teachers in the UK who can support you through an Accredited/Verified Reiki course that they recognize. This tends to be the organization that medical professionals would look towards anyway.

Once you have completed a CNHC-approved Verified Reiki Course, you can apply to become a registrant of the CNHC Accredited Register, which is kind of the aim of all this. Another important point to consider is if a Reiki course is an online course (the Reiki training) I would rule it out immediately, as the Reiki training would be compromised. To understand why see my article: Are Online Reiki Courses a Good Idea? You will likely find online courses not accepted towards becoming a Verified Practitioner.

Which Reiki Courses are Accredited? You can look into the CNHC for more info. Be aware its focus is professional best practice for the protection of the public and not that well placed to help practitioners succeed, just be aware of that. Registration will also cost you around £70 every year (optional if you want to join that register). For more information on the Verified Reiki course I deliver see my Verified Practitioner Course page.

List of Accredited Reiki Courses in the UK. If you want to look at a wider selection in the UK this link takes you to the list of CNHC Verified Course providers Another useful place to look is the Reiki Council website list for course providers delivering verified courses Reiki Council Verified Course Providers.

It is also worth questioning the weight we give to accreditation/Verification itself, you may also come across the term Certified Reiki Courses. For example, I teach Jikiden Reiki, so if you take Jikiden Reiki training courses with me (or any other authorized Jikiden Reiki teacher) your training is certified with the Jikiden Reiki Institute in Japan. I might suggest that would be a more important, or a higher indicator of the quality and authenticity of your Reiki training than achieving a level of compliance to regulatory or other standards. So, if you come across the term certified, consider- who with? Maybe think of certified as who the Reiki training is recognized with and accredited, or Verified as the recognition of both the Reiki training and additional vocational best practice training for UK regulations has met a National Occupation Standard.

Having gone through the process of creating a Verified Reiki Course, as the lead on the creation of the Jikiden Reiki UK Association Professional Practitioner Programme, I do think it is a very useful thing to complete and become a Verified Practitioner, as it does cover all those other best practice topics you would want to know as a practitioner working with the public, looking at topics such as advertising standards, and what you can and can’t claim you can help with Reiki, how to deliver pre-appointment consultations, key documents and treatment records as well as key regulations you need to know etc. You also get guidance from a teacher/assessor as well, all helpful things.

Most tend to look towards Accredited/Verified Reiki courses if they are looking to become a professional Reiki practitioner or want the highest quality or standards of Reiki training. Be aware Accredited/Verified Course content deals with working professionally, or voluntarily with the public professionally. It will not offer that much in terms of helping you build a successful Reiki business, as it is not designed for that purpose. I have however created a Reiki business course that is designed for that specific purpose. If you want help with the business side of being a Reiki practitioner, take a look at my Reiki Business courses, my comprehensive home study Reiki business course, and a Reiki Marketing Course, along with other resources to help you succeed.

I find with most, the business side needs as much if not more attention and focus than practitioner skills, so tend to suggest looking at the business course first then to Verified Practitioner courses.

In all this Remember:

The key requirement of your Reiki course selection should be the accuracy of the Reiki training itself, independent of the fact it is or is not an Accredited/Verified course (you can become a Verified Practitioner at a later date).

I would suggest the following order of things if you are looking to become a Reiki professional

1. Get the right Reiki Training in the first place! Jikiden Reiki Training Courses. (part 1 of the process). Also, if you want to be a Reiki professional then get my home-study Reiki business & marketing courses for UK Reiki Practitioners.

2. Join the JRUKA and sign up for the Professional Practitioner Programme (part 2 of the process- the Verified Reiki Course).

For more details on the process of the JRUKA Verified Practitioner Programme, see my Verified Reiki Course page.

Shaun Mckeown 25/07/2023 Shaun Mckeown 25/07/2023

How to Build A Successful Reiki Practice

To start with I would say spend some time looking at broadly what you want your Reiki Business to achieve, or provide those you serve and yourself. Then decide to commit to this. It is common to see new practitioners find it harder than they thought it would be, especially in the area of finding new clients consistently.

How to Build a Successful Reiki Business
Home Study Business & Marketing Courses for Reiki Practitioners in the UK

This article follows my previous two articles in this business series ‘Why a Good Business Course for Reiki Practitioners is So Needed’ and ‘Marketing for Reiki Practitioners- Why Practitioners Need Help’. In this article, I look at what you might need to do to build a Successful Reiki Business.

I find it interesting that we take Reiki training -Yes, the first thing to do, then we decide we want to start doing Reiki professionally, and off we go offering it to the public with a vague idea of what we would want our business to do and earn. From that point as a percentage of total business expenditure, it is common to see practitioners invest in additional training related to service delivery, and therapy-specific knowledge training (to help the delivering of Reiki treatments). Yet £0 towards any direct coherent Business development training.

I would say it would be useful to consider your proficiency as a practitioner- the Reiki part, being no more than 50% of the gig, with a Reiki business. The rest differs exactly with different practitioners, but generally, 25% is practical Self-employed/ or solo practitioner business and Marketing skills. Note: those with a background in business be that with companies, or having experience in employed work running company finances are less disadvantaged, those who were previously self-employed less so still, but my point is this is a very specific field, and when I am talking about business it's from a different place than mainstream business approaches and thinking. The remaining 25% could be classified as our mindset. Our mental conditioning/ limiting self-beliefs/ conditioned behaviors, our beliefs around money, our view of marketing, our attitude towards sales, sense of your value, receiving money, confidence, etc. We take all our cr*p with us into our new Reiki business. It always needs addressing.

Think of life as a solo Reiki practitioner as an accelerated personal growth journey, it will challenge our doubts, fears, etc quite nicely. I know of many very skilled and professional Reiki practitioners and teachers who did not make it. Yes, you need a solid foundation of Reiki training to build from. It’s got to be effective at getting results for clients (if you want to ensure you have a solid Reiki training foundation see Jikiden Reiki courses) but from then on (as you will be practicing Reiki treatments every day anyway) the focus for successful Reiki business should be on the business and mindset side in most cases, as most practitioners have the Reiki side well covered.

Or you could think of it another way. A Reiki business is 2 words, the word ‘Reiki’ and the word ‘business’ so let’s say 50% focus on each in terms of time, energy, and money would be on each word, 50% Reiki and 50% business, a pretty good way to move forward with it also.

With the business side, things need to sequentially fit as well. It has limited benefit chucking marketing efforts about. For an idea of a snapshot idea of such a sequence; Firstly, why do you want to become a professional Reiki practitioner? Then you must understand yourself (how you best work, skills, weaknesses, etc). Understand who you want to serve. Build a destination, define the overall numbers of your business, and create a plan to get there. Develop a marketing strategy, define the right pricing, develop effective ways to use your time, and financial resources, and get all the processes and paperwork set up. Get the marketing plan into action, and develop sales skills. Then, review, refine and refocus to improve the whole business.

Yes, there is a lot to think about and sort out to make this all work. That’s where I can help. In answer to the question of the title of this article: ‘How to build a Successful Reiki Practice’ you can do it the hard way, or there is a more effective and efficient alternative. I have created a framework, a step-by-step path, to guide you through a year as a Reiki professional. From start to creating a successful Reiki practice. My business course series includes among other resources my: Building a Successful Reiki Business course and my Effective Marketing Made Easy for Reiki Practitioners course.

As I have said elsewhere, I have been fascinated by performance in sports and business settings for many years and myself having studied with various business experts, many with differing approaches. The reality is that to succeed as a sole practitioner or therapist in any field, you need to have a grip on certain things, you need to be proficient in many areas at once and it’s very unlikely your natural skills will fall into all of these areas.

So in answer to the question of how to build a successful Reiki business, I would say there is an easier way, that saves a lot of time, effort, and money, I have set out a course to walk you through a step by step path from start to building a Reiki business. I have spent 20-plus years testing what works and what does not., and I offer that knowledge and experience in a unique comprehensive self-study Reiki Business Course Series, a collection of real-world resources on Reiki business development and marketing to help professional Reiki practitioners. I have built a framework of step-by-step stages to work through at your own pace, along with a selection of great ideas, from my experience and research in this area over the years. If you would like to find out more details can be found here: Reiki Business Course

How to Build a Successful Reiki Business
Home Study Business & Marketing Courses for Reiki Practitioners in the UK

Shaun Mckeown 21/07/2023 Shaun Mckeown 21/07/2023

Jikiden Reiki® and Western Reiki, What are the Differences?

I have written this article primarily to help those new to Reiki who are looking for Reiki training courses and want to make sense of the options out there, who have come across Jikiden Reiki as well as other approaches to Reiki and wish to better understand the differences, to help them to make a better decision as to their direction in Reiki training courses, or indeed treatments. This article could also be helpful for those who have received training in Reiki of some form, who wish to deepen their understanding and study of Reiki and understand more about Jikiden Reiki. I have had countless private conversations with people looking for Reiki training, who want to better understand what they might be getting with each approach, so I have decided to write about it.

I write this article in peace, intending to help the person looking to better understand Reiki, who might be looking to invest in Reiki training courses and is confused about the options out there, so I write this with my consumer champion of Reiki hat on if you like. Before I go into the article, I want to make a few points to set the framing of this article, as you read it.

Firstly, people have seen good results from many different Reiki approaches.

Reiki energy is Reiki energy, and we all use the same stuff, so the differences in the practice of Reiki and the results people experience with differing approaches to Reiki come from factors other than the energy itself (what I mean is one approach is not using ‘stronger’ or special energy).

The term Western Reiki was not created by the Jikiden Reiki community, but by a prominent senior teacher in the Usui Reiki society in Japan in the early 1990s as a way to identify Reiki approaches that had moved away from the original Japanese teachings and practice of Usui Reiki. I highlight the differences from that view also.

Understand also there is a wide variety in what is taught under the title of Reiki, Usui Reiki, Western, or Japanese, and a wide range of accuracy of what is taught in any Reiki approach. As such the understanding of Reiki teachers, or Reiki Masters (the common Western term for a Reiki teacher) varies greatly as well. Consider as well most Western Reiki teachers would not be aware what they teach is Western Reiki at all! Some are and prefer not to make that known, but prefer to present their teachings in a more Japanese light, something to watch out for that as well.

I am a Jikiden Reiki teacher (Shihan) and that is all I teach nowadays, however, I was previously a Reiki Master teacher in both what was called Usui Reiki (Western Reiki) as well as a Reiki Master teacher in more ‘modern’, or ‘progressive’ approaches to Reiki as well, so I know what is being taught in both approaches to Reiki, so I am well positioned to write this. I have organized this article into 4 sections to help you gain an understanding of a few key characteristics of each approach to Reiki to help better understand them.

Overview

Jikiden Reiki is all about preserving the original teachings of Usui Sensei (the founder of Reiki) the Reiki teacher lineage (teachers link back to the founder of Reiki) is very short, with no Western influences, maintaining the original Japanese idea and practices of Reiki is the focus. Jikiden Reiki was built around the training Chiyoko Yamaguchi received directly from Chujiro Hayashi in the 1930s. Maybe think of Jikiden Reiki as the closest thing to authentic Japanese Usui Reiki training in the world that is openly available to the public. To find out more about Jikiden Reiki see my article: ‘What is Jikiden Reiki?’

Western Reiki has its roots in original Usui Reiki, it however lost some key components, understanding, and teachings in its move to the West, as well as the base Japanese culture and philosophy that ties into Reiki. This undoubtedly helped Reiki spread in the West and indeed back to Japan in the 1980s, however, this has led to in addition to fundamental misunderstandings of Usui Reiki, huge variations in what is taught under the name Reiki, and indeed has sprouted all these variations in styles of Reiki. I would suggest looking at my article: ‘Is there Such a Thing a Styles of Reiki?’ for more detail on this.

Reiki Teacher Lineage

The differences can be easily seen in a teacher's Reiki lineage. A Reiki lineage is a teacher's teacher training if you like, and who has granted permission for them to teach what they teach, this tracks back to the founder Usui Sensei. For more on Reiki Linages see my article: ‘What is Reiki Lineage?’ Note: A Teacher's lineage is always only a single line down, teaching what you were taught by the teacher above, back to the founder of Reiki. It is also only teachers should have one. I say this as you will come across teachers who have ‘expanded’ a lineage to look more Japanese, indeed many have found ‘creative’ ways to hide that what they teach is Western Reiki, choosing to list practitioner training with Japanese teachers as if they had been trained as a teacher and granted permissions to teach in that person’s name as an example. Characteristics of Jikiden and Western Lineages are below:

Jikiden Reiki

Mikao Usui
Chujiro Hayashi
Chiyoko Yamaguchi
Tadao Yamaguchi

Jikiden Reiki Shihans (teachers)

As an example, Tadao Yamaguchi is my Reiki teacher I trained with him and I teach what he taught me, he granted me the level of teacher, so I would be under him on my own Reiki teacher lineage.

Western Reiki

Mikao Usui
Chujiro Hayashi
Hawayo Takata

Here is a Western teacher lineage, it branches off in a variety of directions. There are commonly another 4- 15 steps down until you get to your teacher. The point is what is taught was changed at multiple points in that lineage. Any teacher with Hawayo Takata in their lineage is teaching Western Reiki.

Reiki Teachers & Teacher Training

Jikiden Reiki preserves the Japanese Lemoto system where who creates teachers is controlled from the top of the organization in Japan, so a couple of people in the world can create Shihan (full teacher), so as teachers, we don’t create other teachers, that is left to the top teachers in the organization, who are all senior teachers. This does help to preserve standards, however, there are naturally a lot fewer authorized Jikiden teachers as a percentage of Reiki teachers out there. So, for example, there may be 2-4 new Shihans (full teachers) created each year in the UK. The process of starting teacher training to the full teacher is commonly a 2-year journey for most, with many requirements to be met along the way such as repetition of full Reiki training courses 2 or 3 times, then attendance to an assistant teacher level (Shihan Kaku) training course. Then a teacher gains permission to teach only the beginner Reiki course (Shoden), they build experience delivering Reiki training, further repeating Reiki training and assistant training courses, then a Shihan (full teacher) course. We all teach the same thing, charge the same training fees, and work from the guidance of a central organization, the Jikiden Reiki Institute in Japan. All training is certified with them. For more details about Jikiden Reiki training, see my Jikiden Reiki courses page.

Western Reiki allows a Reiki teacher (commonly termed Reiki Master, or Reiki Master Teacher) to make adjustments to what they teach, how they deliver it, and charge what they want. The controls on the teachings you see in Jikiden Reiki are just not there in Western Reiki. Many have added other parts to the training, that are nothing to do with Reiki. Many have created different styles of Reiki. Teacher training is commonly a 3-day training course. Prerequisites are usually only to have taken level 1 and 2 Reiki, maybe some experience, but that is it. Teachers can then create their own teachers (Reiki Masters) at any time. There isn’t any coherent quality control or organized way of doing things. Some have formed organizations to honor the teachings of Hawayo Takata, or they aim to stay in line with her teachings, but it's more an individual teacher’s choice what they do (It’s a bit of a wild west out there).

What is taught in Reiki Training Courses

Jikiden Reiki This is the most important bit for you, and where differences are most evident. The Jikiden Reiki teachings are about the original complete Usui Reiki teachings. For a start, the method the teacher uses to clear the student’s channels to be able to channel Reiki energy is different than Western Reiki. In Jikiden Reiki this process is called Reiju. We perform Reiju multiple times throughout the Reiki training courses and place importance on maintaining a clear channel. How Jikiden Reiki teaches students to deliver Reiki treatments is always with hands on a person’s body, with light contact, with a focus on a person’s body showing us where the need is which we can track through sensations in our hands with the original Usui Reiki approach of Byosen, this is the cornerstone of delivering effective Reiki treatments (this is one of the parts missing in Western Reiki). We find a person’s area of need and stay there, for long periods of 30 mins plus, further supporting a targeted effective treatment, in addition, we can track a person's progress through the changes in these sensations. There are other useful original Usui Reiki techniques we teach that are absent in other Reiki teachings as well, such as Ketsueki Kokan Ho (a useful circulation technique performed at the end of Reiki treatment sessions) and the complete Seiheki Chiryo (emotional technique). Jikiden Reiki places enthesis on accurate historical information and cultural understanding in its training courses as well. There is also a focus on living Reiki in our lives. The style is simplicity and depth in its teachings and authenticity, it's easier to use, with non of the rituals you tend to see in Western Reiki. It is about honoring the original teachings of the founder Usui Sensei. Course levels will be Shoden (beginner) 2-day course. And Okuden (deeper level) 1-day course. We teach both courses together as 3 days of training. Jikiden Reiki will tend to suit those wanting authenticity and accuracy in what they learn and want to learn Reiki in its complete original form. For more details on Reiki training course levels see my article: ‘Reiki training levels Explained.’

Western Reiki The method the teacher uses to clear the student’s channels to be able to channel Reiki energy is different. In Western Reiki this process is called an Attunement, some call them other words such as initiation, but the process differs from the original method. Personally, having been trained in many of these methods the original has the best effect. Attunements tend to be 1 per course level and not done much after formal training courses. As not all Japanese Reiki teaching made it to what was first taught in the West, the teaching content gaps tend to be filled with things that are not Reiki, such as chakras, crystals, pendulums, angels, animal spirits, guides, additional symbols, such as a ‘master’ symbol among others. The method of delivering treatment tends to be standard hand placements, usually 15 sites, working 3-5 mins per placement. Or a more intuitive lead treatment. Having the hands hovering over the person’s body is the norm during treatments. The style tends to be adding more to the system. The levels are commonly presented as level-1 (beginner) a 2-day course and level 2 (practitioner), a 2-day course. Many have added additional levels, but any content in such courses is nothing to do with Usui Reiki. People usually learn level 1 training, then after 3 months or so take level 2 training. Western Reiki tends to suit those with an interest in things such as developing psychic senses, or interest in spirit guides, and for those where authenticity and accuracy, are not that important, for those that are happy with content being changed, or merged with other approaches.

In Closing

I hope this has helped you gain an insight into the differences between Jikiden Reiki and Western Reiki. If you would like to find out more about original Japanese Reiki courses in the UK, see my Jikiden Reiki training courses. If you are looking for Reiki training, you might find my article: ‘Guide to Finding the Right Reiki Course and Teacher for You' helpful.

Shaun Mckeown 05/07/2023 Shaun Mckeown 05/07/2023

Are Online Reiki Courses A Good Idea?

In this article, I want to answer a question many have when looking for Reiki training courses. It’s a reasonable question to ask when looking for Reiki training courses online and you see online Reiki courses appear at the top of a Google search for Reiki courses. This article aims to help you in finding the right Reiki training courses for you, I will answer this question quickly to ensure you understand my view and then explain why as concisely as I can. So, to answer the question

‘Are Online Reiki Courses a Good Idea?’

my answer is: No! I would not suggest anyone learns Reiki online.

I will explain why below. This article should also cover similar questions: Can you take Reiki courses online? Are online Reiki courses legit?

Online Reiki courses have been out there for quite a few years now. For us as Reiki teachers, they make no sense. In the past, I have left this topic alone, yet recently they are more common than they used to be, we have seen a general increase in popularity of online training courses post-Covid and lockdowns, where course providers looked at alternative ways to deliver training courses. In addition to companies and some individual Reiki teachers looking for a more passive business model for training courses, online Reiki courses are seen as an attractive and profitable idea to some, so, the reasoning for doing it at all is commercial. The benefit being course providers can sell many (if a live training version) or sell many and not have to be there to deliver the training in person (the common pre-recorded/ or pre-formatted version). Note: when I talk about online courses, I include any training where the teacher is not present with students in person. There are also big mass-production online training companies, that simply look to offer all kinds of training online and have naturally looked to find someone in Reiki who would develop an online course.

As the delivery of these courses is online, their marketing is solely online, and as they are commonly an automated operation, with their marketing efforts focused online they tend to be present at the top of search engines when looking for Reiki courses as they can dominate the space at the top of online searches with paid for sponsored advertisements and commonly there are a few of them always up there on Google searches for Reiki courses in general. Because of their high online visibility, I get this question more often, so I have decided to discuss this topic and help those looking for Reiki training understand why they are a bad idea.

Putting what is taught aside, the main problem that jumps out at me as a Reiki teacher is that is serious an issue enough to instantly rule them out is The act of performing Reiju - the clearing process a teacher performs with each student to facilitate them to be able to channel Reiki energy through their hands is only performed in person. It was created that way and always has been and would be performed the way it was created, there is no remote method for it. In traditional Japanese Reiki (Jikiden Reiki) which is what I teach, we perform Reiju 5 times in person during the 3 days of Shoden and Okuden level training This maximizes a student’s ability to best channel Reiki from the training courses (levels comparable to level 1 and 2 if you come across those terms for training levels).

You might have come across the term attunement as a name for this process in the Western approaches to Reiki. For this discussion, think of them both as the process to clear, to allow the student to channel Reiki.

As a point to note, as well as being a Jikiden Reiki teacher, I was previously what was termed a Reiki Master in a few approaches to Reiki, all had differing processes to achieve this clearing, so I have been trained in a variety of attunement approaches. What I have consistently found is that the best clearing came from the original Japanese Usui Reiki Reiki Reiju (that we do with Jikiden Reiki training) the further away from the original Reiju things get the less the clearing effect tends to get, but at least it's done in person and that’s my point. I would not hold up great expectations for a Reiki clearing method that was nothing to do with Reiki, so any done remotely.

So, if the effectiveness of the clearing process is not great (Reiju, or indeed attunement- the process that facilitates the flow of energy through to your hands) that will undoubtedly negatively impact the effectiveness of your Reiki treatments, so lessen the results you get with Reiki, and thus your confidence in it as well. Some would conclude Reiki doesn’t work, where the problem is likely to be in the training course rather than Reiki itself. This above point is enough on its own in my opinion to render online courses a bad idea. Reiki is an in-person training course.

I would also have questions of the teacher of an online course, as to their understanding of Reiki, as well as their Reiki training, let alone to think remote Reiju/attunement was a good idea. With these questions, I wouldn’t be confident in the quality of the training you would receive.

I get the convenience of online training and the idea of innovation and exploring developing delivery methods, along with the time and financial challenge for teachers of small group course delivery. I have created online courses for other things, I just wouldn’t do it for Reiki, it's an in-person training course for good reason.

There has been pretty much across-the-board at this time non-acceptance of online Reiki courses with the main industry organizations and member organizations (in-person Reiju/attunement being a basic requirement). Don’t be swayed by any accreditation, diploma, or other title. There is a fundamental floor in the Reiki training. There has been pressure from some to try and get acceptance of such online Reiki training. Maybe some organizations will accept such courses for lack of understanding, or commercial reasons, in the future, who knows? These courses by their business model are going to be very cheap, which helps their popularity, but Reiki courses among other healing therapies are not the most expensive courses. I would want to invest in authentic accurate training, whatever that was Reiki included.

For my part, as a Reiki teacher, on my soapbox, and as a consumer champion for those looking for Reiki courses, I have done my bit to help you by highlighting a fundamental floor in online Reiki courses and would suggest looking at Reiki training courses delivered in person. If you are interested in authentic Japanese Reiki training courses in the UK, you are welcome to take a look at my Jikiden Reiki training courses in the Birmingham area. Other articles to help you in your search for Reiki training courses that you might be interested in include.

What is Reiki?

What is Jikiden Reiki?

Finding the right Reiki course and teacher for you.

Is there such a thing as styles of Reiki?

Reiki levels explained.

What is Reiki Lineage?

I hope this awareness has helped you. Click here for information on Jikdien Reiki training courses in the UK.

Shaun Mckeown 04/07/2023 Shaun Mckeown 04/07/2023

Marketing for Reiki Practitioners- Why Practitioners Need Help

This article looks at common challenges around marketing for Reiki practitioners and why it is vital to better understand this topic for the success of a Reiki business.

How to Build a Successful Reiki Business
Home Study Business & Marketing Courses for Reiki Practitioners in the UK

Questions around marketing often come up from Reiki practitioners trying to build or establish a client base and make a success of their Reiki business. It’s The main challenge for anyone starting out as a Reiki professional, getting to a point of a stable inflow of new clients/ and or a stable regular client base. I would say it’s the main reason for failure in a Reiki practitioner's business, as it will tend to be the root cause of the lack of profit it causes, which results in a Reiki practitioner not succeeding as a Reiki practitioner professionally. They tend to pack it up and say there was not enough interest in Reiki and go and get another job never to return to Reiki practice professionally. Not making enough money comes from unsuccessful marketing efforts (or more precisely not finding enough of the right clients/ and or poor pricing decisions/ and or problems in selling effectively).

For most the aim of a Reiki business is modest, not many want to build an empire, for most it’s simply being able to earn a moderate, to reasonable income, building a stable business, that is ethically aligned, helping people, whilst enjoying professional Reiki practice, without poverty, crippling stress, or burning yourself out. I wrote this article alongside my articles ‘Why a Good Reiki Business Course is so Needed’ and ‘How to Build a Successful Reiki Practice’ to look into the need for business support for Reiki professionals.

Marketing is an interesting one, as not many people, become a Reiki practitioner for a love of marketing, or sales for that matter (in my marketing courses I consider the two, sides of the same coin if you like, as you need the two to be working well together). Marketing is not just a do ‘X’ and it will be OK. It's part art and experience, there is no one size fits all approach, and what method worked for one practitioner will not necessarily be a good idea for another practitioner. So, you can see the problem, as I commonly see practitioners looking to other practitioners for their method as a solution, so it tends to be a practitioner asking another practitioner what worked for them, then they go off and do that, then if that doesn’t provide long-lasting results, they ask another practitioner, and on it goes. Not very effective.

The biggest problem I see is Reiki practitioners focusing only on the end point of marketing, the method itself. This can be seen with the first question I often get, that being something like: “What do you do for marketing?” or “How do you find clients?” or “Do I need a website?” The focus is on the tool used, before any real evaluation of the task, so without much of a prior overall strategy or reason why that approach is being used at that time. My initial response is “It depends”. A tip to help you straight away would be to switch your start point of focus. What I mean is I encourage any practitioner to first better understand themselves and their clients before selecting a marketing method. Understand more deeply: who they wish to serve, the client’s needs, challenges, and preferences, what they need their business to achieve, understand their stage of business, own strengths, and passions, then start to select marketing methods that fit those criteria.

“The question as to which marketing method is a good idea is the last question to ask, rather than the first.”

Otherwise, what you tend to find is practitioners jumping from a variety of marketing approaches, doing many things in an average way. What I mean is the method of marketing doesn’t have much strategic thinking behind it, or consideration for your personality, skills, awareness of your clients, or where that fits into your overall approach and stage of business you are in. This tends to be an expensive use of time and financial resources, for not much lasting benefit. This also requires a lot of new time, effort, and money to build and sustain a business this way, it also keeps you actively doing a lot of marketing, more than you need to be doing, which is interesting as most practitioners prefer to be doing Reiki treatments with their time rather than marketing. A point to consider is that most Professional Reiki Practitioners also have a deadline- literally to make this work, so can rarely afford such waste, and most practitioners have limited starting resources to make this work anyway.

In addition to this, there are always some interesting intertwining blocks, or dynamics between our beliefs around marketing, sales, money, asking for money, our confidence, self-worth, and how that all fits together with a professional field where our motives are to help people who are usually in some kind of pain or distress and our desire to contribute to society, Reiki practitioners are rarely financially driven. This is such a big issue in itself that can derail a sound business, that I have in my Reiki Marketing course reframed words such as marketing and sales and offered my definitions for them to help you navigate these common issues. Marketing Reiki requires a different approach than mainstream business marketing ideas as for a start the motives and temperament of many practitioners do not sit that well with many marketing approaches. In addition, we are marketing a very non-tangible service, that has many limitations around what can be claimed of it.

I have been interested in this area for the last 20-plus years, actually not from a love of marketing, but more necessity because marketing and sales were not my natural habitat. I had to overcome the same challenges you are facing or would be as a Reiki practitioner. That’s why my business and marketing course series came into creation, to help practitioners navigate marketing swiftly and effectively. In addition to 20-plus years as a solo practitioner, teacher, and coach myself, I am a natural strategist and creative problem solver, so have been figuring out this problem around marketing as a Reiki practitioner for many years. The result of this effort has been the creation and development of firstly my ‘Building a Successful Reiki business’ business course then as this issue of marketing was such a challenging area for most Reiki practitioners and a pivotal part of their business success or failure, I then created my ‘Effective Marketing made Easy for Reiki Practitioners’ business course, to deep dive into this topic, which included me creating my 5- steps to finding the right pricing approach, among other useful parts with the marketing course for Reiki practitioners. Have a look at the business course series and see how it could help you.

How to Build a Successful Reiki Business
Home Study Business & Marketing Courses for Reiki Practitioners in the UK

Shaun Mckeown 16/05/2023 Shaun Mckeown 16/05/2023

Recommended Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathology Book for Reiki

This is my suggested supporting book for those doing Reiki treatments who would like to gain some understanding of the body, organ locations, and functions and better understand the systems of the body. It covers anatomy, physiology, and pathology, so is a good resource for therapists in general.

Recommended Reiki Book Reading Series Introduction

So in this series, I offer a short concise view of some recommended books on the topic of Reiki. I thought it would be helpful as I get asked the question as to what Reiki books I would recommend on the topic. These are the books I recommend Reiki students read after taking Reiki courses. They can be interesting to those looking into Reiki, however, my view is more to read Reiki articles, to get an idea if it is something you would like to try or to take training in, then book a Reiki treatment to experience it, or attend Reiki training courses, then read Reiki books. As you tend to be able to understand the content in a deeper way having had Reiki training, or at least experienced it, so being introduced to topics that tend to be covered in the books.

Supportive Reading Books (optional) to help you with Reiki treatments

Ross & Wilson Anatomy and Physiology in Health and Illness (2018) 13th edition
by Ross and Wilson

Anatomy and Physiology for Reiki Practitioners image

So What’s It About?

This book is a good supporting resource for those new to Reiki, or who might not have a deep understanding of the body to a level that would be helpful when delivering Reiki treatments. I have selected this book as it works well for those in therapy. Rather than just anatomy (structures of the body) it has physiology (how things work) and pathology (illness) sections of the book, so more relevant to Reiki treatment settings.

My View of The Book

This book has a good mix of anatomy, physiology, and pathology, so more helpful than a pure anatomy book. It is written in a way that is more helpful to therapists, or those working in health-related fields (rather than sports) which is good as the content is relevant to Reiki treatments. You could pick a number of different books on the topic, this one does the job well and people ask me sometimes about a recommended book on the topic.

Where can I buy a copy of the book?

Below is a link to purchase the book, enjoy.

Anatomy and Physiology for Reiki

Shaun Mckeown 05/05/2023 Shaun Mckeown 05/05/2023

Guide to Buying A Therapy Bed for Reiki

Tips for those thinking of buying a therapy bed for delivering Reiki treatments, be that at home or professionally. In this article I will go through some considerations and my take on therapy couches to try and help you.

As a Reiki teacher, I commonly get asked about therapy beds by students in my Reiki training courses looking to purchase one after their training, to either practice at home or use in a professional Reiki setting. There is a vast array of choices out there, so what I wanted to do in this article was give you some guidance and points to consider to help you select the best therapy bed for you. A point I want to make is that a therapy bed is not just for those who do Reiki treatments professionally. Anyone who does Reiki for family or friends could benefit from having a therapy bed. It is not essential to be able to do Reiki on someone, but it does make it easier to do in a relaxed position which is desirable and is likely to make it more comfortable for you, so could reduce the potential for injury if you are doing a lot of Reiki sessions, as well as being comfortable for the person receiving the Reiki treatment. In addition, you would need a therapy bed to be able to practice the Keisu-ki-kohan-ho (Kekko) technique, you learn in the Shoden (beginner level) Jikiden Reiki training course.

I would view the task of selecting a therapy bed as a range of considerations, each with something like a 1-10 scale of importance that you can dial up if important, or dial down is less important to you. As this will guide your purchasing decision. For example, if the price is the one biggest factor for you, then that will guide your selection strongly. It tends to be finding a sweet spot between your ideal features, such as ideal dimensions, comfort, or foam quality against cost. Let’s look at some key factors to consider.

Safety:
Let’s get this one out of the way. It has to be strong enough for those you might use the therapy bed with from a safety and liability view. Most therapy beds state working ranges of over 230kg (36 stone) even the cheaper ones, which would be fine in pretty much all settings. Take whatever the lowest weight they advertise (dynamic, or working weight) and ensure you have plenty of buffer weight capacity. Around 250 kg capacity would be a common weight capacity. The build quality is likely the consideration between beds. I have had good and not-so-good build quality with therapy couches. My preference now is to go for aluminum frames, rather than the wood composite, as I have seen some quality issues with one I had once, with the screws that go into the wood. You can get still see low-quality aluminum frames, that’s just my preference.

Dimensions:
Most options tend to be between 65-75cm (25-29 ½”) wide, and 70cm (27 ½”) is a common width. Lengths 180-195cm (70-76”) is a common range. For reference: The static therapy bed I use professionally is 70 cm wide and 195cm long, it covers most heights and sizes. My 2nd therapy bed is 70cm wide and 182cm (71 ½”) long. Both these serve me well, but it is about as small as I would want to go. I have had a previous therapy bed around 60cm (23 ½”) wide, but that’s a bit thin for what I want. I have had some around 65cm wide which were OK, but I prefer a therapy couch to be a bit wider. Yes, many have width extension pads on two dowel rods you can add on. But for me (remember I work professionally and I may not have seen the client until they show up for session one) it’s not helpful to the experience of a session of a new client to show up and you look at them and in front of them go and dig out your ‘large person’ width extensions and add them to the couch. Any width extensions I get with a therapy bed go in a bag and the loft. I prefer to get the therapy bed the size I want it, might be 1 Kg heavier, and £20 more cost, but that’s just my preference.

The length of the therapy bed, my main professional one is 195cm long which is fine for anyone. If they are very tall the ankles just hang a bit over the end, you can add the headrest to extend the therapy bed length for face-down work. Just watch quoted therapy bed dimensions on the sales pages, just you ensure to understand what is the size of the therapy bed itself is, same with the width, watch the quoted width is not including extra side width extension pads). Unless you work with a basketball team you should be fine with a therapy bed 180-195cm therapy bed. You might need to consider where you are going to put the therapy bed, if it's in a box room or small therapy room you might lean towards a shorter bed, or if you know you would work with larger clients it might be wider, all just things to consider. Also, more often those who are shorter might find a thinner therapy bed more comfortable to work with, as there is less distance to lean over to reach, the center of the bed/ person’s body, or more likely to find it more comfortable to perform the Kekko technique with a thinner therapy bed.

Client Comfort:
Comfort will be a big consideration with the use of Reiki. If it's uncomfortable the experience of coming to see you will not be relaxing, which is no good for your clients. My current static therapy bed I got for the generous dimensions, for me the padding was not great, so as a solution, I got a 5cm (2”) memory foam topper on it. However, my view is it’s better to get a therapy bed with good foam in the first place. My 2nd therapy couch has much better foam. I got this one second-hand (almost new) it has better 7cm (2 ¾”) and better-quality foam. If looking for a therapy bed I would say a minimum of 6cm (2”) thickness of high-density foam, the kind that doesn’t collapse when a client lays on it. Manufacturers are getting better with this in recent years. It is an area I would invest in when selecting a therapy bed.

Cost:
Cost is commonly a big factor to consider. I’m always a fan of high value. Higher price does not always mean better with therapy beds, that said cheap and low quality is not the best idea either. You can get brand new therapy beds from around £95- £500. There are always more expensive options, but this is the common Range. I have had therapy beds across that price range. I will give some options at the end of this article. Second hand you can pick up from £50 upwards.

Weight:
It's something to consider, more so if you are a mobile therapist, if it’s staying in one location, as long as you can drag it in the door it’s not an issue. Therapy beds tend to be similar, as manufacturers are aware it’s a consideration or concern for many. There is a super light quality one that I link to below that comes in at 11.5 kg (25lb). Most will be in the range of 13-15kg (28 ½- 31lb). Both my therapy beds are about 14kg. If a therapy bed was 10kg or under I would be looking deeper at how that was achieved. If moving it around was a big problem for you, you might need to consider having two therapy beds, one at a couple of locations, or if you are a mobile therapist the weight might be a big consideration for you.

Other Specifications:
This could be if you want a therapy bed that has the option to raise one end, so the client can lay sitting up a bit, so not flat. I have one that does and one that doesn’t. Occasionally I do have clients that I use that with (such as breathing or reflux issues that lying flat is not comfortable, but it’s rare for me). Another feature that most therapy couches have is adjustable leg heights, with a good range with small increments in adjustments. Any therapy bed needs to be comfortable for you to use, so I would say this feature is a must, or you will likely hurt your back in the long term (unless you find one that is a good match for you). Most have a head extension pad for when facing down, some have an additional face hole in the bed so you have 2 options. Many come with an arm sling out front, you can use it for take-off, but not a game changer.

Things marketed like ‘Reiki end plates’, are marketing, it’s just so you can put your legs straight under the bed, as many beds used to have a bar that went across the leg posts at shin height. I would say get a therapy bed that has any support across the leg posts at the head end as high as possible, so you have the option to put your legs under the therapy bed. If the ‘Reiki end’, or bar is covering more than 25% of the end leg posts, its unlikely to serve that purpose anyway, especially if you are tall, or you are shorter and have the bed set at a low height, as your knees would hit it.

Other Considerations:
Here I wanted to list some things to think about when making a choice. You might look to second-hand as an option to have a starter therapy couch, or a second-hand one might be fine long-term, you can look online, or social media marketplaces, or other therapists. You might be looking for a therapy bed that does everything, or one for transporting around and one to stay at the main place you do Reiki treatment sessions. Remember to consider any delivery charges on top of a therapy bed price itself, as they are not light. Customer service is a consideration, more for some than others, other therapists and students, I know have tended to report poorer quality of service and customer support with the larger retailers, compared to the more local specialist companies. I have heard good reports for the retailer of the higher-price option below.

Example Therapy Bed Options:
Below I have selected three therapy beds to demonstrate what you might expect in terms of pricing, dimensions, etc. I have selected a low, mid-range, and higher price option. For the low-priced and medium-priced ones, I have had similar versions and have used them for many years. Note: the lowest price option was one where I found the foam to be poor on previous models, this one appears to have improved foam, but I have not personally used this newer model, however, it provides an example of what is common for that price and type of therapy bed. If I was to buy another therapy bed, I would likely purchase the higher-priced one, but remember I do this for my work. I have not had personal experience with the higher priced option, but of options at that price range, it has a lot of what I would look for, and I know other Reiki teachers that use and rate this company and its products, the one I have selected is the one that seems most popular with the teachers (mainly due to its lightweight, comfort, and quality).

Note: This article is not sponsored, the 2 lower cost options do have a basic Amazon affiliate link. If you are a Jikiden Reiki UK Association Member, look on your member benefit /practitioner page, there will be a special discount with Massage Warehouse for you (from the end of May 2023). Another benefit of joining the JRUKA.

Lower price option:
Massage Imperial® Charbury Extra Wide Massage Table
Price: £99 (approx.)
weight 13 Kg
Dimensions: 70cm wide/ 195cm long
For details and purchase click on the link below:

Therapy Bed Basic

Mid-Priced Option:

Massage Imperial® Consort Oval Massage Table
Price: £124 (approx.)
Weight: 14kg
Dimensions: 70cm wide/ 195cm long
For details and purchase click on the link below:

Therapy Bed Mid Range

Higher price option:
Porta-Lite Delta II, by Massage Warehouse
Price: £365 (approx.)
Dimensions: 71cm wide/ 185cm long (there is also a popular wider 76cm option for this model)
For details and purchase click on the link below:

Therapy Bed Higher Range

I hope you found this article interesting. For more information about Reiki, or Reiki courses visit my website, or for more ideas about Therapy Beds for Reiki see the additional links below.

Useful links:

Massage Warehouse Therapy bed full range page

Amazon Therapy bed full range page, click on the link below:

Therapy beds

Shaun Mckeown 11/03/2022 Shaun Mckeown 11/03/2022

What is Reiki Lineage?

This article is written with a range of readers in mind, primarily for my own Jikiden Reiki students, but also with those looking for Reiki training courses, and existing Reiki practitioners and teachers of other approaches to Reiki in mind. Misunderstandings around lineage are commonplace in the Reiki world, both in the UK and internationally. So, what is a Reiki lineage?

In a nutshell- A Reiki teacher lineage is represented as a single vertical list from your Reiki teacher (or if you are a Reiki teacher your name) in the system you teach showing each teacher above you in your line back to the founder Mikao Usui.

To begin this topic, 2 key points are critical to an understanding of lineage.

1. It is only Reiki teachers that should have a Reiki lineage (as they are the ones permitted to teach Reiki). Practitioners/students don’t have a Reiki teaching lineage.

2. Reiki lineage is a direct single line. The person above a Reiki teacher in a lineage is the person with who a teacher took teacher training and was permitted to teach those teaching to others. This single line goes back to the founder of Reiki Mikao Usui.

This can be new information for many Reiki practitioners and indeed Reiki teachers out there. So, let’s look at this first point. Misunderstandings around lineage are seen in many approaches to Reiki. When a person completes Reiki training along with a Reiki certificate, it is not uncommon for a Reiki teacher to inform a student of their new Reiki lineage as a practitioner/student, which tends to be the teacher’s lineage, with the student’s name placed underneath, which you can see from the first point above that it is a lineage for teachers only, so the idea of practitioners having a lineage is incorrect, as they are not a teacher. This misunderstanding can even be seen when a Reiki practitioner lists a lineage on a professional website, again at that level of training they wouldn’t have their lineage. This misunderstanding would have likely started around 40 years ago and has been baked into the teaching of Reiki for many years and followed the spread of Reiki in the West and then around the world, so it’s not surprising it’s such a common misunderstanding. Note: Just because almost everyone does something a certain way doesn’t mean it's correct. Before finding Jikiden Reiki (authentic Japanese Usui Reiki) I was a Reiki teacher (termed master teacher) teaching Usui Reiki and other Reiki approaches, both systems I was previously a teacher in did this, we gave students a lineage with their name on it.

What we do in Jikiden Reiki, following the Usui system of Reiki, (for my students reading this), and a simple suggestion for any Reiki practitioners and teachers of other approaches to Reiki, to be more in keeping with the way of Reiki, so not adding to this misunderstanding, would be:

A student might say ‘My teacher’s Reiki lineage is’ (then list their own teacher’s lineage- without the student’s name on it). As it was in Japan and is today in Jikiden Reiki, teacher permissions are granted gradually so have graduated sub-teaching levels, we in Jikiden Reiki add our teacher level by our name, Shihan, meaning ‘teacher’ so permitted to teach the complete system of Reiki, so both Shoden and Okuden courses (in the western systems of Reiki commonly termed level 1 and 2). So, for my Reiki students for you, it would be presented as:

My teacher’s Reiki lineage is:

Mikao Usui
Chijiro Hayashi
Chiyoko Yamaguchi
Tadao Yamaguchi
Shaun Mckeown (Shihan)

If as a student in the future, you become a Reiki teacher, at that point you take on the teacher lineage of the teacher who permitted you to teach. So now your name would be placed at the bottom of that list of names. Out of respect you might also on a side note, refer to the teacher who taught you Shoden and Okuden in the system you now teach.

The second point I make on Reiki lineage is pretty simple for my students reading this but can be new information and indeed create some questions for anyone reading this whose own Reiki teacher’s lineage does not look how a Reiki teacher's lineage should.

A few must-have characteristics of Reiki lineage are: At the top of your teacher’s (or your lineage if a Reiki teacher yourself) should be Mikao Usui, if not I would question what are you practicing if it’s called Reiki. As if it’s called Reiki it should have the founder of Reiki at the top. In most lineages, he is, however, this is not as clear cut as it can appear as many things called Usui Reiki, which have Usui Sensei’s name at the top of a lineage, are teaching something a great distance away from what Mikao Usui called Reiki. But that’s a different rant for another day.

To keep things simple, let's view this as if you are not a teacher yourself, but a Reiki practitioner reading this, any Reiki teachers reading this will be clever enough to understand what this means for them. Your Reiki teacher’s lineage should look like a vertical line, not like a tree. I say again: A Reiki teacher lineage is a single straight vertical line, the lowest being your teacher's name, with the name directly above your teacher being the Reiki teacher permitted to teach the system of that lineage, who permitted your teacher to teach those Reiki teachings to you, once they completed teacher training. This continues back until you get to the founder of Reiki Mikao Usui. Think of it as your teacher is teaching in the name of the teacher before them and so on in their lineage back to the founder of Reiki.

A deviation to Reiki lineage started about 15 or so years ago, when I say deviation, it was not by accident. We know the few individuals that set out on this idea away from a true Reiki lineage. What these people did was start presenting a Reiki teacher lineage that looks more like a tree. They did this by joining a variety of lineages. In my opinion there only appears one reason to do so, which would be to try to find a way to make their Reiki lineage (and therefore their Reiki courses) look more Japanese and authentic. I think it is interesting these lineages only started appearing around the time Jikiden Reiki, known as authentic Japanese Usui Reiki came onto the Reiki scene. When I first learned Reiki and became a teacher, my teacher lineage was a single straight line. In the second system of Reiki, I became a teacher, which I learned directly from a prominent international Reiki teacher was this type of branch-like lineage.

These lineages are misleading to students at best. A Reiki lineage is not a record of all the variety of Reiki-related training a teacher has had or a collection of all the techniques you have learned. It is supposed to be a single track of the teachers, who granted the teacher below them in the lineage permission to be a Reiki teacher and share the teachings they taught them, honoring the system of Reiki as taught by the teacher above.

In these tree-like lineages, you tend to see a common Western lineage (by that I mean with Mrs. Takata in it, as is commonly the case, so going: Mikao Usui, Chihiro Hayashi, Mrs. Takata, and so on, which is fine. But then we see these Japanese branches, which imply someone further up the line was trained, then took teacher training in that system and was granted teacher level along with being permitted to teach that system from traditional Japanese Reiki teachers. We know this is not the case with those who started this idea. Let’s be clear if a teacher has not taken teacher training and been granted permission by the teacher above them in a lineage to teach those teachings in their name then that whole line in a lineage should not be there.

As an example, if any teacher has Chiyoko Yamaguchi in a lineage, that is not teaching Jikiden Reiki, so not an authorized Jikiden Reiki teacher by the Jikiden Reiki Institute in Japan (what I teach) then her name and that whole line on a lineage should not be on a lineage at all. In this case that the person claiming she granted teacher level and permission to teach what she taught (outside Jikiden Reiki) would not be correct, even if a teacher did take some training in Jikiden Reiki as a practitioner.

For a start even if such a teacher, had been trained in those teachings (but not a teacher) in Jikiden Reiki, then without permission (directly against what they would have agreed), used a Jikiden Reiki lineage, an initial problem would be the Reiju (termed attunement in western approaches) would not be the original way, as they would not have been taught it themselves until teacher training, which they wouldn’t have taken, that’s a problem in itself, as the method they are using would be different.

Another version of this is a Japanese lineage, where a rare situation where someone learned practitioner levels of training Shoden and Okuden from an authentic Japanese Teacher. We know this is accurate, but we also know they were not taught to be teachers in those teachings and not given permission to teach, so again the whole line shouldn’t be there. In my mind, these two examples open up questions about honesty and integrity with those initial teachers who started this idea, especially when knowing this was against the wishes of the teacher above them. A consequence of this situation is those well-meaning Reiki teachers, a few steps down that lineage would be unaware of this, so believe they are teaching with integrity in the name of the teachers before them in that lineage. Commonly that lineage drew the teacher towards those teachings, looking for authenticity in the first place. Note: we know of a couple of Western people who have been accepted into the Gakki (original Usui Reiki society) in Japan, so their teacher’s lineage would be authentic Japanese, but they would not be practicing/teaching Reiki outside of the group, as members practice within it. So you would not see these lineages appearing in public.

Note: As this article is public, for those Reiki teachers who are reading this, who might have a tree-type lineage, or Japanese-looking lineage, who with the best intentions did not know this and want to teach with integrity, I would say, the common solution is simply to delete the Japanese strands of your lineage that cannot be verified and inform any Reiki teachers (masters) you have created, of your amended Reiki teacher lineage. I say this as I am yet to find one of these tree-type lineages that hold up. That’s exactly what I did. I know some that have respect for them for doing so. If your interest is in authentic Japanese Usui Reiki, I would say have a look at Jikiden Reiki and see if that might be a direction for you, maybe becoming an authorized teacher in the future, that was my route.

For those looking for Reiki training, what can we determine from a teacher's Reiki lineage? Well, if Mrs. Takata is in it, it could be classed as Western Reiki (she would be the 3rd person in the lineage). We know some parts of Reiki were omitted and some changes were made at that point. We also know that teachers after that point were permitted to adjust the training. So, things that are not Reiki and misunderstandings creep in from there. If a Western lineage is long the potential for more adjustments to the training, or the pollution of the training (pick a word that works for you) could be higher. Most western Reiki lineages are 8-15 teachers long, however, a slightly shorter lineage is not always a guarantee that things were not changed as much as a longer one, just the chances are higher. Jikiden Reiki teachers have an unusually short teacher lineage, in mine, I am the 5th person in my lineage. A key characteristic we see with Jikiden Reiki is that there is no Western influence and as teachers, we are not permitted to change the training. So, these 3 things together ensure accuracy and ensure authenticity in what we are teaching. Ultimately if you like what you have been taught, great. My focus is on people not being misled and promoting authentic Japanese Usui Reiki, so I will have a certain view on this topic. I hope you have found this article of interest and I wish you the best with your study of Reiki. For those interested in authentic Japanese Usui Reiki training courses (Jikiden Reiki) you can find out more about courses here Jikiden Reiki courses.

Shaun Mckeown 06/08/2021 Shaun Mckeown 06/08/2021

Recommended Reiki Books 'Women in Reiki’

I can announce the release of a new Reiki book, titled 'Women in Reiki'. The book has been 3 years in the making, involving in-depth research and interviews, shining a spotlight on key influential women in Reiki.

Recommended Reiki Book Reading Series Introduction

Women in Reiki (2021)
by Silke Kleemann & Amanda Jayne

The Authors

A recent book release of 2021 this new Reiki book, titled 'Women in Reiki' has been 3 years in the making, involving in-depth research and interviews, shining a spotlight on key influential women in Reiki. It is written by senior Jikiden Reiki teachers Amanda Jayne (UK) and Silke Kleemann (Germany).

So What’s It About?

Most books focus on the key male teachers within Reiki. The focus of this book has been to research the lives of key female figures, who made significant contributions to Reiki, from 1930s Japan to today. Show us their dedication, be that to living Reiki, sharing authentic Usui teachings, keeping Reiki going through tough historical times, or spreading Reiki in the world. This book has some interesting little know information, it also provides an insight into life in Japan, historical information on the lives of these key female figures, and tries to understand what life was like for these women, whilst looking at their contributions to Reiki.

My View of The Book

This book is a solid 400-page book but the depth of information is organized in such a way it feels like many short topics. I found the content naturally broke into sections very well. I could read and absorb a section, then come back to the book and read another section, or chapter about a person, which I liked. The book offers a great depth of information and understanding of what life was like for these women and provides a useful understanding of the social environment of the time and their life situations. In addition to the useful information on key women in Reiki in the 1930s and subsequent decades, there is also information and perspectives offered by modern-day women dedicated to Reiki, which I enjoyed reading.

I real gem for me was the sections in the book where the authors share their experiences and discuss ideas about Reiki, offering some helpful descriptions and insights from their experience working with Reiki. I think the book is a great read. What I would say is as the book looks at key women in Reiki, those who are students of Reiki will likely get the most from the book I feel, as you have a prior understanding of Reiki and have heard these names in your Reiki training. This book would add depth to your understanding. I would recommend this book to all my Reiki students.

Where can I buy a copy of the book?

You can view a link to purchase this book and see my other recommended Reiki book titles here.

Shaun Mckeown 30/11/2020 Shaun Mckeown 30/11/2020

Recommended Reiki Books 'One with Reiki’

In this short take on my latest recommended Reiki book. I take a look at the recently translated into English and released book in 2020 ‘One with Reiki’ By Frank Arjava Petter.

Recommended Reiki Book Reading Series Introduction

One with Reiki (2020)
by Frank Arjava Petter

The Author

‘One Reiki’ was published in English recently in 2020, written by one of my Reiki teachers Frank Arjava Petter. Arjava is the Vice Representative of Jikiden Reiki. Arjava Sensei has devoted the last 25-plus years to uncovering the truth with regards Reiki history. Much of what we know as accurate Reiki history has come from his research. He is German by birth, so a Westerner, but he lived in Japan for a while, so can offer that perspective.

So What’s It About?

As an overview to get an idea, the book starts with our understanding of everything as one, our true nature. The book then goes into elements of Japanese thinking and culture, covering influences of differing religions and bitesize nuggets of the historical journey of Japan. Followed by topics such as a more in-depth look at the Gokai (Reiki principles) and meaning in our lives. Topics of our attitude when practicing Reiki, how we act along with guidance as to how to view life along your Reiki journey are also covered. The book is around 130 pages long.

My View of The Book

This book was very nice to read. For me It was not a deep, technical book, covering everything about Reiki. Arjava Sensei’s book ‘This is Reiki’ is good for that. This book was a lighter read, yet deeper, in a different way for me. What I mean, for me it builds on the technical depth of how to ‘do Reiki’ and all about it, to the deeper understanding, the subtle appreciation of the way of thinking of Japan at the time, the context of thinking and living in a way of, as the book is titled: ‘being ‘one with Reiki’. I think this book will help us stay in the right way of thinking and daily practice to develop on our Reiki path.

Me, I found the structure of the book great. Convenient short sections within each of the 9 chapters, covering important points to aid our understanding of Reiki. So I would read a few pages each day and absorb the points, so not a heavy read for me, more layering the understanding of Arvaja’s wealth of experience, well that’s how I read the book, that’s my style of reading anyway, you could read it in bigger chunks as well. I would say this book is a good read for any level of Reiki practice, whatever approach to Reiki you might be interested in. Just be aware some of the themes refer to things taught in authentic Japanese Reiki training, so might be best suited for those who have taken Reiki training. Or just read it, then take Reiki training, then come back to the book and read again.

Where can I buy a copy of the book?

You can find a purchase link for this boo and view my other recommended Reiki book titles here.

Shaun Mckeown 14/10/2020 Shaun Mckeown 14/10/2020

Using Reiki to Support Emotional Well-being

This article is for those who work professionally as a Reiki practitioner, delivering Reiki treatments to the public. Or anyone who is thinking about doing so in the future. I have recently finished writing my home study course for Reiki practitioners, entitled ‘Building a Successful Reiki Practice’.

Many people who have experienced a course of Reiki treatments with me report feeling better on an emotional level. Common feedback I get from clients includes phases such as: feeling emotionally ‘lighter’, feeling happier, more at peace, worrying less, feeling less stressed, observing improvements in their mood, or feeling shifts emotionally on a deep level. In addition to this clients report direct improvements in their symptoms relating to their emotional health with lessening symptoms for many conditions, for example, anxiety and depression, as well as working through life events and experiences of things such as grief in a smoother, more peaceful way.

Anyone who has spent a long time in health, especially with holistic, or integrated approaches, will have seen the importance of emotional well-being to health in general. Many would subscribe to the view that emotional well-being as being the foundation to health (be that emotional or physical).

At the core of this topic if we look to an understanding of Reiki we are working with someone at the core of a person, with or part of what you might describe as the energy of life itself. So with Reiki treatments, it’s no real surprise, strong emotional healing, and well-being responses are common with Reiki. If we think of our soul using the energy to help move us to greater balance, and peace, to promote our natural state. In addition, any emotional ‘internal conflict’ tends to be highlighted, worked through, and resolved with Reiki, or at least strongly supported by Reiki. This is even strongly seen with those who train and live a path of Reiki.

One way you could think of it is receiving Reiki as a reminder to our soul of our original state, or receiving Reiki as bringing us more mentally in alignment with our natural original state.

What I say here is not from expertise in the field of psychology. More from an understanding of Reiki and observation of the healing effect of Reiki on an emotional level. We could think of our emotional distress or pain as a highlighter to something deep within us that we are either holding onto, or a part of us that is not healed and accepted as part of us, or as part of our journey in life. Or an experience that has not been resolved within us. So we have emotional internal conflict, which creates tension.

So this might manifest, or express as someone will let go of the past more, as we learn to live more in the present rather than in the past. Other things will just not bother us as much anymore. Many of those I have helped with Reiki treatments have reported a feeling of being ‘supported’ or a deep sense of love during a treatment. Feeling mentally lighter, or more peaceful after a treatment.

In closing, an area in Reiki seems to have the greatest effect is on someone’s emotional well-being. I would say a lot of issues people come to Reiki for help with are helped, or the root of the issue stems from emotions, as such are very much helped by this common emotional well-being effect people receive from Reiki. You can find out more about Reiki treatments with me here: Reiki healing or Reiki courses to help you.

Shaun Mckeown 14/10/2020 Shaun Mckeown 14/10/2020

Why A Good Business Course for Reiki Practitioners is So Needed

How to Build a Successful Reiki Business
Home Study Business & Marketing Courses for Reiki Practitioners in the UK

This article is for any Professional Reiki practitioner and equally anyone who is thinking about becoming one. Over the years as a Reiki professional teacher and practitioner myself and training many others, the need for comprehensive business training has become more apparent. I have in recent years created and developed my self-study business course specially designed for the needs of Reiki practitioners, entitled ‘Building a Successful Reiki Business’. Which came from 1-1 business mentoring for Reiki professionals. Through writing this course highlighted to me further all the different areas that a professional Reiki practitioner must be proficient in, or have covered, for it all to work and achieve a level of sustainable success in this industry, which lead me to the creation of my second Reiki business courses entitled: ‘Effective Marketing Made easy for Reiki Practitioners’, along with the all the supporting resources I created to meet the needs of Reiki practitioners. I wrote this article alongside my articles ‘Marketing for Reiki professionals’’ and ‘How to Build a Successful Reiki Business’ to look into the need for business support for Reiki professionals.

So why have I formed the option that a business course for Professional Reiki practitioners is so needed in the industry? Well as a Reiki teacher, I naturally train people in Reiki, some of which decide either at a future time once Reiki has profoundly helped them in their life, to then help others with Reiki and become a professional Reiki practitioner, or they come to take Reiki training with that intention, to begin with. As Reiki teachers, we teach Reiki, no surprise there. As a Jikiden Reiki teacher, I teach Reiki how it was originally taught, which didn’t include a business section. What we teach is controlled by Japan, and the content of training courses is not added to it. For many who want to learn Reiki for personal development or to help family, a business section is not needed either. It’s a Reiki course, to learn Reiki, the practice of the development of body and mind. A business section was not in the original teachings, so for those who teach the original teachings, it is not there today.

What is found in many approaches to teaching Reiki is a general professional practice element of maybe a couple of hours of discussion incorporated into the second level of study, or what many courses called Reiki level 2, or practitioner level. This has been added from a sound idea of best practice, the content usually touches on topics like delivering professional treatments and some best practice guidelines, considerations with advertising regulations, etc. Not a problem in itself, indeed useful, however in my opinion, as useful as it may be, having observed many Reiki professionals over the years and have been a self-employed solo practitioner and coach for over 20 years now. In my view, it’s just not going to be enough, or specific enough for the demands of solo professional practice to make it as a professional Reiki practitioner.

In my view, you are better to get focused solid Reiki training from your Reiki training courses. Then with the awareness that there is a need for business training then go and get solid focused business training to meet that need. The danger in covering a bit of information only can leave some with the idea they are prepared to enter the world of professional Reiki practice. Many of the level 2 reiki courses are even termed ‘practitioner level’ which reinforces this point further. As a generalization, this ‘business’ training component in many Reiki level 2 courses, tends to lean towards best practice guidelines, national occupational standards, and regulation requirements, be that data protection, GDPR, note-taking within professional treatment settings, and such like- they are compliance-focused. Yes, things you need to know, however, I can guarantee these will not be the key factors that determine your success or failure as a professional Reiki practitioner.

My option is that Reiki training courses are for Reiki training and business courses are a separate thing altogether.

I make the above point as a glance around my website will reveal I have gone through the process of attaining the awards for the highest standards of professional practice we have in Reiki in the UK and I am a registrant on the CNHC accredited register for those professional practitioners who have achieved and comply to those standards within their business, but what I say is that’s all that has been done as good professional practice, and an element of supporting consumer confidence in how work and my professional competence, that’s it.

Many get mixed up that such knowledge or awards will lead to professional success, as such neglect other areas of their business to their peril. Those with the best standards in professional practice might be the most professional, but not necessarily the most successful practitioners out there- and more importantly can pull too much attention of time and focus toward regulation when it might be better focused on marketing for example, so there is a balance to be achieved. I think achieving professional best practice has a place, it’s just not the key determinant for professional success in my view, and that’s coming from someone who is heavily involved in course creation and national occupational Standards training and works as a teacher and assessor for such awards.

So the question remains, what is needed, or would best to help professional Reiki practitioners succeed? Some things to consider or pay attention to, what you could term as ‘gaps’ commonly seen as not properly addressed, would be: Having a deep understanding of who you want to serve and why. Understanding your temperament and skills, developing more supportive beliefs around money and self-value to better serve you. Create effective ways to manage your time, energy, finances, and workflow. Get a plan (or overview idea) in place, so decisions are strategic and less random. Setting your business apart from the masses. Develop skills in sales with integrity- with service at the core. Work on yourself, be that your default behaviors, or fears, or continue building your self-confidence among other things. There are more, but these are commonly missed, or not developed to the degree they need to be.

I have been fascinated by performance in sports and business settings for many years and myself having studied with various business experts, many with differing approaches. The reality is that to succeed as a sole practitioner or therapist in any field, you need to have a grip on certain things, for example, the environment of being a self-employed sole practitioner sets certain demands on you. For a start, you are doing everything within your business (some can be outsourced, once profit allows) until then you need to be proficient in many areas at once and it’s very unlikely your natural skills will fall into all of these areas.

In my role as a Reiki teacher, some students decide to go in the direction of professional Reiki practice. I have decided to expand my ‘role’ or my place in this field, or industry to in addition to teaching people Reiki and supporting students about the practice of Reiki, also offer my experience and understanding of the business side of things to both my students and the wider Reiki community, in a more structured way. So, I now offer a unique comprehensive self-study Reiki Business Course Series, a collection of real-world resources on Reiki business development and marketing to help professional Reiki practitioners. I have built a framework of step-by-step stages to work through at your own pace, along with a selection of great ideas, from my experience and research in this area over the years. If you would like to find out more details can be found here: Reiki Business Course

How to Build a Successful Reiki Business
Home Study Business & Marketing Courses for Reiki Practitioners in the UK

Shaun Mckeown 05/08/2020 Shaun Mckeown 05/08/2020

Better to Attend Both Jikiden Reiki Courses Together or do them Seperately?

This question comes up quite regularly, when people look to attend Reiki training. In short either way is fine to do. In Jikiden Reiki things are set up for students to attend both levels together- to learn the whole system of Reiki at one time, rather than do it in bits. I have my views on it and will expand on this question with the aim to better help you decide what is best for you.

This question comes up quite regularly when people look to attend Reiki training. In short, either way, is fine to do. In Jikiden Reiki things are set up for students to attend both levels together- to learn the whole system of Reiki at one time, rather than do it in bits. I have my views on it and will expand on this question with the aim to better help you decide what is best for you. Jikiden Reiki training (as is the case with most approaches to Reiki in general) consists of 2 courses or levels of training. The first course ‘Shoden’, meaning beginner level- is comparable to what is termed in the West as Reiki level 1. The second course ‘Okuden’, meaning deeper level, is comparable to what is termed in the West as Reiki level 2. Details of the Beginner Reiki Course and the Deeper level Reiki course can be found on the Jikiden Reiki training courses website page.

In non-Jikiden Reiki circles, well most of the common approaches to Reiki out there you will come across, training courses tend to be set up for students to attend the first course, then go away, gain a bit of experience then return and complete the second level of training at a later date. Most consider a period of 12 weeks to be best for this. The idea it’s helpful as after taking the second level students can then go off and become professional practitioners, so enforcing a period of delay between courses is thought to be better. The idea is a student is more experienced when they take the second level, so better able to be a professional practitioner.

The approach to taking both courses together came about in Japan in the early days of Reiki, as travel was so challenging when key figures taught Reiki a long way away they tended to teach both levels together. An approach that continues today with Jikiden Reiki. Commonly Jikiden Reiki training courses in Europe and Japan are delivered as a 3-day event, day one and two are the Shoden course, with Day 3 being the Okuden course. At this time I tend to deliver Shoden on one weekend, then deliver Okuden on a day the following weekend, simply for logistical reasons, as more people are available at weekends than in the week. With Jikiden Reiki in general people commonly just sign up for the training and take the complete training, both Shoden, and Okuden together. The option does still exist to take the Shoden course, then at a future date take the Okuden level. The view of the Jikiden Reiki Institute in Japan is that there is no need to take the first level, then wait for a period of time before taking the second level.

The way I see it the content of the second course will still be new to you, no matter how long you wait for in-between courses. In addition some of the content in the second course is helpful to a complete beginner, so on that basis alone it can be helpful to do both levels together. In Jikiden Reiki the second level is made up of additional techniques, or approaches for you to use, so the toolbox of approaches you have is larger than if you just did the first course on its own. One of the main techniques is a method of emotional healing for yourself and others, I would say that’s relevant for most students, new or experienced.

The other is a method to deliver a Reiki treatment remotely, which again is useful to a complete beginner whose elderly parent lives 100 miles away, as much as it is a student with 12 weeks experience whose elderly parent still lives 100 miles away- they just delayed the ability to use this technique by 12 weeks, that’s all. As if I need a better example of this, I am writing this article during the 2020 Covid 19 lockdown. Those who took Jikiden Reiki training with me in January 2020 and did both levels together (Shoden and Okuden) have been using the distant Reiki technique to support family members over recent months, who they have been unable to get to during the lockdown, so been unable to use hands-on Reiki with. Those who only took the first level (Shoden) in January with me, who were due to take the second level (Okuden) in early April- a course I had to cancel with the Covid-19 situation and going into Lockdown. So as I write this in early August 2020 so the last 7 months or so, 4 months of which were full lockdown they have not been able to use this technique to support family members and friends around them.

This brings me to another observation, with the best intentions in the world when students come for training, life can through some curve balls, 2020 being an example of this. Logistically the reality is it’s sometimes easier to clear the diary for both courses at the same time than it is to try and clear space to do a Reiki course one month, then try to clear space for another Reiki course again 3 months on. Some do the courses with a gap to spread out the cost, for financial reasons. I find that people’s financial situations tend to be pretty similar 12 weeks after the Shoden. I offer payment by card for courses as well which many students have said is helpful.

The only other reason seems to be people think learning both levels together would be too much info in a short space of time. I tend to deliver most courses over 2 weekends so there is a slight gap. The way we teach Jikiden and with the ongoing follow-up support from myself as a teacher, with regular workshops and practice events along with also having heavily discounted opportunities to repeat any formal Jikiden Reiki training course at any future time available, this is less of an issue with Jikdien Reiki (note: with may approaches to Reiki there is not this level of support after the formal training built-in).

Another consideration is many find it helpful to do the second level with the same group of people they just learned the first level with, rather than join a new group at a later date. So most do both levels together, I would say with 90 % of people it’s the best option, but attending the courses separately is possible. If it helps reassure you, below are some thoughts of those who did choose to do both courses together and were pleased they did, most were beginners to Reiki as well.

“I am so glad I decided to complete both Jikiden Reiki courses (Shoden & Okuden) with Shaun. The pace & depth of the course was perfect for the group as was Shaun’s style of teaching – he is patient & supportive whilst ensuring the group is comfortable with the knowledge they are learning. Highly recommended.”- Claire

“I attended the Shoden and Okuden courses with Shaun, what a fantastic course! All course material and teaching was easy to understand and explained as well as lots of opportunities for hands-on experience. I highly recommend this course”

“I have recently completed the 3 days of training (Shoden and Okuden) with Shaun which was amazing. The insight into the origins of Jikiden Reiki and its philosophy was really interesting and the practice course content was far more than I imagined.”- Jane

”I had the best experience attending the Shoden and Okuden Reiki training. Shaun who is the trainer, is a natural teacher, he teaches Jikden Reiki with a lot of depth and passion. Shaun creates a very warm and relaxing environment to teach Reiki. I came from very little knowledge and experience with Reiki. Shaun helped me to fully understand what Reiki is, and how we can use it.”- Pam

“I have attended the Shoden and Okuden courses where Shaun teaches the original Jikiden form of Reiki.
It was such an enjoyable and insightful three days with lots of practical work which is a great way of learning. The whole experience was so relaxed and Shaun’s obvious passion and ability to teach made it an absolute pleasure. I highly recommend Shaun as a teacher and practitioner.”- Janet

If you are looking to take Jikiden Reiki training courses with me and would like to discuss options, you can get in touch and I am happy to discuss the options with you and advise you. Click on the link to see dates and details of upcoming Jikiden Reiki Training Courses

Shaun’s Reiki Articles

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Why A Good Business Course for Reiki Practitioners is So Needed

Better to Attend Both Jikiden Reiki Courses Together or do them Seperately?

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