Reiki Ethics

Many people coming for healing are vulnerable.  They may be vulnerable emotionally or physically.  It is imperative that you do not violate that trust that they place in you.   

1.      Confidentiality:  If a person is expressing an emotional release, as a result of the treatment it is essential that you maintain their confidentiality and respect their lives.  What goes on, on the Reiki table, stays on the Reiki table.  Don’t be discussing it with others and do not bring it up to the person should you see them out in public or with their families.  Consider it all to be private.  If the recipient should happen to bring it up in front of others, then it’s OK.  One should never assume the recipient wants to discuss it with you at any other time, except for when they are on your table.

2.     Diagnosis:  Unless you are a licensed health care provider, you should never offer a diagnosis for any symptoms you may be treating.  The legal ramifications are rather serious for practicing medicine without a license.  It is best to refer the recipient to licensed medical or psychological professionals when appropriate.  Let the doctors make the diagnosis, and then you can offer Reiki as a means of enhancing their medical treatments. 

3.     Promise Healing:  Explain to people that Reiki sessions do not guarantee a cure, and are not a substitute for standard medical care.  Reiki does not do the healing.  Reiki is only the energy that the body uses to heal itself.  Therefore the ability and responsibility for healing lies within the recipient.  It is the innate intelligence of the human body that directs the energy to assist in a healing of that which the body determines to be of the highest and best good of the individual.  That’s why you might get a different outcome to a Reiki treatment than you expect.  You might want to use Reiki to get rid of a headache, but the energy gets applied to the emotional turmoil that is causing the headache.  Unlike most western medicine, Reiki will treat the cause versus the symptoms of any given illness.

By:  Jacqueline Windon

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