Reiki
Can You Do Reiki on Yourself?
Yes, within the practice’s own rules, once you have been trained. The International Center for Reiki Training says that after you receive the attunement you can treat yourself as well as others, and calls this one of Reiki’s unique features. William Lee Rand, writing for the ICRT, suggests 15 to 30 minutes of self-treatment a day. Without training, you can still rest with your hands on yourself, but the ICRT ties self-treatment to the attunement.
Who can practice self-Reiki?
Anyone who has taken a first-level class. The ICRT’s answer makes the attunement the starting point, and Cancer Research UK describes Level 1 as the stage at which you can use Reiki for yourself, your family and your friends.
How is it done?
In A Personal Healing Program, William Lee Rand describes two ways to structure a daily self-treatment of 15 to 30 minutes:
- A complete treatment, working through all the hand positions you learned in class.
- A shorter, targeted one, using a scanning technique called Byosen and treating only the areas you are guided to.
He also suggests keeping a notebook nearby, since ideas about issues in your life may come up during the session, and writing them down to use later.
In practice, that means a quiet place, a comfortable position, sitting or lying down, and a fixed time you can keep, such as before getting up or before sleep.
What if you have not been trained?
You can still sit or lie quietly with your hands resting on your body and your attention on your breathing. That is a form of rest, and you do not need a class or anyone’s permission to do it. In the ICRT’s terms, though, that is rest rather than self-Reiki.
What does the evidence say?
Self-treatment faces the same evidence question as any Reiki session: the NCCIH says there is no scientific evidence supporting the existence of the energy field thought to play a role in Reiki. What you can observe for yourself is simpler: whether the daily pause leaves you calmer, and whether you keep it up.
Is self-Reiki enough on its own?
Not in the ICRT’s own view. Rand writes that receiving treatments from others is also important, and probably the most important thing a practitioner can do to keep their Reiki energy strong. He suggests meeting a trusted partner at least once a week to exchange sessions. Within the practice, then, self-treatment is a daily habit alongside sessions with others, not a replacement for them.
What not to use it for
Do not use self-Reiki in place of a diagnosis or a treatment. If you find yourself placing your hands on the same painful spot day after day, that pain is a reason to see a doctor, not to add more time to the session. Keep the daily practice for what it can offer: a regular, quiet pause in your day.
This article is general information, not medical or psychological advice; talk with a licensed clinician about your own situation.