In this blog entry, I wanted to explore a debate within the Reiki community. It’s about an issue that may have already come up in your Reiki work.

In a nutshell, the debate is this: Should we do Reiki hands on (touching the person), or hands off (with our hands above the person’s body)? Does Reiki work better using one method or the other?

Reiki is usually thought of as “touch therapy”. There’s no denying that touch itself is very healing. There are many studies showing that our brains release “feel good” chemistry when we are lovingly touched by someone.

And when Reiki is taught in classes, it is almost always taught by having the students place their hands on the person they are channeling Reiki to.

But here’s the interesting part: our physical bodies end, and then our energetic (or auric) bodies begin. Our energy field extends out from our body for at least 4 to 6 inches. Some people believe it extends much farther than that, 2 or 3 feet out from our body. We know that many physical ailments have their roots in spiritual issues. And we know that disturbances in our energy field can have a profound effect on our physical bodies.

So if we don’t do hands-off Reiki, can we sense where the energetic/auric body needs attention?

The answer is that each individual Reiki practitioner must decide for himself or herself. And, the answer often depends on the situation. It also requires a certain amount of confidence on the part of the Reiki practitioner — confidence to know and interpret the things you are sensing as you working with someone.

When I first got my Reiki attunements, I worked hands-on, as I had been taught. But one day, I instinctively raised my hands off the body of the person I was working with. Wow! I noticed immediately that the energy I was channeling was flowing much more powerfully, more strongly. I could really feel the difference. And I could feel subtle changes in the person’s energy field that had not been apparent to me when I worked hands-on.

From that day on, my personal preference has always been for hands-off work. I always start a Reiki session hands-off and frequently work that way for the entire session. If I am drawn intuitively to touch some part of the person, I always ask their permission first, so as not to startle them.

My clients often comment that it feels as if I have a thousand hands on them, even though my hands are usually about 6 inches off their body!

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that you should check the legal status of Reiki in your locale. In some states in the U.S., it is illegal for anyone who is not licensed to touch (nurses, doctors, chiropractors, etc.) to practice any modality that involves touch. That’s kind of sad, isn’t it? And it says a lot about our society that you need a license in some places to touch someone! But given that that is the reality, we have to live within the rules. The good news is that even if you live somewhere where you cannot touch someone during Reiki unless you are a nurse, doctor, etc., you should still be able to do hands-off Reiki.

But a few states — most recently, Florida — have decided to regulate Reiki as if it were massage, making it illegal for a non-licensed massage therapist to practice Reiki. So again, know your laws and work toward changing any laws you feel are harmful. FloridaHealthFreedom.org is one website working for change. (I have no affiliation with them; I am just passing on their information for people who live and work in Florida.)

If you are working with someone who has been physically abused, that person may prefer that you not put your hands on him or her. Sometimes, people who have been abused or traumatized go into an automatic guarding mode when they are touched. In those cases, it’s easier for them to be receptive to the Reiki if your hands are off them. As you continue to work with them over time, they may relax and feel comfortable with you touching them. But always be respectful of their desire to not be touched.

In fact, the hands-off method gets around the discomfort that anyone might feel when you touch certain places, such as the Sacral Chakra and the Root Chakra. Some people, understandably, are not comfortable having someone touch them anywhere near their genitals, breasts, etc. Especially if the practitioner is of the opposite sex… So in those cases, hands-off Reiki enables you to send Reiki to any and all parts of the body without actually touching those parts.

You might find that you prefer to work hands-off, too. Or, after trying one way or another, you might find that you really prefer to keep your hands in contact with the person’s body.

Outside of legal considerations, it really doesn’t matter whether you choose to work hands-on or hands-off, because the Reiki will flow through you and from you, regardless. Use your intuition to guide you. As long as your intention is positive, the Reiki will flow where it is needed, no matter where your hands are.

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Namaste,

Loretta

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