Lay back, relax, let go of all your troubles and enjoy meditative music, dimmed lights, the sweet and soothing scent of incense and tingling energy flowing through your body. Reiki is a wonderful healing modality, there is no doubt about it. I have been practicing and teaching Reiki for the past eight years and I absolutely love it. Even when I offer complementary treatments at local events for just a few minutes, clients always have a positive experience and are amazed about what they sensed and how much better they felt after merely 5-10 minutes of treatment. So what is Reiki? Reiki is a natural healing technique based on the principle that the therapist can channel energy into the patient by means of touch, to activate the natural healing process of the patient’s body and restore physical and emotional well-being.

Reiki is truly amazing for all kinds of issues on the physical, mental and emotional level. It can restore balance to the whole body. It is safe to say that there is no downside to Reiki. Or is there? Well, in essence, Reiki can’t hurt you. But there are situations where Reiki should not be administered, because then it could indeed do more harm than good. This has nothing to do with Reiki though, but everything with the person who is supposed to receive it. Let’s look at those situations where Reiki should not be administered.

You should never give a Reiki treatment when you are sick. Reiki always goes where it is needed most and when you, the practitioner, are not feeling well, it will all go to you. This means that your client won’t get much out of their treatment. Don’t feel bad to cancel a session if you are not feeling well. I have no doubt your clients will understand and be grateful to you once they understand the reason for the need to reschedule their session.

You should never give a treatment or distant treatment when you are not sure whether a person is driving or operating heavy machinery. Reiki can relax the recipient so much that he or she may fall asleep. Always make sure that the person you are sending Reiki to, is in a safe place before you begin the distant treatment.

Never send or administer Reiki to a person before the broken bones are set. Reiki will start to work immediately, but it can’t set bones, which could cause the fracture to grow together incorrectly.

Never send Reiki into the body right above a pacemaker. Reiki does not differentiate between a machine and a person. The energy would try to adjust the energy of the pacemaker to the rest of the body and this could have fatal consequences. It is ok though, to administer Reiki above and below the pacemaker. Just not right above it.

Never send Reiki when a person and especially a child is running a fever. The energy can increase the temperature in the body to a dangerous level. When a person has fever, you have to start by drawing energy out of the body until the fever is brought down to a more normal range. Once you have achieved that, you can send Reiki into the body to start the healing process.

Never send Reiki while a person is in surgery. The Reiki energy can interfere with the anesthesia in the body and could cause the patient to wake up too soon. As soon as the surgery is complete you can begin sending Reiki.

Never practice Reiki when either you or your client are intoxicated. Alcohol or drugs can increase the sensation of the energy to an uncomfortable level.

As I have said at the beginning, Reiki is a wonderful and versatile healing modality. It can be practiced as a standalone session or in combination with massage, reflexology or other holistic treatments. Even though in essence it can’t harm you, in some situations you need to be cautious.

First published at The Wellness Universe.