I will do my best to keep this succinct. If you are a student of mine, or in my community, you know I like to swim in the details ;). Here are the top 5 things I think you need to know to be the best Reiki Practitioner you can be.

1. Do not diagnose. I get questions about this a lot and some ruffled feathers, but in your Reiki sessions, do not try to search for a problem. We have been conditioned to look for what does not belong, but when we do that, we are using our egoic mind. During a session, you are the strongest conduit when you are resonant and when there is a unified awareness. The level of mind that created the imbalance is not the level of mind needed to create a solution, so you need to keep your frequency high and refrain from trying to problem-solve. If you want to receive information to pass along to your recipient, set time outside of the session.
2. Do not Prescribe. This goes hand in hand with do not diagnose, but again, a prescription means that you feel you have the information needed to resolve the imbalance. Remember that in a Reiki session, you are not healing – Reiki is. Also, you are not doing anything in a session – you are holding space for the energy. If you are feeling like you need to prescribe a solution for your recipient, there are other modalities that will encourage you to do so. It is also important to mention here that some time to reflect on why you feel the need to prescribe would be helpful. In many cases it is because we care about the recipient and want to see shifts happen. If this is the case, trust Reiki and that their bodymind will use the energy in the best possible way.
3. Don’t get lost in the logistics. Reiki is steeped in tradition, from the legend of Usui, to the Reiki principles and sacred symbols. These are all extremely important and as you continue your studies, you will begin to get a sense of the resonance of the Reiki collective. Where you do not want to allow yourself to get distracted is in the egoic aspects of our collective. Lineage is a traditional tool, but by no means determines the quality of the practitioner. If one person trains in Japan, they are no better of a practitioner than one who has trained elsewhere. A Grandmaster to the 99th degree is not working with stronger energy than a Reiki Master. All of these things are semantics and words our ego likes to hang on to in order to distract us from the real work.
4. Keep up your personal development. I cannot tell you how many times I have encountered a Reiki Master who is in desperate need of healing. Please make sure that in this work you are putting your own healing first. This means daily self-treatments as well as exploring work with others in Reiki and any other modalities you feel called to. Our ability to be a conduit for Reiki is dependent on our personal alignment. If you know you are still at the beginning of your healing journey, you can still be a very effective practitioner and will attract those that will benefit from your sessions. Where the effectiveness as a practitioner diminishes is when they close themselves off from personal growth.
5. Value the work. The final thing I would like to leave you with is please – value your work. When you are starting out and throughout your years in practice, doubt will surface. “Am I good enough? Do I have enough experience? Is what I am doing working?” This doubt is natural and is your ego’s way of trying to prevent you from moving forward. You are more than good enough, yes, you have the experience you need and what you are doing is definitely working. Honor Reiki and yourself.

I hope you find these helpful 🙂

Lisa