Find a practitioner

There are many ways to find a reliable person to perform Reiki on you.

Ask a friend who does Reiki.

Although today people are accustomed to receiving healthcare from professionals, this is not necessary with Reiki. No special background or credentials are needed to receive Reiki training. Reiki originated as a folk healing practice, and if you have a friend who is trained and who practices on himself/herself regularly, you may want to receive Reiki from your friend. If you are happy with that experience, you can continue with your friend or contact your friend's Reiki master.

Find a healthcare professional who does Reiki.

Reiki hand positioningIf you don't have a friend who does Reiki, you can look for a Reiki practitioner in private practice or a healthcare environment. In recent years, Reiki practitioners are increasingly setting themselves up as professionals in private practice or offering Reiki in healthcare environments. In addition, more healthcare institutions are incorporating Reiki into their model of care. According to the American Hospital Assocation, over 800 U.S. Hospitals offered Reiki as part of their hospital services in 2007. The Center for Reiki Research web site provides a list of 71 hospitals, medical clinics, and hospice programs where Reiki is offered as a standard part of care. Many nurses and other healthcare professionals offer Reiki as part of their patient care, either through integrating moments of Reiki touch into routine care or through longer Reiki sessions. A hospital stay may offer the first opportunity to experience a Reiki session.

One good strategy for finding a practitioner is word of mouth. Local practitioners of complementary therapies (such as acupuncture, shiatsu, reflexology, massage, herbalism, homeopathy, etc.) usually know one another by reputation and sometimes they share offices or cross-refer.

Look in your community.

As with finding a Reiki teacher, you can also try looking at community bulletin boards in yoga studios and health food stores. In addition, your local hospital may have a complementary or integrative medicine service. Since Reiki is used by many people to cope with chronic illness, any local organization that offers services to people with illnesses such as cancer, HIV, fibromyalgia, or diabetes may have a list of community resources or even sponsor a Reiki clinic.