The BIG Reiki Controversy

Can Reiki be taught distantly?

As a Reiki Master Teacher I love learning as much as I can about Reiki and believe that a Reiki Master will never be done learning. I am in many Reiki groups and enjoy connecting with other people who are interested in Reiki. This connection allows me the opportunity to learn new things as well as broaden my understanding of all things related to Reiki. It also gives me insight into how other Reiki practitioners feel about certain topics. What I have learned is that there is still much debate about whether Reiki can or should be taught online as well as whether distant attunements actually work.

I often find myself on the opposing view when it comes to these discussions within these Reiki Communities. I don't mind that, but I do find it interesting that there are still so many Reiki practitioners with such limiting beliefs. Some feel the need to stick to what they have been taught regardless of other's opinions or experiences. Some feel so strongly about this topic that they will accuse anyone who offers distant learning of being greedy and make them feel like they are less of a Reiki teacher. I have always had a very open mind and try to investigate things to determine how well they fit into my own belief system. If something doesn't make sense to me, I try to learn more about it.

I began my Reiki journey in 2013 after the loss of my mother, but I first heard of Reiki while in nursing school in 1993. They say Reiki finds you when you are ready and I believe that is true. I was not ready in 1993, but the idea of Reiki stayed in the back of my mind until I was in need of it. I quickly fell in love with Reiki after my first treatment and knew that this was something I wanted to learn how to do for myself. I was put in touch with a Reiki Master Teacher and signed up for my Level 1 Reiki Class. I was blessed to have found a wonderful Reiki Master Teacher not too far from my home town. I resonated with her immediately and found her class to be very educational as well as comfortable. She was a great teacher and mentor to me. She did teach that Reiki could only be taught in person, and at the time I did not question it because I had very limited experience with Reiki.

I was unsure if I would be able to channel Reiki after my class but I was hopeful that it would work and kept an open mind. I remember after the attunement ceremony she gave us some time to come back to full awareness and then we all gathered to discuss our individual experiences. We then took turns activating and channeling Reiki to each other as well as to ourselves. I recall the feeling of shock wash over me when I could first feel Reiki energy moving through my hands. It had worked! I was moved to tears from the experience and it has changed my life completely. I will forever be grateful to my first Reiki Teacher who opened up limitless possibilities to me.

I went on to take my Level 2 Reiki class with the same teacher. This too was a life-changing experience for me. I learned that Reiki was not limited by time or space and that it could be channeled across any distance without limitations. This was eye opening to me but it did leave me with some questions about why then would it be necessary to only receive an attunement in person. After my Level 1 class, I had started to research everything I could about Reiki and I had seen that other teachers did offer online classes as well as distant attunements. Now, after learning that it was in fact possible to "send" Reiki distantly, I began to question my teacher why she teaches that it can only be taught in person. I respected her opinion greatly and wanted to know her thoughts on the subject. Her response to me was basically that it was what she was taught, so she continued to teach it this way as well, never really questioning it. Another valid point that she made was that the student would benefit from the personal connection with the teacher, and that was something that would be lacking with online learning. We also discussed the importance of building your own Reiki community and connections with the other students in the class. These were valid points to me and I did appreciate the connection I had built with her as well as the other students, but I still had questions.

It then became a matter of can Reiki be taught online with distant attunements VS should Reiki be taught online with distant attunements. From what she was telling me, it wasn't so much that it couldn't be done, rather her belief was that it was better to learn in person where you can build a connection between Master and student. I could understand and appreciate her point of view. Since she had not had any experience with distant attunements or learning Reiki online I thought I would investigate it further to try to find answers to my questions. During this time I repeated my Level 1 and Level 2 training in person with my teacher. This was something that she offered to all of her students and I loved having another experience with the attunement ceremony. I also found that there was something new to learn each time I repeated my training. Either I was at a place where I had a deeper understanding or she was offering a different point of view with each class. Regardless of why, I truly enjoyed learning from her. I also continued to look for outside resources to continue my education. I pursued knowledge from books, websites, other practitioners and Master Teachers, online Reiki groups, blogs, etc. I was working as a Professional Reiki Practitioner and I wanted to continue to learn and grow in order to best help my clients as well as myself by deepening my understanding.

Trying to research this topic only created more confusion for me. One teacher would state that it is possible to learn distantly while another teacher was adamant that it was not. How could there be such a variance in opinions? Perhaps coming from a logical nursing background I found this to be worth further investigation. I needed to know for myself if it was in fact possible! The common answer given for WHY it was not possible was basically, "It has always been taught this way". That just wasn't a good enough answer for me. I am of the belief that when we know better, we do better. I can also appreciate that technology was very limited in Dr. Usui's time which would have made learning distantly very difficult.

When I was ready to take my Master Level of Reiki, my teacher was busy taking care of her husband so she was taking some time off from teaching. I began to look for an online Reiki class so I could see for myself if it was possible, not having any real expectations. I found a teacher online and signed up. This class included Levels 1, 2 and 3 of Reiki along with the distant attunements. I did not need levels 1 & 2 but I was interested to see what type of teaching materials they would offer compared to the materials that I had already received from my classes. I took my time going through the classes and I really enjoyed all of the materials that were provided. To be honest, the materials were far superior to what I had been given during my in person training (one day class). When it came time to schedule my distant attunement I was a little hesitant and still not sure if it was possible, but I kept an open mind.

The day of my attunement I prepared, just as I had for my in person attunements. I set my intentions and was open to receive the attunement. The scheduled time came and I could feel the teacher standing behind me, I could feel hands being placed on different parts of my body as well as the energy flowing and a beautiful warmth washed over me. I felt like I had been lifted up off of my chair and felt like I was floating. I also experienced seeing several colors flash before my closed eyes as the attunement progressed. This attunement was slightly different from my in person attunements, it actually felt more intense. When the attunement ceremony came to a close, I sat in Gassho position and in my own time came back to full awareness. I sat, quite pleased with the experience for several minutes. I thought it was a beautiful attunement and was excited to discover that distant attunements DID WORK!

So with my new found understanding about Reiki that I gained from my online Reiki class I was excited to discuss my findings. I was faced with opposition from many Reiki people however, who were still holding strong to their belief that Reiki CAN'T be taught online and that distant attunements did not work. I understand and even appreciate that people are coming from their own level of awareness and many of the people who were so strongly against online teaching and distant attunements have never actually experienced it for themselves. They are basing their opinions on what they have been taught, without truly exploring the idea for themselves or even to question why it is possible to channel Reiki distantly but it is not possible to channel a Reiki attunement. I find this frustrating on so many levels but I am of the belief that just because something is meant for me does not make it so for everyone else. I try to not hold onto any limiting beliefs especially when it comes to the power of Reiki. I have seen what it can do and I know it to be limitless. I do try to discuss this topic every chance I get though. I also hold a great respect for ALL Reiki Master Teachers and their own teaching styles and beliefs.

I was able to go back to my first Reiki Teacher and complete my lineage with her for my Reiki Master Class when she began teaching again. It was important to me, personally, to complete her training. I did discuss with her my experience and I feel it did open her mind to the possibilities but she still held firm to her belief that in person was best. I thought about what she said and I agreed that the online training was lacking that personal connection that I had with her. So as I prepared to start taking on my own students, I debated what type of teacher I wanted to become. I knew that I preferred the online learning where I was able to get a lot more learning materials than what I received in a one day class with a few handouts and a book. I also enjoyed the self paced learning that came with the online classroom. I decided to try another online Reiki class with a different teacher to see if I would have a similar experience. I found another teacher and signed up to take all 3 Levels of Reiki with her. The experience was very comparable to my first online experience. The attunements were just as beautiful and meaningful to me. The connection between me and the online teachers was still lacking however. I was able to correspond with them if I had questions via email and they would get back to me, I was even invited to join their online Reiki communities, which I accepted. This type of communication was okay for me, but not great.

From my personal experience I had learned that online teaching and distant attunements DID work just as well as my in person training, and in some aspects even better! I had been working with Reiki for several years by this point and knew that Reiki at its core was all about compassion. Reiki to me meant unconditional love. The main theme relating to learning how to use Reiki was intention. Reiki is all about your intention. I then decided that I would offer my classes in an online setting where I could offer self paced learning and offer a variety of teaching materials. Being able to offer a self paced learning experience allowed me the opportunity to offer advanced techniques and go into greater detail because I was not limited to a one or two day class having to condense everything in that I felt was important to include. I then decided that I wanted to offer a personal connection to my students that I felt was lacking from my own online experiences. We are fortunate to live in a time where technology bridges the location gap. I am able to video chat with my students, talk/text and even email them. I even offer a live chat option while the student is taking the class. I have set up my classes so that I stay in touch with my students and enjoy being their mentor. I am available to them during as well as after they have completed their classes. I also have a private online group for my students so that they can connect with other students. I offer distant attunements to students who are not in my area and if a student lives close enough to come to my office, we meet in person for their attunement ceremony.

I truly believe that my teaching style is well suited for many people who are interested in learning Reiki but I understand that I may not be the right teacher for some. I think that is true for all teachers though. I know of several teachers who have no further contact with their Reiki students after they complete their in person class. There are some teachers who will charge the student to ask questions outside of class as well. Those teaching styles don't resonate well with me. I am a firm believer that once you decide to take on Reiki students, you are committing to being there for them no matter how long it has been since they took your class. I thank my very first Reiki Master Teacher for instilling that belief in me. It is true that Reiki finds you when you are ready. It is also true that when you are ready the student will find the right teacher for them. I may not be the right teacher for everyone, and not all students will be ideal for me, but there is enough of us out there that I believe the people that will benefit from my teaching style will find me.

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I am still finding this topic to be controversial within the Reiki community. I continue to talk to who ever will listen about my own personal experiences with this and offer a different opinion in hopes to spark a conversation. Who knows, perhaps there are other Practitioners/Masters out there who have some similar questions and they are finding it difficult to believe that we are able to work distantly with Reiki but NOT able to attune a student distantly. I don't need to change anyone's strong held beliefs. I only ask that people have an open mind and question for themselves whether the limiting beliefs fall into their own belief system. If Reiki is compassion at it's core, why do we react so strongly against people who do not share our own opinions? It is my hope that as more people are finding the benefit of Reiki and wanting to learn how to use this energy to benefit themselves and their loved ones we will have less controversy and less shaming for teachers who offer a variety of options. I will continue to share my personal experience with learning Reiki distantly in hopes that it becomes less controversial. I have been teaching since 2015 and I enjoy connecting with students from all over the world. I am grateful for all of my experiences with Reiki and I plan on continuing to learn as much as I can, keeping an open mind in the process!

I have successfully taught and distantly attuned many Reiki students. I KNOW it works because I have taken the classes and received the distant attunements as well as given them to my own students. My students report feeling like I am in the room with them during their attunement and they love working with Reiki afterwards. I encourage my students to question things and not settle for blanket statements without any proof. If something does not make sense, question it, investigate it and find out what resonates best with you. Reiki is beautiful and I for one am glad I don't have to limit who I can take on as a student based on where they are located. Let Reiki be limited ONLY by your imagination!

If you are interested in learning Reiki, I invite you to check out my classes and Reiki Workshops. I am now certified as a Usui, Karuna Ki & Animal Reiki Master Teacher. I offer only online classes but I continue to offer my attunements distantly as well as in person for those near me.

You can find more information on all of my services and classes here:

https://bmklemm.wixsite.com/reikibybernadette