Organizing Public Reiki Events

Editor's note: Pamela Miles, author of REIKI: A Comprehensive Guide (Tarcher/Penguin) and a pioneer in integrating Reiki into conventional medicine, draws on her 22 years of experience with this practice in her efforts to empower Reiki practitioners with the skills needed to bring Reiki to a mainstream audience. She has been kind enough to write a brief preview for us of her upcoming classes on Organizing Public Reiki Events, in Cape Cod on July 26 and New York on August 4.

By Pamela Miles

How often have you had an opportunity to share Reiki with someone you don’t know, someone who is completely new to Reiki? Most of us treat ourselves, family, friends, pets, and clients who have sought out our services—all the usual suspects—and we become quite comfortable doing so. Stepping outside our cozy circle to offer treatment to people we don’t know in a public venue brings new challenges, profound rewards, and a chance to improve both our business acumen and clinical skills. It is a unique opportunity to deepen our relationship with Reiki and raise our visibility while serving our community and our practice. But where do we start?

There are a number of possible avenues to pursue, depending upon your community and your social and business networks. Conventional health care is increasingly interested in improving lifestyle in every segment of the population. Many large companies and community hospitals have responded to this new emphasis by hosting wellness days. At these events, employees and the public are exposed to an array of health-related activities. Attendees can get their blood pressure checked, have a mini-consult with a nutritionist, sit for a short guided meditation, and experience chair massage, reflexology and/or Reiki.

If you know of such an event in your community, why not offer to participate? You will learn a lot that will help you when you’re ready to create an event yourself. But if there is no such event in your community, why not step forward as a leader and make one happen?

Look around your community and think small. You might set up an event in the town square or the local mall, offering shoppers Reiki relief. Or perhaps there is a community health center that would be interested. Programs serving senior citizens are often looking for events that would address their clients’ needs. Many seniors experience pain and/or anxiety and they are often on a lot of prescription medications. There is some research suggesting Reiki can be helpful in managing pain/anxiety without adding more medications, health care centers that cater to seniors might be interested in hosting a Reiki event. (Medical papers on Reiki are available for download at www.ReikiInMedicine.org, under Resources.)

If you decide to look for an organization to host an event, take the time needed to prepare well. Although success depends largely on how professional your approach is, it also helps to have an introduction or a professional reference.

Once you’ve scheduled an event, you will have a pile of details to organize. Be thorough in your planning, maintain an attitude of service and a welcoming demeanor, and be prepared to learn on the spot. Each event is unique, but experience does make it easier. And you will be sustained by the smiling face of every person who was introduced to Reiki because you made the effort to reach out to where they are rather than waiting for them to show up on your door.

Copyright © 2008 Pamela Miles

Thanks, Pamela! Registration and other information on the Organizing Public Reiki Events classes is available at ReikiInMedicine.org.