The Reiki Centre Survey series: Why do advanced level Reiki training?

By Elaine Grundy

One of the more surprising aspects of the Reiki Survey was the significant improvement in benefits perceived by those with higher levels of training. The chart below shows that like for like, Reiki practitioners report more improvement if they are trained at a higher level assuming they are doing the same number of hours of self-Reiki. Interestingly, a Reiki level 1 practitioner doing self-Reiki for more than an hour a week will see as much improvement as a Reiki Master doing less than 1 hour per week - which in itself is a testament that the quantity of Reiki is still more important than the level of Reiki training. However, for a student wishing for maximum benefit it would seem that the higher levels of training will make a difference. This was something I was not expecting when I ran the report though with reflection it certainly makes sense. Level 2 is a quantum leap in many ways as it takes self-healing to a higher and more deliberate level. At the most basic level with Reiki we are simply acting as funnels, or to use a football analogy, we are simply spectators. Reiki flows through our hands into our cells and at that cellular level, we heal. Of course to see significant change we are also responsible in making changes happen, but essentially, when it comes to the Reiki, we are not in charge and we have no say in what areas are healed, at what rate, and with what priority.

Level 2 takes the healing into our own hands (pun intended!) by putting us squarely on the pitch. Instead of spectators we become players. We learn how to manipulate the energy and transform it into specific form. I.e. we learn how to turn the potential of Reiki energy into energy with a specific purpose. We can decide ourselves which areas of our lives we want to direct more healing, be it physical, mental, emotional, or to a specific event or trauma. We become more self-directing and deliberate in our healing journey and so on many levels this advanced training takes us much further, quicker.

And of course, as a Reiki Master we quantum leap again. This time we learn, via the attunement process, how to resonate with the frequency of Reiki itself. The Master's symbol encompasses transformation - and so for most Masters it is a truly transformational journey.

This information becomes interesting to share with Reiki students and armed with this research it comes across more genuinely, and less like we are trying to ‘sell’ Reiki classes in any form. I still feel that at Level 1, my students have all the potential for healing and there is no need or requirement to go further, but the results have definitely given me pause for thought. I do spend more time discussing the benefits of Reiki 2 during my Level 1 class than I used to. It seems only fair to give my students the full picture and let them know that by progressing into more advanced stages with Reiki, they can expect a much deeper healing experience.