Sign up to stay informed<\/a> of legislative threats to Reiki practice.<\/p>\n I can\u2019t do justice to the rich detail offered in the webinar, but if you don\u2019t have time to watch the nearly 2 hour recording<\/a>, here\u2019s a summary, with the handouts at the end.<\/p>\n Please keep in mind that none of the Protecting Reiki from Regulation webinar presenters are lawyers and all of this is offered as community service to educate about the current and pending threats to Reiki practice, and to empower the diverse Reiki community to take action.<\/p>\n The current situation is that we have no standards for Reiki practice or education, and great diversity among more than 200 practice styles. Confusion comes because the public doesn\u2019t know that everything labeled \u201cReiki\u201d is not the same, and that Reiki practitioners don\u2019t agree on how to practice or even what Reiki practice is (such as the spiritual practice or energy medicine<\/a> conversation).<\/p>\n Certificates can be issued by anyone. Beyond any personal significance, they are essentially meaningless unless they\u2019re backed by standards which have been formally agreed upon across the industry. In the case of Reiki practice, for example, when people self-identify as a Reiki master, we have no way of knowing how they qualified. In order for Reiki master certification to be meaningful in a broad way, beyond the meaning it holds for the individual, all lineages and practice styles would have to agree upon the training required to call oneself a Reiki master. Clearly that\u2019s not going to happen.<\/p>\n Licensing is voted into law by state legislatures. Each of the 50 states has unique licensing requirements for medicine, nursing, acupuncture, etc. Some states license massage practice<\/a>; others don\u2019t. As of April 2021, no states offer specific Reiki licenses. However, that\u2019s not the only way your freedom to practice Reiki can be controlled. We\u2019ll come back to that.<\/p>\n State licensing would dictate how to practice Reiki, how to teach Reiki, what you can say about Reiki practice. Licensing would also involve fees and require you to invest in continuing education.<\/p>\n The purpose of licensing is to protect the public from harm. The need for that is obvious when it comes to the practice of medicine, nursing, etc. However, the NIH\/NCCIH website, accessed April 12, 2021, states \u201cReiki hasn\u2019t been shown to have any harmful effects.<\/a>\u201d That\u2019s significant because the NIH\/NCCIH is the government body tasked with studying the safety and efficacy of complementary and integrative health practices.<\/p>\n Common forms of regulation that could restrict your freedom to practice Reiki include:<\/p>\n Regulation happens most often at the state level, but municipalities can also pass laws that restrict Reiki practice.<\/p>\n In February 2021, the MA Attorney General introduced An Act Regulating Alternative Healing Therapies in both houses of the MA legislature. The bill numbers might change once assigned to committee, but here they are as of April 12, 2021: Rita Glassman<\/a> has been opposing MA bills to require licensing for Reiki and other complementary practices since MA\u2019s second legislative attempt in 2017. She asked that MA residents take the following actions. Please read Rita\u2019s suggestions carefully even if you\u2019re not in MA, so you\u2019ll be familiar with the process if\/when it happens in your state (more on that from Susan Mitchell).<\/span><\/p>\n RIGHT NOW, we need MA residents to contact your legislators and ask them to oppose this effort. You do not want them to sign on to the bill. Fewer legislators signing on to the bill weaken it. Please find your legislators here <\/a>and make the calls.<\/p>\n The committee will set a date for the public hearing. There could be as little as 48 hours\u2019 notice, so it\u2019s important to prepare yourself now to testify.<\/p>\n Susan Mitchell<\/a> is a long-time Reiki master who was trained by Hawayo Takata, with whom she had a close relationship. Like the MA bills, that legislation includes an exhaustive list of complementary practices besides Reiki.<\/p>\n It would be challenging enough (and perhaps impossible) to regulate the diversity of Reiki practice styles. Proposing that Reiki be regulated within such a vast framework as laid out by these organizations is clearly ill-advised and shows no real-world understanding of either Reiki practice or the Reiki community.<\/p>\n Susan Mitchell also detailed arguments against occupational licensing in general. These arguments are especially compelling because they are bipartisan and evidence-based.<\/p>\n Research done in the past eight years points to economic problems caused by occupational licensing, specifically that it:<\/p>\n In what is surely a rare convergence of policy, both the Obama<\/a> and Trump<\/a> administrations advised states to reform their laws to reduce the prevalence of unnecessary and overly broad occupational licensing.<\/p>\n Regulation of Reiki practice is\u00a0unnecessary given the NCCIH statement that Reiki practice is safe. The only excuse given by those who seek to regulate Reiki practice is that there are so many practitioners. Occupational licensing research clearly shows that unnecessary regulation undermines small businesses and suppresses job growth, coming down hardest on those with the slimmest margin of support, people of color and women.<\/p>\n That means practitioners of non-invasive practices could be prosecuted for unlawful medical practice. There is no real defense against such prosecution; you either have a medical license or you don\u2019t. The public\u2019s access to non-invasive practices is hampered when practitioners have to practice under such legal uncertainty.<\/p>\n Safe harbor laws ensure the public\u2019s access to non-invasive practices by protecting the practitioners from being prosecuted for unlawful medical practice. Safe harbor law makes it less likely that licensing would occur in the future because lawmakers are wary of messing with existing laws. If it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it.<\/p>\n Diane Miller is the originator of the safe harbor concept. She led a grassroots movement to pass the landmark healthcare freedom bill in Minnesota in 2000, and founded\u00a0National Health Freedom Action<\/a>\u00a0(NHFA).\u00a0Eleven states have since passed some form of safe harbor legislation<\/a>, and 15 others have introduced bills.<\/p>\n Find out if there is\u00a0a healthcare freedom group in your state<\/a>. \u00a0If not, why not start one? NHFA also offers advocacy resources<\/a>, including this link to find your state legislators<\/a>.<\/p>\n The best way to prepare yourself to make a difference is by becoming the best Reiki practitioner you can be, the Reiki practitioner only you <\/em>can be.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s your to-do list:<\/p>\n Daily self-Reiki practice<\/a> gives you the foundation to be your best self, a walking product of your practice. It enables you to represent Reiki practice credibly, so others feel safe enough with you to want to hear what you have to say. Daily self Reiki helps you listen well to others, and to know what to say, when to speak and when to say silent.<\/p>\n Honing your communication skills starts with learning to speak about Reiki practice in neutral language<\/a> without any of the jargon Reiki practitioners commonly use (and often don\u2019t even realize it\u2019s jargon<\/a>). Here are 3 simple steps to improve your Reiki talk<\/a>.<\/p>\n When you\u2019re well established in your daily self-practice and you\u2019re able to speak comfortably about Reiki practice in neutral language, consider offering Reiki demos. Start with friends and family to gain confidence, then move into public spaces. The idea is to bring Reiki practice to people where they are.<\/p>\n Share simple, straightforward information and an opportunity for a brief hands-on Reiki experience. Be professional, even if you\u2019re not a professional. And be mindful to inform only. Stay away from proselytizing or promoting.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a professional, once you\u2019re ready to start hosting public events, 7 Steps for Successful Reiki Public Events<\/a> guides you through every step so you can leverage my decades of experience instead of learning from trial and error.<\/p>\n Whenever a licensing bill has been introduced, as is the case in MA, the situation is an urgent situation and takes priority. However, there is also a Safe Harbor group in MA. Please support both groups.<\/p>\n We want to protect our freedom to practice Reiki as we choose both proactively \u2014 developing relationships with our state legislators now, to create a communication network and good will \u2014 and as there is an acute need, as with the MA bills that would require licensing for Reiki practitioners.<\/p>\n PLEASE NOTE: this is a developing situation. Details will change. At times, we\u2019ll need fast action. I started the Protect Reiki email list<\/a> to create a network of diverse Reiki practitioners who are motivated and prepared to respond quickly.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll offer more specific guidance about contacting your legislators in another article soon.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, here are the handouts from the presentation: Sign up for the Protect Reiki email list<\/a>\u00a0to stay informed.<\/p>\n Connect with Rita Glassman and Susan Mitchell at\u00a0Reiki Unified.<\/a> Rita shared a breakdown of\u00a0the initial application to have a teaching program approved by MA state, not including the licensure fee:<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/reikiinmedicine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/ProtectReiki633px-300x297.jpg\")
<\/a>The Protecting Reiki from Regulation webinar on April 10, 2021 included an online panel with my colleagues, Reiki masters Rita Glassman and Susan Mitchell.<\/p>\nProtecting Reiki from regulation webinar opening<\/h2>\n
Certificates v. licensing<\/h2>\n
Protecting Reiki from other forms of regulation<\/h2>\n
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How Massachusetts (MA) is trying to regulate Reiki and other practices<\/h2>\n
House Docket No. HD1708 <\/a>
Senate Docket No. SD1068<\/a><\/p>\nActions for MA residents to take now<\/h2>\n
Another attempt to regulate Reiki practice<\/h2>\n
Susan spoke about the attempts to regulate Reiki practice from two sister organizations, the National Alliance of Energy Practitioners (NAOEP) and the National Certification Council of Energy Practitioners (NCCOEP).
Those\u00a0organizations plan to roll out bills to certify practitioners through NCCOEP and license Reiki practice. Eight states are targeted for the first legislative actions in 2021:<\/p>\n\n
Arguments against occupational licensing<\/h2>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/reikiinmedicine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/National-Health-Freedom-Act-300x224.jpg\")
<\/a>Given that licensing is to protect the public from harm, non-invasive practices don\u2019t warrant licensing. But without being recognized by law as exempt from licensing, such practices are in a legal limbo, in that they could be construed as falling under a state\u2019s medical licensing.<\/p>\n\n
The difference daily self-Reiki practice makes<\/h3>\n
How to start honing your Reiki communication skills<\/h3>\n
Offering Reiki practice demonstrations<\/h3>\n
Prioritize pending legislation<\/h2>\n
Protecting Reiki from regulation webinar takeaways<\/h2>\n
Reiki Practice Fact Sheet<\/a>
Legislative Contacts for the 8 States Targeted for Regulation<\/a><\/p>\n