So I have been doing various forms of energy work since I was about 16, but as the years went on I wanted to get a proper qualification in Traditional Reiki as it was taught in Japan by Mikao Usui Sensei. I have an array of qualifications, but not a practitioner one. I was already competent with typical energy work and Western Reiki techniques, but it provided an opportunity to fill in some holes as to how Traditional Japanese Reiki is done and provide me with a professional certificate that I respected which allowed me to get insured to offer it to strangers.
A lot of the teaching of Reiki in the UK is “Western Reiki”. It mixes many different systems such as Chakras, Auras, Angels, Deities and more things which were not originally part of Reiki and it neglects a lot of traditional techniques and misunderstands a lot of the techniques.
In my experience, Western Reiki still works, but there is a lot of potential with Traditional Japanese Reiki, which is missed which is why I now practice Traditional Reiki as taught by the Jikiden Reiki Institute in Kyoto.
The course felt very basic because it only covered what was taught in Japan and no extra information. It covered everything that is required to practice Reiki on people and that was enough to give me the confidence to do it with strangers after years of doing it on friends, family and people at spiritual conferences.
Shaun McKeown was a very competent teacher and crafted a nice relaxing environment for us to learn in. If anyone wants to learn some serious Reiki, then I recommend learning with Shaun or if Tadao Yamaguchi is in the UK you can learn with Shaun’s teacher. If you want to offer quick cheap Be-A-Reiki-Master-In-One-Weekend packages, then you might need to go elsewhere. They don’t use the term Master in Japan, it sounds very egotistical for anyone to refer to themselves as a master in their culture. In order to deliver Reiki classes using the Jikiden Reiki Institute then they ensure you have at least 120 practice hours with 40 different clients and you have covered the practice material at least twice. This is their way of ensuring the material is covered correctly.