When I became a Reiki Master Teacher, I was about 22 years old.
Even though my teacher presented the idea of teaching others, you can safely assume the concept was of no interest to me. What I would soon realize is that refusing to teach wasn’t due to my “lack of experience” but fear.
Most people fear stepping into this role, regardless of the topic, probably because we see teaching as a skill you earn after proper education backed by a degree.
But in Reiki, there’s no school for teachers.
Still, we must pass on the knowledge and experience to keep Reiki alive and help others improve their lives through energy healing.
That’s why the Reiki Master Level exists.
But this doesn’t erase the feeling of doubt.
The good news – fear often reflects our desire to offer the best version of ourselves and come before others well prepared and confident.
The band news – you will never feel ready if you succumb to fear.
While the first emerges from altruism, the second is founded on self-sabotage.
So, when it comes to teaching and attuning others to Reiki, how do you identify your fears, and most importantly, how do you overcome them?
3 Fears preventing you from becoming a Reiki Master.
There are many reasons for refusing to teach.
But these patterns keep showing up when I talk to Reiki practitioners. Becoming aware of them is the first step in accepting their presence, understanding their nature, and eventually, releasing yourself from their grip.
Let’s see what they are:
1. Fear of not being good enough.
This is the most common in all fields, especially spiritual practices like Reiki. Questioning your knowledge is an important part of teaching – if done right. More specifically, a self-awareness check will prompt you to look for those small knowledge gaps you may not have noticed before.
The toxic part is when you overdo it and start doubting yourself entirely, even though you know you have enough information to offer to others.
Solution: Each interaction is unique. No matter how much you know about Reiki, you can always face unexpected encounters. Therefore, removing expectations from the start is a healthy approach to teaching.
The solution is to step into a dialogue rather than a monologue. Use your knowledge to lead the conversation, but focus more on the feedback you receive from your student to adjust this journey.
You will soon realize that you were afraid because you were just sabotaging your own path towards growth.
2. Stage fright.
Stage fright stems from the fear of embarrassment and is most common among empaths and introverts. It relates to a lack of self-confidence.
While it’s normal to better yourself and (to some extent) question your knowledge, believing you’re not capable or deserving to be a teacher can lead to mental and emotional imbalances.
Solution: Start small. Begin teaching friends, family, or acquaintances who resonate with Reiki. You don’t need to keep a full-on course at first. Focus on explaining the basics: what Reiki is, how it works, and what it does. From here on, you can always add layers and go more in-depth once you feel comfortable.
A friend once told me: “If you can’t make a 5-year-old understand something, then you’re over explaining it“.
3. Fear of absorbing negative energies.
This was honestly my main fear. It’s the one I had in my subconscious since I first became a Reiki master. Basically, my comfort zone was screaming: “Why complicate your life when you can just lie back and sit this one out?”
The root of this fear is expanding your own limits and going out of your comfort zone, believing the level you are currently at is the best.
When you offer attunements, you are entering the student’s karmic path towards healing. You are also interacting with their energy fields, which contain programs, projections, and information that are not always positive. So, naturally you will absorb some of their low-vibrational elements.
But here’s where it gets interesting: you will absorb only what you resonate with. Specifically, the elements related to what you need to heal within your inner self—no more, no less.
And the best part is that you can cleanse yourself afterwords using Reiki.
Solution: If you are offering attunements, you have to embrace the Reiki master levels. Therefore, you should raise your vibration, master protection and cleansing techniques, and, most of all, understand that you are part of an ecosystem in which you offer and receive.
You are not isolated, nor were you meant to be. Trust the Divine light and allow yourself to fulfill your spiritual mission here, on Earth!
The best protection is you.
Shielding techniques are useful. But as you become more experienced, cleanse your past, and balance your energetic body, you will absorb less and less.
Evolution is the key to a safe Reiki practice.
Teaching contributes to your personal development and spiritual growth.
Since Reiki was channeled over 100 years ago by Mikao Usui, it was never meant to be an isolated practice. In fact, he taught his students (who were going to become independent masters) how to foster interaction among students in their own classes and to offer attunements to others without overthinking the process.
Nowadays, even though most of us practice self-care in the confines of our homes, that doesn’t mean we should isolate ourselves if we wish to evolve. Teaching and attuning others actively contribute to our personal and spiritual evolution.
Understanding and overcoming our fears is a crucial step in this process.