Can Christians Receive Reiki? My Thoughts After Growing Up in the Church

"Hey Matt, I'm doing a segment at the end of my monthly Reiki newsletters called Ask Christie. I need a question for this month. What have you got? It could be Reiki-related or something about spirituality or wisdom."

"Sure. How is Reiki any more special or different than Christianity's version of laying on of hands?"

"Oh wow... you had to ask that?" I laughed. "That's going to take forever to answer. That's a full blog post, not a few sentences in a newsletter."

And here we are.

It's one of the questions I receive every so often:

Is Reiki compatible with Christianity?

Is Reiki different from the laying on of hands described in the Bible?

As someone who spent years deeply involved in Christianity before becoming a Reiki practitioner, I understand why people ask. I've stood on both sides of this conversation, and because of that, I don't see this as a debate to be won. I see it as a conversation worth having.

Why This Question Matters to Me

This question feels especially loaded because it comes from Matt.

He and I have a long history.

Matt has always been skeptical about Reiki, and as a Christian, he has genuine concerns. Rightfully so. If someone tells you they're working with "energy," it's reasonable to ask, "What kind of energy are we talking about?"

Back in high school, when we were sixteen, I spent hours long late-night phone calls talking with him about Christianity while he was wrestling with questions about his faith. Or the lack thereof. He was agnostic. I didn't even know what that meant at the time. He was deeply analytical, and many analytical people want evidence before belief. I understood that.

By the time we graduated, he had become a devoted Christian.

Then life surprised us both.

He eventually became a pastor.

I eventually stepped away from organized Christianity.

Oh, the irony.

My Christian Backround

Although I no longer identify as specifically Christian, my years in the church profoundly shaped me.

I was vice president of my college's Christian women's organization in Miami. I taught Sunday school to high school students in California. I led Bible studies while working on a cruise ship in Hawaii.

Later, spending several months living in India completely expanded my worldview.

I like to say it wasn't about the pendulum swinging from "absolutely Christian" to "absolutely not."

It was more like a slow, graceful release. Traveling the world made me start seeing religion as more cultural thank one being right or wrong. If I grew up in India I would probably be a Hindu. If my Hindu friends grew up in America they would probably be Christian.

To this day, I deeply admire what Jesus stood for—his compassion, humility, forgiveness, and love.

That part never left me.

And I believe my background influences the way I practice Reiki today.

My Experience with Laying on of Hands

When I was twelve years old, I served on a Christian prayer team where we prayed over people who came forward at church wanting healing.

Even then, I couldn't believe what I was witnessing.

Real healing.

Real change.

Someone describing years of wrist pain only to find it suddenly disappearing.

Someone's crushing grief and sadness turning into hope and even joy.

Headaches easing after only a few minutes of prayer.

As a teenager, I had a friend who struggled with debilitating migraines. Medication rarely helped. Yet when I sat quietly with him, placing my hands gently on his temples while praying, the migraine would often disappear.

Those experiences changed me.

They convinced me there was something profound happening when compassion, intention, and human touch came together.

What Is Reiki?

Reiki is considered a Japanese energy healing practice developed in the early twentieth century by Mikao Usui. During a Reiki session, practitioners gently place their hands on or just above the body with the intention of supporting relaxation and overall well-being.

Reiki practitioners generally describe themselves not as creating healing energy, but as facilitating or channeling universal life force energy.

Whether someone understands that through a spiritual lens, a religious lens, or simply as a deeply relaxing practice often depends on their own beliefs.

So... What's Different?

I often see similar results during Reiki sessions that I witnessed years ago in Christian prayer.

People relax deeply.

Some experience emotional release.

Some notice physical discomfort easing.

Some simply leave feeling lighter than when they arrived.

So naturally the question becomes:

If two people gently place their hands on someone with love, humility, and a sincere desire for healing, what makes one act "laying on of hands" and the other "Reiki"?

The central difference is how each tradition understands the source of healing.

In Christianity, healing is generally understood to come directly from God. The person praying asks God to act; they are not considered the source of healing.

In Reiki, practitioners generally describe themselves as facilitating or channeling universal life force energy. Rather than creating or pushing energy, they view themselves as a conduit.

The outward action may appear similar.

The theological explanation is often different.

Is Jesus an Example of Energy Healing?

People sometimes ask me whether Jesus was practicing Reiki.

Historically, Reiki as we know it today was developed in Japan in the early 1900s, so I don't believe it's accurate to say Jesus practiced Reiki in the historical sense.

However, I do think it's an interesting question to ask whether the healing ministry of Jesus shares similarities with what we now call energy healing.

I don't claim to know the answer.

And honestly...

I'm comfortable saying, "I don't know."

Recently I reread Essential Reiki by Diane Stein, where she presents the idea that Reiki is ancient—that humans possess an innate healing capacity in their DNA and that Reiki training helps awaken abilities already present within us. This fascinated me.

Whether someone agrees with that perspective or not, it reminded me of something I have always believed:

Hands are extraordinary.

Think about it.

Someone grieving receives a hand on their back and suddenly feels relief and comfort.

We hurt ourselves and immediately put our hands where the pain is. Why do we do that?

Someone embraces you after devastating news.

Hands become sacred when guided with compassion.

Whether you've studied Reiki or not, I believe human touch has remarkable healing potential.

Can Christians Receive Reiki?

This is where I probably differ from many Reiki practitioners.

I pride myself on being open-minded.

I rarely find myself fully endorsing or fully condemning religious or spiritual philosophies.

To me, there is beauty in mystery.

There is humility in saying,

"Hmm... that's interesting. I don't know."

Some of my clients are deeply Christian.

During their Reiki sessions, we invite Jesus into the experience because that aligns with their faith.

Others connect with God in different ways.

Some prefer to invoke Mother Nature.

Some resonate with the Divine Feminine.

Others simply want a quiet hour to rest.

My role isn't to tell someone what they should believe.

It's to meet them where they are.

Different Perspectives Are Okay

My own mother, who is Christian, believes Reiki is spiritually dangerous.

She doesn't understand it.

She fears it.

She would rather not hear me talk about it.

She even sent me an opinion article from Christianity Today written by someone who felt Reiki had opened them to harmful spiritual influences.

While that has not been my experience or something I think is possible since reiki can do no harm, I respect that people have different experiences and interpret those experiences differently. Perhaps there were other variables involved and blaming reiki was not the full picture?

Likewise, Reiki practitioners don't all think the same way about Christianity.

Christians don't all think the same way about Reiki.

People are wonderfully diverse.

Matt Finally Tried Reiki

Yesterday, after all these years...

Matt came in for his first Reiki session.

Afterward, he told me:

"It was a positive experience. I didn't have any preconceived notions or expectations about what would happen. I work in health care and have difficulty finding and sitting in stillness. The session was peaceful and relaxing. It allowed me to look inward and recognize things I didn't know were troubling me. I found it therapeutic and would make this a regular part of my self-care. I believe that God will use any and all opportunities to connect with us, and I found that my Reiki experience was just that—an opportunity to both connect with God and understand myself better."

I smiled and high five'd him.

Reading those words meant a great deal to me.

Not because they "proved" Reiki.

But because they reflected something I care deeply about:

A person had a meaningful experience that aligned with their own faith rather than pulling them away from it.

Whether Reiki feels completely compatible with your beliefs, completely incompatible, or somewhere in between, my hope isn't to persuade you.

It's simply to encourage thoughtful conversation.

Curiosity and compassion can coexist.

So can different beliefs.

And perhaps, in a world that often demands certainty, there is something deeply healing about making room for mystery.