What is Shamanic reiki?
What are the differences between this type of reiki and the classic version?
Can it be practiced by anyone, or only those who are certified in it specifically?
Shamanic reiki is a very specific type of reiki that is quite different than some other varieties. With that said, however, it’s still similar enough that it contains some of the basic principles of reiki as well.
In shamanic reiki, practitioners heal via reiki with the ultimate intention of a fully awakened mind and heart. The goal of anyone who practices shamanic reiki is to, one day, be able to live a life that is free from attachments.
Anyone who is more interested in a type of healing that is connected to the spiritual world may want to look more into shamanic reiki. Experienced shamanic reiki practitioners and masters are capable of pulling the spiritual world close to their own plane of existence and of using it to heal themselves or their patients.
In this article, you’ll find out more about shamanic reiki and discover details that can help you choose whether or not it’s the right path for you.
Shamanic Reiki
In this section, you’ll find out more about the materials, concepts, and method of performing shamanic reiki. This can give you a good stepping stone toward learning even more.

Commonly used materials:
- Many shamanic reiki practitioners use drums and other types of percussion instruments to help themselves enter a semi-trancelike state. This, in turn, makes it easier to communicate with spirit guides and to traverse the spiritual world while also staying in contact with the client at all times.
- Some practitioners also use various plants and herbs in their sessions. This depends entirely on the master or practitioner in question. If you are thinking of booking a shamanic reiki session, be sure to ask about this, as some people may be allergic or intolerant to certain types of plants.
Principles and concepts:
- As with every form of reiki, there are five principles to keep in mind:
- Do not worry
- Do not be angry
- Be grateful
- Be honest
- Be compassionate to others and do no harm
- When it comes to shamanism, the concepts are basically the same. The only difference is to add in the idea of spirituality and the spiritual world, as well as the weight it has on the people living in this world.
- Shamanism and reiki both also care a lot about the environment and about nature.
How it is performed:
- Before a session, the practitioner should speak to their spirit guides to find out what to expect from the session.
- The practitioner then leads the client in a visualization or guided meditation in order to help them identify problems, concerns, or questions in their life.
- Clients are expected to provide some feedback to the practitioner about what they see, feel, and experience as well.
- Every practitioner has their own means of calling spirit guides to the reiki space. Finding your own routine and the best way to reach out to your guides can take a lot of practice, so you should practice on your own before treating others.
Videos to Help You Learn
Watch the videos below to give you a more thorough understanding of shamanic reiki and everything it means.
Option #1
Shamanic Reiki
- This is an extremely informative and in-depth video discussing the differences between shamanic reiki and traditional reiki. It also goes into the idea of shamanism and explains more about what guides both shamanism and reiki, and how these concepts combine to create a strong and powerful treatment.
- This video can help you get an idea of what to expect during a shamanic reiki treatment. It’s a great place to begin when you aren’t completely sure about the differences between these two types of reiki, too.
Option #2
Shamanic Reiki
- This video is a discussion of shamanic reiki from the point of view of someone who practices it. At the time of this filming, the speaker in the video had only just started learning about and journeying toward shamanic reiki, so it’s a good point of view for those who are still a little bit unsure or who have just begun as well.
- The video may be a little too personal or anecdotal to help everyone, but it’s still a good idea to watch and listen to what the speaker has to say and to gain an idea of the benefits of this type of reiki.
Option #3
Benefits of Adding Shamanism to Reiki
- This is a short lecture on the benefits of shamanism when it is combined with reiki. It contains somewhat more in-depth or specialized information than some of the other videos listed here, so it’s a good choice for those who have reached at least level 2 of their reiki practice.
- The video is a talk between an interviewer and a presenter, with some questions asked and answered throughout.
Option #3
What is a Shamanic Reiki Session?
- This video explains what to expect during a session of shamanic reiki. It works through the details and the steps involved in each session so potential clients will be less intimidated by the process moving forward.
- The video includes a few examples of some of the stages as well, to help illustrate the points included.
Option #4
Shamanic Usui Reiki Training, Level 1
- This video includes several tips and suggestions about how to begin with a shamanic reiki practice. It also features anecdotal, personal information shared by the two speakers to help watchers understand what the experience is like.
- There is also a discussion of how both of the speakers conduct their own shamanic reiki practices and how they interact with clients.
Conclusion
There is a lot of information to absorb when learning about any type of reiki, but especially when discussing shamanic reiki. The videos above can give you a good place to get started, but there’s a lot more out there to discover.

And if you’re thinking of practicing or scheduling a shamanic reiki session, here are some benefits of type branch of reiki to keep in mind:
- This option improves your ability to heal physically and cope emotionally, even while connecting you to a deeper understanding of spiritual energies.
- Encourages both patient and practitioner to travel spiritual paths and uncover deeper truths about themselves as they work and heal.
- Improves intuition and insight over time and with practice.
And here are a couple of disadvantages to remember as well:
- This version of reiki brings up traumas and negative energies from the past. It’s important to work through and eventually to accept these difficult thoughts, emotions, and memories. However, it can be very challenging to deal with this at first, and can cause more harm than good if a client doesn’t have a good practitioner to help guide them.
- This type of reiki takes longer to perform per session than other types.
It can take some time to decide which type of reiki is right for you. Now that you’ve learned about shamanic reiki, you may be interested in finding out more about this unique, highly spiritual reiki path.