One unique and powerful aspect of Reiki is distance healing, where practitioners channel energy to a recipient who is not physically present. While effective and transformative, distance healing requires a clear ethical framework to ensure respect, integrity, and harmony throughout the process. I can’t speak for other Reiki distance healers and light workers, but today I’d like to share my work ethic for distance healing that I have developed and stand by.
I’ve been asked and have often volunteered to do distance healing for friends and family, but before embarking on any healing I ask first and foremost for their permission to open the portal, not just for the first session but for the subsequent ones, especially if we live in different time zones. We all live busy lives and now that the holiday rush is upon us, it becomes increasingly difficult to coordinate intercontinentally or across any border. I could easily close my eyes and open the portal myself when I hear of a loved one in need, but without explicit consent I cannot and will not do so. Believe me when I say that this is a deep struggle, especially knowing that I can truly help, but as the saying goes, you can lead the horse to the water…
Informed Consent
Consent is the cornerstone of ethical Reiki practice, particularly for distance healing. Practitioners must ensure that the recipient understands what Reiki involves and explicitly agrees to receive the session because I work with an individual’s energy field. Engaging without consent could disrupt their energy or violate their free will. I don’t try to overcomplicate matters, so a verbal agreement usually suffices, but if contacted via the website, then written confirmation, or an electronic message is required. If healing is requested for someone unable to respond (e.g., unconscious or critically ill), I require permission from a guardian.
Privacy and Confidentiality
Just as in in-person sessions, distance healing requires practitioners to respect the recipient’s personal boundaries and confidentiality. Energies and aura readings are extremely personal and in many cases the source of the problem has never been disclosed to others, so I respect that.
Setting Clear Intentions
Before beginning a distance healing session, we (healer and recipient) set clear, positive intentions for the highest good of the recipient. Reiki energy is non-invasive, but directing it with pure intent ensures the healing is aligned with the recipient’s needs rather than the practitioner’s assumptions. You don’t go to a doctor or a priest without a specific reason do you? It works the same way with light workers and reiki healing.
Respecting Individual Paths
Light and energy works in harmony with a personal journey. It is not my job to control or influence outcomes, therefore your needs will always come first. Here it is important to note that if someone resists healing — consciously or subconsciously — I have to honour that choice because Reiki can only be beneficial for you when received willingly.
Neutral and Compassionate Mindset
As a channel for universal energy, my role is to be a neutral conduit, free of judgment or attachment to results. I cannot and will not project personal emotions, beliefs, or expectations onto the recipient. I have to trust the Reiki process to unfold naturally, even if immediate effects aren’t visible.
Before I close this, let me add a final word about animal reiki. I always, always ask for the animal’s consent before a session, no matter how brief it may turn out to be. If the owner is present I ask the owner first and then the recipient’s, especially if I am going to do follow-up sessions. Animals are usually less resistant to distant reiki but they have every right to understand what is happening as well.
I hope this answers some of your questions that may have been on your mind. Sending you light and healing for a wonderful day.
Related blog:
The Esoteric Frog 
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