A number of Christian groups have become concerned about Reiki and published pamphlets warning of the dangers they believe to be inherent in the technique.
We have established that recourse to Reiki is forbidden by Catholic moral principles, soliciting or practicing Reiki is always wrong in the sight of God, though only formally sinful to the degree that the persons involved realise the wrongness of their actions.
Evidence from those exercising the ministry of deliverance and exorcism indicates that deliberate and informed choices to resort to non-Christian spiritual powers can result in the form of demonic attack known as obsession or infestation, and that uninformed exposure to such powers (as might be the case with a person who receives Reiki having been assured that it is a simple form of "healing touch"35) can result in the lesser form of demonic irritation known as oppression. Anecdotal evidence indicates that involvement in Reiki has led to Christians needing deliverance, although the nature of the cases makes it difficult to publish evidence. It must be stressed, however, that demonic attack is a vulnerability, not a certainty, for those who have exposed themselves in these ways.
It is clearly not appropriate for Reiki to be promoted in any way under Catholic auspices: it should not be offered on church property, nor by clergy or members of religious orders, nor should it be promoted in any kind of church literature. It is not necessary to argue that there is no such thing as ki or that Reiki is ineffective; pastors and superiors may prescind from the questions of whether it works, and the mechanism, by simply stressing that Christians are committed to turn to no spiritual source other than the Triune God, who has not revealed Reiki as a means of harnessing his power.
Opposition to Reiki can be turned into an opportunity for evangelisation: the emphasis can be placed less on what is forbidden, and more on the true healing power of Christ which can be accessed through the sacraments, through the pastoral care mechanisms of the faith community, and through explicitly Christian healing prayer ministries.
In the case of Christians who have received or practiced Reiki, sacramental confession is always appropriate as a means of coming to term's with one's own wrongdoing, even the case of one for whom ignorance may have precluded formal sin.
The confessor should stand ready to pray for deliverance from oppressive spiritual influences (this may be done inaudibly); under current Vatican directives, if there is evidence of obsession (often manifested in the form of strong recurrent temptation in a particular area), prayer for deliverance from this is reserved to the diocesan exorcist.
Preachers should consider whether to publicly warn against recourse to Reiki in their homilies; there are many texts about worshipping God alone or the healing power of Jesus Christ which could provide an appropriate opportunity. Pastors may consider the implications of presenting such teaching if a member of the congregation is makes their living as a Reiki practitioner; what support might the Christian community offer if a member must be challenged to give up their livelihood for the sake of the Gospel?
Reiki is now offered in some hospitals and health centres, and it may not be helpful to lodge appeals with secular authorities on the basis that Reiki might actually invoke evil spirits. The authorities may truthfully reply that Reiki practitioners deny attempting to invoke evil spirits, and clients genuinely feel better after receiving Reiki (and it´s true, temporarily, after they get worse). The best that might be sought realistically in the secular arena is a clear labelling of Reiki as a spiritual technique in all relevant literature and publicity; it is up to the Churches to remind Christians that they must turn to no spiritual power other than Jesus Christ, His Father and the Holy Spirit.
G. Leyshon