When first venturing into the world of energy healing, you may be surprised at how many different energy healing techniques are out there. Between healing touch, therapeutic touch, reiki, and others, it’s difficult to choose the best technique that will suit your needs. Let’s dive into the differences and comparisons between the two most popular healing techniques out there, healing touch and reiki. 

What Is Healing Touch?

Healing Touch is a complementary energy therapy that promotes deep relaxation of your body, mind, and spirit, to increase your body’s self-healing capabilities. This energy therapy is used to treat pain and illness after surgery or during the recovery phase of an illness. The term Healing Touch might sound like a massage and even though it’s as long as a massage, the practitioner will not engage your muscles directly, only your energy field.

It was developed by a nurse called Janet Mentgen in 1980, who wanted to increase the connection between nurses and patients. After seeing the positive effect of different energy modalities in patients, she started developing her Healing Touch methods and taught her methods to other nurses with great results.

How Does Healing Touch Work?

Healing Touch uses a combination of different energy healing techniques to relax and promote healing in patients by getting their energy field into balance. Each session is different as every patient has a different illness or pain which requires a different energy healing technique. At the start of a session, the Healing Touch practitioner will ask the patient about his/her condition and explain how the session will work. The practitioner will then perform an energy assessment through a hand scan around the patient’s body to figure out the current energy levels. 

Then the practitioner will perform an individualized session by setting their heart-intention into healing the patient’s specific issue and unblock his/her energy centers (chakras) to relieve stress.

What Is Reiki?

Reiki is a Japanese energy healing technique that promotes overall wellness of your body, mind, and spirit. Just like Healing Touch, Reiki also induces deep relaxation in a person to boost his/her body’s self-healing capabilities. This energy therapy is used to remove emotional trauma, relieve pain, reduce stress, and promote overall wellbeing.

It was developed by Dr. Mikao Usui in 1922, who dedicated his life to figuring out how to heal himself and others using the laying on of hands after one of his students in college asked him how Jesus facilitated the miracles that he performed. This question led Dr. Usui to travel and seek for an answer, which took him to the holy mountains of Kori Yama where he meditated and fasted for 21 days in order to achieve a higher state of consciousness. It was on the 21st day that he became enlightened and saw an ancient Sanskrit symbol that helped him develop the Reiki energy healing technique.

Afterward, Dr. Usui established a clinic for healing and teaching in Kyoto where he would teach future Reiki masters that later improved the healing technique and expanded the practice around the world.

How Does Reiki Work?

Reiki uses only one energy healing technique and a range of symbols to bring balance to the patient’s energy field in order to reduce stress and increase self-healing. Each session is the same for all patients with different conditions, as Reiki focuses on overall wellness. At the start of the session, the Reiki practitioner will ask the patient about his/her condition and explain how the session will work. The practitioner will then perform an energy assessment through a hand scan around the patient’s body to figure out the current energy levels the same way it’s done with Healing Touch.

Then the practitioner will start a complete body healing by unblocking all the energy centers (chakras) to induce relaxation and relieve stress. The practitioner will choose and use the Reiki symbols beneficial for the specific issue or illness of the patient in order to transfer the universal life force into the places that need it the most.

How Are They Similar?

Both Healing Touch and Reiki work by channeling the universal energy around us into a patient to induce relaxation, relieve stress, and promote self-healing by unblocking the energy centers (chakra) to allow a positive energy flow around the body.

It’s important to understand that they complement traditional health care by improving healing and reducing pain, but they don’t replace traditional health care.

Each session can be performed on a chair or preferably laying on a table to get the patient in a comfortable position and allow complete relaxation. There is no need to disrobe for a session, just remove the shoes and hats if the patient lays down on a table.

The session of both healing therapies consists of gentle hand placements around the patient’s body to transfer the universal energy with the aim of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual healing simultaneously.

What’s The Difference Between Healing Touch And Reiki?

Even though Healing Touch and Reiki work very similarly and produce the same results, there are a couple of differences between them. Let’s review the pros and cons of both energy healing therapies to see these differences. 

Healing Touch 

Pros

Practitioners Require Certification

Since Healing Touch is mostly practiced by nurses and offered in hospitals, it’s required for a practitioner to have proper training and get certified by the Healing Touch Program. This can guarantee that your healing session will be performed by an experienced practitioner that has been formally trained.

It’s Recognized By The Medical Community

Healing Touch is accredited and endorsed by the American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) and the Canadian Holistic Nurses Association (CHNA). Doctors have recognized the positive effects of energy healing for improved recovery in patients, making more and more nurses get training to perform this therapy.

It Provides Individualized Sessions 

Healing Touch uses 30 different energy healing techniques, making it versatile to provide individualized sessions. Practitioners choose the specific techniques required for the session based on the patient’s situation and focus the healing on that specific situation.

It’s Covered By Insurance

The best thing about being accredited by the CHNA and AHNA is that insurance companies recognize Healing Touch therapy as a legitimate medical therapy. Also considering that this therapy is offered in hospitals, some insurance companies have included Healing Touch therapy in their insurance plans.

Cons

Mostly Available In Hospitals 

Considering that most Healing Touch practitioners are nurses, it’s no surprise that this therapy is mostly available in hospitals or in other areas of the health care system such as elderly care. You can find Healing Touch therapy in every state of the United States, Canada, Ecuador, and South Africa.

No Spiritual Connection

Even though Healing Touch uses the universal energy around us to heal patients, it does not promote any spiritual connection with this universal energy and has no spiritual base. Healing Touch is only based on techniques and heart-intentions by the practitioners.

Reiki

Pros

Higher Spiritual Connection

Reiki is based on channeling the universal life force energy that gives life to all living things and connects the entire universe together. This gives you a sense of spirituality and direct spiritual connection with the universe which feels like a connection to God.

Practitioners Require Attunements

The attunements are necessary for students to increase their vibration which will allow them to channel Reiki energy to heal themselves or others. Reiki is passed from master to student in an attunement which is performed through the laying on of hands. This tradition has maintained a Reiki master lineage traced back to Dr. Usui himself.

It’s Based On 5 Principles

Reiki is more than an energy healing therapy, it’s also a way of life filled with gratefulness, respect, and humility. Reiki practitioners live by 5 core principles and affirmations that maintain them in a higher state of consciousness and in complete harmony with the world around them. 

Accessible Worldwide Through Distance Healing

Considering that the universal life force energy is all around us and keep us all connected, it is possible to send positive energy from one person to the other through long distances. This allows Reiki practitioners to send healing energy to anyone in the world, from one country to another, making it accessible worldwide at any given time.

Stronger Healing With Sacred Reiki Symbols

The sacred Reiki symbols connect you more effectively to the universal life force energy by amplifying the energy and unlocking the flow of energy in the body. These symbols can be used to strengthen and focus Reiki energy on the places it’s most needed in the body providing a stronger healing experience.

Cons

It’s A Single Technique

Unlike Healing Touch, Reiki uses a single healing technique that promotes the overall healing of the entire body, mind, and spirit. It’s a one size fits all solution for every situation. However, by using Reiki symbols practitioners can focus energy on specific areas of the body that need healing.

Certification Is Optional

Reiki is not yet certified or endorsed by the medical community which allows practitioners to practice Reiki without a certification, but practitioners must always receive an attunement to practice Reiki. However, The International Center For Reiki does offer certification for Reiki practitioners that can guarantee you find a session with a true Reiki master that abide by the code of ethics.

Usually Not Covered By Insurance

Since Reiki is not yet formally certified and endorsed by the medical community, it’s no surprise that insurance companies do not cover Reiki energy healing therapy. But there are insurance companies that allow you to include Reiki therapy in your insurance plan if you contact them and request it.

Which Energy Healing Therapy Is Best For You?

Both Healing Touch and Reiki produce the same results and can be used to treat the same issues. The main difference to consider when choosing the energy therapy that suits you best is to choose between a spiritual path with Reiki and feel in complete harmony with the universe or a more practical path to just heal any pain and balance your body’s energy with Healing Touch.

Comment below if you found this helpful and let us know which path you will take!