Ny Reiki Laws

A few people told me you have to be a nurse or a reverend to touch someone and practice Reiki in NY. They said you have to be an RN or a Massage therapist to do bodywork. Does anyone know if this is true or have any more info? I'm looking forward to praticing Reiki but I just want to know what the laws are. It seems hard to find this information. Thanks

I think that may be the case in a couple of States but not, as far as I know in NY. You could try Googling to find out or maybe there are some native New Yorkers on here who can answer you!

Sounds like a joke to me

Reiki is innate healing. As Reiki
practitoners we facilitate. You
do not need to be a RN.Rev,Nurse or
massage therapist to practice Reiki.

I prefer my Vet to be Reiki certified

i've heard this requirement also, if someone says they do 'healing' in US. In fact, in QT no-one is allowed to say they heal another. because of US laws. i'd a disagreement with a senior QT person in US over the word restrictions. Could the US folks give their state-by-state requirements?

Breyein wrote:A few people told me you have to be a nurse or a reverend to touch someone and practice Reiki in NY. They said you have to be an RN or a Massage therapist to do bodywork. Does anyone know if this is true or have any more info? I'm looking forward to praticing Reiki but I just want to know what the laws are. It seems hard to find this information. Thanks

Hi Breyein,

many therapists become ordained as a minister as this is a way of circumventing laws requiring practitioners to be licensed massage therapists or medical practitioners, however in NY you do not require a license to practice Reiki, so likewise you do not need to be a minister/reverend.

You simply have to be careful as to how you present your practice, and the claims you make concerning the nature and effect of that practice.

According to NYSED:

New York State Education Department wrote:Do persons who practice Reiki, the Alexander Technique, or the Feldenkrais Method require a license as a massage therapist?

No. But if persons practicing these techniques claim that they are diagnosing or treating any human pain, disease, disorder or physical condition, they must be licensed in a profession that is authorized to diagnose or to provide treatment.

source: http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/mt/mtquesans.htm

Milarepa wrote:i've heard this requirement also, if someone says they do 'healing' in US. In fact, in QT no-one is allowed to say they heal another. because of US laws. i'd a disagreement with a senior QT person in US over the word restrictions. Could the US folks give their state-by-state requirements?

People heal themselves we just assist them in their process. If you are a RN.Rev,Nurse or massage therapist being Reiki certified is a plus to add in your brochure/resume...............

Here's an excerpt from the Massachusetts laws refering to Body-Mind Centering and Reiki.

The following practitioners are exempt from this licensing law as long as they don’t hold themselves out to be massage therapists.

A person who uses touch, words or directed movement to deepen awareness of patterns of movement in the body, or the affectation of the human energy system or acupoints or Qi meridians of the human body while engaged within the scope of practice of a profession with established standards and ethics, but such services shall not be designated or implied to be massage or massage therapy. Such practices shall include, but not be limited to, the Feldenkrais Method; Reflexology; The Trager Approach; Ayurvedic Therapies, Rolf Structural Integration, Polarity or Polarity Therapy; Polarity Therapy Bodywork; Asian Bodywork Therapy that does not constitute massage as defined in this chapter; Acupressure; Jin Shin Do; Qi Gong; Tui Na; Shiatsu; Body-Mind Centering and Reiki.
These exempt practitioners may use the terms "bodywork", "bodyworker" and "bodywork therapist" in their promotional literature.

]

chi_solas wrote:

People heal themselves we just assist them in their process.

My issue with the QT person was the attempt to restrict my freedom of speech since i'm in a different country. particularly since the restriction was originating from the 'land of the free'.

Thanks everyone. All good to know. Makes me more comfortable starting my practice. Want to do things right from the start.

Milarepa wrote:

chi_solas wrote:

People heal themselves we just assist them in their process.

My issue with the QT person was the attempt to restrict my freedom of speech since i'm in a different country. particularly since the restriction was originating from the 'land of the free'.

Some folks have discovered that
Universal Energy is free too!

*sighs* we have to be careful how we use wording in this country also regarding holistic therapies....we have to be careful what claims we make regarding different therapies...It's a contentious issue for me at times, because I feel like I am lying and sugar coating the real depth, potential and potency of Reiki and other therapies. Perhaps when more scientific research is done into the power of Reiki, then we will be able to be more honest about the real depth and potential involved.

In NY, I learned you can't use words such as healing, clinic, and patient. This is just energy balancing, a reiki session and clients/customers. You can't say that it can cure anything. You can't diagnose or even if you intuit that there might be a problem, you can only tell your client that they should really see a doctor for an evaluation. I tend to say it helps with anger, stress - to help a person relax. It removes negative energy for positive energy, etc. for my volunteer stuff. Gee, I don't even know if anger and stress are medical terms for psychiatrist. Anywho, as long as you don't use a medical disease name in your ads or conversations, you're fine. I have to deal w/ the elderly who are not well and I can't tell the family that they have xyz. I can only say to a person that they need help or ask the family if they know of any medical conditions the elderly person has. It's no different for any non-medically license person in what ever field they're in. Someone can give the person a hard time who diagnosed them and it's worse if they go to the doctor and find out that they don't have what a person said they had. jmho.

water flower wrote:In NY, I learned you can't use words such as healing, clinic, and patient. This is just energy balancing, a reiki session and clients/customers. You can't say that it can cure anything.

all these words define the medical profession
Reiki does not operate as a medical system it
is a self-healing modality. I would never lead
my clients into thinking I was a healer. The body
is a macnificent machine if we take care of it
physically emotionally and spiritually.

You can't diagnose or even if you intuit that there might be a problem, you can only tell your client that they should really see a doctor for an evaluation. I tend to say it helps with anger, stress - to help a person relax. It removes negative energy for positive energy, etc. for my volunteer stuff. Gee, I don't even know if anger and stress are medical terms for psychiatrist. Anywho, as long as you don't use a medical disease name in your ads or conversations, you're fine.

If we were to come under the guidelines
of even massage the state would have
stricter guidelines for us to adhere to.

I have to deal w/ the elderly who are not well and I can't tell the family that they have xyz. I can only say to a person that they need help or ask the family if they know of any medical conditions the elderly person has. It's no different for any non-medically license person in what ever field they're in. Someone can give the person a hard time who diagnosed them and it's worse if they go to the doctor and find out that they don't have what a person said they had. jmho.

Its best to work as a complementary with
the medical doctors. I see them as another
tool. A person may have a dis-ease and we
may help them focus on healing whatever
where ever the dis-ease presents itself.
Its the body that knowns what needs heaing
as in my own case. I noticed that before I
acheived good health the body worked on the
"minor" issues before completing the final
healing process.

People need to be committed to mindful eating
and mindful thinking to make mind/body/spirit
changes happen for the better

[quote="water flower"]In NY, I learned you can't use words such as healing, clinic, and patient. This is just energy balancing, a reiki session and clients/customers. You can't say that it can cure anything. You can't diagnose or even if you intuit that there might be a problem, you can only tell your client that they should really see a doctor for an evaluation. I tend to say it helps with anger, stress - to help a person relax. It removes negative energy for positive energy, etc. for my volunteer stuff. Gee, I don't even know if anger and stress are medical terms for psychiatrist. Anywho, as long as you don't use a medical disease name in your ads or conversations, you're fine. I have to deal w/ the elderly who are not well and I can't tell the family that they have xyz. I can only say to a person that they need help or ask the family if they know of any medical conditions the elderly person has. It's no different for any non-medically license person in what ever field they're in. Someone can give the person a hard time who diagnosed them and it's worse if they go to the doctor and find out that they don't have what a person said they had. jmho.[/q actality we're not
In actuality we're not physicians. So if. When doing a reiki on someone. You stumble a cross something that should be checked. You should tell that to the person you're working with.

I have a friend of a friend who was having reiki done to her. The reiki master when placing his hands on her chest fel something that he wasn't sure what it was. The subject felt something too.

The reiki practitioner suggested that she get a medical opinion. The diagnosis was lupus. I guess they discovered the problem in its early stages and took care of it.

Reiki practitioners are not licenced to
practice medicine. If a Medical DR is also
certified as a Reki practitioner s/he can
only diagnose as a medical DR, not as a
Reiki practitioner

MA Reiki Laws.......

The following practitioners are exempt from this licensing law as long as they don’t hold themselves out to be massage therapists.

A person who uses touch, words or directed movement to deepen awareness of patterns of movement in the body, or the affectation of the human energy system or acupoints or Qi meridians of the human body while engaged within the scope of practice of a profession with established standards and ethics, but such services shall not be designated or implied to be massage or massage therapy. Such practices shall include, but not be limited to, the Feldenkrais Method; Reflexology; The Trager Approach; Ayurvedic Therapies, Rolf Structural Integration, Polarity or Polarity Therapy; Polarity Therapy Bodywork; Asian Bodywork Therapy that does not constitute massage as defined in this chapter; Acupressure; Jin Shin Do; Qi Gong; Tui Na; Shiatsu; Body-Mind Centering and Reiki.
These exempt practitioners may use the terms "bodywork", "bodyworker" and "bodywork therapist" in their promotional literature.

Check out RLL Interview with Jeffrey Hotchkiss.

also see www.eldersbloom.org.