Yes, shamanic healing and Reiki can be effectively combined. They are distinct modalities—Reiki is a channeling of universal life force energy, while shamanism involves active intermediation with the spirit world—but they are highly complementary. A skilled healer can use Reiki’s abundant, gentle energy to fuel or soften shamanic practices, or use shamanic techniques to deepen and diagnose issues during a Reiki session. This integration allows for a pragmatic, results-oriented approach, blending the passive energetic support of Reiki with the active, interventional work of shamanic journeying and spirit guide communication.
Defining Reiki: Energy and Attunements
Reiki is a specific Japanese healing art centered on the practitioner acting as a channel for universal life force energy (Ki). The traditional, original system of Usui Reiki Ryoho, formalized by Mikao Usui, relies on a process called attunement, where a Reiki Master-Teacher opens the student’s energy channels. This initiation attunes the practitioner to specific energy frequencies, allowing them to channel this energy for themselves and others. The practice often involves standardized hand positions and the use of sacred Reiki symbols (like Cho Ku Rei for power) to direct and amplify the energy flow. The practitioner is a passive “hollow bone,” letting the inherently intelligent energy go where it is most needed.
Defining Shamanic Healing: Journeying and Spirit Guides
Shamanic healing is an ancient, animistic practice where the practitioner intentionally enters an altered state of consciousness (ASC) to engage with the spirit world for healing. Unlike the passive channeling of Reiki, the shamanic practitioner is an active intermediary. They perform specific tasks, such as communicating with spirit guides, retrieving power animals, or performing soul retrieval (recovering lost parts of a client’s essence due to trauma). This shamanic journeying is typically facilitated by a monotonous sound, most commonly shamanic drumming or rattling, which helps the practitioner navigate non-ordinary reality to diagnose and resolve spiritual imbalances at their source.
Comparative Analysis: Philosophy and Technique
While both healing modalities facilitate profound healing, their core philosophies, energetic sources, and practitioner roles are fundamentally different. A practitioner’s ability to combine them hinges on understanding these distinctions.
| Feature | Reiki | Shamanic Healing |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Source | Universal Life Force Energy (Ki) | The Spirit World (guides, allies, power animals) |
| Practitioner Role | Passive Channel / “Hollow Bone” | Active Intermediary / “Traveler” / “Negotiator” |
| Main Method | Healing energy transfer | Shamanic journeying, soul retrieval, extraction |
| Energy Quality | Generally gentle, restorative, intelligent | Primal, potent, often diagnostic, specific to the spirit |
| Initiation | Attunement from a Master-Teacher | Direct initiation (often via ASC) from spirits |
Healing Energy Source: Universal Ki vs. Spirit Allies
The distinction lies in the source of the healing power. Reiki practitioners connect to an impersonal, universal field of energy—the Ki that permeates everything. This energy is considered inherently intelligent and flows where it is needed, with the practitioner simply facilitating.
Conversely, shamanic healing relies on spirit allies. The practitioner builds relationships with specific, conscious entities—power animals, ancestors, or plant spirits—and it is these spirit guides who provide the power, information, and perform the healing through the practitioner.
Healer’s Role: Channel vs. Intermediary
The healer’s role in Reiki is one of passive channeling. They step aside to let the energy flow through them without personal will or direction.
The shamanic practitioner’s role is one of active intermediation. They are a traveler, a negotiator, and a diagnostician, actively journeying into non-ordinary reality to find the spiritual cause of an ailment and do something about it, such as negotiating the return of a soul part.
Methods: Healing vs. Soul Retrieval
The core methods differ in their application and goal. Reiki’s primary method is healing energy transfer, a gentle application of energy to promote balance, relaxation, and self-healing.
Shamanism’s main methods are diagnostic and surgical on a spiritual level. Soul retrieval is a great example, where the shaman journeys to retrieve a piece of the client’s soul that has fragmented due to trauma. Another example is extraction healing, which involves removing spiritual intrusions that do not belong.
Models of Integration
A pragmatic practitioner can integrate these systems by using the strengths of one to enhance the other. The secret is to view them as complementary tools in a comprehensive healing toolkit, rather than competing dogmas.
Enhancing Shamanic Journeying with Reiki Energy
A healer can use Reiki to “fuel” a shamanic journey. Before beginning the journey, the healer can activate the flow of Reiki, filling their own energetic body and running symbols. This can create a more stable and protected altered state of consciousness. The universal energy can act as a buffer and a source of stamina for the complex work of navigating the spirit world.
Combining Reiki Symbols with Extraction Healing
Reiki symbols can be employed during or after a shamanic extraction healing. After removing a spiritual intrusion (the shamanic part), the practitioner can immediately seal the “wound” in the client’s aura using the Reiki power symbol (Cho Ku Rei) for protection. They can then fill the newly cleared space with healing light using other symbols or a general flow of Reiki, which is often more gentle and integrating than the raw power of a spirit ally.
The Use of Shamanic Drumming in Reiki Sessions
Conversely, shamanic tools can deepen a Reiki session. Using shamanic drumming at the beginning of a session can help a client shift their brainwaves into a receptive theta state (the trance state). This makes them more open to receiving the Reiki energy. The drum’s vibration can also help dislodge stagnant energy blocks, allowing the Reiki to flow more effectively and deeply. And of course, other instruments can be used for this very purpose as well.
Channeling Power Animals and Spirit Guides for Distant Healing
When performing distant Reiki, the healer can call upon their power animals or spirit guides. This blends the two modalities perfectly. The practitioner can ask their guides (a shamanic act) to carry the Reiki energy (a Reiki act) to the client. This can be perceived as making the distant healing more potent and targeted, as the spirit ally acts as a conscious, intelligent delivery system for the universal energy.
Benefits of Combining Both Systems
Integrating Reiki and shamanic healing creates a system that addresses healing on multiple levels. This syncretic approach offers advantages for both the client and the healer.
- For the Client: They receive the diagnostic, “root-cause” benefits of shamanic work and the gentle, restorative integration of Reiki. The Reiki energy can soften the often-intense experience of a shamanic intervention, making the healing process feel safer and more complete.
- For the Adept: The healer has more tools. If a shamanic journey reveals an energy blockage, they can use Reiki to dissolve it. If a Reiki session reveals a deeper issue (like a soul-part loss), they have the shamanic tools to address it directly. This adaptability is the hallmark of an adept practitioner.
Ethical and Traditional Considerations
While the combination is pragmatically effective, it is important to approach it with awareness and respect. Shamanism is not a single system but a collection of indigenous practices. A practitioner who is not an initiate of a specific, living lineage should be clear that they are a neoshaman rather than a traditional shaman. The same goes for Reiki—a shaman who uses general energy healing techniques without being attuned to a specific Reiki system by a qualified Master-Teacher should not be calling themselves a Usui Reiki Ryoho Master.
My own take on this subject is that from a pragmatic or Chaos Magick viewpoint, all systems are tools that can be divorced from their cultural dogma for practical application. However, this must be balanced with a deep respect for the source of these techniques. The practitioner’s skill, intent, and integrity are what ultimately determine the ethics and efficacy of the practice.
