Why You’ll Be Removed from a Reiki School If You Ask the Right Questions

Отromanreiki

In 2026 I was excluded from a closed Telegram channel for graduates of a professional Reiki retraining course. The reason — questions. Not aggressive ones. Not provocative. Ordinary questions that any reasonable consumer of educational services would ask.

THE QUESTIONS I ASKED:

  • Does the teacher undergo personal therapy?
  • Who is their supervisor?
  • In which evidence-based methods do they work?
  • Where and when did they train in those methods?

I was removed without warning. Without explanation.

Why These Are the Right Questions

In psychology and psychotherapy there is a standard: a practitioner must undergo personal therapy and supervision. This is not a whim — it is an ethical requirement of professional associations (OPPL, APP, EAP). Without this, a practitioner cannot work with clients safely.

If a person issues a «professional retraining diploma» and at the same time:

  • does not undergo personal therapy
  • has no supervisor
  • cannot name an evidence-based method of their work
  • removes those who ask about this

… this is a red flag visible from a distance.

Why the Other Graduates Are Silent

The mechanism is well studied in social psychology:

Investment. The person paid money and time. Admitting the course did not deliver what was promised means accepting a loss. It is easier to defend the investment.

Group belonging. The graduates’ community gives a sense of specialness. Questions that challenge the value of this belonging are perceived as an attack.

Teacher authority. In spiritual practices the teacher figure becomes sacralised. Criticising the teacher = sacrilege.

Fear of isolation. Those who saw others excluded stay silent to avoid being next.

How to Distinguish a Safe School from an Unsafe One

Ask these questions before paying:

Does the teacher undergo personal therapy? Good answer: names the method and frequency. Warning sign: evasion or «why does Reiki need that?»

Is there a supervisor? Good answer: names them and the method. Warning sign: ignoring the question.

What evidence-based method is used? Good answer: CBT, MBSR, body-oriented therapy. Warning sign: «energy is the method».

The reaction to your questions. Good sign: they answer, clarify, debate. Warning sign: they remove you from the chat.

The reaction to questions will tell you more than any testimonials on the school’s website. If you are removed for asking about the teacher’s qualifications — that is your answer.

This is the sixth piece in the «Reiki as Business» series. The first five lessons — on science, lineage, the diploma, the school business model, and alternatives — are available in the paid mini-course.

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