Many people do think that Reiki is a spiritual faith healing, a religious thing or new age but it is not because it was discovered a hundred years ago. It is really not affiliated with any particular organization or religion. The reason a lot of people think it is, is because in a lot of religions leaders have the ability to heal with their hands. In the Bible Jesus is described as laying of hands on sick people and healing people. That is a very basic and short description of what Reiki is, you lay your hands on someone and heal them. Without knowing they specifics of what Jesus was doing back then I can't say what his healing methods were or what he called it. This is not something that can only be used by people of a certain religion or group affiliation. It is not rooted in anything religious. It was a spiritual experience for the man who discovered it but it wasn't affiliated with any group. People of all affiliations and religions can learn Reiki and practice it. A patient doesn't have to go to a specific Reiki practitioner. A responsible practitioner never involves their personal beliefs into the Reiki session. I would never pray during Reiki or introduce any new ritual that is not Reiki. Some people will do that because they feel strongly that they should add something to it to make it better but a responsible practitioner knows that you don't have to do anything to make Reiki better. It is okay for a patient to ask about religious affiliation of the practitioner, but the practitioner should always be able to assure them that Reiki is its own thing. It is separate from any group affiliation and the practitioner won't be introducing their belief system into treatment.
