Reiki Is Not a Trend—It’s Sacred Medicine Rooted in Japanese Ancestral Wisdom

By: Laura Bonetzky


In today’s spiritual marketplace, Reiki is everywhere — offered in yoga studios, online trainings, and weekend certification courses. But what most people don’t realize is that Reiki is not simply a healing technique. It is a sacred, spiritual practice rooted in Indigenous Japanese wisdom—interwoven with the esoteric spiritual philosophies of Shintoism and Buddhism.

This isn’t just theory for me. It’s something I’ve lived and continue to walk—through healing trauma, chronic illness, and rediscovering spiritual integrity. This is about remembering what was lost, not to shame anyone, but to honor the depth of what was originally given.


My Journey: From Western Reiki to Returning Home

When I began my Reiki journey nearly two decades ago, I entered through the only doors available to many of us in the West—Western Reiki as it had been adapted and taught at the time. I was blessed with teachers who were kind, committed, and genuinely devoted to healing. They shared what they had been taught, with compassion and grace.

They are not to blame.

The version of Reiki many of us first encountered in the U.S. was already incomplete by the time it reached our shores, altered by war, trauma, translation, and time. And for me, that Western Reiki path was still a blessing. It helped me survive what felt un-survivable. It laid a foundation.

But as I healed deeper layers—surviving domestic abuse, losing my children, and reclaiming my spiritual identity—I began to feel a call toward something more. The system I had learned felt helpful, but fragmented. I started asking deeper questions:

  • What is Reiki really?
  • Who were the original teachers?
  • What cultural soil did this practice grow from?
These questions led me to Jikiden Reiki—which means “directly taught” in Japanese. Through this lineage, I began to feel a deeper resonance. I wasn’t just learning techniques—I was connecting with a tradition, a spiritual path, and a culture that carried thousands of years of wisdom.

It changed everything.


This Is Not Gatekeeping—It’s Cultural Integrity

Let me speak plainly: This is not a dismissal of Western Reiki or the people who teach it. Many of us would never have found Reiki at all if not for those early teachers and the partial transmission that made its way out of postwar Japan.

But as we evolve in consciousness and access, we are called to take deeper responsibility. We must ask:

  • Are we honoring the cultures these practices came from?
  • Are we carrying the medicine, or repackaging it for convenience?
  • Are we willing to unlearn, to listen, and to walk with humility?

This is not gatekeeping. This is stewardship.

It’s about preserving something sacred, not hoarding it.

It’s about respecting the people, the language, and the history, not excluding those who want to learn.


Where the founder of Reiki has his enlightenment experience at Mt Kurama, Kyoto Japan.

What Reiki Is—and What It’s Not

In its original Japanese form, Reiki is NOT:

  • Chakra balancing
  • Aura cleansing
  • Pendulum dowsing
  • Psychic readings
  • A quick title earned in a weekend

Those things may be meaningful in other systems, but they are not Reiki.  When we mix and match practices from different cultures and label it all “Reiki,” we distort its medicine and erase its origins.

Reiki as it was originally taught in Japan is:

  • A spiritual path of daily practice and self-refinement
  • A method of healing illness by restoring life force energy (ki) by addressing root issues and removing toxins from the body
  • Taught in-person through direct student-teacher transmission
  • Rooted in the Gokai (Five Reiki Principles – direct translation matters)
  • Deeply informed by Japanese language, worldview, and esoteric spirituality

Jikiden Reiki Practitioners gather at Healing With Spirit in Hingham, MA 2024

Why This Matters—Especially in the West

In a culture obsessed with speed, success, and status, we’ve turned sacred traditions into products. Reiki has become:

  • A spiritual commodity
  • A branding opportunity
  • A fast track to self-declared mastery

But healing isn’t instant.

Spiritual growth isn’t a race.

And sacred traditions are not ours to bend into personal gain.

The harm caused by spiritual appropriation and commodification is real. And in a time of collective trauma, disconnection, and reckoning, we are being asked to return—not to purity or perfection—but to truth, integrity, and right relationship.


The Invitation: A Return to the Source

If you’ve felt disconnected from the Reiki you’ve learned… if you’re craving something deeper, more rooted, more reverent… this is your invitation.

Come experience what Reiki feels like when it’s taught as it originally was—as a spiritual path, not a product.

Whether you’re new or experienced, all are welcome—especially those willing to approach this practice with openness and humility.


Upcoming Jikiden Reiki Trainings (In-Person Only)

Held at Healing With Spirit in Hingham, MA

  • Shoden (Level 1) | July 18–20, 2025
  • Okuden (Level 2) | July 27–28, 2025

Limited space available to maintain intimate, sacred space.

Also available:

The Secrets to Healing: An Invitation to Healing Trauma and Other Root Causes of Chronic Illness Using the Japanese Reiki Gokai

By Laura Bonetzky-Joseph

Available on Amazon + at Healing With Spirit, Hingham MA

Register or learn more, click here

Events www.LauraHealingWithSpirit.com

Explore more: https://linktr.ee/HealingWithSpirit

Jikiden Reiki® Seminar in Okuden (Level II)

Jikiden Reiki® Okuden (level 2 )training is recommended for people who want to learn more about Reiki and deepen their practice, treat psychological problems, and give treatments over any distance.

Curriculum:

  • Receive 2 more Reiju
  • How to use Reiki specifically for psychological issues
  • How to use Reiki for bad habits and/or addictions.
  • Distance Reiki Variations of distance Reiki method for easier self treatment including for psychological issues.
  • Practice sessions and practical demonstrations

You will be able to treat a greater variety of problems with more convenience to yourself and those you give Reiki to.


For more about Jikiden Reiki®Training and classes, click here.

*Prerequisite – Satisfactorily completed Jikiden Reiki® in Shoden

Class Times:

Friday, 6:30pm – 9 pm
Saturday, 11:30 pm-5 pm

TO REGISTER: 

It is highly encouraged to contact the teacher to ensure this training is appropriate for you, your needs, and your commitment.

For more information, please contact Laura at https://laurahealingwithspirit.com/contact/

To register using a credit card, click here. Note: Eventbrite charges a fee to use this service

To Register using a check, JIKIDEN-SEMINAR-REGISTRATION-FORM-1 Shoden 2024 (1)

Jikiden Reiki® Seminar in Shoden (Level I)

Are you looking for ways to improve your quality of life, reduce stress and anxiety, remove toxicity from the body, and guide it toward wholeness?

The traditional standard treatment in our American healthcare system rarely looks at the “root cause” of our symptoms and treats only the symptoms. Therefore, we rarely address and heal the underlying cause. Left untreated, it can manifest into illness.

Our bodies are designed and fully equipped to heal themselves. Reiki taps into those innate abilities.

Reiki (pronounced ray-key) is a simple form of energy healing from Japan known as “Shinshin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryoho”, which translates as “Usui treatment for the improvement of body and mind”.

Reiki supports the whole person physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually while drilling down on specific issues. Jikiden Reiki® sessions focus on removing toxins from the body and guiding it toward wholeness.

Jikiden Reiki® is the “direct teaching” of Reiki presented with credibility and clarity from authentic Japanese lineage.

This lineage goes from Dr. Hayashi to Mrs. Chiyoko Yamaguchi, Tadao’s (current President of Jikiden Reiki Kenkyukai) mother, who learned Reiki in 1938. Because this lineage has not gone through Mrs. Takata, it lacks the Westernization of Reiki.

Learning reiki is easy and can be used in a home or clinical setting to enhance the health and emotional wellness of both self and others. It is also complementary to all other alternative or traditional medical treatments and is non-invasive.

In these classes (called seminars), you will experience Reiki in its original beauty and simplicity as it was taught in Japan before it was brought to the West in the 1930’s. Because Jikiden Reiki is free from Western influence, it differs from the “Western” style of Reiki in approach, attitude, and ideas. Its roots go back almost to the discovery of Reiki itself.

Who should take a Jikiden Reiki® Class?

Jikiden Reiki® is for anyone interested in learning Reiki and for current practitioners who wish to deepen their practice & understanding.

This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Anyone interested in learning Reiki
  • Mothers looking for ways to reduce medication usage and visits to the pediatrician’s office every time their child gets sick
  • Caregivers constantly fighting the fight looking for a better way to care for their loved ones
  • Anyone looking for ways to minimize the need for medications or medical procedures
  • Anyone looking for ways to improve your quality of life, reduce stress and anxiety, remove toxicity from the body, and reduce the over-reliance on medication and overuse of medical procedures.
  • Clergy
  • Hospice workers & volunteers
  • Healthcare providers such as doctors, nurses, massage therapists, mental health workers, addiction counselors, etc., are looking to incorporate a more integrative and holistic approach into their scope of practice.
  • School teachers, administrators, and aides
  • Those in addiction recovery.
  • Advocates – domestic violence, social justice, health, hospice, anti-racism, etc.
  • Trauma survivors such as medical trauma, domestic violence, sexual assault
Jikiden Reiki teachers, Rae, Ann, and Laura at Mt Kurama in Japan October 2024

What you will discover:

  • It is unique – A Japanese Reiki with NO Western ties.
  • It is much more than a relaxing therapy
  • A deep Jikiden Reiki® practice with a history of success with chronic illness as well as to address deep-rooted beliefs, habits, traumas, and addictions.
  • A proven approach that is safe and effective
  • An effective treatment option for alleviating pain, pre-op and post-op surgery recovery, anxiety, skin conditions, and post-traumatic stress.
  • A simple, non-religious therapeutic treatment that works
  • Includes ideas and methods not previously taught in the West
  • Learn first-aid therapies for minor cuts, bruises, and burns.

Certification is through the Jikiden Reiki® Kenkyukai (Institute) in Kyoto, Japan.  Certificates in Japanese are sent directly from the Institute in Kyoto, Japan.

CLASS TIMES: 

  • Friday, 7 pm-9:30 pm,
  • Saturday 9:30 am-5 pm
  • Sunday 9:30 am-5 pm

FOR THE LATEST UPDATES, visit our Facebook Events page at https://www.facebook.com/pg/LauraHealingWithSpirit/events or join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2536053189992457

Investment: $350

For more information, please contact Laura at https://laurahealingwithspirit.com/contact/

Click here for more information about Jikiden Reiki® Services –https://laurahealingwithspirit.com/services/reiki/jikiden-reiki-services/

Click here for more information about Jikiden Reiki® Training Classes. – https://laurahealingwithspirit.com/services/reiki/jikiden-reiki-classes/


To Register:

To register using cash or check, click here JIKIDEN-SEMINAR-REGISTRATION-FORM-1 Shoden 2024 (1)

To register using a credit card, click here.


ABOUT Your Instructor:

Our seminar teacher is a certified Shihan through the Jikiden Reiki Institute in Kyoto, Japan. She is a student of Frank Arjava Petter, Vice Chairman of the Jikiden Reiki® Institute who studied directly with Chiyoko Sensei and Tadao Yamaguchi, son of Chiyoko Sensei and current chairman of the Jikiden Reiki® Institute.

Laura Joseph has a background as a college educator, domestic abuse advocate, and allied health professional with a focus on trauma-informed care.

She has almost 20 cumulative years in the holistic and allopathic health fields and is trauma-informed to assist in bringing out the best in you.

S he is also the author of the book: Secrets to Healing: An Invitation to Heal Trauma and Other Root Causes of Chronic Illness Using the Japanese Reiki Gokai

For more information about Laura, please visit our About Us page https://laurahealingwithspirit.com/about/

or go to her Reiki Blog https://laurahealingwithspirit.com/category/everything-reiki/

TSM Season 3 Episode 38: Bridging Cultures, Yoga, Violence Prevention & Healing Of Generations

Welcome to Episode 38, Season 3 of “Triggers and Spiritual Medicine” with your host, Laura Bonetzky Joseph, and our Everlutionary guest, Hawah Kasat.

In this episode, Laura and Hawah engaged in a rich discussion on personal experiences, cultural identities, spiritual practices, and what it takes to be truly “Everlutionary”. They emphasized the importance of creating safe spaces and addressing global challenges with love, empathy, and cooperation.

Hawah shared stories of his upbringing in New Jersey and summers in India, which shaped his views on racism, xenophobia, and the need for healing. He discussed navigating cultural identities, founding the nonprofit One Common Unity, and becoming a UN delegate. Hawah highlighted the importance of expanding perspectives, finding joy in service, and the mental attitude necessary for spiritual growth.

Both Laura and Hawah discussed the challenges of translating spiritual practices like Reiki and yoga across cultures and spoke about the need for fostering belonging and redefining success.

We conclude with Hawah sharing 3 tips that emphasize the importance of creating safe spaces, fostering understanding, and addressing global challenges through love, empathy, and cooperation.

As always, please share, like, and support if you found this episode helpful.

 

About Hawah:

An award-winning author, educator, non-profit leader, TEDx speaker, poet, and yogi. For over 20 years, Hawah has been teaching violence prevention, social-emotional literacy, conflict transformation, the healing arts, trauma-informed care, mindfulness, and yoga to all types of students, from diverse demographics, around the globe.

Since childhood, Hawah has been exposed to the living traditions, culture, philosophy, and practices of his ancestral homeland of India, and offers a rare perspective on Eastern and Western dichotomies.

Hawah is co-founder and former Executive Director of One Common Unity (OCU), an award-winning non-profit organization that has impacted the lives of over 40,000 youth and families.

In 2018, OCU was awarded the National SHIFT Award for its pioneering work in integrating the healing arts with environmental stewardship. In 2019, Hawah was honored to receive Georgetown University’s “Legacy Of A Dream” Award at the Kennedy Center. The University presents the award annually to an inspirational emerging leader whose work embodies the values and spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In the years prior, Hawah worked as an Americorps community organizer and mentor in Washington, D.C.’s most under-resourced neighborhood.

After graduating from American University, he was awarded a fellowship with the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Foundation to work as a special representative to the United Nations and the World Conference Against Racism.

Hawah has made appearances on XM National Satellite Radio, BBC, Fox News, NBC, ABC, CNN, The Washington Post, NPR, and Al Jazeera.  He has also been a guest speaker at Yale University, George Washington University, U.C.L.A., University of Colorado, Rollins College, University of Maryland, Georgetown University, Brown University, and many others.

Most recently, he helped launch Roots to Sky Sanctuary, a 125-acre BIPOC led regenerative farm and healing arts center situated in northern Appalachia where he serves as a Managing Partner. Over the years he has authored 4 books and produced 3 documentary films, including the widely acclaimed, “Fly By Light.”

Hawah Links

  • www.HawahKasat.com
  • Everlutionary Podcast on Spotify – https://spoti.fi/3yxTpXD
  • https://linktr.ee/everlutionary
  • IG & FB – @hawahkasat

TSM Episode 33: A Reiki Journey with Mari Okazaki

Welcome to Episode 33 of Triggers And Spiritual Medicine with Laura Bonetzky-Joseph, your host and special guest, Mari Okazaki talking about her Reiki journey.

In this episode, Mari shares her story of how she discovered Reiki in her life. As a Japanese woman living in Canada with a very sick infant, she talks about how Reiki changed her life and how she continues to share her journey and teachings now that she lives in Japan.

So, join us as Mari shares not only her wisdom but also three practical tips for bringing Reiki into your life. Let’s embark together on this journey of transformative healing energy!


About Mari

Mari is a full-time Reiki practitioner who has been offering Reiki sessions in her home studio on a daily basis since 2006. She also regularly teaches Jikiden Reiki® Shoden (Level 1) and Okuden (Level 2) Certification classes, as well as Shihankaku (assistant teacher) classes upon request.

Originally from Nagasaki, Japan, Mari now resides in both Chilliwack, BC, Canada, and Nagasaki, Goto, Japan.

She is one of the office staff at the Jikiden Reiki Institute and has been working as an organizer and translator for the Jikiden Reiki® Vancouver seminar since 2008, traveling to Halifax with Mr. Tadao Yamaguchi, the Co-founder of the Jikiden Reiki Institute. She continues to use Reiki to help her family, friends, and herself.

Since 2023, Mari has been living in Japan and helping to spread the teaching of Reiki in its birthplace.


To learn more about this podcast, Triggers and Spiritual Medicine, click here.

Jikiden Reiki® Seminar in Shoden (Level I)

CLASS TIMES:  Friday,  7-9:30pm,   Saturday 11am-7pm, Sunday 9:30am-6pm

Are you looking for ways to improve your quality of life, reduce stress and anxiety, remove toxicity from the body, and guiding it towards wholeness?
 
The traditional standard treatment in our American healthcare system rarely looks at the “root cause” of our symptoms and treats only the symptom. Therefore, we rarely address and heal the underlying cause. Left untreated, it can manifest into illness.
 
Our bodies are designed and fully equipped to heal themselves. Reiki taps into those innate abilities.
 
Reiki (pronounced ray-key) is a simple form of energy healing from Japan known as “Shinshin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryoho”, which translates as “Usui treatment for the improvement of body and mind”.
 
Reiki supports the whole person physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually while drilling down on specific issues. Jikiden Reiki® sessions focus on removing toxins from the body and guiding it towards wholeness.
 
Jikiden Reiki® is the “direct teaching” of Reiki presented with credibility and clarity from authentic verifiable Japanese lineage.
 
This lineage goes from Mikao Usui to Dr. Hayashi to Mrs. Chiyoko Yamaguchi, Tadao’s (current President of Jikiden Reiki® Kenkyukai) mother, who learned Reiki in 1938. Because this lineage has not gone through Mrs. Takata, it lacks the Westernization of Reiki.
 
Learning reiki is easy and can be used in a home or clinical setting to enhance the health and emotional wellness of both self and others. It is also complementary with all other alternative or traditional medical treatments, and in non-invasive.
 
In these classes (called seminars), you will experience Reiki in its original beauty and simplicity as it was taught in Japan before it was brought to the west in the 1930’s. Because Jikiden Reiki® is free from Western influence, it differs from “Western” style of Reiki in approach, attitude, and ideas.
Its roots go back almost to the discovery of Reiki itself.

Who should take a Jikiden Reiki® Class?

  • Anyone interested in learning Reiki
  • Current reiki practitioners who wish to deepen their practice & understanding
  • Mothers looking for ways to reduce medication usage and visits to the pediatrician’s office every time your child gets sick
  • Caregivers constantly fighting the fight looking for a better way to care for your loved ones
  • Anyone looking for ways to minimize the need for medications or medical procedures
  • Anyone looking for ways to improve your quality of life, reduce stress and anxiety, remove toxicity from the body, and reduce the over-reliance of over medication and overuse of medical procedures.
  • Clergy
  • Hospice workers & volunteers
  • Healthcare providers such as doctors, nurses, massage therapists, mental health workers, addiction counselors, etc. looking to incorporate a more integrative and holistic approach into their scope of practice.
  • School teachers, administrators, and aides
  • Those in addiction recovery.
  • Advocates – domestic violence, social justice, health, hospice, anti-racism etc.
  • Trauma survivors such as medical trauma, domestic violence, sexual assault

What you will discover:

  • It is unique – A Japanese Reiki with NO Western ties.
  • It is much more than a relaxing therapy
  • A deep Jikiden Reiki® practice with a history of success with chronic illness as well as to address deep-rooted beliefs, habits, traumas, and addictions.
  • A proven approach that is safe and effective
  • An effective treatment option for alleviating pain, pre-op and post-op surgery recovery, anxiety, skin conditions, and post-traumatic stress.
  • A simple, non-religious therapeutic treatment that works
  • Includes ideas and methods not previously taught in the West

♡ Certification is through the Jikiden Reiki® Kenkyukai (Institute) in Kyoto, Japan.  Certificates in Japanese are sent directly from the Institute in Kyoto, Japan.

FOR THE LATEST UPDATES join our Learn Jikiden Reiki Facebook Group here.


Investment: $350

A $150 non-refundable, non-transferable deposit is required to reserve your spot. Payment in full is required if paying within 30 days of class. 

For more information, please contact Laura or call 857-880-0365

Click here to learn more about Jikiden Reiki® Services

Click here to learn more about Jikiden Reiki® Training Classes.


To Register:

It is highly encouraged to experience a Jikiden Reiki session before registration and to inquire about the training & commitment level to learning.

Please download and complete the registration form and mail it back 2 weeks before class dates. If within less than 2 weeks class, before class, please contact us to inquire about availability.

To register using cash or check, click here: JIKIDEN-SEMINAR-REGISTRATION-FORM-1

Click here for those who wish to use a credit card. Please note there is an added fee to use a credit card.

Please check out our Cancellation Policy


Yohei Yamaguchi (Chiyoko Sensei’s grandson),
Laura Joseph, and Frank Arjava Petter Sensei 2015

ABOUT LAURA:

Our seminar teacher is an approved certified Shihan through the Jikiden Reiki® Institute in Kyoto, Japan.

She is a student of Frank Arjava Petter, Vice Chairman of the Jikiden Reiki® Institute, a leading reiki historian expert who studied directly with Chiyoko Sensei and Tadao Yamaguchi, son of Chiyoko Sensei and current Chairman of the Jikiden Reiki® Institute.

Laura has a background as a college educator, domestic abuse advocate, and allied health professional with a focus on trauma-informed care.

She has over 15 cumulative years in the holistic and allopathic health fields apprenticing under an Osteopathic physician learning holistic therapies and has incorporated reiki in her line of work since 2006 when she learned the more westernized reiki and became a reiki teacher in 2009.

Tadao Sensei, Ikuko, and Laura in 2019

In 2011, Laura discovered Jikiden Reiki and instantly felt a calling towards it and took her first class in 2015 and became a full teacher (Shihan) in 2017. Following the traditions and teachings of Usui Sensei, Laura continues to deepen her reiki teachings as a student on a regular basis with her teachers who are referred to as Sensei.

In late 2022, Laura published her 2nd book: The Secrets to Healing: An Invitation to Heal Trauma and Other Root Causes of Chronic Illness Using the Japanese Reiki Gokai

Laura brings her passion, compassion, and wit to assist in bringing out the best in you.

For more information about Laura, please visit our About Us page or go to her Reiki Blog

To book a private Jikiden Reiki Session, click here.

Jikiden Reiki® Seminar in Shoden (Level I)

CLASS TIMES:  Friday,  7-9:30pm,   Saturday 11am-7pm, Sunday 9:30am-6pm

Are you looking for ways to improve your quality of life, reduce stress and anxiety, remove toxicity from the body, and guiding it towards wholeness?
 
The traditional standard treatment in our American healthcare system rarely looks at the “root cause” of our symptoms and treats only the symptom. Therefore, we rarely address and heal the underlying cause. Left untreated, it can manifest into illness.
 
Our bodies are designed and fully equipped to heal themselves. Reiki taps into those innate abilities.
 
Reiki (pronounced ray-key) is a simple form of energy healing from Japan known as “Shinshin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryoho”, which translates as “Usui treatment for the improvement of body and mind”.
 
Reiki supports the whole person physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually while drilling down on specific issues. Jikiden Reiki® sessions focus on removing toxins from the body and guiding it towards wholeness.
 
Jikiden Reiki® is the “direct teaching” of Reiki presented with credibility and clarity from authentic verifiable Japanese lineage.
 
This lineage goes from Mikao Usui to Dr. Hayashi to Mrs. Chiyoko Yamaguchi, Tadao’s (current President of Jikiden Reiki® Kenkyukai) mother, who learned Reiki in 1938. Because this lineage has not gone through Mrs. Takata, it lacks the Westernization of Reiki.
 
Learning reiki is easy and can be used in a home or clinical setting to enhance the health and emotional wellness of both self and others. It is also complementary with all other alternative or traditional medical treatments, and in non-invasive.
 
In these classes (called seminars), you will experience Reiki in its original beauty and simplicity as it was taught in Japan before it was brought to the west in the 1930’s. Because Jikiden Reiki® is free from Western influence, it differs from “Western” style of Reiki in approach, attitude, and ideas.
Its roots go back almost to the discovery of Reiki itself.

Who should take a Jikiden Reiki® Class?

  • Anyone interested in learning Reiki
  • Current reiki practitioners who wish to deepen their practice & understanding
  • Mothers looking for ways to reduce medication usage and visits to the pediatrician’s office every time your child gets sick
  • Caregivers constantly fighting the fight looking for a better way to care for your loved ones
  • Anyone looking for ways to minimize the need for medications or medical procedures
  • Anyone looking for ways to improve your quality of life, reduce stress and anxiety, remove toxicity from the body, and reduce the over-reliance of over medication and overuse of medical procedures.
  • Clergy
  • Hospice workers & volunteers
  • Healthcare providers such as doctors, nurses, massage therapists, mental health workers, addiction counselors, etc. looking to incorporate a more integrative and holistic approach into their scope of practice.
  • School teachers, administrators, and aides
  • Those in addiction recovery.
  • Advocates – domestic violence, social justice, health, hospice, anti-racism etc.
  • Trauma survivors such as medical trauma, domestic violence, sexual assault

What you will discover:

  • It is unique – A Japanese Reiki with NO Western ties.
  • It is much more than a relaxing therapy
  • A deep Jikiden Reiki® practice with a history of success with chronic illness as well as to address deep-rooted beliefs, habits, traumas, and addictions.
  • A proven approach that is safe and effective
  • An effective treatment option for alleviating pain, pre-op and post-op surgery recovery, anxiety, skin conditions, and post-traumatic stress.
  • A simple, non-religious therapeutic treatment that works
  • Includes ideas and methods not previously taught in the West

♡ Certification is through the Jikiden Reiki® Kenkyukai (Institute) in Kyoto, Japan.  Certificates in Japanese are sent directly from the Institute in Kyoto, Japan.

FOR THE LATEST UPDATES join our Learn Jikiden Reiki Facebook Group here.


Investment: $350

A $150 non-refundable, non-transferable deposit is required to reserve your spot. Payment in full is required if paying within 30 days of class. 

For more information, please contact Laura or call 857-880-0365

Click here to learn more about Jikiden Reiki® Services

Click here to learn more about Jikiden Reiki® Training Classes.


To Register:

It is highly encouraged to experience a Jikiden Reiki session before registration and to inquire about the training & commitment level to learning.

Please download and complete the registration form and mail it back 2 weeks before class dates. If within less than 2 weeks class, before class, please contact us to inquire about availability.

To register using cash or check, click here: JIKIDEN-SEMINAR-REGISTRATION-FORM-1

Click here for those who wish to use a credit card. Please note there is an added fee to use a credit card.

Please check out our Cancellation Policy


Yohei Yamaguchi (Chiyoko Sensei’s grandson),
Laura Joseph, and Frank Arjava Petter Sensei 2015

ABOUT LAURA:

Our seminar teacher is an approved certified Shihan through the Jikiden Reiki® Institute in Kyoto, Japan.

She is a student of Frank Arjava Petter, Vice Chairman of the Jikiden Reiki® Institute, a leading reiki historian expert who studied directly with Chiyoko Sensei and Tadao Yamaguchi, son of Chiyoko Sensei and current Chairman of the Jikiden Reiki® Institute.

Laura has a background as a college educator, domestic abuse advocate, and allied health professional with a focus on trauma-informed care.

She has over 15 cumulative years in the holistic and allopathic health fields apprenticing under an Osteopathic physician learning holistic therapies and has incorporated reiki in her line of work since 2006 when she learned the more westernized reiki and became a reiki teacher in 2009.

Tadao Sensei, Ikuko, and Laura in 2019

In 2011, Laura discovered Jikiden Reiki and instantly felt a calling towards it and took her first class in 2015 and became a full teacher (Shihan) in 2017. Following the traditions and teachings of Usui Sensei, Laura continues to deepen her reiki teachings as a student on a regular basis with her teachers who are referred to as Sensei.

In late 2022, Laura published her 2nd book: The Secrets to Healing: An Invitation to Heal Trauma and Other Root Causes of Chronic Illness Using the Japanese Reiki Gokai

Laura brings her passion, compassion, and wit to assist in bringing out the best in you.

For more information about Laura, please visit our About Us page or go to her Reiki Blog

To book a private Jikiden Reiki Session, click here.

Reiju Kai For Jikiden Reiki Practitioners

What is a Reiju Kai?

Once you have learned Jikiden Reiki® you can also receive Reiju at a Reiju Kai meeting. This is like a short refresher course and social gathering. It is not necessary to receive it again to keep your Reiki ability active. Receiving it regularly is nice and beneficial though.

These Reiju Kai’s are only open to people certified in Jikiden Reiki®. People with Jikiden Reiki® certificates are welcome to attend meetings organized by any approved Jikiden Reiki® Teacher / Assistant Teacher.

Click here to Register

What Happens at a Reiju Kai?

Reiju Kai provides an opportunity for are for Jikiden Reiki® Practitioners to expand their reiki experience, training, & networking. This includes receiving a Reiju again from a Jikiden Reiki® approved teacher. While it is not necessary to receive it more than the number of times given in training, it is still beneficial.

One of our goals with the Reiju Kai’s is also to build a strong reiki community that is supportive of each other’s growth.

The day will include some bonding, networking, as well as the opportunity to ask questions.

A typical Reiju Kai includes the following:

  • Reiju (from all teachers present)
  • Any news or announcements
  • Ability to ask questions
  • Review
  • Practice Kekko
  • Exchange Reiki treatments

In Jikiden Reiki® we do not discuss the sacred aspects of Reiki in public, so this is a place where such discussion can take place outside of Reiki training.

Afterward, the group may socialize with snacks and maybe go for a meal together as a group. A Reiju Kai is a good way to meet other Jikiden Reiki® practitioners and share reiki experiences.

Pre-Requisite: Jikiden Reiki Certification any level and teachers are always welcome to join.

Join us for a day of connection, healing, and review exclusively for Jikiden Reiki practitioners.

For a list of upcoming classes, click here.

For more information about Jikiden Reiki training, click here.

Register here now!

Jikiden Reiki in Okuden (Level II)

Jikiden Reiki® Okuden (level 2 )training is recommended for people that want to learn more about Reiki and deepen their practice, be able to treat psychological problems, and give treatments over any distance.

*Prerequisite – Completion and certification of Jikiden Reiki® in Shoden.

For more about Jikiden Reiki®Training and classes: click here

Class times:

  • Friday, 7pm – 9pm
  • Saturday, 10:30pm-4pm

Click here to Register!

Why Can’t Americans Heal From Trauma & Chronic Illness?


By Adrienne MacIain, Ph.D.


“Americans are becoming increasingly bankrupt–mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually–but it doesn’t have to be that way.” Laura Bonetzky-Joseph, author of The Secrets to Healing (click)


In Japan, the energy-healing practice of Reiki has been reported to heal everything from major illnesses like Cancer and autoimmune disease to mystery ailments like chronic fatigue, anxiety, depression, and stress. So why aren’t we seeing these same results in the U.S.?

Laura Bonetzky-Joseph, author of The Secrets to Healing: An Invitation to Healing The ROOTS to Chronic Illness and Trauma Through the Japanese Reiki Gokai (click), which just hit bookshelves this week, believes she has found the answer. 

As an experienced healer, multi-generational intuitive, speaker, podcaster, seeker, spiritual mentor, Jikiden Reiki® Shihan (teacher), social justice warrior, and a survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault, and litigation abuse, Joseph knows first-hand both the destructive power of trauma, and the healing power of Reiki when properly understood and utilized.

“Unresolved trauma is an unrecognized epidemic that many times is the root cause for issues such as chronic illness, cancer, pain, autoimmune disorders, and anxiety,” says Bonetzky-Joseph, “Over a number of years, I suffered from more than one of these conditions, until I discovered a better way to eliminate them from my life.” 

Laura’s journey to healing began when she started looking into aspects of her issues that the healthcare system couldn’t figure out. “For over 14 years,” she says, “I systematically implemented a spiritually based, holistic approach to my healing that literally saved my life—in ways that you might say defy all logic.”

There is a method, however, to this medical mayhem.

“There is a direct connection between stress and illness,” explains Bonetzky-Joseph. “Medical research has repeatedly shown us over time that two-thirds of all visits to family physicians are due to stress-related symptoms. This has worsened since the recent pandemic. Many people feel they are spinning their wheels, not getting better & searching for answers with no feeling of end in sight, spending a fortune on medical care that is bankrupting Americans at alarming rates, with symptoms getting worse in some cases.” 

That’s why she wrote this book. Because it doesn’t have to be that way.

“When we address the ROOT systems including the capitalism of ‘disease’ that is a traded commodity on Wall Street, we can learn NEW ways of accessing healing, recovery, empowerment, and become our own superheroes,” Bonetzky-Joseph reassures.

“In this book, I share with you my half a century long journey, the Japanese teachings I have learned along the way, Reiki stories, and why this powerful medicine, often not prized in a monetized culture, might be exactly what you are seeking.”

It is Laura’s hope that by addressing the capitalist healthcare system, the root issues of chronic illness and disease, that folks will not only find inspiration in these pages, but some healing, practical actionable steps, and reprieve. 

Weaving her own personal lived experience AND professional learned experience together, Joseph has created something that is vitally missing in our society, and more specifically in the Reiki industry, spiritual communities, and trauma fields. The Secrets to Healing is intended as a bridge between those gaps. 

“My work addresses the unspoken, untapped, challenges and pathways to reclaim our health, vitality and power,” explains Bonetzky-Joseph, “I am someone who has walked this path, trained with credible teachers and shared my work with others.”

The Secrets to Healing is an invitation back to self – an unpacking of our colonized mindsets that is blinding us from becoming our own superheroes of our story and reclaiming our life, health, vitality through the spiritual medicine of the traditional Japanese system of Reiki.

For folks struggling with cancer or chronic illness, this book may hold the answers to restoring wholeness that may be missing in their current care, yet is complementary to existing care. 

For folks who are survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault, this book may hold the answers to how to break the repetitive cycle of abuse and trauma, offer sustainable methods to heal the trauma manifesting as illness, or offer tools on how to present yourself more effectively when dealing with custody courts. 

For Reiki teachers, this book is a must-have resource book for every Reiki certification.

Laura Bonetzky-Joseph is here to help folks who suffer from a history of chronic illness, cancer, trauma, and/or abuse to address root issues, transform pain, bridge science, research and the practical magic so that they can experience sustainable healing and wholeness by rediscovering the body’s ability to heal itself and the power that lies within so that they can become their own superhero. Since 2006, she has helped thousands of people heal issues and restore wholeness – personally, mentally, physically, spiritually, professionally. 

Bonetzky-Joseph’s mission is to help others rediscover the power that lies within and become their own superhero by addressing root issues, transforming pain, bridging science, research and the practical magic of sacred, ancient traditions… with honor and integrity. She does this while also advocating for holistic health, domestic violence survivors, and policy changes. She is a bridge between the amazing modern advances of modern medicine with the ancient ways of healing and empowerment through rooted sacred spiritual practices. 

And Joseph practices everything she preaches. Even in the writing and publishing of this book, Bonetzky-Joseph has had to make use of her Reiki training.

“I have struggled with a lot of fear, writing this book,” she admits, “fear and anxiety surrounding all the lack aspects – lack of being seen, heard, and understood. Fear of retaliation for speaking my truth, of having my voice silenced once again. I had to put the teachings I preach to use to address my anxiety and fears of lack. I upped my own self-care strategies, put a team in place to support me (mentally, physically, and spiritually) who clearly understand my triggers and my somatic perpetuation of wanting to flee and go back into hiding again.”

But fear is far from the only obstacle she’s faced in the process of getting this book out into the world. “I have had to overcome the multitask of end-of-life care and subsequent passing of both my parents while also running my business, dealing with toxic family structures, moving, closing my father’s business and estate, and maintaining a healthy life work balance,” says Bonetzky-Joseph. 

“Triggers and CPTSD (Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) can be a beast, and can show up unannounced at any time. There is something strange that happens when the body reacts differently than the mind, like a two-year-old having a temper tantrum in the middle of the grocery store line. I have had to give myself grace when needed. I have had to push myself when it was needed. I have had to check myself on how much I am living what I am preaching and especially on the last precept – Do your duties fully – and contemplating on what that looks like in completing this book,” Bonetzky-Joseph confesses, “I have had to remind myself that if I want folks to believe in me, I need to believe in me better and stronger. I must believe in the medicine I offer more convincingly.”

Bonetzky-Joseph believes it is her extensive, intersectional training and dedicated practice that have allowed her to thrive and reach her goals despite the obstacles she’s had to overcome. And she wants these same results to be available to everyone.

“I believe in a world where universal balance is restored. When we can understand the intricate nature and power of the universe resides within us, we can restore our own innate healing and power. With that knowledge and understanding comes stewardship, great personal responsibility, and understanding that the balance of ALL life is needed for us as humans to become fully whole on a planet that sustains us.”

“If you can heal trauma,” Bonetzky-Joseph reassures, “you can heal anything.” 

Joseph offers spiritually-based integrative holistic health enrichment private sessions, workshops, groups, retreats, and guest appearances at our location or yours.


Here’s what her clients have to say:

“Laura Joseph, what can I say?? She’s just Awsum! She helped me in soooo many ways, from spiritual & emotional healing, I’ve been to her retreats (omg, life changing!), I’ve had sound healings, mediumship readings, reiki session, empath workshop, & even had training to practice Jikiden Reiki! There’s not much this girl hasn’t done! Not only has it been great to be a client, but I am especially grateful for the friendship & kinship that has developed from that as well!”  – Monica McCall

“Laura is truly one of a kind. Her knowledge and experiences she shared only enhanced my learning throughout the seminar. I look forward to practicing and evolving under her guidance as I take this incredible journey as someone who can now begin to give Jikiden Reiki. Thank you, Laura!”  – Maribel Carubia, Jikiden Reiki Training (click)

“I highly recommend it for anyone being told they’re ‘too sensitive,’ weighed down by their emotions or their environment, or feel as though they don’t fit in. Laura is excellent at what she does and she has knowledge, compassion, insight and understanding that is truly unmatched.” – Debbie Gillis

“It can be challenging to open up, be vulnerable in a group. The class felt safe & nurturing & it became increasingly easier to share personal experiences.”  – Jeannine Whitehead

“Without the help I have received here I do not know where I would be today or who I would be.”  – James Fennessy


To learn more or book a session, please go to: https://linktr.ee/HealingWithSpirit (click)

“Relax, your soul has your back.” – Laura Boneztky-Joseph