The title is my post because I don't know!!!!
Can any one answer this for me and post the answer?
Thanks

I don't think there are any standard guidelines for Reiki and mental illness!

As in most situations I think common sense should prevail. If a person is currently well enough to come for a Reiki session, then a normal Reiki session should be Ok, provided you make it clear to the client that if they start to feel uncomfortable in any way they can ask you to stop, or move to a different hand position.

A few years ago, I did some short (15 min) Reiki sessions at a local Mental Health Unit as part of an open day, where there were also other complementary therapies being offered. Several of the people I saw were diagnosed schizophrenic but they enjoyed the session. One person even said afterwards that he was so pleased that the voices in his head had gone quiet for the duration of the session so that he could relax and enjoy it in peace.

As for the head positions, well I was placing my hands on the head and shoulders of the people mentioned above. If you think about it, most Reiki techniques that are taught for treating psychological or mental/emotional conditions involve the head, so I don't see it as a problem unless the client is uncomfortable with those positions.

Also, it is important to remember that you need to feel safe yourself whilst giving Reiki to a mentally ill person. If a person is known to have violent outbursts, is highly medicated or just unpredictable, then it would be a good idea to have a trained professional in attendance or refer the client to another Reiki practitioner that has experience in dealing with this type of client. Remember, we don't have to treat everybody who comes our way if we don't feel confident about it.

Colin wrote:I don't think there are any standard guidelines for Reiki and mental illness!

As in most situations I think common sense should prevail. If a person is currently well enough to come for a Reiki session, then a normal Reiki session should be Ok, provided you make it clear to the client that if they start to feel uncomfortable in any way they can ask you to stop, or move to a different hand position.

A few years ago, I did some short (15 min) Reiki sessions at a local Mental Health Unit as part of an open day, where there were also other complementary therapies being offered. Several of the people I saw were diagnosed schizophrenic but they enjoyed the session. One person even said afterwards that he was so pleased that the voices in his head had gone quiet for the duration of the session so that he could relax and enjoy it in peace.

As for the head positions, well I was placing my hands on the head and shoulders of the people mentioned above. If you think about it, most Reiki techniques that are taught for treating psychological or mental/emotional conditions involve the head, so I don't see it as a problem unless the client is uncomfortable with those positions.

Also, it is important to remember that you need to feel safe yourself whilst giving Reiki to a mentally ill person. If a person is known to have violent outbursts, is highly medicated or just unpredictable, then it would be a good idea to have a trained professional in attendance or refer the client to another Reiki practitioner that has experience in dealing with this type of client. Remember, we don't have to treat everybody who comes our way if we don't feel confident about it.

Colin I agree. we should be careful
not to put ourselves in an unsafe
situation. We are not professional
mental health experts and should have
a trained professional with us. I have
had the experience of a client telling
me that their Mental health Dr; suggested
they have Reiki sessions. After almost a
year of weekly sessions the person did go
on to become a Reiki 1 practitioner. I
also support..............

we don't have to treat everybody who comes our way if we don't feel confident about it.

Please read about what has happened to Reiki practitioner Christina Moore:
http://asa.org.uk/ASA-action/Adjudications/2011/6/Christina-Moore/TF_ADJ_50896.aspx

Thanks Buck for sharing that reading.

i do reiki healing but i make it clear that i am no doctor....reiki will awaken in the client the process of healing as our body is capable of repair work...a reiki healer is just a wire between the switch and the tubelight....i.e a conduit for energy transfer..they have faitn in the reiki master and in themselves and in the universal souce then they get healed. reiki is complementary healing and they are not to stop the regular treatment obtained from the doctor...yes, they themselves will notice that they will need to bring down the dose of medication being taken..

in india we do not have ungrateful patients

As someone who has never worked on someone with a mental illness (as far as I know) I do not see an issue if the person is open to it but you have to ground your energy first. As energy workers, we need to not only keep ourselves safe but also keep our client safe. Reiki is NOT dangerous as we know but we always want to respect ourselves and our clients. Work with what you sense and go from there. If at anytime you do not feel comfortable, you can stop the session and if you charge for the session, you can even offer to not take payment for that session due to having to stop it before the time was up.

i replied to that case cited by buck and forgot to reply to the issue... have had one such case.the lady was pregnant and would become unconscious for 24 or more hours...she would not recognise her husband or sons..was admitted in a mental asylum also but with reiki she improved and was discharged...she had a daughter....was ok since i last heard from her and her husband..
but yes my head used to ache so much while i was giving her reiki..( normally did not happend that way with me) but my mom said i was taking on her pain as i did not wantanything to happen to her unborn kid....