What Reiki Is — and What It Isn’t: A Response to Misinformation and Fear

Ashley Clifton
Aug 6
4 min read

As a Reiki Master Teacher and Practitioner, I’ve witnessed the full spectrum of reactions to energy healing — particularly here in the Bible Belt of Arkansas where I have lived the entirety of my life.

I’ve had judgmental family members unfriend on social media me over Reiki-related posts. I’ve been doxxed. I’ve had my previous brick-and-mortar wellness space lose its renter’s insurance because the local branch manager believed I was “practicing witchcraft.” I’ve had strangers send messages “concerned for my soul.” And yet, I’ve continued to offer Reiki to hundreds of clients over the years — clients who have experienced real, lasting support through its gentle, compassionate approach to healing.

So when I see posts labeling Reiki as a “demonic counterfeit,” I don’t take it lightly.

What has prompted this response from me is a post on social media from Doreen Virtue that is loudly proclaiming Reiki to be "spiritual deception that's masquerading as healing energy." (You can read the original post here.)

After seeing this particular post floating around my personal timeline three different times this week, I felt it was important to offer a response here — on my professional website — because this belief is unfortunately common in the region I serve.

And it’s not just misguided.

It’s spiritually violent.

So, let’s take a moment to unpack it with clarity, respect, a whole lot of truth, and some bluntness.

❌ “Reiki doesn’t come from God” / “It’s demonic”

These statements assume there’s only one way to understand God — and that anyone outside a specific religious framework is in danger. This kind of spiritual absolutism is not faith — it’s control.

Reiki is a gentle, non-invasive energy healing practice. It doesn’t demand conversion. It doesn’t tell you to worship anyone. It simply honors the belief that the body, mind, and spirit are connected, and that we are all conduits for something larger than ourselves — whether you call that energy God, Spirit, Source, or simply love.

To claim that it’s demonic?

That’s fear-based spiritual propaganda, not discernment.

❌ “Usui channeled symbols from demons”

There is zero credible evidence that Mikao Usui channeled symbols from demons. This conspiracy-laced claim is a fabrication repeated in fundamentalist circles to justify the rejection of anything non-Christian.

Usui’s teachings were deeply rooted in Buddhist philosophy and Japanese spiritual traditions. The Reiki symbols were derived from those frameworks — not demonic possession.

Again, this is historical fear-mongering, not fact.

❌ “Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light”

Ah yes, the favorite fallback of any evangelical who can’t make a coherent argument: if something feels good, peaceful, or healing but isn’t from their version of Jesus, then it must be the devil.

This rhetoric is not only harmful — it’s also manipulative.

It implies that your discernment, intuition, and lived experience can’t be trusted unless it’s filtered through their theology.

That’s not spiritual guidance — that’s gaslighting.

❌ “Jesus didn’t do Reiki”

No, Jesus didn’t study under Usui in 1920s Japan.

But Jesus did lay hands on people. He did facilitate healing through presence, compassion, and divine energy.

Reiki doesn’t claim to be Jesus’ method — but the spirit of it? The care, the intention, the surrender to a higher good? It echoes what many believe Jesus embodied.

Using this as an argument against Reiki is lazy theology, and a fundamental misunderstanding of what Reiki actually is.

Let’s also talk about Doreen Virtue for a minute:

Doreen built an entire empire on spiritual seekers. She made millions selling angel cards, leading workshops, publishing metaphysical books, and creating a massive brand around her intuitive gifts. She was revered in the spiritual community, especially among women looking for something sacred that honored both faith and intuition.

Then, she pivoted. She announced she’d become a born-again Christian, denounced all her previous work as “demonic,” and began profiting again — this time by selling fear, shame, and moral superiority to the same kinds of people she once marketed oracle decks to.

She didn’t just leave the New Age — she turned around and launched a smear campaign against it, calling her former customers deceived, and her former peers evil.

That’s not redemption.

That’s rebranding.

That’s grifting.

Doreen didn’t just repent — she monetized her repentance, building a second empire off the backs of people she now condemns. She gaslights spiritual seekers by suggesting they’re too naive to know they’ve been "demonically deceived," and uses her past involvement to position herself as an authority on why others are now going to hell.

To those who hold Christian beliefs: you’re welcome here, always.

You don’t have to give up your faith to explore Reiki.

In fact, many of my clients identify as Christian, and experience Reiki as an extension of their connection to God. Reiki doesn’t require you to abandon your spiritual roots — it simply invites you to embody peace, presence, and surrender in a way that supports holistic healing.

But if your theology tells you that any path to peace that doesn’t pass through your doctrine is demonic, please pause and reflect on that.

There is a vast difference between living from faith and weaponizing it.

To my fellow spiritual seekers: you’re not alone in being misunderstood.

You’re not crazy.

You’re not broken.

And you’re not deceived.

You are discerning.

You are allowed to trust your lived experience.

You are allowed to seek healing in ways that resonate with your body, your soul, and your values — even if it makes others uncomfortable.

And finally — to those wondering why people are leaving the church, distancing from Christianity, or redefining their spirituality altogether:

It’s posts like this.

It’s shame-laced doctrines like this.

It’s the constant othering, blaming, and rigid control disguised as care.

It’s the refusal to acknowledge that your sacred text is not the only one in existence.

The Bible is one sacred narrative among hundreds around the world. Your belief in it may be deeply meaningful — and you are entitled to that.

But it is not the default, nor is it the universal measuring stick of truth.

You’re allowed to believe in your God.

You’re not allowed to weaponize that belief to call others demonic.

So no — Reiki is not a “demonic counterfeit.”

It’s a practice rooted in compassion, presence, and love.

It’s a tool for self-regulation, connection, and healing.

It doesn’t replace your God — it honors the divine in all of us.

If that threatens your theology… it’s not Reiki that needs reevaluating.

It’s your relationship to fear, certainty, and control.