Must the Therapist Undergo Therapy?

Article by Gustavo Cristian Fritz

I began to write this article after a meditation that brought out the need to express this to my students and thought it would be appropriate to share with all as I believe it applies to multiple circumstances.

In the specific case of Reiki, I was perplexed by the fact that many people take the first level course without having experienced at least one session of Reiki, thereafter, providing it without having ever been its recipients.

To underscore the importance of this, during the traditional first level, each student is asked to perform 21 days of self-treatment before providing Reiki to others. So much more is asked when providing Reiki regularly to others.

I clearly remember a speech given by a Master, a Reiki writer and investigator, who spoke of a time during which he was traveling from country to country teaching courses and making presentations of his books when he realized that his connection to Reiki had weakened, and after meditating it, came to realize that he was not receiving Reiki.

I wish to make it clear that this is a personal perception, as well as, I believe, any therapist must undergo his own space of therapy, because otherwise, it would seem to view himself as perfect and infallible, and if this were so, we would not be in this world.

I always insist to my students that they should not forget about themselves, that they perform self-sessions, but also receive sessions in order to not lose the reference and beautiful space that we allow for ourselves, regardless if these sessions are taken in an interchange with many students or sessions with a colleague, or, if they are Masters, with their students or with their Master. What is important is the need for continuity in providing a space for ourselves.

As a Reiki Master, I don’t consider myself to be “The Master” but a teacher in the sense of someone who teaches, but has still much to learn. And, is it right for me to teach something I myself do not practice? This, is to diminish the value of my teachings.

During my meditations I saw examples such as a priest not attending mass, or a doctor not caring for his own health, or a nutritionist not caring for his daily diet, etc.

For this, my message is:
GIVE all Reiki that you can. If you are Masters, teach all the Reiki that you can. But, above all, receive all the Reiki that you can, in the way that most suits you.

Kind regards, Gustavo

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Gustavo Cristian Fritz is a Reiki Master and holistic therapist in Baradero, Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is dedicated to the dissemination of Reiki and Shiatsu among other therapies. After 10 years of applying these techniques, Gustavo is leaving the practice of chemical engineering to fully engage in these activities and provide outreach sessions in all places where he is called. Gustavo can be contacted through his email, vivemejor@ymail.com, or his website www.vivemejorbaradero.com.