If you’re starting to awaken to your healer’s soul, starting to listen to the call, you may be pondering a very common question that most healers have considered early in their journey: Why get professional healer’s training?

 And it’s a valid question. Let’s explore my answer…

Do I Have to Get Professional Training?

The first thing I want to address is a subset of that question: Do I have to get professional training to be a healer? Do I have to get certified?

And the answer is: No and No.

Almost all forms of energy healing in the United States (and most other places, too) are unregulated (homeopathy, TCM, acupuncture, and acupressure being notable exceptions). No certification, licensing, or training is required in order to practice.

If you want to be an energy healing practitioner and put yourself out there as one, by all means go ahead. You will have to abide by some basic business regulations and tax laws. But that’s about it.

No one can stop you – unless you start to do something illegal, such as diagnose people, touch them in a way that constitutes massage (if you’re not a licensed massage therapist), or make untrue claims. (BTW, these are all topics that a quality healing course should cover and prepare you to handle.)

The Pros and Cons of an Unregulated Field

I’ll be honest, sometimes it can feel like the Wild West when it comes to being a healing practitioner. There aren’t many rules and it can look like it’s everyone for themselves. It’s all based on the honors system – and ultimately the free market.

And that’s not a bad thing!

I, like most energy healers, am not in favor of regulation. In areas where that has happened to any degree, it has hurt many skilled, very-much-needed healing practitioners – and therefore their clients, too. That’s in part because the people making the rules, in that case, would be people who have very little understanding about the field.

So it’s a great thing that we get to choose how – and if – we get training and how we put ourselves out there as healers.

But here’s the thing. That freedom has led to a lot of very…insufficiently skilled healers putting themselves out there as professional healers.

This usually happens for two reasons…

The No-Training or Self-Training Path

First, you have those people who don’t even attempt training. They read a lot of books (which I’m all for!), do a bit of internet research, and experiment a little. Bing-bang-boom, they’re healers! Except not so much. In rare cases where someone is simply incredibly, naturally skilled this can definitely work.

But for most of us, the cobbling-together-a-healing-approach-for-ourselves method fails miserably. Unfortunately, people who choose this route, who could have otherwise been skilled and successful healers, can end up discouraged and abandon their callings.

The Second-Rate Training Path

Second, you have people who attempt to get training but fall prey to flashy claims of quick certification and budget-priced training.

The sad truth is that there are so many courses out there offering not much more than a wide-spaced 33-page manual. Without any videos, illustrations, demonstrations, community – or instructor support. (Sadly I’m not kidding. I’m referring to a course – actually priced in the $300 range – that I took during my years of healers training.) Hey, but at the end, you get a certificate! 😏

Unfortunately, courses like these can feel like little more than “certificate mills.”

And while I’m all for free will choices, the problem with this is that it floods the healing field with under-qualified practitioners who fail to effectively work with their clients.

This is then making potential clients more and more skeptical and wary. This can spell disaster for so many otherwise talented healers.

Because when it comes to your clients, you need to create the most effective and professional experience for them. One that keeps them coming back and truly supports them in their personal healing journeys. That way, they become your raving fans and you get to keep being of service!

Choose High-Quality Training – for Your Clients and Yourself 

So how do you do that? The first step is getting comprehensive, credible, and quality training. This ideally also involves choosing a certification program that means something, that your clients can verify, and one that will make them feel more confident in choosing to invest in working with you.

The reality is, while you don’t have to do anything, if you want to succeed, you’re going to need training that helps you to work effectively with your clients and gives you the confidence to talk about what you have to offer.

You’re going to need clear instruction, lots of demonstrations, and plenty of opportunities for practice. And you’re going to need someone to hold you accountable, check your work, and make sure you “get it.”

You’re also going to need someone to be there to answer any questions that may come up.

I know first hand that it can be really challenging to sift through the wide variety of the training course options out there. Especially when you just want to be the healer that you feel called to be, already!

When I was seeking out training to be a healer, I took a lot of classes. Full disclosure: At just one point I was enrolled in 21 different classes!

I spent a lot of money and time over the years expanding my training. And the best guidance I can share with you is that if you’re going to spend your hard-earned money and your precious time on healer’s training, spend it on training that counts.

Spend it on training that isn’t just a drop in the bucket, that leaves you with more research and experimentation to do.

Instead, invest in a course that sets you up to be a professional healing practitioner from day one.

And that’s exactly what I’ve designed the Certified Chakra Healing Practitioner Course to be. Each step of the way I asked myself, “What would I have wanted as a student?”

So if you’re ready to take the first step in becoming the healer you’re meant to be, begin with a training and certification program that’s going to set you up for success – that’s going to mean something and put you ahead in your field. 

Learn more about the Certified Chakra Healing Practitioner Course here.

I hope to see you in the course!

With chakra blessings,

Tarin Rataic, The Reiki Guide