Over the years, I’ve noticed that students often reveal the most about themselves when they are corrected.
Most corrections in Reiki training are small. A hand position. A posture. A habit of rushing. Something easily adjusted.
Yet the correction itself is rarely the interesting part.
What matters is the response.
Some students immediately explain why they did it that way.
Some become embarrassed.
Some defend themselves.
Some quietly make the adjustment and continue practicing.
Over time, I began to see that cultivation is often visible in these moments.
Reiki did not develop as a solitary practice. Students practiced together. They received repeated initiation. They treated one another. They observed others and were observed in return.
This matters because it is difficult to see ourselves clearly by ourselves.
Without relationship, practice drifts toward preference. We decide when we are doing well. We decide when we are steady. We decide when something is refined.
Relationship introduces friction.
Friction reveals blind spots.
Blind spots reveal where further cultivation is needed.
Training is not primarily about authority. It is about correction. Not punishment. Not humiliation. Alignment.
The longer I teach, the more I appreciate students who can receive a correction, make the adjustment, and continue practicing.
Not because they are passive.
Because they are learning.
And learning has always been relational.
If this feels familiar from your own training, you’re welcome to stay.
Thank you for this !
I’ve noticed this too. I’ve felt that pull to explain myself when corrected, and watching that reaction has taught me a lot about how I actually receive criticism. The adjustment is easy. Noticing why I wanted to defend it first is the harder, more useful part. Thanks for putting words to it.
I am very curious…what experience in a Reiki training needs correction?