Amanda White is a dedicated Reiki Master/Teacher whose journey into healing began as a profound path of self-discovery and spiritual growth. With a deep passion for understanding spirituality, ancient cultures, and personal transformation, Amanda has cultivated a practice that integrates traditional Usui Reiki Ryoho with modern professional standards. Through her teachings and sessions, she empowers others to embrace growth, self-awareness, and healing. In today’s interview for Mystic Mag, Amanda shares her unique experiences, insights into Reiki’s transformative power, and how her diverse background, including Solution Focused Hypnotherapy, enhances the support she offers her clients.
How did your personal journey of self-discovery lead you to Reiki, and what inspired you to become a Reiki Master/Teacher?
Ever since I can remember, I had experienced many things that were not within our normal daily perception, and my father was very interested in the paranormal after having many experiences since he was young. He would speak about it quite a lot, so I wasn’t closed to there being more than what we can physically experience. When I was 19 I began my own journey, seeking knowledge in spirituality, myths, ancient cultures, philosophy etc. It is something that I have never tired of.
When my children were young I trained as a medium and realised that much of the information I would receive, was about the subjects health, and their mental and emotional state. When we began the spiritual healing practicals it was very intense. This training paved the way, although it wasn’t what brought me to reiki.
When my ex-husband moved out, I had been a stay at home parent, raising my children and felt largely unqualified for anything that could support us, since most of my experience was in hospitality and events. I knew I would have to train in something new and set an intention for the things I wanted from my ideal job. I wanted to be of service and of value, still have flexibility for the children, something that gave me purpose etc. Then I typed “courses” into the search engine. Anything could have been listed, social media marketing, typing…anything! The top listing was a reiki course, and suddenly, everything started slotting into place. It was so synchronistic and I am truly grateful that I was led in this direction.
I had not intended to teach when I attended the Shinpiden course, because I had a huge public speaking fear. I had simply wanted to expand my awareness and learn more. But having had a deep philosophical conversation with a friend whilst on this retreat, she convinced me that I had to teach, because I was so good at putting big concepts in an easy to understand way. I knew she was right, and so I decided to just do it and overcome that challenge. I do believe that our fears, if we overcome them, are the very things that become our purpose.
Can you share how Reiki provides deep and ongoing opportunities for growth and awareness, both for yourself and your students?
We receive from reiki what a practitioner is willing to put in. Usui Reiki Ryoho is a method to help us be true to our way and our being. It is very much centred around self development and following a moral philosophy in all areas of life. It aids in not giving away our power to things which may only exist in our memory or imagination, which are never ‘now’. This brings us to live more consistently in the present moment, which, is all we ever have.
Life’s challenges will always be presented, but we may find as we continue our practice, that we are able to move through them with more ease. We may begin using them as opportunities for growth towards an internal alignment with a greater innate truth, and steer away from the suffering that our minds can create.
It is impossible for a teacher to truly teach from the heart without continually endeavouring to be honest within themselves, working on overcoming their own challenges and being in alignment with their true being. The path is to master the self. We can never be the master, we must always be the student. A teacher simply has the role of showing students how to
be their own teacher through self discovery. If fully embodying this, it can require an element of vulnerability, healthy introspection and strength, because shadow, the bit that needs more love, only exists where the light doesn’t touch it. Instead when we are in our being, we become Dai Komyo – the great bright light, shining in all directions where no contrast or duality can continue to exist permanently.
Reiki is a method which can be deeply profound, yet if we overcomplicate the practice, it can keep us in a state of “doing” rather than a state of “being”. The ‘magic’ happens in its simplicity. It happens when we stop resisting, or needing to control an outcome. It happens when we relax, we are present, and we begin to turn our thoughts from unhelpful, to helpful ones. It leads us to living a more wholesome and joyful life and helps us take charge where we may have been suffering. It helps us to change what we can, and accept what we can’t.
What distinguishes the traditional Usui Shikki Ryoho and Usui Reiki Ryoho practices, and how do you incorporate them into your teachings?
Usui Shikki Ryoho translates to Usui Shikki (system or style) Ryoho (Method) and is what is known as the Western method of reiki developed by Dr Chujiro Hayashi. He created a method which formalised Reiki healing with an emphasis on particular hand positions, a way of teaching and attunements. This may have been because he was aligned with his medical background. He had a specific manual with instructions for different physical ailments. It involves a more structured approach, and seems to focus more on the physical body although it still aims to bring in to balance all four main levels of the human experience.
Usui Reiki Ryoho translates to (Reiki healing method) as originally taught by Mikao Usui the founder of reiki. It focuses on Oneness with the “Great Bright Light” through a more free from form approach, compared to Shikki Ryoho. The focus is often on the Gokai (the go – five, Kai -precepts, advices or instructions) of Reiki and is intended for personal spiritual development and a way of being.
Through a practitioners practice, we are not giving or doing anything to a recipient. We simply align to and maintain a deep awareness and oneness with reiki and invite the recipient to share this awareness with us. Reiki simply is, it doesn’t come from anywhere, we simply become aware of what is already there. That is to say that when treating others, we are acting as a window, which we must keep clean, and be free from distraction or trying to control the outcome of the treatment. We then share the view through it with our clients. What they receive is what is right for them and we simply follow our guidance as to the hand placements (within ethical guidelines if hands on). It is therefore more flexible in its approach. It places a strong emphasis on personal growth, ethical principles, and spiritual enlightenment which as a happy consequence, facilitates the right conditions for healing to take place.
In teaching both lineages to students, I predominately lean to the Eastern teachings and meditation practices throughout the training, and apply what we have learnt through this awareness, to what is accepted as professional practice in the West and how the spiritual path can be integrated into Western life. I incorporate both lineages with Eastern practice being the internal focus and alignment of the practitioner, and the practical treatment, with the consultations and practice management being more the Western focus.
How does the Professional Reiki Practitioner ITEC Level 3 Diploma prepare students for a career in Reiki, and why is it important to align with professional standards?
Since becoming a practitioner, I am very aware that most who seek help with reiki in my personal experience, are not simply coming for a relax. They have often tried many routes to help with what they have come to heal before they try reiki, and for one reason or another, they have been unable to find what works for them.
We often may see those with past trauma, mental health issues, serious illness and so much more. It is important that we take our responsibility to our clients very seriously, and although we cannot do anything wrong in reiki itself, the client care and professional responsibility we have when it comes to practice management is also extremely important. We must protect their data, ensure we are managing clients within ethical codes and adhering to legislation, ensuring a safe environment, understanding what we can and can’t say or do during a session. We must also gain informed consent and have documentation. Safeguarding and other difficulties may can arise when dealing with mental health issues and it is paramount that practitioners take this very seriously as we may sometimes treat those who are very vulnerable.
It is very important that students have enough experience as a student practitioner treating many different people before opening their professional practice. It is how we learn and grow on the practical level and it’s vital that this is alongside an experienced teacher. Without honing our skills and fully knowing our practice, we cannot be best placed to walk with others through their healing journey as we may be unprepared for certain situations that can sometimes be difficult. It helps a student to feel confident in what they may be able to provide to others whilst also taking care of themselves.
The diploma also enables a graduate to join the CNHC (The Complimentary and Natural Health Council) who are directly involved with government in the alternative medicine sector. Members are then qualified to work within mainstream medicine and it creates a level of trust with our clients who are seeking reiki as a therapy.
In addition to Reiki, how does your background in Solution Focused Hypnotherapy enhance the support you provide to your clients?
Having received Solution Focused Hypnotherapy myself to overcome trauma from domestic abuse, I knew it worked for me and it works so well alongside reiki. What surprised me is that with it being solution focused, it really aligned with the reiki precepts for me. I knew that so many of my reiki clients may find this beneficial alongside reiki or on its own and I wanted to provide further options to support them. Helping clients to create new templates in the brain promotes new responses to what may trigger us, breaking habits and old conditioning.
This form of hypnotherapy includes an element of Solution Focused Brief Therapy, NLP and CBT alongside trance, to help us come out of the primitive mind into the intellectual mind which can make a proper assessment of the situation, respond rather than react and is generally very positive. It helps them to take charge of what they are dealing with now, and to focus on changing what they can change, rather than reinforcing the problem. It offers a way to continue their healing beyond the treatment room also.
With so many areas of healing that a client may need, I wanted to offer another way they could receive support that essentially guides them to helping themselves and feeling good
about that. Those who I have done trance with who are reiki trained often express that they feel the flow of reiki too. Both treatments bring us into alpha and theta state if we let go and relax, which is the best state for healing to take place.
