Crystal Healing or Reiki. What is the difference?

As a crystal healer, I’m often asked if Crystal Healing and Reiki are the same thing. Of course I answer 'No' because Reiki is a completely different healing technique, which I respect but do not practise.

Here’s the difference:

Reiki is a non-invasive therapy used for stress reduction and relaxation, offering benefits for both physical and mental health. It involves a practitioner drawing Universal energy, which is then transferred through visualisation, placing the hands gently on or above the body. In Reiki, the practitioner is a conduit for Universal energy, and with their intuition, they guide it where it’s needed.

Crystal Healing is a therapy that involves placing crystals on or around the body. Crystal Healing uses the power of crystals’ natural vibration to re-tune the body, spirit, and mind and to re-establish wellness. The energy of the crystals comes from the Universe and so it’s uniquely the power of the crystals that makes the healing possible. In Crystal Healing, it is the therapist who is responsible for understanding which crystals are suitable to heal the patient’s issue. This is done primarily using intuition and according to the innate therapeutical qualities of the crystals (for calming, for energising, for intuition, etc.). Here, the practitioner doesn’t place their hands on or near the body.

Even the role of the practitioner in both techniques is different:
In Reiki, the practitioner is a mediator for energy from the Universe being transmitted to the clients. The practitioner can also attune crystals to transmit Universal energy, selecting them for their innate therapeutic qualities.
In Crystal Healing, on the other hand, the practitioner uses their intuition to individuate the most suitable crystals for treating the client. This comes after an initial exploratory talk with the client to understand the origin of the issue. They place the crystals in a special formation on or around the body to activate the healing process. The first part of a Crystal Healing is about rebalancing the mental-emotional side of the client; the focus then moves on to what caused the issue using techniques such as regression, cord cutting, guided meditation, etc. So in Crystal Healing, the practitioner guides the healing through their intuition and understanding.

So to summarise, it’s Crystal Healing if it’s the crystals that heal you, but it’s Reiki if the practitioner directs energy to you through the hands.