Why Do People Think Reiki is Demonic?

Every time I mention Reiki—especially animal Reiki or intuitive work—someone eventually leans in and whispers, “Isn’t that… demonic?”

I used to brush it off, but I’ve realized the fear deserves a real conversation. Not because it’s true, but because the misunderstanding around Reiki is so huge that people fill the gaps with whatever their upbringing taught them to fear.

The truth is, most people hearing about energy work for the first time are working with second-hand stories, fear-based church narratives, or those dramatic TikTok videos that make anything spiritual sound like a horror movie. If you’ve never experienced Reiki, it’s easy to imagine the worst.

But the reality of Reiki is so far from “demonic” that the comparison almost feels absurd. Reiki is quiet. Gentle. Human. It’s sitting in presence, not calling anything in. It’s paying attention to subtle tension, not summoning spirits. It’s supporting the nervous system, not surrendering your soul. Yet fear thrives where understanding is missing, so let’s fill in the gaps.

A lot of the fear comes down to this: Reiki didn’t originate in Christianity, so people raised in strict religious environments see anything outside of their tradition as inherently suspicious. Reiki came from Japan. It isn’t a religion. It has no deity, no doctrine, no worship. But if someone grew up hearing the message “anything spiritual that isn’t ours is evil,” then Reiki becomes scary by default—not because of what it actually is, but because of what they were taught to believe about anything foreign.

There’s also a big misunderstanding around the word “energy.” People hear that and think “spirits,” when Reiki is really about the body’s natural, measurable energy: the electrical impulses in your nerves, the electromagnetic field around your heart, the way stress alters your breathing and muscle tone. Energy isn’t supernatural—it’s biological. Reiki works with that, not beyond it.

When I work with horses, I’m not calling on spirits or channeling entities. I’m simply dropping into stillness, noticing their breathing, watching how tension sits in their ribs or neck or poll, and giving their body space to unwind. Horses soften because they feel safe, because the gentle and all-knowing powers of Reiki are working, and I am fully present. In fact, i’m just a conduit. I am not the one performing ANY magic.

So why do people still call it demonic? Because Reiki challenges a worldview where only medicine heals, only religion explains the unseen, and only physical touch counts as therapy. It asks people to accept that the body is more complex than we were taught, and that healing can happen through calm presence—something many people have never experienced in their own lives. When you’ve never been held in stillness or regulation, even the idea of it can feel intimidating.

But let’s be direct, because beating around the bush helps no one: nothing in Reiki involves demons, spirits, summoning, worship, rituals, sacrifice, or anything associated with “the occult.” You don’t contact entities. You don’t open portals. You don’t surrender your consciousness. You breathe, you focus, you regulate, and you hold space. If that were demonic, then meditation, prayer, grounding exercises, deep breathing, acupuncture, yoga, massage, and even sitting quietly with your horse would all fall under the same accusation.

The real threat in people’s lives isn’t Reiki. It’s stress. Disconnection. Chronic tension. Nervous system overwhelm. Unprocessed grief. A body stuck in fight-or-flight. Reiki helps soften those things—and sometimes that alone feels foreign enough to be misunderstood.

What I wish more people understood is that Reiki isn’t about controlling anything. It’s about listening…to the body, to the breath, to patterns of tension or emotion that have been ignored for too long. It’s a gentle reminder that healing doesn’t always need to be loud or complex. Sometimes the body just needs someone willing to sit still long enough for it to feel safe again.

Fear is loud. Healing is quiet. Most people who fear Reiki have never experienced what it feels like to be truly calm, grounded, and seen without judgment. Once they do, the fear dissolves almost instantly.

If you would like to learn more about Reiki join my waitlist! I am hosting a FREE energy work webinar in January (Full) and again in Spring!

Here’s the link: https://mailchi.mp/spottedhorsellc/energy-webinar-waitlist