Kuwait bans spiritual healing under new psychotherapy rules
The ban includes several popular alternative therapies used for wellness and spirituality
Dubai: Kuwait’s Ministry of Health has introduced a sweeping regulatory framework for psychotherapy in the public and private sectors, tightening licensing requirements and banning a range of practices it says are not supported by established scientific evidence.
Ministerial Decision No. 225 of 2026 sets out requirements for practising psychotherapy and obtaining professional licences, while introducing safeguards intended to protect patients.
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The rules expressly prohibit practitioners from providing or promoting treatments that lack a proven scientific basis.
Among the banned practices are energy and spiritual therapies, Reiki, pranic healing, so-called false hypnosis, astral projection, cosmic healing, “star seeds”, the therapeutic use of stones and crystals, treatments based on the law of attraction, body-language analysis, and practices involving chakras and auras.
The list also includes neurolinguistic programming, pseudotherapies and unfounded therapeutic claims, as well as psychological relaxation and mental-guidance techniques not based on scientific principles.
So-called psychological yoga, colour therapy and treatments involving sound vibrations are also prohibited. Life coaching and self-development activities may not be practised outside an approved professional licensing framework.
The decision also establishes recognised professional titles within the sector, including senior psychotherapist, psychotherapist and psychologist. A separate pathway for applied behaviour analysis includes the titles of senior applied behaviour analyst, behaviour analyst and assistant analyst.
To obtain a licence, practitioners must hold academic qualifications from recognised educational institutions, with official equivalency required for qualifications awarded outside Kuwait.
The rules also require that academic study be completed through regular in-person attendance.
Applicants must also complete clinical training under direct supervision and document a specified number of face-to-face therapy sessions carried out inside licensed healthcare facilities, placing practical clinical experience alongside academic qualifications as a central condition for professional practice.
