As a Holistic Practitioner, many times I have heard people describe Reiki as woo-woo. So, to counter those statements, I am sharing snippets of a doctoral research paper that I wrote about the benefits of Reiki. Copyright 2024, Rev. Brooke D. Winkler, MSSA, LISW-S, ACHT, E-RYT-200, and Reiki Master.
Reiki (pronounced ray-key) is a Japanese technique of laying of the hands, utilizing life force energy to promote stress reduction, and relaxation, and to promote healing. Reiki treats the whole person, body, mind, and spirit. Reiki is listed in the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health as an alternative therapy in medicine (Webster et al., 2020). As an alternative treatment, Reiki is considered a safe treatment approach, considering there are no harmful effects (Webster et al., 2020).
Reiki is learned through a Reiki Master, who attunes the individual learning Reiki, and one goes through three levels of training before becoming a master (Dupler & Frey, 2020). The first attunement (Reiki Level I) focuses on learning self-Reiki and working on others, while the second attunement (Reiki Level II) focuses on learning several of the sacred Reiki symbols, and how to send Reiki for distance healing (McManus, 2017). Reiki Level III is learning the last of the sacred Reiki symbols, and mastery of attuning others for teaching Reiki (McManus, 2017).
People report different reactions to Reiki—you may feel warmth or coolness from your practitioner’s hands, or even a tingly feeling. Most people report feeling more relaxed and calmer after a session, and both biochemical and physiological changes have been observed in the Reiki process (Graziano & Luigi, 2022). Another study found that Reiki significantly reduced the resting heart rate in rats, while another reduced blood pressure (McManus, 2017).
Considered a complementary therapy, Reiki helps to relieve pain (McManus, 2017), brings balance to the mind and body (Webster et al., 2020), and has been effective with depression and anxiety (Graziano & Luigi, 2022). The Graziano and Luigi (2022) study was conducted without the support of the environment to help induce relaxation. Yet, 97% of the study participants wanted to receive another treatment and would recommend it to others, while 75% of the participants wanted to learn more about Reiki (Graziano & Luigi, 2022). Reiki has “statistically significant improvements in many physical and psychological symptoms common to a wide range of diseases, such as mood problems, anxiety, depression, fatigue, pain, and nausea” (p. 1157). Improving the quality of life, health, and well-being are all reasons to utilize Reiki because Reiki energy works with a person in a multidimensional way (Amarello et al., 2021). McManus (2017) shared that Reiki is more effective in addressing depression and anxiety with the chronically ill than any other treatment. A research study showed that Reiki provided relief in bio-psycho-emotional symptoms that were induced by chemotherapy, showing that Reiki is effective in treating the mind, body, and spirit (Amarello et al., 2021). Morero et al. (2021) address that Reiki reduces anxiety levels in the elderly. When learning Reiki, one learns to work on themselves first (Dupler & Frey, 2020), which could be an asset for clients to learn Reiki, who are struggling with mental health issues. Reiki is becoming more readily used in health care, with over 15% of United States hospitals offering Reiki to patients (Amarello, 2020; Dyer et al., 2019).
References
Amarello, M. M., Castellanos, M. E. P., & Souza, K. M. J. de. (2021). Reiki therapy in the unified health system: Meanings and experiences in integral health care. Revista Brasileira De Enfermagem, 74(1), 1-7. https://10.1590/0034-7167-2019-0816
Dupler, D., & Frey, R. (2020). Reiki. In Hiam, D. (Ed.), The Gale encyclopedia of alternative medicine (5th ed.). Gale Publisher.
Dyer, N. L., Baldwin, A. L., & Rand, W. L. (2019). A large-scale effectiveness trial of reiki for physical and psychological health. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (New York, N.Y.); J Altern Complement Med, 25(12), 1156-1162. https://10.1089/acm.2019.0022
Graziano, S., & Luigi, C. (2022). Effects of reiki session excluding the variables responsible for the placebo effect on a group of adults. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine; Altern Ther Health Med, 28(1), 18-24.
McManus, D. E. (2017). Reiki is better than placebo and has broad potential as a complementary health therapy. Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine; J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med, 22(4), 1051-1057. https://10.1177/2156587217728644
Morero, J. A. P., Pereira, S. d. S., Esteves, R. B., & Cardoso, L. (2021). Effects of reiki on mental health care: A systematic review.Holistic Nursing Practice, 35(4), 191-198. https://10.1097/HNP.0000000000000456
Webster, L. C., Holden, J. M., Ray, D. C., Price, E., & Hastings, T. M. (2020). The impact of psychotherapeutic reiki on anxiety. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 15(3), 311-326. https://10.1080/15401383.2019.1688214