Hands of Light Wellness Center

Reiki has been shown to effectively treat depression, anxiety and stress related illnesses. According to one study, Reiki showed very promising results in the treatment of stress related illnesses. A study of 45 adults ranging in age from 19 to 78 years old were divided into 3 different treatment groups. One group received hands on Reiki, one group received distance Reiki, and one group received placebo distance healing (Shore, 2004).

• The participants that where in the hands on and the distance Reiki healing groups reported significant reduction in symptoms (Shore, 2004).

• The placebo group did not report any changes in symptoms (Shore, 2004).

An interesting note about this study is that the distance healing showed a higher reduction of symptoms than the hands on healing group did. This study also found that after the 1 year follow up and collection of data that both the hands on group and the distance healing group were still showing improvements in their condition. The placebo group did not show any difference in condition or symptoms (Shore, 2004).

After the data was collected and finalized, the placebo group was offered real Reiki. Half of the participants opted for the hands on and the other half opted for the distance Reiki healing. Follow-up of this group showed that their symptoms did improve with the Reiki treatments (Shore, 2004).

Another study done by Wardell and Engebretson, that collected data on 23 healthy individuals, using biological markers before, during and after Reiki treatments, that measured state anxiety, salivary IgA and cortisol, blood pressure, galvanic skin response, muscle tension, and skin temperature (Miles & True, 2003).

• The study showed that the participants experienced a significant reduction in state anxiety, reduced systolic blood pressure, and an increase in salivary IgA levels (Miles & True, 2003).
  
• Results of this study proved that Reiki helps to increase relaxation and stimulate the immune response in healthy individuals (Miles & True, 2003).

There are not a lot of controlled studies out there on the effectiveness of Reiki on illness and disease, but the most common studies that are controlled are done on pain, depression, anxiety and stress disorders. It is agreed by many that more controlled studies needs to be done to help understand and prove the effectiveness of Reiki on illness and disease because of its non-invasive and easy to learn qualities.

Reiki is being used by more hospitals and clinics around the world because it does no harm and seems to help patients at some degree or another even if there is no solid proof of its validity.

References:

Shore, A.  (2004). Long-Term Effects of Energetic Healing on Symptoms of Psychological Depression and Self-Perceived Stress. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 10(3), 42-8.  Retrieved March 24, 2010, from Health Module. (Document ID: 643886361).

Miles, P., True, G. (2003). Reiki--review of a biofield therapy history, theory, practice, and research. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 9(2), 62-72.  Retrieved March 22, 2010, from Health Module. (Document ID: 306816851).

LINKS:  More Research

What Illnesses & Disorders Can Reiki Energy Healing Benefit? - Current case studies & research on Reiki benefits.  Also includes a chart on suggested Reiki sessions for different conditions and illnesses.

Medical Research on Reiki Therapy

Reiki for dementia patients: case studies encouraging, more research needed