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Reiki Studies
The article “The first Reiki Practitioner in our O.R.,” by Jeanette Sawyer in 1988 in the “AORN” describes the steps that were taken to allow a Reiki practitioner into the theatre at the request of a patient during a laparoscopy.
Also in 1988, patients were given the opportunity to experience a 15-minute pre- and post- surgery Reiki treatment. More than 870 patients took part and as a result there was less use of pain medication, shorter stays in hospital and increased patient satisfaction. This was discussed in the article, “Using Reiki to Support Surgical patients’ by Patricia and Kristin Aladydy in the Journal of Nursing Care Quality.
Heart Surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, (seen on Oprah) whose wife, Lisa is a pro-active Reiki practitioner, has worked with Julie Motz, who used Reiki on his patients. These patients had received heart transplants and had experienced open-heart surgery. Motz treated 11 patients in total and none of them had the usual post-operative depression. The bypass patients had no post-operative pain or leg weakness and the transplant patients experienced no organ rejection. Motz has written about this experience in her book, “Hands of Life.”
Listed below are a number of Reiki clinical trials. For more research details, there are some Reiki books with relevant research material, or personal observations, written by both doctors and nurses. “Spiritual Healing”, by Daniel J. Benor, has listed a number of Reiki trials as well as some very interesting trials on distant healing through touch in general.
Here is a well-known trial completed using Reiki to examine its effect on human blood levels:
Human Hemoglobin Levels and Reiki Healing: a Physiologic Perspective
Wendy Wetzel.
Published in “Journal of Holistic Nursing”, 7(1), pp.47-54 (1989).
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of Reiki on human hemoglobin and hematocrit levels.
Procedure: The hemoglobin and hematocrit levels of 48 adults participating in a Level I course were measured. Demographics and motivation were also examined. An untreated control group was used to document the changes in hemoglobin and hematocrit under normal circumstances.
Findings: Using a t-test there was a statistically significant change between the pre- and post-course hemoglobin and hematocrit levels of the participants at the p>0.01 level, 28 per cent experiencing an increase and the remainder experiencing a decrease. There was no change for the untreated control group within an identical time frame.
Conclusions: that Reiki has a measureable physiologic effect. The data supports the premise that energy can be transferred between individuals for the purposes of healing, balancing, and increasing wellness. Some individuals found that their blood levels went up while others went down which is consistent with the concept that Reiki is balancing for each individual.
These trials are concerned with the effect of Reiki on pain relief and other symptoms:
Pain, Anxiety and Depression in Chronically Ill Patients with Reiki Healing
Linda J. Dressen and Sangeeta Singg.
Published in “Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine Journal”, 9(1) (1998).
Purpose: To measure the results of Reiki and its effect on pain, anxiety, and depression in chronically ill patients.
Procedure: 120 patients who had been in pain for a least 1 year were trialed. Their complaints included: headaches, heart disease, cancer, arthritis, peptic ulcer, asthma, hypertension and HIV. Four different styles of treatment were performed on 3 groups of 20 people. The four styles of treatment were: Reiki, Progressive Muscle Relaxation, no treatment and false-Reiki. Each of the groups received then 30-minute treatment s, twice a week over five weeks. Patients were examined before and after the series of treatments. Reiki patients were examined three months after completion.
Findings: Reiki proved significantly superior (p<.001-.04) to other treatments on ten out of 12 variables. At the three-month check-up these changes were consistent and there were highly significant reductions in Total Pain Rating Index (p<.0006) and in sensory (p<.0003) and Affective (p.02) Qualities of Pain.
Conclusion: Significant effects of Reiki on anxiety, pain and depression are shown here. Some possible variables were not controlled.
Experience of a Reiki Session
J. Engebretson and D.W. Wardell. University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, USA Published in “Alternative Therapies in Health and medicine”, 8 pp 48-53 (2002).
Purpose: To explore the experiences of Reiki recipients so as to contribute to understanding the popularity of touch therapies and possibly clarify variables for future studies.
Procedure: All Reiki treatments were 30 minutes long and performed in a sound proof windowless room by one Reiki Master. There were audio taped interviews immediately after the treatment in a quiet room adjorning the treatment room. The recipients were generally healthy volunteers who had not experienced Reiki previously.
Findings: The recipients described a conscious state of awareness during the treatment. At the same time, paradoxically, they experienced sensate and symbolic phenomena.
Conclusions: Conscious awareness and paradoxical experiences that occur in ritual healing vary according to the holistic nature and individual variation of the healing experience. These findings suggest that many linear models used in researching touch therapies are not complex enough to capture the experience of the recipients.
Other research and articles relating to Reiki Research include:
Alternative medicines Gain in Popularity, Merit Closer Scrutiny.
Journal of the National Cancer Institute
1999, July. Vol. 91, No. 13. Pp. 1104-1105.
Katherine Arnold
Autonomic nervous system changes during Reiki treatments: a preliminary study.
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
2004, December. Vol. 10. No. 6: 1077-1081.
N. Makay. S. Hansen, O. McFarlane
Diagnosis Cancer: The Science & Controversy Behind Touch Therapies Patients claim benefit, but some doctors question evidence.
Cure
Spring Issue 2005.
Jennifer M. Gangloff
Effect of Reiki Treatments on Functional Recovery in Patients in Poststroke Rehabiliation: a Pilot Study.
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
2002 December
S.C. Shiflett, S. Nayak, C. Bid, P. Miles, S. Agostinelli
of Reiki in Psychotherapy.
Prospective in Psychiatric Care
2005, October. 41 (4). 184-187.
Mary Ann LaTorre
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