Reiki (RAY-ke) is a form of Japanese energy healing that has grown in popularity in the United States as part of the "new age" alternative medicine movement, as its practice in Japan wanes. Reiki was reintroduced by Mikao Usui in 1922, who claimed it was an ancient practice that was revealed to him during meditation. One of his first disciples, Havayo Takata, brought Reiki to the United States and trained practitioners. More than one million Americans have had Reiki therapy, according to a 2007 report by the National Institutes of Health.
A Form of Energy Healing
The basis for the therapy is the so-called energy fields of the body, organized around the chakras used in ayurvedic--or traditional Indian--medicine. In Reiki, the practitioner "reads" imbalances in the energy fields and seeks to correct them with his hands. Although Reiki is considered a "hands-on" therapy, sometimes the practitioner simply moves his hands above and around the patient's body in an effort to redirect the "ki," or universal energy, that causes illness.
Two Branches of Reiki
There is a philosophical element in Reiki that urges practitioners not to worry or be angry, to honor parents and teachers, to earn an honest living and to be grateful.
Adherents recognize two branches of Reiki--traditional Japanese and western. To become a Reiki practitioner, one must complete three levels of instruction. At the first level, the initiate is "attuned" to the flow of Reiki energy; at the second, the student becomes more attuned and can practice "distance healing"; at stage three, the student becomes a Reiki master, able to perform Reiki attunements to others.
Proponents of Reiki say its benefits include relaxation, promotion of self-healing, improved sleep, lowered blood pressure, pain relief, and freedom from negative patterns such addiction. They also say it can be practiced on plants, animals and water.
Little Scientific Evidence
Detractors of Reiki say there is no real scientific evidence to support its claims of healing. According to a 2008 University of Washington study on the effectiveness of Reiki to treat fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, "neither Reiki nor touch improved the symptoms of fibromyalgia." The study authors said energy modalities should be "rigorously studied" before they are recommended to patients.
A Controversial Therapy
In an effort to quantify other possible uses for Reiki, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has sponsored ongoing controlled trial studies into:
• Use of Reiki for patients with advanced AIDS
• Effectiveness of Reiki on painful neuropathy and cardiovascular risk
• Impact of Reiki treatment on stress
• Reiki and energy healing in prostate cancer
The practice of Reiki remains controversial. The Catholic Church, for example, has banned the practice in all of its hospitals and facilities on the basis it is neither Christianity nor science. It would cause a Catholic to "operate in the realm of superstition, the no-man's land that is neither faith nor science," according to a position paper adopted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The Placebo Effect?
Reiki adherents argue that even if Reiki works because of the "placebo effect," it is still beneficial and causes no harm. The placebo effect refers to the mind-body connection that can induce an improvement merely by the expectation that a treatment or medicine will help heal the patient.
But skeptics say that Reiki may simply mask symptoms and allow serious diseases to be overlooked and untreated by conventional medicine.
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