Reiki is a type of alternative or complementary treatment based on the notion that practitioners can produce benefits of well-being through healing energy. This "hands-off" treatment can be delivered when a patient is in the same room---but purportedly also from a great distance. Reiki is a hotly debated therapy, with some experts, including those representing the National Council Against Health Fraud, attributing its benefits to a placebo effect.
Background
Reiki originated in Japan, where it was used to reduce stress, promote relaxation and encourage healing. According to the International Center for Reiki Training, reiki is based on the concept that you life force has a distinct energy and that when you are ailing or feeling stressed, this life force weakens. Reiki practitioners are believed to be have the ability to "channel" energy into other people. The literal interpretation of the word "reiki" is "spiritually guided life force energy," according to the center.
Purpose
People use reiki to encourage overall health and well-being, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine says, or to reduce symptoms of disease and side effects of conventional treatment. Reiki itself is not considered a treatment. NCCAM says reiki is generally performed during the course of self-care. However, it is also delivered to patients by reiki practitioners in a variety of clinical settings.
Delivery Method
A typical reiki session involves a patient lying down or sitting, NCCAM says. A reiki practitioner will put his hands either on or just above the patient's body, employing a series of hand positions that are sustained for two- to five-minute intervals. Most often, a series of at least four sessions of 30 to 90 minutes are administered, NCCAM says, although this depends on the patient's needs. Qualified reiki practitioners may deliver sessions from afar without the patient in the same room.
Practitioners
There are no licensing or credentialing standards to be a reiki practitioner, nor do practitioners need to have a specific background, according to NCCAM. However, reiki practitioners must study with an experienced teacher or reiki master. Reiki practitioners first learn how to perform the therapy on themselves and other people, then later learn how to perform it from a distance. It may take years to reach the level of reiki master. NCCAM indicates that more and more health care professionals are seeking reiki training.
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Evidence
Clinical findings appear to suggest reiki is most beneficial when patients know they are receiving the therapy. The American Cancer Society states that patients who knowingly used reiki as a part of their therapy reported an enhanced sense of well-being, decreased pain and less nausea and vomiting. The ACS mentions a small study that patients with advanced cancer reported less pain when using reiki as a complementary therapy; however, reiki did not affect the amount of medication needed for pain control. The ACS says one nonrandomized study indicates reiki reduced the level of anxiety in women post-hysterectomy. However, a nonrandomized trial indicated reiki had no affect on the anxiety of women who received breast biopsies.
Cautions
Quackwatch.org, the consumer website maintained by the National Council Against Health Fraud, describes reiki as "nonsense." A comprehensive 2008 review of reiki published in the "International Journal of Clinical Practice" by the University of Exeter shows that most human studies on reiki are poorly designed and that evidence is "insufficient to suggest that reiki is an effective treatment for any condition." If you're considering reiki, NCCAM urges you not to use it in lieu of conventional medical care. Also be aware that the benefits of reiki have not been thoroughly investigated.
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