Reiki Simply Explained

1. What It Is About

Reiki is listed in the specialist literature as a biofield procedure. This means: It is assumed that a practitioner influences an energy field by placing hands on or holding them close over the body. A treatment consists of several sessions. Reiki was developed at the end of the 19th century in Japan by Mikao Usui from Kyoto. Reiki is not a substance and not a dose, but a procedure. Therefore, processes, hand positions, the number of sessions and the question of who treats are investigated. The studies usually test Reiki as an adjunct to normal medical treatment, for example in cancer, pain or fatigue. An important point is the control: The person being treated notices whether hands are placed. Therefore, studies often compare Reiki with a sham treatment in which the same hand positions are performed without therapeutic intention. Mainly pain, anxiety and fatigue are measured, but also physical values such as heart rate and cortisol. A changed physical value is not yet proof of a changed disease course.

2. What Studies Show

Human research comprises 133 evaluated works, including 73 controlled studies. The strongest indications exist on the topic of pain. A 2018 meta-analysis summarised four randomised controlled studies with 212 participants. It found that the pain score on a scale decreased after the last Reiki application 1. A 2010 review evaluated 66 clinical studies on biofield procedures including Reiki and found strong indications of a reduction in pain intensity in people with pain 9. A 2015 randomised controlled study examined 90 women after caesarean section. On the first two days after the operation they received either Reiki or a rest period. In the Reiki group, pain intensity, anxiety score and respiratory rate were lower over time. The timing and number of painkiller administrations also differed between the groups 5. A further 2016 study on 45 women after caesarean section likewise found that the Reiki group needed fewer painkillers and requested them later than the comparison groups 8. For fatigue, a 2021 randomised, single-blind study examined women caring for relatives with cancer. The Reiki group received Reiki once weekly for six weeks, the comparison group a sham treatment. At the end, the scores for the burden of care had decreased in the Reiki group 7. A 2017 review looked at 13 studies in which Reiki was compared with a placebo. Eight of them showed that Reiki performed better than the placebo 10.

3. What Remains Unclear

The central open question is whether Reiki works beyond a sham treatment. Many studies are small. The most frequently cited controlled work from 2007 on fatigue in cancer is a pilot study with 16 patients; the results on fatigue, pain and anxiety for this work are still pending 4. A 2011 pilot study in men with prostate cancer found no statistically significant difference at any time point in anxiety, depression and quality of life between Reiki, a relaxation method and a waiting list 6. A 2008 review found no multiple independent replications for any single disease; such replications are still pending 2. A 2011 study in a chemotherapy centre showed that comfort and well-being improved both with Reiki and with sham Reiki, but not in the standard-care group. The authors concluded that the one-to-one support by a nurse raised the scores, with or without Reiki 3. This shows how difficult it is to isolate the effect of Reiki itself.

4. What This Means in Everyday Life

Reiki is predominantly tested as an adjunct to normal medical treatment, not as a replacement. Those interested in Reiki find in the studies indications of less pain, anxiety and fatigue, but the results are not unequivocal. The question of whether Reiki achieves more than a sham treatment remains open. The studies often measure only immediately after a session; whether this changes everyday life over weeks is therefore not clarified. A changed physical value such as a lower cortisol level or altered heart-rate variability is not yet proof of a changed disease course. What needs to be clarified next: whether the indications of pain relief can be confirmed in larger, independent studies and whether Reiki works beyond the sham treatment for fatigue and quality of life in cancer.

All Details with Study Numbers and Sources: Detailed Page on Reiki. For Children: Reiki for Children.