Reiki, which originated in Japan, is a type of energy medicine. In Reiki, practitioners intend to channel energy through their hands and transfer it into the patient’s body to promote healing.
A systematic review of Reiki in the treatment of pain and anxiety suggested beneficial results (1, 2 References Reiki, which originated in Japan, is a type of energy medicine. In Reiki, practitioners intend to channel energy through their hands and transfer it into the patient’s body to promote healing... read more ). However, high-quality clinical trials of Reiki are limited, and evidence is mixed. Other systematic reviews have not shown a benefit in depression (3 References Reiki, which originated in Japan, is a type of energy medicine. In Reiki, practitioners intend to channel energy through their hands and transfer it into the patient’s body to promote healing... read more ) or other clinical conditions (4 References Reiki, which originated in Japan, is a type of energy medicine. In Reiki, practitioners intend to channel energy through their hands and transfer it into the patient’s body to promote healing... read more ).
(See also Overview of Integrative, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine Overview of Integrative, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine Integrative medicine and health (IMH) and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) include healing approaches and therapies that historically have not been included in conventional, mainstream... read more .)
References
1. Thrane S, Cohen SM: Effect of Reiki therapy on pain and anxiety in adults: an in-depth literature review of randomized trials with effect size calculations. Pain Manag Nurs 15(4):897-908, 2014. doi: 10.1016/j.pmn.2013.07.008
2. Rao A, Hickman LD, Sibbritt D, et al: Is energy healing an effective non-pharmacological therapy for improving symptom management of chronic illnesses? A systematic review. Complement Ther Clin Pract 25:26-41, 2016. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2016.07.003
3. Joyce J, Herbison GP: Reiki for depression and anxiety. Cochrane Database Syst Rev (4):CD006833, 2015. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD006833.pub2
4. Lee MS, Pittler MH, Ernst E Effects of Reiki in clinical practice: a systematic review of randomised clinical trials. Int J Clin Pract 62(6):947-54, 2008. doi: 10.1111/j.1742-1241.2008.01729.x