Donate
Donate
icon
icon
Find help
Top questions Click or tap to explore common questions to get started ›
Request a volunteer guide Find someone to help you navigate this site ›
Find cancer-specific handbooks
Integrative Cancer Care Handbooks ›
Sign up for email updates
Sign up for e-news updates ›
Top questions

This biofield energy therapy directs and balances the life force through practitioners’ hands to promote wellness.

Reiki at a glance

Reiki is a Japanese technique for reducing stress and relaxing that also promotes healing. It is administered by laying on hands and is based on the idea that an unseen life force energy flows through us, giving us life and promoting health. The word “reiki” comes from two Japanese words: rei (God’s wisdom or the higher power) and ki (life force energy).1The International Center for Reiki Training. What is Reiki? Viewed August 25, 2021.

In cancer care, Reiki is typically used as a palliative or supportive therapy.2Potter P. What are the distinctions between Reiki and Therapeutic Touch®? Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing. 2003;7:89–91. Modest evidence shows improvements in pain and quality of life, but all other benefits are supported only by preliminary evidence. 

Reiki is sometimes investigated with these other biofield energy therapies.

Therapies

Polarity Therapy

Hands-on touch removes energy blocks and restores free flow of energy, promoting benefits for many side effects.
Therapies

Healing Touch

Healing touch uses gentle, intentional touch that contributes to balanced physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being.
Therapies

Therapeutic Touch®

This biofield energy therapy directs energy exchange through practitioners’ hands to rebalance your energy field.

CancerChoices ratings for Reiki

We rate Reiki on seven attributes, with 0 the lowest rating and 5 the highest. We rate the strength of the evidence supporting the use of Reiki for a medical benefit, such as improving treatment outcomes or managing side effects.

See how we evaluate and rate complementary therapies ›

0

Improving treatment outcomes

See More
0

Optimizing your body terrain

See More
2

Managing side effects and promoting wellness

See More
0

Reducing cancer risk

See More
3

Use by integrative oncology experts

See More
5

Safety

See More
5

Affordability and access

See More

Keep reading about Reiki

Choose what to read next
See all our reviews of complementary therapies

Authors

Laura Pole, MSN, RN, OCNS

Senior Clinical Consultant
View profile

Laura Pole is senior clinical consultant for CancerChoices. Laura is an oncology clinical nurse specialist who has been providing integrative oncology clinical care, navigation, consultation, and education services for over 40 years. She is the co-creator and co-coordinator of the Integrative Oncology Navigation Training at Smith Center for Healing and the Arts in Washington, DC. Laura also manages the “Media Watch Cancer News That You Can Use” listserv for Smith Center/Commonweal. In her role as a palliative care educator and consultant, Laura has served as statewide Respecting Choices Faculty for the Virginia POST (Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment) Collaborative as well as provided statewide professional education on palliative and end-of-life care for the Virginia Association for Hospices and Palliative Care.

For CancerChoices, Laura curates content and research, networks with clinical and organizational partners, brings awareness and education of integrative oncology at professional and patient conferences and programs, and translates research into information relevant to the patient experience as well as clinical practice.

Laura sees her work with CancerChoices as a perfect alignment of all her passions, knowledge and skills in integrative oncology care. She is honored to serve you.

Laura Pole, MSN, RN, OCNS Senior Clinical Consultant

Nancy Hepp, MS

Lead Researcher
View profile

Ms. Hepp is a researcher and communicator who has been writing and editing educational content on varied health topics for more than 20 years. She serves as lead researcher and writer for CancerChoices and also served as the first program manager. Her graduate work in research and cognitive psychology, her master’s degree in instructional design, and her certificate in web design have all guided her in writing and presenting information for a wide variety of audiences and uses. Nancy’s service as faculty development coordinator in the Department of Family Medicine at Wright State University also provided experience in medical research, plus insights into medical education and medical care from the professional’s perspective.

Nancy Hepp, MS Lead Researcher

Last update: December 20, 2023

Last full literature review: August 2021

CancerChoices provides information about integrative in cancer care, a patient-centered approach combining the best of conventional care, self care and evidence-informed complementary care in an integrated plan cancer care. We review complementaryin cancer care, complementary care involves the use of therapies intended to enhance or add to standard conventional treatments; examples include supplements, mind-body approaches such as yoga or psychosocial therapy, and acupuncture therapies and self-care lifestyle actions and behaviors that may impact cancer outcomes; examples include eating health-promoting foods, limiting alcohol, increasing physical activity, and managing stress practices to help patients and professionals explore and integrate the best combination of conventionalthe cancer care offered by conventionally trained physicians and most hospitals; examples are chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy and complementary therapies and practices for each person.

Our staff have no financial conflicts of interest to declare. We receive no funds from any manufacturers or retailers gaining financial profit by promoting or discouraging therapies mentioned on this site.

Learn more

Energy Therapies: Introduction

Healing

Therapies

Melatonin

References[+]