Reiki

Our assessments of evidence for each medical benefit fall into one of these categories:

• Strong evidence: consistent, significant effects in several large (or at least one very large) well designed clinical studies or at least two meta-analysesa statistical analysis that combines the results of two or more research studies; the results of smaller research studies addressing the same or similar questions can be analyzed as though they are one bigger, more powerful study of clinical studies of moderate or better quality (or one large meta-analysis) finding similar results
• Good evidence: significant effects in one large or several mid-sized and well-designed clinical studies ( randomized controlled trialsa study design in which people are randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group to compare the outcomes from different treatments; an RCT is considered a strong design for determining a therapy’s effects with an appropriate placebo or other strong comparison control or observational studies that control for confounds)
• Modest evidence: significant effects in at least three small but well-designed randomized controlled trials (RCTs), or one or more well-designed, mid-sized clinical studies of reasonably good quality (RCTs or observationala type of study in which individuals are observed or certain outcomes are measured, but no attempt is made to affect the outcome (for example, no treatment is given); an example is a study that records people’s diets, but doesn’t try to alter their diets, and looks for patterns of disease or other outcomes related to different foods studies), or several small studies aggregated into a meta-analysis
• Preliminary evidence: significant effects in small or poorly designed clinical studies OR conflicting results in adequate studies but a preponderance of evidence of an effect
• Weak evidence: one or more case studies, supported by animal evidence OR small treatment effects of limited clinical significance OR studies with no controls OR weak trends of effects
• Insufficient evidence: preclinical evidence only OR clinical studies with such poor or unclear methodology that no conclusion can be drawn OR conflicting findings across clinical studies with no preponderance of evidence in one direction; conflicting evidence occurs when studies find conflicting effects (positive effect vs no effect or negative effect) with the same treatment and the same general study population (same cancer type, for example)

Learn more about how we research and rate therapies and practices in How We Rate Therapies ›

Weak evidence of less anxiety among people with cancer treated with Reiki

• A weak trend toward less anxiety during radiotherapy among men with prostate cancer who were classified as anxious at baseline treated with Reiki compared to no intervention in a small uncontrolled triala study in which a therapy is used, but without a comparison group against which to judge outcomes; an uncontrolled trial is considered a weak study design¹Beard C, Stason WB et al. Effects of complementary therapies on clinical outcomes in patients being treated with radiation therapy for prostate cancer. Cancer 2011 Jan; 117: 96-102.
• Lower anxiety scores among people with cancer treated with Reiki, but not with resting, compared to baseline in a small comparison trial²Tsang KL, Carlson LE, Olson K. Pilot crossover trial of Reiki versus rest for treating cancer-related fatigue. Integrative Cancer Therapies. 2007;6:25-35.

With medical procedures: no evidence of an effect on anxiety among people with low anxiety undergoing a breast biopsy and treated with Reiki in a preliminary study

• No changes in anxiety among women with low baseline anxiety levels undergoing breast biopsy treated with Reiki compared to usual treatment in a small RCTrandomized controlled trial, a study design in which people are randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group to compare the outcomes from different treatments; an RCT is considered a strong design for determining a therapy’s effects³Potter PJ. Breast biopsy and distress: feasibility of testing a Reiki intervention. Journal of Holistic Nursing. 2007 Dec;25(4):238-48; discussion 249-51.

• Better mood during chemotherapy among people with breast cancer receiving treated with Reiki compared to usual care in a small RCTrandomized controlled trial, a study design in which people are randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group to compare the outcomes from different treatments; an RCT is considered a strong design for determining a therapy’s effects⁴Orsak G, Stevens AM, Brufsky A, Kajumba M, Dougall AL. The effects of Reiki therapy and companionship on quality of life, mood, and symptom distress during chemotherapy. Journal of Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2015 Jan; 20: 20-7.
• No changes in depression among women with low baseline anxiety levels undergoing breast biopsy treated with Reiki compared to usual treatment in a small RCT⁵Potter PJ. Breast biopsy and distress: feasibility of testing a Reiki intervention. Journal of Holistic Nursing. 2007 Dec;25(4):238-48; discussion 249-51.

• Lower scores for “tiredness” and similar fatigue scores among people with cancer treated with Reiki compared to resting in a small comparison trial⁶Tsang KL, Carlson LE, Olson K. Pilot crossover trial of Reiki versus rest for treating cancer-related fatigue. Integrative Cancer Therapies. 2007;6:25-35.

• Short-term pain relief but no reduced use of opioids among people with advanced cancer treated with standard opioid treatment plus Reikicompared to standard opioid treatment plus rest in a small RCTrandomized controlled trial, a study design in which people are randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group to compare the outcomes from different treatments; an RCT is considered a strong design for determining a therapy’s effects⁷Olson K, Hanson J, Mchaud M. A phase II trial of Reiki for the management of pain in advanced cancer patients. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. 2003;26:990-7.
• Lower pain scores among people with cancer treated with Reiki compared to resting in a small comparison trial⁸Tsang KL, Carlson LE, Olson K. Pilot crossover trial of Reiki versus rest for treating cancer-related fatigue. Integrative Cancer Therapies. 2007;6:25-35.

Without regard to treatment phase: preliminary evidence of better quality of life among people with cancer treated with Reiki

• Better quality of life scores among people with cancer treated with Reiki compared to resting in a small comparison trial⁹Tsang KL, Carlson LE, Olson K. Pilot crossover trial of Reiki versus rest for treating cancer-related fatigue. Integrative Cancer Therapies. 2007;6:25-35.

During treatment: preliminary evidence of higher comfort and well-being and better quality of life during chemotherapy among people treated with Reiki

• Higher comfort and well-being during outpatient chemotherapy among people treated with either Reiki or sham Reiki compared to usual care in a mid-sized RCTrandomized controlled trial, a study design in which people are randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group to compare the outcomes from different treatments; an RCT is considered a strong design for determining a therapy’s effects; the researchers concluded that “the presence of an RN providing one-on-one support during chemotherapy was influential in raising comfort and well-being levels, with or without an attempted healing energy field”¹⁰Catlin A, Taylor-Ford RL. Investigation of standard care versus sham Reiki placebo versus actual Reiki therapy to enhance comfort and well-being in a chemotherapy infusion center. Oncology Nursing Forum 2011 May; 38: E212-E220.
• Better quality of life during chemotherapy among people with breast cancer treated with Reiki compared to usual care in a small RCT¹¹Orsak G, Stevens AM, Brufsky A, Kajumba M, Dougall AL. The effects of Reiki therapy and companionship on quality of life, mood, and symptom distress during chemotherapy. Journal of Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2015 Jan; 20: 20-7.

Advanced cancer: preliminary evidence of better quality of life among people with advanced cancer treated with Reiki

• Better quality of life among people with advanced cancer treated with standard opioid treatment plus Reiki compared to standard opioid treatment plus rest in a small RCT¹²Olson K, Hanson J, Mchaud M. A phase II trial of Reiki for the management of pain in advanced cancer patients. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. 2003;26:990-7.

No evidence of an effect on anxiety or depression among people preparing for cardiac surgery and treated with Reiki in a preliminary study

• No significant effects in anxiety or depression in the days before cardiac surgery when Reiki was used with conventional care compared to conventional care alone in a small controlled triala study design in which people are assigned to either an experimental group or a control group to compare the outcomes from different treatment; assignment is not random, and so this is not as strong a study design as a randomized controlled trial, but still stronger than an uncontrolled trial¹³Santos CBRD, Gomes ET, Bezerra SMMDS, Püschel VAA. Reiki protocol for preoperative anxiety, depression, and well-being: a non-randomized controlled trial. Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da USP. 2020 Oct 26;54:e03630. Portuguese, English.

Weak evidence of less anxiety among people undergoing knee surgery treated with Reiki

• Lower state anxiety, blood pressure, respiration rate, and pain scores among people undergoing knee replacement surgery, but not with sham Reiki or standard of care, compared to baseline in a small uncontrolled triala study in which a therapy is used, but without a comparison group against which to judge outcomes; an uncontrolled trial is considered a weak study design¹⁴Baldwin AL, Vitale A, Brownell E, Kryak E, Rand W. Effects of Reiki on pain, anxiety, and blood pressure in patients undergoing knee replacement: a pilot study. Holististic Nursing Practice. 2017 Mar/Apr;31(2):80-89.

Preliminary evidence of fewer symptoms of depression among people treated with Reiki, either alone or with other complementary therapies

• Fewer symptoms of depression and stress among people treated with hands-on Reiki or distance Reiki compared to distance Reiki placebo in a small RCTrandomized controlled trial, a study design in which people are randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group to compare the outcomes from different treatments; an RCT is considered a strong design for determining a therapy’s effects¹⁵Shore AG. Long-term effects of energetic healing on symptoms of psychological depression and self-perceived stress. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine 2004;10(3):42-8.
• Lower depression among people with symptoms of depression receiving no drug or psychotherapy treatment after an intervention of mindfulness meditation, Reiki, acupuncture, and auriculotherapy, but not following no intervention, compared to baseline in a small randomized trial¹⁶Cardozo-Batista L, Tucci AM. Effectiveness of an alternative intervention in the treatment of depressive symptoms. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2020 Nov 1;276:562-569.

Modest evidence of less pain, including surgery-related pain, among people treated with Reiki

• A weak trendan apparent change due to a therapy, close to but not achieving full statistical significance (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently) toward less pain not specific to cancer among people treated with Reiki compared to controls in a meta-analysisa statistical analysis that combines the results of two or more research studies; the results of smaller research studies addressing the same or similar questions can be analyzed as though they are one bigger, more powerful study of 4 RCTs¹⁷Demir Doğan M. The effect of Reiki on pain: a meta-analysis. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2018 May;31:384-387.
• Moderately less pain among people treated with Reiki, especially with more experienced practitioners, compared to sham or placebo in a review of 3 RCTs and controlled trials¹⁸So PS, Jiang Y, Qin Y. Touch therapies for pain relief in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2008 Oct 8;(4):CD006535.
• Less pain and greater comfort among people undergoing laparoscopic gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy) with Reiki compared to no intervention in a mid-sized RCT¹⁹Topdemir EA, Saritas S. The effect of acupressure and Reiki application on patient’s pain and comfort level after laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a randomized controlled trial. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2021 May;43:101385.
• Lower pain scores and use of analgesics, and longer intervals between analgesic use among women recovering from Cesarean section treated with Reiki compared to sham Reiki or usual care in a small RCT²⁰Sagkal Midilli T, Ciray Gunduzoglu N. Effects of Reiki on pain and vital signs when applied to the incision area of the body after cesarean section surgery: a single-blinded, randomized, double-controlled study. Holistic Nursing Practice. 2016 Nov/Dec;30(6):368-378.
• Less reported pain but no difference in analgesic use among people undergoing total knee arthroplasty with Reikicompared to standard care in a small RCT²¹Notte BB, Fazzini C, Mooney RA. Reiki’s effect on patients with total knee arthroplasty: a pilot study. Nursing. 2016 Feb;46(2):17-23.
• Less reported pain and use of analgesics among women recovering from abdominal hysterectomy treated with Reiki compared to standard care in a small quasi-experimental trial²²Vitale AT, O’Connor PC. The effect of Reiki on pain and anxiety in women with abdominal hysterectomies: a quasi-experimental pilot study. Holistic Nursing Practice. 2006 Nov-Dec;20(6):263-72; quiz 273-4.
• Less pain and more comfort among people undergoing gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy) with Reikicompared to controls in a small RCT²³Topdemir EA, Saritas S. The effect of acupressure and Reiki application on patients’ pain and comfort level after laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a randomized controlled trial. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2021 May;43:101385.

Preliminary evidence of improved spiritual well-being among people preparing for cardiac surgery and treated with Reiki

• Improved spiritual well-being in the days before cardiac surgery among people treated with Reiki compared to baseline in a small controlled trial²⁴Santos CBRD, Gomes ET, Bezerra SMMDS, Püschel VAA. Reiki protocol for preoperative anxiety, depression, and well-being: a non-randomized controlled trial. Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da USP. 2020 Oct 26;54:e03630. Portuguese, English.

Preliminary evidence of less stress among people with conditions besides cancer treated with Reiki

• Lower scores on stress among people with moderate baseline stress scores and not using antidepressant or anti-anxiety drugs (anxiolytics) treated with massage and Reiki compared to massage alone in a small RCT²⁵Kurebayashi LFS, Gnatta JR et al. Massage and Reiki to reduce stress and improve quality of life: a randomized clinical trial. Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da USP. 2020 Oct 12;54:e03612. Portuguese, English.
• Fewer symptoms of stress among people treated with hands-on Reiki or distance Reiki compared to distance Reiki placebo in a small RCT²⁶Shore AG. Long-term effects of energetic healing on symptoms of psychological depression and self-perceived stress. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine 2004;10(3):42-8.