What Reiki Research Reveals
From hospital programs to published clinical studies, research documents the benefits people experience through Reiki.
For more than fifteen years, Reiki has been an important part of my life and professional practice.
During that time, I’ve seen how meaningful it can be for someone to rest, release the demands of everyday life, and reconnect with themselves.
One encouraging development in recent years has been the growing body of published research exploring Reiki’s benefits.
Researchers have studied Reiki in hospitals, surgical settings, and wellness environments, documenting changes in anxiety, pain, fatigue, mood, and overall well-being.
These findings offer perspective on what Reiki practitioners and recipients have been exploring through experience for many years.
Reiki Has a History in Healthcare
Although Reiki is often associated with holistic wellness, it also has a presence in healthcare.
Hospitals have incorporated Reiki into complementary care programs for decades. Some have offered sessions to patients before surgery, during recovery, or alongside conventional medical treatment.
The International Center for Reiki Training has documented the development of hospital Reiki programs, including Portsmouth Regional Hospital in New Hampshire.
Beginning in 1997, the hospital incorporated Reiki into its surgical services. By 2008, staff members had provided approximately 8,000 Reiki sessions.
The program offered patients an additional source of comfort and relaxation during what can be a physically and emotionally demanding experience.
Other healthcare organizations have explored Reiki as part of integrative approaches to patient care, including programs associated with major medical centers.
This history is meaningful because it demonstrates that Reiki has been explored not only as a personal spiritual practice but also as a complementary experience within conventional healthcare environments.
What Research Has Found About Reiki
A Large Study Documented Improvements After Reiki Sessions
One of the more substantial studies of Reiki in everyday practice was published in 2019 in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
Researchers examined outcomes from 1,411 Reiki sessions conducted by trained Reiki Masters across multiple locations.
Participants completed assessments immediately before and after their sessions.
The researchers documented statistically significant improvements across every outcome measured, including:
- Anxiety and mood
- Pain and physical discomfort
- Fatigue and tiredness
- Overall well-being
The study was particularly valuable because it examined Reiki as people commonly experience it: in individual sessions with professional practitioners.
Because the study compared participants’ experiences before and after their sessions, it documented meaningful changes associated with receiving Reiki, rather than isolating Reiki’s effects from every other possible influence.
For someone curious about Reiki, these findings offer an encouraging picture of the benefits participants reported after a single session.
Research: Dyer, Baldwin, and Rand (2019), A Large-Scale Effectiveness Trial of Reiki for Physical and Psychological Health.
Research Shows Encouraging Results for Anxiety
Anxiety is another area where Reiki has received considerable research attention.
A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis published in BMC Palliative Care examined 13 controlled studies involving 824 participants.
The researchers found that Reiki was associated with a statistically significant reduction in anxiety across the studies analyzed.
This is particularly relevant because anxiety can affect so many aspects of daily life, from sleep and concentration to our ability to feel settled and present.
Reiki offers an experience in which the recipient can rest without needing to solve a problem, make a decision, or manage another responsibility.
The research provides encouraging support for Reiki’s potential role in helping people experience greater relaxation and emotional comfort.
Research: Therapeutic Effects of Reiki on Interventions for Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis (2024).
Hospital Patients Reported Relief from Fatigue and Anxiety
Another study, published in 2018, examined five years of clinical experience at a rural academic medical center.
Researchers reviewed patient-reported outcomes following Reiki and massage therapy sessions.
Both approaches were associated with improvements in several symptoms. Reiki sessions were associated with greater immediate improvements in fatigue and anxiety than massage sessions in the patient encounters analyzed.
This is a meaningful finding in a hospital environment, where patients may be managing physical discomfort alongside uncertainty, stress, and emotional exhaustion.
The study reflects the value of complementary care that attends to the person’s experience, not only the medical procedures they are receiving.
Research: Vergo and colleagues (2018), Immediate Symptom Relief After a First Session of Massage Therapy or Reiki in Hospitalized Patients.
Reiki and the Body’s Relaxation Response
Researchers have also investigated the relationship between Reiki and physiological measures associated with relaxation.
A preliminary study published in 2004 examined changes in autonomic nervous system activity during Reiki sessions.
The researchers observed reductions in heart rate and blood pressure in the Reiki group compared with the sham-treatment and control groups.
Another study, published in 2010, examined patients recovering from acute coronary syndrome. Researchers reported improvements in heart-rate variability following Reiki, a measure associated with autonomic nervous system activity.
These studies are especially interesting because they extend the investigation beyond how participants describe feeling.
They explore measurable physiological responses that may accompany the experience of Reiki.
Research:
- Mackay and colleagues (2004), Autonomic Nervous System Changes During Reiki Treatment: A Preliminary Study. Read the study
- Friedman and colleagues (2010), Effects of Reiki on Autonomic Activity Early After Acute Coronary Syndrome. Read the study
Why These Findings Matter Beyond the Hospital
The value of this research isn’t limited to people receiving medical treatment.
Many of us live with ongoing responsibilities, competing priorities, and periods of uncertainty.
We may recognize that we need rest but struggle to make room for it.
We may be so accustomed to moving from one obligation to the next that we rarely notice how we’re feeling.
The research on Reiki’s relationship with anxiety, relaxation, and well-being invites us to consider the importance of experiences that support our ability to slow down.
A private Reiki session offers dedicated time for that purpose.
It is an opportunity to be present without needing to accomplish anything.
For some people, the experience is deeply relaxing. Others notice a greater sense of calm or awareness afterward.
Each person’s experience is their own.
What Fifteen Years of Reiki Has Taught Me
When I began practicing Reiki, I was learning a healing modality.
Over time, it became much more than that.
My relationship with Reiki has continued to deepen through personal practice, working with clients, and teaching others.
One of the things I appreciate most is the space Reiki creates for presence and awareness.
There is something valuable about permitting ourselves to stop responding to the world around us for a while.
We spend so much of our lives thinking about what needs to happen next.
What needs our attention? What decision needs to be made? What responsibility are we carrying?
Reiki offers a different experience.
We can simply be present.
And sometimes, when we create that space, we become more aware of ourselves, our needs, our emotions, and what we’ve been carrying.
I don’t believe a Reiki practitioner needs to provide someone with answers about their life.
My role is to offer a supportive experience that allows each person to engage with their own awareness.
That understanding is central to my work.
It is also part of why Reiki remains meaningful to me after more than fifteen years.
Exploring Reiki for Yourself
Research offers valuable insight into the outcomes people have experienced through Reiki.
It helps us understand why Reiki continues to attract attention in healthcare and wellness settings.
At the same time, reading about a practice and experiencing it are two different things.
You don’t need to be facing a particular challenge or experiencing a health concern to explore Reiki.
You may simply want time to rest, reconnect with yourself, or create space during a demanding season of life.
A private Reiki session offers that opportunity.
If you’re curious about Reiki, I invite you to experience it for yourself.
I offer private Reiki sessions in Santa Fe, providing a quiet, supportive environment where you can take time for yourself.
Explore Private Reiki Sessions in Santa Fe
Reiki is a complementary wellness practice and does not replace medical or mental health treatment.
Research and Further Reading
- Dyer, N. L., Baldwin, A. L., & Rand, W. L. (2019). A Large-Scale Effectiveness Trial of Reiki for Physical and Psychological Health. PubMed.
- Therapeutic Effects of Reiki on Interventions for Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis (2024). BMC Palliative Care.
- Vergo, M. T., et al. (2018). Immediate Symptom Relief After a First Session of Massage Therapy or Reiki in Hospitalized Patients. PubMed.
- Mackay, N., et al. (2004). Autonomic Nervous System Changes During Reiki Treatment: A Preliminary Study. Journal article.
- Friedman, R. S. C., et al. (2010). Effects of Reiki on Autonomic Activity Early After Acute Coronary Syndrome. Journal article.
- Fehrs, L. (2024). Hospital-Based Reiki and Documentation. Institute for Integrative Healthcare Studies.
- Rand, W. L. Reiki in Hospitals. International Center for Reiki Training.