CRR, in collaboration with World Reiki Research and Harvard University, has just published the results of a landmark study evaluating whether specific subjective Reiki experiences are associated with changes in health-related symptoms using regression and mediation analyses. Ninety-nine Reiki practitioners had clients complete a survey before and after 1,284 Reiki (60-minute in-person) sessions.
Linear regression analyses explored associations between subjective Reiki experiences and changes in well-being, pain, and anxiety, while controlling for age and gender. Mediation models tested whether pain and anxiety changes mediated the relationship between subjective Reiki experiences and improvements in well-being.
Experiencing positive emotions was significantly associated with higher well-being and reduced anxiety, and experiencing such body sensations as tingling or warmth was significantly associated with greater pain relief. There was a significant indirect effect of body sensations on well-being via pain relief, a significant indirect effect of positive emotions on well-being via anxiety reduction, and a significant indirect effect of emotional release on well-being via anxiety reduction.
The results suggest that the subjective experience of receiving Reiki is related to changes in different psychological and physical health symptoms. More work is needed to confirm these findings while addressing the limitations of the current study.
This study is a novel contribution to biofield therapy research in several ways. First, it explores how Reiki works through specific psychological and physical pathways through employing a mediation analysis to quantify both indirect and direct effects, providing robust empirical support for the underlying mechanisms. Second, this study integrates both psychological (anxiety) and physical (pain) mediators, offering a more holistic understanding of Reiki’s effects. Third, it offers a framework to provide evidence for Reiki’s acceptance in clinical settings by linking subjective experiences to measurable changes in physiological and psychological health. Importantly, by identifying how Reiki may exert its effects (e.g., through pain relief or anxiety reduction), this analysis begins to answer the “why” question often missing in complementary and integrative medicine research. Understanding not only whether Reiki improves outcomes, but also how and why it does so, is central to advancing the evidence base for complementary and integrative medicine. Most prior Reiki research has demonstrated symptom improvements without clarifying the underlying processes. By employing mediation analysis, the present study provides a step toward explaining the why. When participants experience physical sensations (such as warmth or tingling), this is linked to reductions in pain, which in turn enhances overall well-being. Similarly, when participants experience positive emotions or emotional release, these appear to lower anxiety, which then improves well-being. In this way, the “how” is represented by the mediating pathways (pain relief, anxiety reduction), while the “why” lies in the role of subjective experience as the active ingredient that drives those changes. This shift from describing Reiki’s effects to explaining them is a step toward building evidence and integrating Reiki into broader models of health care.
Congratulations to the authors: CRR Research Assistant Elisenda Cama i Gibernau, CRR Director Akleema Ali and CRR President Natalie Dyer.
Read the paper here.
