Reiki
Key Points
- Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation.
- Practitioners consider restricted flow of Ki (energy) in the body to be the precursor to disease.
- In cancer care, reiki tends to be used as a palliative or supportive therapy.
- Noting the methodological limitations highlighted in reviews, we list available research documenting effects of reiki in people with cancer.
- Reiki is not believed to have the potential to cause serious direct harm
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Authors
 Laura Pole, RN, MSN, OCNS, BCCT Senior Researcher
Read more Ms. Pole is an oncology clinical nurse specialist who has been providing integrative oncology clinical care, navigation, consultation and education services for more than 30 years. View profile.  Nancy Hepp, MS, BCCT Project Manager
Read more Ms. Hepp is a science researcher and communicator who has been writing and editing educational content on varied health topics for more than 20 years. View profile. Last updated August 20, 2021.
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The International Center for Reiki Training describes reiki:
A Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation 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 and is what causes us to be alive. If one's "life force energy" is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.
“The word reiki is made of two Japanese words:
- Rei which means ‘God's Wisdom or the Higher Power’
- Ki which is ‘life force energy’
Reiki is compatible with all other healing modalities—conventional and alternative—and is not a religious practice.
Neil McKinney
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Reiki master teachers trace their lineage back to their founder Michao Usui, who founded the practice in Japan in the late 1800s. The practice found its way to Hawaii in the 1930s and was brought to US mainland in the 1970s.
Reiki, in the tradition of the Japanese teacher (sensei), is passed on from master to student through attunement, an initiation ceremony using laying on of hands. This attunement ceremony is supposed to open the student’s energy channels, thus enhancing universal life energy flow for treating others and oneself.
Reiki training has evolved with iterations over the years. No official credentialing organization exists for reiki practitioners, although reiki courses are available, often from organizations offering professional continuing education credits from approved provider organizations. For more detailed description of reiki training, refer to Potter’s article: Energy therapies in advanced practice oncology: an evidence-informed practice approach.
In cancer care, reiki tends to be used as a palliative or supportive therapy. Practitioners consider restricted flow of Ki (energy) in the body to be the precursor to disease. They claim that reiki unrestricts the flow of Ki (energy) in the body. Recipients report deep relaxation, relief from anxiety and pain, and an improved sense of well-being.
Clinical Practice Guidelines
2009 evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for integrative oncology conclude that therapies based on a philosophy of bioenergy fields are safe and may provide some benefit for reducing stress and enhancing quality of life. Only limited evidence is available regarding their efficacy for symptom management, including reducing pain and fatigue. The Society for Integrative Oncology gives a strong recommendation for these therapies:
- For reducing anxiety: grade 1B (strong recommendation, moderate-quality evidence)
- For pain, fatigue, and other symptom management: grade 1C (strong recommendation, low or very low quality evidence)
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The Society for Integrative Oncology 2017 clinical practice guidelines for patients with breast cancer state that as of spring 2017, there was insufficient evidence to form a clinical recommendation for using reiki for anxiety/stress reduction.
Managing Side Effects and Promoting Wellness
Managing or relieving side effects or symptoms, reducing treatment toxicity, supporting quality of life or promoting general well-being
According to CAM-Cancer “Only a few studies of reiki have been published; most have methodological limitations and are thus not conclusive.”
TRC's Natural Medicines Database also concludes that although insufficient reliable evidence is available to rate reiki’s effectiveness, preliminary clinical studies suggest that the therapy can have positive effects, including reducing fatigue, improving quality of life, reducing pain, improving depression and improving stress.
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Noting the methodological limitations highlighted in reviews, we list available research documenting effects of reiki in people with cancer:
Stress, anxiety or depression:
- No significant effects among people in the days before cardiac surgery in a small controlled trial
- Lower pain, blood pressure, respiration rate, and state anxiety among people undergoing knee replacement surgery compared to sham reiki and standard of care in a small controlled study
- Lower depression after a mindfulness meditation, reiki, acupuncture and auriculotherapy among people with symptoms of depression receiving no pharmacological or psychotherapeutic treatment in a small RCT
- Substantially lower scores on stress among people with moderate baseline stress scores and not using using anxiolytics or antidepressants with massage compared to no intervention, and even higher scores when reiki was added after massage in a small RCT
- Better mood among people with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy with reiki compared to usual care in a small RCT
- A weak trend toward less anxiety among men with prostate cancer treated with radiation therapy and who were classified as "anxious" at baseline with reiki compared to no intervention in a small RCT
- No changes in anxiety and depression among women undergoing breast biopsy with low baseline anxiety levels compared to usual treatment in a small RCT
Pain:
- Moderately less pain, especially with more experienced practitioners, in a review of RCTs and controlled trials
- Lower pain and greater comfort among people undergoing laparoscopic gallbladder removal cholecystectomy compared to no treatment in a mid-sized RCT
Quality of life:
- Moderately better scores on quality of life among people with moderate baseline stress scores and not using using anxiolytics or antidepressants with massage with or without reiki compared to no treatment in a small RCT
- Higher comfort and well-being among people receiving outpatient chemotherapy with either reiki or sham reiki compared to usual care in a mid-sized RCT; 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"
- Better quality of life among people with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy with reiki compared to usual care in a small RCT
Reviews:
- A 2006 review found short-term pain relief and improved quality of life.
- A 2007 review of reiki found positive outcomes for pain management and possible effects on biological markers.
- A 2014 review of reiki used for all health conditions, including cancer, found that in four randomized controlled trials, reiki may reduce pain and anxiety..
- A weak trend toward less pain in a meta-analysis of RCTs
- A 2020 systematic review concluded that reiki is effective in addressing cancer-related pain in breast cancer patients.
Studies:
- Short-term pain relief and improved quality of life among people with advanced cancer with standard opioid treatment plus reiki compared to standard opioid treatment plus rest, but without reduced use of opioids in a small RCT
- A 2004 study found reiki Improved depression and stress.
- A 2007 study found reduced feelings of fatigue and improved quality of life during cancer chemotherapy..
- 2016 pilot study found that a group receiving distant reiki sessions demonstrated reduced levels of pain, stress and fatigue compared to those receiving typical care.
Cautions
According to CAM-Cancer, “reiki is not believed to have the potential to cause serious direct harm.”
Integrative Programs, Protocols and Medical Systems
- Programs and protocols
- Overall integrative cancer plan for balancing the body through symptom relief and enhancing the innate ability to heal
- Alschuler & Gazella complementary approaches
- McKinney protocols
- Treatment-related fatigue
- Symptom management for cancer in general
- Improvement of biophysical markers in cancer
- As a natural medicine to alleviate side effects, restore real health and create healing conditions
In his book Naturopathic Oncology, Neil McKinney, ND, lists reiki as one of the leading remedies he uses in his integrative cancer care plans. He prefers the traditional Usai method. He notices that his patients receiving reiki make dramatic physical and emotional shifts. He says that it is particularly helpful in reducing radiation and/or chemotherapy-induced fatigue. He emphasizes that reiki is compatible with all other healing modalities—conventional and alternative—and is not a religious practice.
This summary draws primarily from the CAM-Cancer and TRC Natural Medicines websites and Neil McKinney's book, plus other sources as noted.
- The International Center for Reiki Training. What is Reiki? Viewed July 17, 2018.
- The International Center for Reiki Training. What is Reiki? Viewed July 17, 2018.
- McKinney N. Naturopathic Oncology, 3rd Edition. Victoria, BC, Canada: Liaison Press. 2016.
- Potter PJ. Energy therapies in advanced practice oncology: an evidence-informed practice approach. Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology, 2013 May-Jun; 4(3), 139–151.
- Potter P. What are the distinctions between Reiki and Therapeutic Touch®? Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing. 2003;7:89–91.
- Deng GE, Frenkel M et al. Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for integrative oncology: complementary therapies and botanicals. Journal of the Society for Integrative Oncology. 2009 Summer;7(3):85-120.
- Greenlee H, DuPont-Reyes MJ et al. Clinical practice guidelines on the evidence-based use of integrative therapies during and after breast cancer treatment. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2017 May 6;67(3):194-232.
- CAM-Cancer: Reiki. Viewed June 27, 2018.
- TRC Natural Medicines. Reiki Therapy. (subscription required). Viewed June 27, 2018.
- Santos 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.
- Baldwin 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.
- Cardozo-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.
- Kurebayashi 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.
- Orsak 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.
- Beard 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.
- Potter PJ. Breast biopsy and distress: feasibility of testing a reiki intervention. Journal of Holistic Nursing. 2007 Dec;25(4):238-48; discussion 249-51.
- So PS, Jiang Y, Qin Y. Touch therapies for pain relief in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2008 Oct 8;(4):CD006535.
- Topdemir 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.
- Kurebayashi 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.
- Catlin A, Taylor-Ford RL. Investigation of standard care versus sham Reiki placebo versus actual Reiki therapy to enhance comfirt and well-being in a chemotherapy infusion center. Oncology Nursing Forum 2011 May; 38: E212-E220.
- Orsak 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.
- Bardia A, Barton DL et al. Efficacy of complementary and alternative medicine therapies in relieving cancer pain: a systematic review. Journal of Clinical Oncology 2006;24:5457-64.
- Vitale A. An integrative review of reiki touch therapy research. Holistic Nursing Practice. 2007;21:167–181.
- 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 Management Nursing. 2014; 15: 897-908.
- Demir Doğan M. The effect of reiki on pain: a meta-analysis. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2018 May;31:384-387.
- Behzadmehr R, Dastyar N, Moghadam MP, Abavisani M, Moradi M. Effect of complementary and alternative medicine interventions on cancer related pain among breast cancer patients: a systematic review. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 2020;49:102318.
- Olson 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.
- Shore 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.
- Tsang KL, Carlson LE, Olson K. Pilot crossover trial of Reiki versus rest for treating cancer-related fatigue. Integrative Cancer Therapies. 2007;6:25-35.
- Demir M, Can G, Kelam A, Aydiner A. Effects of distant Reiki on pain, anxiety and fatigue in oncology patients in Turkey: a pilot study. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention. 2015; 16: 4859-62.
- CAM-Cancer: Reiki. Viewed June 27, 2018.
- Alschuler LN, Gazella KA. The Definitive Guide to Cancer, 3rd Edition: An Integrative Approach to Prevention, Treatment, and Healing. Berkeley, California: Celestial Arts. 2010; Alschuler LN, Gazella KA. The Definitive Guide to Thriving after Cancer: A Five-Step Integrative Plan to Reduce the Risk of Recurrence and Build Lifelong Health. Berkeley, California: Ten Speed Press. 2013.
- McKinney N. Naturopathic Oncology, 3rd Edition. Victoria, BC, Canada: Liaison Press. 2016.
- McKinney N. Naturopathic Oncology, 3rd Edition. Victoria, BC, Canada: Liaison Press. 2016.
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