Over the years Reiki has become better researched as hospitals and clinics try to find ways to compliment their patient care. I’m often asked if Reiki has any basis in scientific research, and this is my reply 🙂
IARP has put together a great summary of the research done in hospitals and clinics.
According to an International Association of Reiki Professionals (IARP) study of “America’s Best Hospitals” (the top 25 ranked by U.S.News and World Report in 2002), 60% of them had formal or informal Reiki programs in place. All hospitals using Reiki said that they believed Reiki to be at least somewhat beneficial for patients, and 67% said they believed Reiki to be highly beneficial.
Reiki Master William Lee Rand have been tracking hospital and medical use of Reiki for years and has a great summary of Hospitals and research publications
Hospitals are undergoing major changes. They are experiencing a need to reduce costs and at the same time improve patient care. Under the old medical model based on expensive medication and technology this posed an unsolvable dilemma. Not so with Reiki and other complementary modalities. Reiki requires no technology at all and many of its practitioners offer their services for free. Reiki is therefore a very good way to improve care while cutting costs.
The Cancer Research UK openly supports Reiki with a page dedicated to helping cancer patients find more information.
Many healthcare professionals accept Reiki as a useful complementary therapy that may help to lower stress, promote relaxation and possibly help reduce some types of pain.
Other interesting resources:
Obviously there is need and scope for much larger studies, but complimentary therapy is still woefully underfunded. Much of the growth and demand for Reiki comes from the patients themselves. The efficacy of Reiki speaks louder than studies. Reiki has gone from an obscure and little known healing therapy in the 1980’s to one the top 5 complimentary therapies in the short space of 30 years. Its growth will continue even if funding doesn’t, simply because so many millions of people have tried Reiki and know it to be helpful.
For consumer research, do take a look at the Reiki Centre study 2020 of over 1000 Reiki responses
