What Is Reiki?

Reiki (霊気) is a form of alternative medicine called energy healing. Reiki practitioners use a technique called palm healing or hands-on healing through which a “universal energy” is said to be transferred through the palms of the practitioner to the patient in order to encourage emotional or physical healing. See Energy Medicine

Reiki is a pseudoscience, and is used as an illustrative example of pseudoscience in scholarly texts and academic journal articles. It is based on qi (“chi”), which practitioners say is a universal life force, although there is no empirical evidence  that such a life force exists. Clinical research has not shown reiki to be effective as a treatment for any medical condition. There has been no proof of the effectiveness of reiki therapy compared to placebo. An overview of reiki investigations found that studies reporting positive effects had methodological flaws. The American Cancer Society stated that reiki should not replace conventional cancer treatment, a sentiment echoed by Cancer Research UK and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.

Developed in Japan in 1922 by Mikao Usui, it has been adapted into varying cultural traditions across the world.

Etymology

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the English alternative medicine word reiki is etymologically from Japanese reiki (霊気) “mysterious atmosphere, miraculous sign” (first recorded in 1001), combining rei “soul, spirit” and ki “vital energy”—the Sino-Japanese reading of Chinese língqì (靈氣) “numinous atmosphere”. The earliest recorded English usage dates to 1975.

The Japanese reiki is commonly written as レイキ in katakana syllabary or as 霊気 in shinjitai “new character form” kanji. It compounds the words rei (霊: “spirit, miraculous, divine”) and ki (気; qi: “gas, vital energy, breath of life, consciousness”). Ki is additionally defined as “… spirits; one’s feelings, mood, frame of mind; temperament, temper, disposition, one’s nature, character; mind to do something, intention, will; care, attention, precaution”. Some reiki translation equivalents from Japanese-English dictionaries are: “feeling of mystery,” “an atmosphere (feeling) of mystery”, and “an ethereal atmosphere (that prevails in the sacred precincts of a shrine); (feel, sense) a spiritual (divine) presence.”Besides the usual Sino-Japanese pronunciation reiki, these kanji 霊気 have an alternate Japanese reading, namely ryōge, meaning “demon; ghost” (especially in spirit possession).

Chinese língqì 靈氣 was first recorded in the (ca. 320 BCE) Neiye “Inward Training” section of the Guanzi, describing early Daoist meditation techniques. “That mysterious vital energy within the mind: One moment it arrives, the next it departs. So fine, there is nothing within it; so vast, there is nothing outside it. We lose it because of the harm caused by mental agitation.” Modern Standard Chinese língqì is translated by Chinese-English dictionaries as: “(of beautiful mountains) spiritual influence or atmosphere”; “1. intelligence; power of understanding; 2. supernatural power or force in fairy tales; miraculous power or force”;and “1. spiritual influence (of mountains/etc.); 2. ingeniousness; cleverness.”

Origins

According to the inscription on his memorial stone, Usui taught his system of reiki to more than 2,000 people during his lifetime. While teaching reiki in Fukuyama, Usui suffered a stroke and died on 9 March 1926.

Research, critical evaluation, and controversy

Basis

Main article: Vitalism

Reiki’s teachings and adherents claim that qi is physiological and can be manipulated to treat a disease or condition. The existence of qi has not been established by medical research. Therefore, reiki is a pseudoscientific theory based on metaphysical concepts.

The existence of the proposed mechanism for reiki—qi or “life force” energy—has not been scientifically established. Most research on reiki is poorly designed and prone to bias. There is no reliable empirical evidence that reiki is helpful for treating any medical condition, although some physicians have said it might help promote general well-being. In 2011, William T. Jarvis of The National Council Against Health Fraud stated that there “is no evidence that clinical reiki’s effects are due to anything other than suggestion” or the placebo effect.

The April 22, 2014 Skeptoid podcast episode titled “Your Body’s Alleged Energy Fields” relates a reiki practitioner’s report of what was happening as she passed her hands over a subject’s body:

What we’ll be looking for here, within John’s auric field, is any areas of intense heat, unusual coldness, a repelling energy, a dense energy, a magnetizing energy, tingling sensations, or actually the body attracting the hands into that area where it needs the reiki energy, and balancing of John’s qi.

Evaluating these claims scientific skeptic author Brian Dunning reported:

…his aura, his qi, his reiki energy. None of these have any counterpart in the physical world. Although she attempted to describe their properties as heat or magnetism, those properties are already taken by—well, heat and magnetism. There are no properties attributable to the mysterious field she describes, thus it cannot be authoritatively said to exist.”

Scholarly evaluation

Reiki is used as an illustrative example of pseudoscience in scholarly texts and academic journal articles. Emily Rosa became the youngest person to publish in the medical literature at eleven years old when her school science project was published by the Journal of the American Medical Association demonstrating that reiki practitioners could not detect the alleged “life force” under experimental conditions. A double-blind study where people were trained to administer reiki or another treatment found that the practitioners found no difference in terms of ability to feel ‘energy force’ in either procedure.

In criticizing the State University of New York for offering a continuing education course on reiki, one source stated, “reiki postulates the existence of a universal energy unknown to science and thus far undetectable surrounding the human body, which practitioners can learn to manipulate using their hands,” and others said, “In spite of its [reiki] diffusion, the baseline mechanism of action has not been demonstrated…” and, “Neither the forces involved nor the alleged therapeutic benefits have been demonstrated by scientific testing.”

Several authors have pointed to the vitalistic energy which reiki is claimed to treat, with one saying, “Ironically, the only thing that distinguishes reiki from Therapeutic Touch is that it [reiki] involves actual touch,” and others stating that the International Center for Reiki Training “mimic[s] the institutional aspects of science” seeking legitimacy but holds no more promise than an alchemy society.

A guideline published by the American Academy of Neurology, the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine, and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation states, “Reiki therapy should probably not be considered for the treatment of PDN [painful diabetic neuropathy].” Canadian sociologist Susan J. Palmer has listed reiki as among the pseudoscientific healing methods used by cults in France to attract members.

Evidence quality

A 2008 systematic review of 9 randomized clinical trials found several shortcomings in the literature on reiki. Depending on the tools used to measure depression and anxiety, the results varied and were not reliable or valid. Furthermore, the scientific community has been unable to replicate the findings of studies that support reiki. The review also found issues in reporting methodology in some of the literature, in that often there were parts omitted completely or not clearly described. Frequently in these studies, sample sizes were not calculated and adequate allocation and double-blind procedures were not followed. The review also reported that such studies exaggerated the effectiveness of treatment and there was no control for differences in experience of reiki practitioners or even the same practitioner at times produced different outcomes. None of the studies in the review provided a rationale for the treatment duration and no study reported adverse effects.

Safety

See also: Alternative medicine § Safety

Safety concerns for reiki sessions are very low and are akin to those of many complementary and alternative medicine practices. Some physicians and health care providers, however, believe that patients may unadvisedly substitute proven treatments for life-threatening conditions with unproven alternative modalities including reiki, thus endangering their health.

Catholic Church concerns

In March 2009, the Committee on Doctrine of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued the document Guidelines for Evaluating Reiki as an Alternative Therapy, in which they declared that the practice of reiki was based on superstition, being neither truly faith healing nor science-based medicine. Explaining that the Catholic church believes in healing, “the bishops noted that the Church recognizes two kinds of healing: healing by divine grace and healing that utilizes the powers of nature.” The Church teaches that if a Catholic seeks “bodily healing from God, the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick has been passed down … throughout the centuries” in order to trust in the Divine, strengthen resolve and authentically heal one in body and soul. The 2009 guideline concluded that “since reiki therapy is not compatible with either Christian teaching or scientific evidence, it would be inappropriate for Catholic institutions, such as Catholic health care facilities and retreat centers, or persons representing the Church, such as Catholic chaplains, to promote or to provide support for reiki therapy.  In December of 2014, the USCCB Committee on Divine Worship noted in an article about exorcism and its use in the Church that one of the regional or cultural influences that might open a person to demonic possession and the “current state of the afflicted person” includes involvement in the practice of reiki. Since this announcement, some Catholic lay people have continued to practice reiki, but it has been removed from many Catholic hospitals and other institutions.

Training, certification and adoption

There is no central authority controlling use of the words “reiki” or “reiki master”. Certificates can be purchased online for under 100 dollars. It is “not uncommon” for a course to offer attainment of reiki master in two weekends. There is no regulation of practitioners or reiki master in the United States.

The Washington Post reported in 2014 that in response to customer demand at least 60 hospitals in the United States offered reiki, at a cost of between $40 and $300 per session.

Adapted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia