Background: Reiki is a very popular method of natural healing used for prevention but also for the complementary session of many human disorders and diseases, including depression, anxiety, and various kind of chronic conditions, but also for the relief of pain and to promote relaxation and general well-being.
Primary study objective: The scope of this study has been to evaluate the effect of Reiki in subjects who have never received before a Reiki session and that did not know its effects or its methodological practices excluding the variables responsible for the placebo effect.
Methods/design: A heterogeneous group of 70 volunteers, both men and women, was chosen for this study, and the results reported in this paper were obtained by analyzing the responses to questionnaires using a Likert scale.
Results: From this study demonstrated that a Reiki style of energy practice is capable of bringing people to relax in the presence of environmental disturbances and in the absence of other adjuvant techniques, such as aromatherapy, music-therapy, and preliminary relaxation, responsible for the placebo effect. The most significant effects and sensations detected from questionnaires are a perception of heat during the session, an increase in relaxation, an improvement in mood, a sense of relief, and in general an increase of well-being.
Conclusion: These findings are significant also because are related to the Reiki technique alone. However, further studies are needed to better understand its mechanisms of action and assessing its effects both on the physical body and on the emotional and psycho-spiritual part of the individual.