Background: Reiki is a natural healing technique in which the initiation rite, or attunement, is crucial to its teaching. Remote initiation has become a common practice in distance learning courses.
Primary objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the subjective experience of a group of people who were told to expect remote initiation as part of an online Reiki course but did not receive it, and analyse their responses and possible placebo effects associated with this experience.
Methods/design: A heterogeneous group of 94 participants (N = 94) was chosen which grouped people who had never received a Reiki initiation and people already trained but repeating the first level training. Data were collected using a 58-question questionnaire and were analysed using descriptive statistics, including frequencies, averages, and standard deviations.
Results: This study shows that beliefs and expectations strongly influenced participants' perceptions and feelings during the initiation, regardless of their prior Reiki experience. In addition, even individuals with little experience can have comparable experiences as others. Overall, the study highlights the role of bias and preconceptions in subjective experiences during Reiki initiations.
Conclusion: Even without formal initiation, participants reported sensations associated with it, such as warmth, tingling, and emotional responses. Psychological factors, such as expectations and cognitive biases, play a significant role in shaping these experiences. More research is needed on placebo effects and belief in Reiki.