Annotated bibliography · Last reviewed October 2026

What the research says about Reiki

Reiki has been studied for decades, and the picture is still forming. Here's a plain summary of what researchers have found, with links so you can read for yourself.

What studies keep finding

  • People often report feeling calmer, more relaxed, and more comfortable after Reiki, in settings from hospitals to end-of-life care.
  • Several recent reviews find modest improvements in anxiety and stress, and in pain after surgery.
  • In some trials that compared Reiki with a pretend version, Reiki did better for anxiety and stress.
  • Serious harms are rarely reported, though few studies track side effects closely.

What's still uncertain

  • Most studies are small. Major reviews say the evidence isn't yet strong enough to call Reiki a treatment for any health condition, which is why I don't offer it as one.
  • It's hard to separate Reiki itself from rest, kind attention, and expectation.
  • Distance Reiki has a small but growing number of studies. Most are small, many have no comparison group, and results are mixed.
  • Research on Reiki and trauma is very thin: a few small reports, and no controlled trials that I could find.

Rest, care, and expectation are real

Some studies give one group a pretend version of Reiki, called a sham, to see whether Reiki itself makes a difference. People in sham groups sometimes feel better too: in about 4 in 10 of these trials, according to a 2026 review.

Some read that as a reason to doubt Reiki. Another way to see it: resting quietly, being held in someone's care, and trusting that care is coming all help people feel calmer. Those are part of what a session offers, and they're real.

Reiki is also, for many people, a spiritual or contemplative practice. It can matter in ways a clinical trial isn't designed to measure.

Big-picture reviews

The effectiveness of Reiki in surgical care: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Wang, Ma, Wang & Chen (2026). Intensive and Critical Care Nursing, 98:104534. Online ahead of print.

What it was: A review pooling 15 randomized trials of Reiki around surgery.

What they found: Less pain at 24 and 48 hours after surgery, and less anxiety and lower blood pressure at 48 hours.

Worth knowing: The authors rate the evidence moderate to low and don't recommend routine use yet. If it's used, they say it should be "a complement to, not a replacement for," standard care.

Does Reiki benefit mental health symptoms above placebo?

Zadro & Stapleton (2022). Frontiers in Psychology, 13:897312.

What it was: A review of 14 trials that compared Reiki with a sham.

What they found: Reiki tended to do better than sham for some mental health symptoms, especially when stress, depression, or anxiety were more severe.

Worth knowing: Each symptom had only a few studies, so the authors call the findings promising but inconclusive.

Therapeutic effects of Reiki on interventions for anxiety: a meta-analysis

Guo, Long, Qin & Fan (2024). BMC Palliative Care, 23:147.

What it was: A review pooling studies of 824 adults.

What they found: Reiki was linked with lower anxiety overall: a large average effect, though the estimates varied widely.

Worth knowing: It included some non-randomized studies, and the authors note expectation may play a part.

Reiki and Therapeutic Touch for symptom burden and quality of life in palliative settings: a systematic review

Pontes-Gomes & Reis-Pina (2026). Palliative Medicine, 40(7):958–970.

What it was: A review of 9 studies (415 people) of Reiki and Therapeutic Touch in palliative care.

What they found: Some studies reported less pain, anxiety, and fatigue, and better sleep and relaxation. In interviews, people described feeling relaxed, comforted, and supported.

Worth knowing: The studies were small and varied, and the evidence was rated very low certainty. Only one study tracked side effects; it reported one serious event possibly linked to treatment.

Reiki for depression and anxiety (Cochrane review)

Joyce & Herbison (2015). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2015(4):CD006833.

What it was: A Cochrane review. Only three small trials qualified at the time.

What they found: Not enough evidence to say whether Reiki helps or harms people diagnosed with anxiety or depression.

Worth knowing: The search ended in 2014, before most of the studies on this page were published.

Anxiety, stress & mood

The effect of Reiki on anxiety, stress, and comfort levels before gastrointestinal endoscopy: a randomized sham-controlled trial

Utli & Doğru (2023). Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, 38(2):297–304.

What it was: 159 people split into Reiki, sham, or no treatment, with one 20–25 minute session before a medical procedure.

What they found: Less stress and anxiety, and more comfort, with Reiki than with either sham or nothing.

Worth knowing: Results were measured right after one session, and it's a single study.

Is Reiki effective in reducing heart rhythm, cortisol levels, and anxiety and improving biochemical parameters in individuals with cardiac disease? Randomized placebo-controlled trial

Bektas Akpinar, Ozcan Yüce, Cansız, et al. (2024). European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 23(7):771–779.

What it was: 65 heart patients split into Reiki, sham, or no treatment. One in-person session, then one distance session.

What they found: Lower anxiety with Reiki than with sham or nothing. A stress hormone rose only in the group that got nothing.

Worth knowing: A small study. Real and sham Reiki looked similar on the stress hormone, so that part may come from care and attention.

Pain & physical comfort

Complementary therapies for chronic knee pain: a placebo-controlled RCT of Reiki and mindfulness

Hanley, Nakamura, Edwards, et al. (2025). Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 95:103278. A correction was published in 2026.

What it was: 164 adults with knee arthritis: Reiki, sham Reiki, mindfulness, or a waitlist, with four weekly sessions.

What they found: Reiki and mindfulness both helped more than waiting. About 55% of people in the Reiki and mindfulness groups reported meaningful improvement, compared with 20% with sham Reiki.

Worth knowing: Mindfulness, but not Reiki, was reported as clearly better than sham. Follow-up was two months, and the authors call for larger trials.

Distance Reiki

This is what I offer, so here's a selection of recent studies. Several used the same format I do: twenty-minute sessions, sent from a distance.

The effect of distant Reiki sessions on holistic well-being

Özcan Yüce, Arpacı, Kütmeç Yılmaz, et al. (2024). Holistic Nursing Practice, 38(1):50–57.

What it was: 180 adults, each given four 20-minute distance sessions.

What they found: Wellbeing, positive mood, and energy all went up, two days and one week later.

Worth knowing: There was no comparison group.

The effect of distant Reiki on the stress and fatigue levels of nurses working in COVID-19 clinics: a randomized-controlled, single-blind study

Bektaş Akpınar, Özcan Yüce & Yurtsever (2024). Holistic Nursing Practice, 38(2):102–108.

What it was: 62 nurses. Half got four 20-minute distance sessions; half didn't.

What they found: Less fatigue and more energy with Reiki, plus more optimism and less helplessness in how nurses coped.

Worth knowing: A small trial, compared with no sessions rather than a sham.

The effect of distance Reiki on state test anxiety and test performance: a randomized controlled trial of nursing students

Unal, Ozkanat, Yurtsever, et al. (2024). Journal of Nursing Education, 63(5):298–303.

What it was: 71 students before an exam. One group got four 20-minute distance sessions; the other got none.

What they found: About a quarter of the Reiki group said it helped them feel less stressed. Anxiety scores dipped slightly, and exam grades didn't change.

Worth knowing: The drop in anxiety was too small to be statistically meaningful.

The effect of distant Reiki on pain in women after elective Caesarean section: a double-blinded randomised controlled trial

Vandervaart, Berger, Tam, et al. (2011). BMJ Open, 1(1):e000021.

What it was: 80 women after surgery. Neither they nor the researchers knew who received distance Reiki.

What they found: No difference in pain or healing. Heart rate and blood pressure were slightly lower in the Reiki group.

Worth knowing: An older study, but one of the more carefully controlled ones on distance Reiki.

How expectation and care fit in

These studies look at the part of Reiki that comes from rest, attention, and what we expect to feel.

Investigation and assessment of sham Reiki protocols in Reiki research

Baldwin, DeLeon & Dyer (2026). Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 101:103415.

What it was: A review of 35 Reiki trials that used a sham group (out of 154 studies screened).

What they found: In 12 of 28 trials where the sham closely copied Reiki, the sham group improved too, a sign that attention, touch, and expectation can help.

Worth knowing: Sham groups improved more often when the sham closely copied Reiki and when the person giving it had no connection to Reiki.

Study on the impact of expectations and beliefs in distance initiation experiences in Reiki

Graziano & Luigi (2025). Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 31(1):46–57.

What it was: 94 online Reiki students were told to expect a remote attunement during training, though none was sent.

What they found: Many still felt warmth, tingling, and emotion. Expectation shapes what people feel in distance work.

Worth knowing: It's about training, not sessions, and had no comparison group.

Plain-language overviews

Reiki · National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

U.S. National Institutes of Health. Last updated December 2018.

What it says: Reiki hasn't been clearly shown to work for any health condition, and results on pain, anxiety, and depression have been inconsistent. There's no scientific evidence for the energy field Reiki describes. It hasn't been shown to cause harm.

Worth knowing: Written before most of the newer reviews above.

Reiki · Cancer Research UK

Last reviewed June 2022.

What it says: Reiki is generally safe for most people with cancer. There's no evidence it can prevent, treat, or cure cancer or any other disease. Tell your doctor about any complementary therapy you use.

Worth knowing: Written with cancer care in mind, and overdue for its next review.

Why I share this

I offer Reiki because I've found it meaningful, and many people find it calming and supportive. I also think you deserve a clear picture before you book.

Reiki works best as one source of rest and care in your life, alongside whatever other support you have. If you're living with trauma, anxiety, or depression, please keep working with a licensed professional too. Read my ethics.