UK REIKI FEDERATION
RESEARCH GROUPAs Reiki practitioners, we know that Reiki works. Each of us has our own stories to tell of the amazing effects of Reiki. Collectively, this can be called anecdotal evidence. It has convinced many patients and students to try Reiki for themselves, and once people try Reiki, they tend not to need any further convincing.
Medical professionals and scientists look for evidence that any new therapy works before they use it; this is called evidence-based practice. It involves doing robust research which is usually quantitative (it measures different parameters using numbers that can then have statistical tests applied to them). The use of statistics means that two or more groups are compared during the research. For example, one group may receive Reiki, a second group may receive sham-Reiki in which a non-Reiki practitioner performs the Reiki hand positions but no Reiki is sent, and a third group does not receive Reiki. In this way the effects of Reiki energy can be separated from those of touch and personal attention alone. A pain scale may be used to see if the Reiki reduces pain. All groups will fill in the pain scale. A statistical test will be applied to the results from all groups that may show that Reiki is more effective than sham-Reiki and no Reiki. However, there must be enough people in each group to make the research statistically robust and clinically meaningful.
As of July 2024, there are 140 Reiki research papers that have been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, but most are pilot studies with small numbers (fewer than 20) of participants per group, and many do not include appropriate control groups. For these reasons the medical profession often dismisses these studies as inconclusive. A closer examination of overlapping data from some of the stronger pilot studies and the thirteen larger scale clinical trials with 30 or more participants per group, supports the ability of Reiki to reduce anxiety and pain, and suggests its usefulness to induce relaxation, improve fatigue, burn-out and depressive symptoms, and strengthen overall wellbeing.
Four published literature reviews of Reiki research conclude that there is sufficient evidence that Reiki is more effective than placebo in reducing pain and anxiety and that it has the potential for managing chronic health conditions and postoperative recovery. The research on Reiki’s effectiveness is promising, but more large studies are needed to convince medical professionals to invest their time, finances and effort in researching how Reiki can serve as an adjunct to allopathic medicine. Only through successful, scientifically robust, large-scale clinical trials will the decision-makers at top scientific and medical institutions be convinced to support the widespread use of Reiki in hospitals, clinics and hospices.
The UK Reiki Federation Research Group aims to encourage good research into Reiki by supporting the development and implementation of high quality, statistically sound, robust research that can provide evidence to demonstrate that Reiki does work in line with the standards of medical and scientific research. The group also wants to ensure that members doing research have received some training in research skills that we will provide.
SEARCH TOOLS
- Pub Med
- Medline
- Reiki Swiss Science & Reiki Database – reviews of over 50 research papers
- Reiki study library hosted by the European Reiki Group
- NCBI
- Google Scholar
There are a number of websites with information on recent Reiki research publications which you can easily access via the links below.
MEET THE UK REIKI FEDERATION RESEARCH GROUP
Anne-Marie Carratu
Duncan Cross
Ann Balwin
Ann Linda Baldwin, PhD, is a Professor Emerita of Physiology at the University of
Arizona. She also is director of Mind-Body-Science, is a Reiki Master (Usui and
Karuna), and has practiced Reiki on people and animals for the last 20 years. She is
Research Coordinator for the Center for Reiki Research, and is a member of the UK
Reiki Federation research team and the Circle of Scholars, Reiki Home. Her degrees
are BSc in Physics, University of Bristol UK, MSc in Radiation Physics and PhD in
Physiology, Imperial College, University of London, UK. She has completed Bio-Well
Training level 2, is a HeartMath certified trainer, a certified trauma release exercise
(TRE) provider, and is experienced in Equine Assisted Learning. In her research and
service Ann uses these tools, along with Reiki, to help reverse the damaging effects
of stress on mind and body. She has published over 130 articles in peer-reviewed
scientific journals and two books, “Reiki in Clinical Practice. A Science Based
Guide”,
https://www.amazon.com/Using-Reiki-Clinical-Practice-Scientific/dp/1912085364
and “The Vagus Nerve in Therapeutic Practice. Working with Clients to Manage
Stress and Enhance Mind-Body Function”.
https://www.amazon.com/Vagus-Nerve-Therapeutic-Practice-Mind-
body/dp/1913426556
Ann has received 30 years of funding from federal institutions and has served on
review panels for National Institutes of Health. With her Reiki training and scientific
background, Ann bridges the gap between energy healing and quantitative scientific
enquiry. In her spare time Ann rides her horse and is a horse handler for Therapeutic
Riding of Tucson.
Keith Beasley
Julie Taylor
Vicky McLelland
I have been a Reiki Master-Teacher since 1997 and was a pioneer in teaching Reiki within Adult Education (Lifelong Learning). I am always looking for new ways to introduce people to Reiki and am currently offering Reiki self-healing as an approach to wellbeing within the university environment.
Outside of Reiki, my first career was in Quality Management within microelectronics research. I am currently a Safety Officer at the University of Bristol, with a focus on Mental Health & Wellbeing and exploring the importance of ‘the inner’ dimension to human wellbeing. This links to my PhD which was on ‘consciousness beyond the rational’, and how practices such as Reiki can enable us to reconnect to a deeper sense of being and belonging in the world, with consequential benefit to our wellbeing.
Level 2 Practitioner in Usui Ryoho Reiki, also trained in HolyFire® Reiki and planning to learn Animal Reiki in September 2024.
Independent technical and scientific consultant in the medical devices industry, specialising in new product development and ensuring all worldwide regulatory requirements are met in order to place the devices on the market. I have particular expertise in tissue engineering – the design and development of permanent implants made from animal tissues. These have been decellularized using proprietary processes to remove all native cells and nuclear material, leaving behind the collagen and elastin matrices. The implants are sterilized and packed and have been used in a variety of cardiovascular and orthopaedic applications to repair and restore function to patients. In addition, I have seven years’ experience in the development of influenza and Hepatitis B vaccines and made the world’s first clinical trial batches of FluMist in 1996, a quadrivalent vaccine administered via nasal spray that is now used in the UK for vaccination of school children and is available in the USA for self-administration.
I have 2 black cats called Lucifer and Mazikeen, and I enjoy herbalism, crystal healing, gardening, cooking, reading, swimming and walking in the country.
Emma Roberts
Ema Melanaphy
Penny Charles
Ema is a heart-centred multi-potentialite healer with a geeky streak!
Her background includes roles as a Professional Project Manager in the Public Sector, as well as in Technical Officer and Environmental Incident roles, working with technical data to achieve real- world positive change. Professionalism and building trust in the communities and Organisations where the Reiki Profession have so much to offer, is at the heart of Ema’s approach. Her recent work also includes offering Reiki and Reiki meditation to Warrington’s Carers and Young Carers, working with the Carers Hub charity, and gathering before/after data to show the difference these treatments make, for the carers.
Ema’s CNHC-registered Reiki professional practitioner, Holistic Acupressure Professional Practitioner, UK Reiki Federation-accredited Animal Reiki therapist, Meditation teacher, Shiatsu Student practitioner – with a magazine article published in the Shiatsu Society Journal, and formerly an online magazine writer for Peaceful Dumpling. Since she began offering treatments at a local leading Holistic fertility/women’s health-centred clinic, Ema has skilled-up accordingly, adding Pregnancy Massage and Womb massage with Reiki, to her offerings.
Ema is inspired to make positive, productive connections, and to empower people to find their unique healing/wellbeing path, and live more fulfilled, happy and harmonised lives. She has also been involved with the RSPCA’s Warrington Branch since 2020; offering Reiki to their resident animals, and helping them recover after trauma, stress, and often physical injury. In her spare time, Ema loves walking in nature, reading, making her own herbal tinctures, creating recipes, and loves reading the Tarot (ably assisted by her foster-fail sidekick, Tiggs the cat).
I have 30 years of practical experience being a healer and in recent years trained to be a Reiki practitioner. My career has been as a midwife lecturer where I was lucky to combine and teach complementary therapies in the curriculum. I studied an MSc in Complementary therapies and wrote my thesis on spiritual healing. My healing work has been presented at conferences, my findings taught to midwifery and nursing students and a book chapter has been written where healing was used as a positive example in midwifery. I recently retired and now volunteer using Reiki as a soul midwife, working with end of life.
RESEARCH DONE BY THE UK REIKI FEDERATION RESEARCH GROUP
The Reiki practitioner; exploring the Reiki journey, training and impact on life from a UK context
The survey was developed in early 2021 to take a snapshot of the UK Reiki Federation membership to understand how people came to learn Reiki, their educational journey with Reiki, and finally the impact that it had on their lives. The survey was approved through the ethics procedure for research undertaken by the UK Reiki Federation.
SurveyMonkey was used to collect the data and was open from April 2021 to January 2022. The survey was promoted through email and social media channels.
128n responded to the survey, average age of learning Reiki was 43, with the average age of respondents being 55. The average length of time practicing reiki was 12 years.
Education and consistency of topics against the Core curriculum for Reiki in the UK were explored. Most reported only learning one style of Reiki, though up to 12 styles were reported. The consistency of teaching topics was explored across all levels. For Reiki one and two only 5/34 topics were taught consistently >=90%. At master level 12 of 35 topics were taught consistently >=80%.
Positive impacts of Reiki were reported on health, relationships, spiritual development, and life. Reported positive benefits included: 86% improved mental health; 79% improved health; 79% increased positive interactions; 89% more spiritual.
The survey gained a snapshot of views from Reiki practitioners that were positive about the benefits of Reiki, though it was clear that many did know about the core curriculum or the content.
Initial Explorations of Spirituality in Reiki
Objective: This survey investigated views of Spirituality in Reiki. Methodology: The survey was approved through the UK Reiki Federation research ethics process. Part one of the survey comprised questions on demography, equality, diversity and inclusion. Part two asked for views on spirituality in Reiki. SurveyMonkey was used to collect data for 6 weeks. The survey was promoted through email and social media channels with a global reach.
Results: 682 Reiki practitioners responded to the survey 32.26% were aged between 55-64, 87.63% identified as female, 77.20% as white/Caucasian with 75.73% residing in the UK. Other (not established religions) accounted for 39.44% responses with 30.86% of these being Spiritual, Christianity accounted for 37.68%, 51.17% believed Reiki moved them towards salvation/liberation while 15.24% of “Other” responses believed Reiki had supported development, realisation and awareness of self. The majority was Reiki Master/Teachers (74.63%) with 71.78% practicing Reiki daily,78.80% consider Reiki to be both a healing and spiritual practice while 59.73% felt opened up to spiritual beliefs through Reiki. When giving Reiki, 93.67% felt connected to a higher power and 26.22% called this Universe/ Universal energy while 79.03% believe in spirit guides with whom 60.97% communicated. Most participants (94.43%) believe that Reiki is useful even if it is not seen as a spiritual practice and that atheists can be effective Reiki practitioners (76.36%).
Conclusion: The majority of Reiki practitioners considered Reiki to be a healing modality and spiritual practice. They experience Reiki as opening them to a higher power while supporting their spiritual and self-development.
Initial Explorations of Meditation Practice in Reiki
Objective: The project was developed to ascertain whether Reiki practitioners viewed meditation as a means of enhancing their Reiki practice.
Methodology: The project was approved through the UK Reiki Federation research ethics process. The survey was in two parts. Part one asked demographic questions and consisted of 7 questions, whilst part two asked about meditation practice and Reiki and consisted of 10 questions. The average time taken to complete the survey was 4 minutes 15 seconds.
SurveyMonkey was used to collect the data for 6 months from July 2023 to January 2024. The survey was promoted through email and social media channels with a global reach.
Results: Two hundred and eighty-eight Reiki practitioners responded to the survey. Of those, 31.82% were aged between 45-54, and 33.22% were aged between 55-64. There were 89.90% identified as female, 78.93% as White English/Welsh/Irish, 78.29% resided in the UK and 73.87% were members of the UK Reiki Federation. Ninety-five percent practiced meditation and 33.58% meditated between 3-5 times a week. Multiple types of meditation were reported, the most popular were mindfulness (65%), guided (56%) and gassho (53%). Eighty-nine percent felt that meditation increased their connection to Reiki, 85% believed it increased their ability to channel Reiki, whilst 92.91% believed it enhanced their ability to connect to Universal energy.
Conclusion: Various types of meditation, many not directly linked to Reiki, were practiced by the majority of practitioners and some considered meditation to be central to Reiki practice.
UK Reiki Federation
9 Barnfield Close
Old Coulsdon
Surrey, CR5 1QR
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 0203 745 9746
