Puddle House Lane, Poulton-le Fylde, Lancashire, FY6 8LB
Tel: (044) 01253 899165
EMail: joe@reiki-research.co.uk
This study is an ongoing investigation into the effectiveness of Reiki as a healing therapy as perceived by Reiki receivers. Reiki practitioners, books on Reiki and the media in general constantly say many things about the effectiveness of Reiki. Though interesting this is, in effect it is only a form of hear say. The aim of this study is to provide accurate information freely to Reiki practitioners and the general public concerning such effectiveness. It also is intended that this study should form a realistic basis for others to embark upon a more classical, clinical, specific and controlled research of Reiki practice. As such, this study intends to address the following issues:
- Who has a Reiki treatment?
- Are the Reiki receivers returning after previous treatment for the same or different condition?
- What range of medical conditions and symptoms do Reiki receivers say they have?
- How long have Reiki receivers had their condition before choosing to start a Reiki treatment?
- What do Reiki receivers experience during a Reiki session?
- Do some Reiki receivers feel worse after their first Reiki session?
- How many sessions make a Reiki treatment?
- What progress is made towards the healing goal of the Reiki receivers?
- Does unexpected 'healing' take place?
The period over which the present data refers to is January 1997 to December 2003 inclusive.
Medical and related disciplines often have research findings based on very small samples. This limits their usefulness to others. The sample upon which some of the present results are based is relatively small. As such, care should be taken when interpreting these findings. Listed below are some general guidelines as to how to view results based on small samples.
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1. Less than 10: Of interest only. Not statistically reliable. No real basis for any prediction.
2. 10 to 49: Of limited use. Limited statistical reliability. Small basis for prediction. Likely to show a wide variation.
3. 50 to 99: Of some use. Increased, though limited, statistical reliability as numbers move toward 100. Perhaps a fair basis for prediction.
4.99+: Useful. Shows some statistical reliability. A reasonable basis for prediction the reliability of which increasing with increased data.
5. 999+: Very useful. Good statistical reliability. A generally good basis for prediction of which the reliability increases further with increased data.
Who chose to have a Reiki treatment?
When considering the total sample it can be seen that a Reiki receiver is more than twice as likely to be female than male and probably be aged between 18 and 59.
| Sample | 237 |
| % | |
| Male | 32.5 |
| Female | 67.5 |
| Below 18 yrs | 5.5 |
| 18 - 60 yrs | 65.0 |
| Above 60 yrs | 28.3 |
In this sample 66.1% of the Reiki receivers are new to the Reiki practitioner. Of the remaining receivers (33.9%), 25.3% returned for more treatment of the same condition while 8.9% returned for a new condition.
Within the sample already acquired the range of condition and symptoms has been quite diverse. This situation has inevitably meant that the sample size for any particular condition is, at the moment, quite small and therefore, at the moment, of limited use. The frequency of the conditions and symptoms are listed below.
| Sample Size | Condition | Symptom |
| Less than 10: Of interest only. Not statistically reliable. No real basis for any prediction. |
Actinic Poro-keratosis (1) Addiction Alcohol (1) Agoraphobia (1) Bereaved (1) Asthma (1) Bi Polar Disorder (1) Birth Trauma (1) Brain Tumour (1) Bronchitis (1) Degenerative Disease (1) Dehydration (1) Fluid on Lung (1) Fracture (1) Glandular Fever (1) Hardening of Arteries (1) Epilepsy (1) Ligament Strain (1) Migraine (1) Motor Neurone Disease (1) Muscle Cramp (1) Hormone Imbalance (1) Nervous Breakdown (1) Ovarian Cysts (1) Polymyalgia (1) Sinus Blockage (1) Tinnitus (1) Uvitis (1) Whiplash (1) Heart problem (2) Hernia (2) Hiatus Hernia (2) High Blood Pressure (2) Low Self Image (2) PMT(2) Sciatica(2) Alergy (3) Exhaustion (3) Insomnia (3) Psoriasis (3) Death Preparation (4) ME (4) Muscle Strain (4) Anxiety (5) Headache (5) Post operative discomfort (9) |
Addicted (1) Cold Feet (1) Cramp (1) Dehydrated (1) Discomfort (1) Ear Sounds (1) Fits (1) Flu Like Symptoms (1) Indecision (1) Jaw Extended Growth (1) Obscured Vision (1) Unable To Cope (1) Low Self Esteem (2) No Confidence (2) Pain Nerve (2) Panic (2) Physical Weakness (2) Anxious (3) Emotional & Upset (3) Rash (4) Breathing Difficulties (5) Cough (5) Pain Muscle (7)
Pain Post Operative (9) |
| 10 to 49: Of limited use. Limited statistical reliability. Small basis for prediction. Likely to show a wide variation. |
Arthritis (17) Depression (19) Stress (38) |
Relaxation Needs (10) Tired & Fatigued (12) Balance Out Of (14) Energy Low (15) Depressed (18) Pain Back (19) Pain Other (19) Pain Joints (27) Mobility Poor (32) Stressed (35) |
| 50 to 99: Of some use. Increased, though limited, statistical reliability as numbers move toward 100. Perhaps a fair basis for prediction. |
None | Pain (80) |
| 99+ | None | None |
| 999+ | None | None |
In general terms, a Reiki receiver has already had their particular condition for nearly three years (35.6 months) before trying Reiki. However there was a wide range variation in the sample ranging from less than 1 week to over 40 years.
What is experienced during a Reiki session?
In terms of what was experienced during a Reiki session, most Reiki receivers became relaxed and calm and felt that they could detect the energy coming to them in some way. Over half of the Reiki receivers sleep for a part or all of some sessions.
| Became relaxed and calm (%) Slept for all or part of some sessions (%) Felt Reiki 'energy' in some form (%) |
98.3 55.3 90.7 |
In this sample the mean number of sessions in a Reiki treatment was found to be 4.6. However the number of sessions in a total treatment ranged from 1 to 48.
Well over a third of Reiki receivers achieve their healing goals with two thirds (67.5%) reporting a lot of progress or better. No progress at all was perceived to be the reality for a small portion of the total sample (3.4%). The spread is quite markedly skewed to the right and towards the achievement of the Reiki receivers healing goal.
Do Reiki receivers feel worse after their first Reiki session?
Within this sample it is worthy to note that nearly 10% (8.0%) of Reiki receivers felt worse after their first Reiki session. This 'healing crisis' continued for a short period of time until after further sessions they began to feel better and to feel that progress was being made.
Does unexpected healing take place during a Reiki treatment?
7.6% of the total sample commented on an unexpected healing of another, initially undisclosed, condition.
Sex and Age
The spread of when people have their reiki treatments is similar between males and females with the greatest attendance being between 18 and 59 years. In the lower age band, though the numbers are relatively small, it seems that males have a greater chance of being brought for Reiki treatment than females. In the older age bands females are slightly more likely than males to have Reiki.
When looking at the length of time a Reiki receiver has had their medical condition prior to starting the Reiki treatment it is seen that males wait longer (37.0 months) than females (34.9 months) before trying Reiki.
Sex and Session Number
In general, females have a lower number of sessions (4.0) than males who have a 5.8.
Over half of Reiki receivers don't feel the need to return for more Reiki. Males are slightly more likely to return than females. Of those who do return for Reiki, females are more likely to return for the same condition than males. On the other hand males are more likely to return for treatment of a different condition.
| Male | Female | |
| Returns for more Reiki (%) | 37.7 | 32.5 |
| Doesn't return for more Reiki (%) | 62.3 | 67.5 |
| Returned with same condition (%) | 22.1 | 26.9 |
| Returned with a different condition (%) | 15.6 | 5.6 |
During the Reiki session, all Reiki receivers show a marked response to the energy passed to them. There is little real difference between males and females in anything that happens during the session. Males are slightly more likely to sleep (M 68.3% - F 58.0%) but females are more likely to be able to feel the Reiki energy within them in some form (M 86.7% - F 92.8%).
Sex and initially feeling worse
Though the numbers are relatively small, males (13.3%) are nearly twice as likely to feel worse initially, after their first Reiki session than females (7.2%).
For both sexes, the sample shows a definite skew towards the right, i.e. towards the achievement of the healing goal, however the female shows the most pronounced skew in this direction. Females seem more likely to achieve their healing goal than males and much fewer of them make no progress towards their healing goals. Males are also more likely to make 'no progress' than females and stop their treatment before attaining their healing goal.
Though small in number males (7.8%) are much more likely to have an unexpected healing of another, initially undisclosed, condition than females (5.0%).
Age and Sex
The age profile for the sexes seem to be quite different and almost opposite to each other. With males the 'below 18 years' group is the most dominant (76.9%) whereas with females it is the later years (70.0% and 68.2%).
The 18 to 59 year old age band has the shortest length of time prior condition before starting a Reiki treatment (28.2 months).
The study results show a marked decline in the number of sessions received with increased age, the youngest age band having nearly three times the oldest age band. This may reflect the severity of the medical conditions of the youngest with parental concern being the driving need to do the best for their child. The youngest age group accounted for only 5.5% of the total sample and, as a proportion, this is rather small to draw conclusions but it is worth watching as the data size increases.
The 18-59 year group, in general show, a lower return rate after receiving Reiki. A substantial amount, of the other age bands however, seem to return for more treatment of the same condition. The 'below 18yrs' group should perhaps be discounted because of small sample size.
| -18 | 18-60 | 60+ | |
| New client (%) | 23.0 | 72.8 | 59.1 |
| Given Reiki to client before (%) | 77.0 | 27.2 | 40.9 |
| Returned with same condition (%) | 38.5 | 21.4 | 31.8 |
| Returned with a different condition (%) | 38.5 | 5.8 | 9.1 |
Age and Session Experience
The incidence of becoming relaxed and calm is high in all age bands but there seems to be a slight deterioration of this effect with age. The reverse of this trend is seen for both 'sleeping during part of the sessions' and 'feeling the Reiki energy in some way'. In their own ways these session experiences seem to be age related.
After the first session a number of Reiki receivers, nearly 10% (8.0%), experienced feeling worse on the following day. The differences between age bands does not show any consistent difference which might point to age relatedness.
Age and Healing Outcomes
All age categories show a distinct increase in perceived progress with age which shows a pronounced skew towards the right and 'Goal Achieved'. This general skew to the right is seen as significant
A small number of Reiki receivers comment on the occurrence of unexpected healing during the Reiki treatment. This is thought to be because the Reiki receivers with multiple medical conditions give some conditions a low priority, focussing on the Medical condition of greatest concern. Though a small sample this tends to support the Reiki traditional view that the Reiki energy tries to rebalance the whole body system. Of course it could be that it just got better by itself. It is of interest that in the above 60 years age band the amount of unexpected healing was very small when compared with the other age bands who seem quite close.
| -18 | 18-60 | 60+ | |
| Unexpected healing of another condition (%) | 7.7 | 7.8 | 1.5 |
As far as specific conditions or symptoms are concerned this healing study so far shows a variation of healing success. The sample size for any single condition or symptom is generally small, making it difficult to be definitive about anything. Data, however, is being added all the time and as the sample size increases so the reliability and usefulness of this research data will improve. Details of the healing success, or not, of all conditions and symptoms are shown separately and can be accessed by using the 'Specific Outcomes: Conditions' and 'Specific Outcome: Symptom' buttons.
Symptom: Pain
This category to some extent is a 'catch all' category. Pain, connected with a number of different conditions, is the most common symptom seen in this study. Some care should be taken with interpreting this data but it may be useful in a general context.
Twice as many females (66.3%) are likely to exhibit this symptom than men (33.8%). Discounting the 'below 18 years' age band due to small sample size, there seems little real difference between the other age groups (18-59 years = 46.3% and Above 59 years = 42.5%).
The length of the condition prior to having Reiki is over three years (39.9 years). 28.8% need to return for more treatment of the same symptom.
Over half (55.0%) sleep during some part of the total treatment while 97.5% become relaxed and calm and 92.5% feel the Reiki energy in some form. Following the first session 12.5% say that they feel worse but 7.5% have an unexpected healing of another condition during the total Reiki treatment
In terms of the healing outcomes, the distribution is markedly skewed towards 'healing goal achieved'.
joe potter © MMI, MMII,MMIII,MMIV