Definitive studies in Reiki are hard to find. However, these are 3 sources I was able to locate rather quickly via the web that might be of interest although not likely to convince a clinician. Hope it helps.
1.Ive copied & pasted an article that I found on Reiki from the Butler hospital site ( New England mental hospital). It does include a reference list. Sorry but I wasnt able to find the link that would take you directly to the article.
What Is the Scientific Evidence for Reiki?
The only truly meaningful way to determine whether a medical therapy works is to perform a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. (For the reasons why this is true, see Why Does The Natural Pharmacist Rely on Double-blind Trials?) For hands-on therapies such as Reiki, however, a truly double-blind study is not possible—the Reiki practitioner will inevitably know whether he or she is administering real Reiki rather than fake Reiki! The best that can be hoped for is a single-blind study in which participants do not know whether they received real or fake Reiki and in which their medical outcome is evaluated by an observer who is also kept in the dark (a blinded observer). However, only one such study has been reported.1
A simpler study design compares Reiki to no treatment. However, studies of that type cannot provide reliable evidence about the efficacy of a treatment: If a benefit is seen, there is no way to determine whether it was caused by Reiki specifically or just attention generally. (Attention alone will almost always produce some reported benefit.)
Finally, there are many case reports in which people are given Reiki and then seem to improve. Such reports, unfortunately, do not mean anything at all; numerous people receiving placebo in placebo-controlled studies also seem to improve. Thus, such reports cannot say anything about whether Reiki itself offers any benefit, and we do not report them here.
In one study, which we have only been able to obtain in an incomplete abstract form, female nursing students received either real Reiki or a placebo form of the treatment called "mimic Reiki."1 Before and after tests failed to find any improvement in general well-being attributable to Reiki treatment.
In another study, researchers evaluated the effectiveness of Reiki (in combination with a related technique called LeShan) in 21 people undergoing oral surgery for impacted wisdom teeth.2 Each participant received two surgeries, one with Reiki and the other without (in random order). People reported less pain when they received Reiki than when they received no treatment; however, due to the lack of a fake treatment group, the results mean little.
One series of studies commonly described as an attempt to determine whether Reiki treatments improved wound healing actually involved Therapeutic Touch.3
A series of better-designed studies of Reiki are underway; at present, however, it can only be said that Reiki has no scientific foundation.
How to Find a Qualified Reiki Practitioner
There are several competing organizations that issue certifications to Reiki practitioners. These include the following:
· Usui Reiki, The Reiki Alliance, (208) 783-3535, http://www.reikialliance.org/
· The Reiki Foundation™, (845) 278-3038, http://www.asunam.com/reiki_foundation.htm
· Awareness Institute ™, (530) 926-0260, http://www.awarinst.com
Safety Issues
There are no known or proposed safety risks with Reiki unless a person chooses to use Reiki instead of, rather than as a support to, standard medical care.
References
1. Thornton LC. A study of Reiki: An energy field treatment, using Roger's science. Rogerian Nurs Sci News. 1996;8:14–15.
2. Wirth DP, et al. The effect of complementary healing therapy on postoperative pain after surgical removal of impacted third molar teeth. Complement Ther Med. 1993;1:133–138.
3. Wirth DP, Richardson JT, Eidelman WS. Wound healing and complementary therapies: a review. J Altern Complement Med. 1996;2:493–502.
Last reviewed March 2003 by HealthGate CAM Medical Review Board
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2. There is an article written by a clinical psychologist in 1998 in the Sacred Path Reiki News Vol. 1. Issue 8 titled Counseling & Psychotherapy and Reiki but this is a personal anecdotal report not a study.
3. Article in the Journal of Pschosocial Nursing 2001 Vol 39. No. 3 titled Reiki: A Complementary Therapy for Nursing Practice. Again it calls for research.
peace & joy,
holobon
