Research: Reiki Treatments as Nursing Care
April 8, 2026
What this study is about
One of the most common criticisms of Reiki research is that people feel better simply because they are lying in a peaceful, candlelit room with soft music — not because of Reiki (spiritual energy) itself. This is called the placebo effect. The researchers in this study decided to test what happens when you take all of that away. No music. No aromatherapy. No calming atmosphere. Just the Reiki treatment — given to people who had never received one before and had no idea what to expect.
How the study was designed
The participants
70 adult volunteers — men and women — who had never received a Reiki treatment before and did not know what the system of Reiki was or what a Reiki treatment was supposed to feel like. This is important: it means their expectations couldn’t shape the results.
How results were measured
After their treatment, participants filled in a detailed questionnaire using a Likert scale (a standard research tool that asks people to rate their experience on a numbered scale). The responses were then analysed statistically.
What the researchers deliberately removed
Relaxing music
Aromatherapy
Peaceful environment
Preliminary relaxation techniques
Mood lighting
All of these are normally present in a Reiki treatment session — and all of them are known to help people relax on their own. By removing them, the researchers could be much more confident that any results were due to Reiki (spiritual energy) itself, not the surrounding atmosphere.
What happened during the Reiki treatment
70
first-time Reiki
recipients tested
recipients tested
97%
wanted another treatment
& would recommend it
& would recommend it
75%
wanted to learn more about
the system of Reiki
the system of Reiki
Deep relaxation
Participants relaxed deeply — even in the presence of background noise and environmental disturbances that would normally prevent relaxation.
Improved mood
People reported a noticeable lift in mood and a general sense of emotional relief after just one treatment.
Warmth and energy sensations
The most commonly reported physical sensation was a perception of heat — warmth felt during the session that participants had not anticipated and could not explain.
A sense of relief and wellbeing
Participants described a broad sense of relief and increased overall wellbeing — feelings they had not expected and could not attribute to the environment.
The numbers that stand out
97%
of participants wanted to receive another Reiki treatment and said they would recommend it to others — after just one session, with no relaxing music or atmosphere to help.
75%
wanted to learn more about the system of Reiki. These were people who came in knowing nothing about it — and left curious enough to want to explore further.
What the researchers concluded
“Reiki is capable of bringing people to relax in the presence of environmental disturbances and in the absence of other adjuvant techniques, such as aromatherapy, music-therapy, and preliminary relaxation, responsible for the placebo effect. These findings are significant also because they are related to the Reiki technique alone.”
Scarascia Graziano & Luigi · Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine · 2022
What this means for Reiki practitioners
A study worth sharing with sceptical clients
- This directly answers the “it’s just relaxation” criticism. When people say Reiki treatments only work because of the peaceful environment, this study shows that isn’t true — results appeared even without those elements.
- First-time clients had no expectations to fulfil. Because the participants had never experienced a Reiki treatment and didn’t know what it was supposed to feel like, their positive responses can’t be put down to wishful thinking.
- The warmth sensation is significant. Participants reported feeling heat during the treatment — something they had not been told to expect. This suggests they were responding to Reiki (spiritual energy) itself, not to suggestion.
- 97% wanted to come back. For Reiki practitioners, this is encouraging — it suggests that even a single Reiki treatment, in a stripped-back setting, is enough to make people want to receive another.
- 75% wanted to learn about the system of Reiki. Offering Reiki treatments is one of the most powerful ways to inspire people to explore the system of Reiki more deeply for themselves.
Bronwen Logan
With over two decades of expertise, Bronwen Logan is one of the leading voices in the system of Reiki. A key founder in both the International House and Shibumi International Reiki Association, she's also penned multiple books on the system including The Reiki Sourcebook; The Japanese Art of Reiki, Beginning Reiki, Beginning Healing, The Art of Gratitude, The A-Z of Reiki, and Your Reiki Treatment as well developing many meditations to support students and teachers in this work. Apart from studying the Japanese aspects of the system, writing and working with animals is a core passion. Bronwen is also a co-founder of Reiki Women Podcast, a blog all about Reiki by women! You can find Bronwen teaching privately online or around the globe!
