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August 5, 2026
Integrative Cancer Therapies
2007 · Vol. 6(1) · pp. 25–35
Tsang K.L., Carlson L.E., Olson K. · Universities of Calgary & Alberta, Canada
Reiki Treatments
In this study:
Reiki Treatment = hands-on Reiki session given to a cancer patient
Reiki = the spiritual energy itself
What this study is about
The problem
Cancer-related fatigue affects over 60% of cancer patients and is profoundly debilitating — yet undertreated and often dismissed. Unlike ordinary tiredness, it is not relieved by rest. This study tested whether Reiki treatments could do something that simply resting cannot.
The design
A crossover trial — every participant received both conditions. First one condition (Reiki treatments or rest), then — after a washout period — the other. This is a rigorous design because each patient serves as their own comparison point.
How the study was conducted
Study type
Counterbalanced crossover trial
Each participant received both Reiki treatments and rest — in random order
Participants
16
Cancer patients (13 women), mostly colorectal cancer (62.5%), median age 59, all with significant fatigue
Reiki treatments
7 total
5 consecutive daily Reiki treatments, washout period, then 2 more
Reiki treatments vs simply resting
Reiki treatments
- Fatigue significantly reduced (P=.05)
- Quality of life significantly improved (P<.05)
- Tiredness significantly reduced (P<.001)
- Pain significantly reduced (P<.005)
- Anxiety significantly reduced (P<.01)
vs
Simply resting
- No significant reduction in fatigue
- No significant improvement in quality of life
- No significant reduction in tiredness
- No significant reduction in pain
- No significant reduction in anxiety
The key results at a glance
Fatigue reduced over the full course of Reiki treatmentsFACT-F scale · P=.05
Quality of life improved — significantly better than in the resting conditionFACT-G scale · P<.05
Tiredness reduced from before session 1 to after session 5ESAS daily measure · P<.001
Pain reduced significantly across Reiki treatment sessionsESAS daily measure · P<.005
Anxiety reduced across Reiki treatment sessionsESAS daily measure · P<.01
Be aware
- Small sample — only 16 participants; needs larger studies
- No sham Reiki condition — placebo effect of receiving attention cannot be fully ruled out
- The crossover design means participants knew which condition they were in
- The researchers call for more controlled designs with sham Reiki
What the researchers concluded
Reiki treatments significantly reduced cancer-related fatigue, tiredness, pain, and anxiety — and improved quality of life — in ways that simply resting did not. Cancer-related fatigue is defined as fatigue that is NOT relieved by rest, yet Reiki treatments reduced it significantly. This suggests Reiki energy interacts with the body’s systems at a level beyond simple physical recuperation.
Tsang, Carlson & Olson · Integrative Cancer Therapies · 2007
What this means in practice
1
Reiki treatments do something rest cannot. Cancer fatigue is not relieved by rest — yet Reiki treatments reduced it significantly. This is one of the most compelling arguments for Reiki treatments as a distinct, active intervention.
2
Multiple Reiki treatments compound the benefit. The cumulative reduction in fatigue, tiredness, pain, and anxiety across 7 sessions suggests regular Reiki treatment programs may produce the strongest results.
3
Reiki energy Reiki appears to work at a systemic level. Reiki treatments reduced pain and anxiety — not just tiredness — pointing to a holistic, whole-body effect rather than targeting a single symptom.
4
This research supports offering Reiki treatments alongside conventional cancer care. Fatigue is one of the most common, least addressed cancer symptoms. Reiki treatments gave these patients measurably better quality of life than simply resting at home.
Tsang KL, Carlson LE, Olson K. Pilot crossover trial of Reiki versus rest for treating cancer-related fatigue. Integr Cancer Ther. 2007 Mar;6(1):25–35. doi: 10.1177/1534735406298986.
If you would like to learn more about Reiki Treatments, how they work and what they can do for you, come and join my Shinpiden+ on-demand course.
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Bronwen Logan
Bronwen LoganI have been practising and teaching the system of Reiki since 1999. Reiki with Bronwen, which I founded, is home for everything I do now: Shinpiden+, my online programme for serious practitioners and teachers; the Shūyō app for daily practice; and the Reiki Women Podcast, which I co-founded. I have co-written a handful of books along the way, including The Reiki Sourcebook, The Japanese Art of Reiki and Your Reiki Treatment, and before all this I helped build the International House of Reiki. Most of my study has gone into the Japanese roots of the system, and that is where my teaching comes from. Outside that: writing, animals, and new books on the way.
