This pilot study is “delving into the potential benefits of Reiki therapy as a complementary intervention for the treatment and management of stress and anxiety”.
A total of 31 volunteers self-reporting stress, anxiety, or psychological disorders were enrolled. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was assessed using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) Questionnaire for anxiety and depression. Pre- and post-treatment HRQoL scores were meticulously compared, and the significance of the disparities in these scores was meticulously computed.
Analysis was restricted to volunteers who completed the 3-day Reiki sessions. Statistically significant enhancements were discerned across all outcome measures, encompassing positive affect, negative affect, pain, drowsiness, tiredness, nausea, appetite, shortness of breath, anxiety, depression, and overall well-being (P<0.0001).
The authors concluded that the constancy and extensive scope of these improvements suggest that Reiki therapy may not only address specific symptoms but also contribute significantly to a predominant escalation of mental and physical health.
This study is almost comical.
Amongst all the many forms of so-called alternative medicine (SCAM), Reiki is perhaps the most ridiculous scam. It is a form of paranormal or ‘energy healing’ popularised by Japanese Mikao Usui (1865–1926). Rei means universal spirit (sometimes thought of as a supreme being) and ki is the assumed universal life energy. It is based on the assumptions of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the existence of ‘chi’, the life-force that is assumed to determine our health.
Reiki practitioners believe that, with their hands-on healing method, they can transfer ‘healing energy’ to a patient which, in turn, stimulates the self-healing properties of the body. They assume that the therapeutic effects of this technique are obtained from a ‘universal life energy’ that provides strength, harmony, and balance to the body and mind. There is no scientific basis for such notions, and reiki is therefore not plausible.
Reiki is used for a number of conditions, including the relief of stress, tension and pain. There have been several clinical trials testing its effectiveness. Those that are rigorous fail to show that the treatment is effective – and those that are dripping with bias, like the one discussed here, tend to produce false-positive results.
The present study has many flaws that are too obvious to even mention. While reading it, I asked myself the following questions:
- How could a respectable university ever allow this pseudo-research to go ahead?
- How could a respectable ethics committee ever permit it?
- How could a respectable journal ever publish it?
The answers must be that, quite evidently, they are not respectable.
34 Responses to Reiki is a laughable scam
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100% agree that Reiki has no health benefits whatsoever, as does most massage.
If it weren’t for one single temporary benefit I’d want it banned altogether as a facilitator of public health misinformation.
The one and only benefit is that it may be deeply relaxing for some people, especially those deprived of human touch. The extreme unhurried nature of warm hands resting on the entire body from head to toe, and the particular gentle manipulations of the feet, may be the only time the recipient experiences prolonged caring touch.
If only they’d cut the mystical BS and spruik it purely as temporary stress relief, or “relaxation”, and stopped claiming any actual health benefits, I wouldn’t have an issue.
Signed: highly embarrassed ex Reiki Master
sorry, but Reiki is normally non-touch
Edzard I learned touch only and even in my ancient past thought non-touch was beyond ridiculous.
I abandoned business networking because they let a Reiki practitioner in as a bona fide business owner, so I’m the last to promote or defend it.
I’m sure the Reiki master knows that Reiki is normally non-touch. Do you just like having the last word Edzard?
see her response, smarty
Mutus I didn’t know that actually. I knew it existed but thought it was a weird offshoot, not a standard practice. So that was news to me.
The problem with learning anything from a so-called master is best illustrated by:
as a ex-Reiki Master – perhaps you need to look at your own energy alignment.
What Reiki Training did you come to ‘be recognised as a Reiki Master’?
I totally agree with you I got caught up on the whole process and paid and did 3 levels load of waffle bur led me to reflexology and ear acupuncture which I’ve trained in and use on myself weekly and led me to qi gong classes no interest in Reiki at all.. Rarely use it nay all
No lines history compared to the other 3 and steer clear of it also. I pass on it.. Wish I got my 500 quid cost back..
The university: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Patanjali was founded by Baba Ramdev: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramdev who owns a very profitable band in India called Patanjali Ayurved: https://www.patanjaliayurved.net. Perhaps the university exists to legitimize and promote quackery resulting in a windfall for Patanjali Ayurveda. Back in 2021 Prof. Ernst blogged about an RCT for one of their products (Coronil) and got banned from Facebook: https://edzardernst.com/2021/03/my-strange-battle-with-facebook/
Baba Ramdev (like many other gurus in India) is aligned with the BJP (Hindu nationalist ruling party) and made many controversial statements including the following:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramdev#COVID-19
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramdev#Comments_against_modern_medicine
Let me share a personal, true anecdote.
Many years ago, when I did not know anything about Reiki (and not much more about other SCAMs, for that matter), I met a woman who told me that she practised Reiki and that she would introduce me to it.
I was curious, she did not want any money and so I took her offer. What followed several days later was a VERY awkward meeting, where she performed some wired hand gestures above my body (no touching, of course), for maybe half an hour or even longer. The whole time, I was lying still, feeling no effect whatsoever (except felling extremely silly) and was wondering what the f*k I had gotten into, and how long I would have to endure this nonsense, since I was too polite to stop her. What an experience… 😅
After this experience, I am baffled that some people are indeed convinced that this utter nonsense can have any effect and that they even spend their money for such a ridiculous non-treatment SCAM.
Jashak,
Some people do indeed feel an effect, which I explained 9 years ago:
https://edzardernst.com/2015/02/reiki-nonsense-on-stilts/#comment-64549
Interesting… I guess my skin was not sensitive enough to sense the heat from her hands.
All in all, a very unimpressive performance as far as I remember – except the strong impression of being at the wrong place 🤷♂️
Your disrespect and lack of ‘energy exchange’ such as not paying for the Reiki session, which shows your lack of value for the Reiki, mirrors why you didn’t notice to acknowledge any benefit(s).
Jashak did not pay for the reiki theatrics after the theatrics, which, via retrocausality, caused the theatrics to have no effect.
In fact, there’s an uncountable number of subsequent things that can cause a reiki session to have no utility; and receiving reiki from an incompetent Reiki Master isn’t amongst them (because that cannot possibly be backwards causation).
Further reading:
● Retrocausality in Quantum Mechanics, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
● Reiki Grand Master Degrees 5 – 20
QUOTE
These Reiki Grand Master Reiki Degrees are referred to as the secret degrees and or the higher master degrees. These energies are absolutely amazing to work with and very easy to use.
These powerful attunements include symbols that are ‘channeled symbols’ handed down by Spirit for the betterment of Humankind.
There is a Prerequisite for these Degrees. You must be a Reiki Master in order to receive The Reiki Grand Master Level Attunements.
[https://sunshineuni-uk.com/product/reiki-grand-master/]
END OF QUOTE
“Conclusion: The constancy and extensive scope of these improvements suggest that Reiki therapy may not only address specific symptoms but also contribute significantly to a predominant escalation of mental and physical health.”
That is totally wrong by definition. A pilot study is for assessing a study desigcn, not the effects of a treatment. Their only valid conclusion could be that the study design would seem appropriate or not for a real study, as it is or with necessary revisions.
Embarrassing that neither their supervisor nor the journal knew this.
Reiki Masters Grade II are taught how to send the ‘Reiki energy’ over international distances (!)
These powerful energies could be misdirected, even by a mm or so, and actually harm human tissues.
They might even cause cancer, or delay recovery.
It could be that it is the Reiki energies which by now are surrounding us which are responsible for so much of the world’s current disent and unhappiness – wars even.
How do we know?
The use of Reiki in the NHS is clearly experimental and as such should have been approved by a NHS Trusts’ Ethics Committe who will need to see evidence of benefit, and what steps are taken to avoid undesired side effects.
Any trust which introduces ‘Reiki Therapy’ without due diligence is liable for any untoward side effects – including deterioration in the patients’ condition.
They may have ground to sue.
Oh dear.
Why the buggery bollocks in this sort of “study” do the “researchers” insist on using assessment tools for anxiety and depression which no-one would use in clinical practice, as the best they are capable of is giving a bit of a hint of a clue that there may be some anxiety or depressive symptoms present which require deeperr assessment? And then make claims about depression and anxiety on that basis. See also many nonsense studies about autism.
If reaching a conclusion about depression or anxiety or autism was really that simple my jobs would all have been a lot easier.
Disappointing to see such a dismissive stance on Reiki. While skepticism is healthy, labeling it as a “scam” undermines the positive experiences and healing reported by many. Keeping an open mind allows for exploration and understanding of alternative practices.
“Keeping an open mind allows for exploration and understanding of alternative practices.”
Perhaps but keeping an open mind does not mean ignoring the evidence.
BTW
SCAM is an abbreviation of ‘so-called alternative medicine’
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@Edzard: maybe you should start charging money for commercial messages like this, especially since this is completely off-topic here.
I think there may be a potential blind spot in this statement:
“They assume that the therapeutic effects of this technique are obtained from a ‘universal life energy’ that provides strength, harmony, and balance to the body and mind. There is no scientific basis for such notions, and reiki is therefore not plausible.”
I am not even addressing the issue of the study in question. I am asking, rather, if science can in fact provide any insight into, or measure of, such experiences as “strength, harmony, and balance.”
The experience of strength, of harmony, and of balance is undoubtedly real. But these are subjective experiences. Science, of course, is an objective field of endeavor. So, how can one claim to dismiss subjective claims with an objective frame of reference (science) that cannot effectively measure those claims?
I am not involved with Reiki, so my interest here is not in defending it. But I am a human being, and I do object to the idea (which I believe is implicit in this article) that science can encompass or fully explain the human condition. It cannot. Science has, of course, performed miracles in greatly improving our quality of life. My point is simply that it has limits and that it should, in fact, clearly acknowledge those limits. Science has not been able to conclusively tell us what consciousness is. Or why we dream. And I frankly do not expect that science will ever have definitive explanations for such phenomenon because, in that case, it would stop being science (an entirely objective frame of reference).
Again, I am not an expert on Reiki (though long ago I had a friend who was a practitioner). But I would unhesitatingly assert that there are more things in heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in a purely objective perspective. So, while mystics may justifiably be faulted for credulity (in some cases), scientists could also be faulted (in many other cases) for the worst kind of narrow-mindedness: one that they refuse to acknowledge.
What about pain, anxiety, and depression? Let’s see…
For starters, see the following instruments:
● Pain scale, Wikipedia
“Pain assessment
There are many different instruments used to assess both the intensity of pain as well as the effect of pain. A few are listed below…”.
● GAD-7, Wikipedia
“GAD-7 is a widely used self-administered diagnostic tool designed to screen for and assess the severity of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)”.
I notice that you have assigned the terms strength, harmony, and balance to the categories: subjective and real.
And you have (incorrectly) assigned the term science to the category: objective.
That is a shining example of an ontological confusion deployed as a semantic filibuster.
NB: Ontological confusion is a category error arising when something is referred to in ways that imply it belongs to a category of things to which it does not.
Let me make crystal clear to you a fundamental ontological concept:
Each of the eight billion people currently on Earth experiences their unique personal reality; whereas there is only one actuality.
E.g., a person remembers a dream they experienced while asleep. This dream is incorporated into their personal reality, but their dream does not exist in actuality.
The tools and methods of scientific inquiry are applicable to both of the categories reality and actuality. But they are not, of course, applicable to the non-existent (categories that are defined, but have no members — empty categories).
NB: “An existential assumption (or existential fallacy) occurs whenever the conclusion of a syllogism requires that a class [or category] has at least one member, but one or more of the premises do not.”
— Existential assumption, RationalWiki
Thank you for the reply; but,
in modern parlance: LOL
Science of course aims to be an objective endeavor, and that is both a strength as well as a significant source of controversy. How much objectivity is actually possible is a good question. But that’s not what I’m focusing on now. Rather, I’m simply making the obvious point that objectivity is the goal. As Stanford’s Encyclopedia of Philosophy states: “Objectivity is often considered to be an ideal for scientific inquiry, a good reason for valuing scientific knowledge, and the basis of the authority of science in society.”
Also, I refer to strength, harmony, and balance as subjective experiences. That statement is obviously correct. But, in reply, you bizarrely remove the words that I used, insert different words (pain, anxiety, and depression) and then act as if you have responded to what I said. That might be a sneaky straw man, but it’s still a straw man. And it raises doubts as to your accuracy and good faith (or lack thereof).
And please note the use of the word “effectively” in this statement from my earlier post: “So, how can one claim to dismiss subjective claims with an objective frame of reference (science) that cannot effectively measure those claims?”
Various forms of applied science (such as medicine) may indeed attempt to measure subjective experiences. The question is how effective (or accurate) those attempts will be. And, I’m sorry, but if you believe that any sort of measurement can fully encompass a subjective experience then I am afraid you have a very narrow understanding of the human condition in all its depth and complexity.
So my assertion stands. Science cannot be used, as the blog post above apparently attempts to do, to dismiss claims relating to such subjective experiences as strength, harmony, and balance. Science has obvious limits. And those experiences ultimately lie outside of its realm. Insisting otherwise flirts dangerously close to scientism: scientific fundamentalism.
@LEO KRUBNER
Your assertion basically says that anything that people can dream up (e.g. the existence of ‘life energy’) should be accepted as true by default, since science can’t disprove it.
Science can actually test assertions like this, and so far, without even the tiniest bit of evidence that it’s actually true.
This means that the assertion so far should be that reiki and other ‘energy medicine’ is just made-up nonsense that can be summarily dismissed. Also see my previous post (which I now see is strangely still ‘awaiting moderation’).
Pain, anxiety, and depression are also subjective experiences. This statement is obviously correct.
Perhaps you will be kind enough to explain to the readers how YOU decide which subjective experiences are amenable to scientific inquiry, and which are not. Thank you.
It’s deeply saddening to read this chat.
Obviously there will be some people taking advantage of the name Reiki to make some money, but don’t throw everyone that practices Reiki under the same light.
If any of you people actually took a Reiki course, you’d understand that is not a scam.
I don’t even know why I’m giving my time of day to this chat and I’m here writing this. Guess I fell offended by this. I know I shouldn’t, but I do.
It’s up to each individual person to follow his own path.
So if you think Reiki is a scam, it’s so simple. Just don’t have it.
I don’t like wine, but because of that I’m not bad mouthing everyone that likes it.
This chat is full of what I’d call, low vibrational individuals. You guys need to wake up and open up your eyes.
I wish you all the best in your daily endeavours.
PS: don’t bother replying, I’ll never visit this site again.
Namaste.
“If any of you people actually took a Reiki course, you’d understand that is not a scam”
SCAM or not is a question decided by the evidence, not personal preference, I always had thought.
@edzard You appear to be using the term “evidence” as a way to limit rather than to explore. You seem to apply the term where, in this case, it doesn’t belong (see my above comment) in order to shut down ideas that you don’t like. Ideally, science should embrace possibilities with imagination and enthusiasm (think Einstein). It should not, in my opinion, be used as a cover for a narrow-minded ideology. As best I can tell, you appear to be some sort of scientific positivist. And there are, as best I understand it, pros and cons to that approach. The trick is to recognize both.
Scientific evidence is evidence that serves to either support or counter a scientific theory or hypothesis
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_evidence]
Indeed. Hence my criticism (above) in my comment on 10/29/24:
“The experience of strength, of harmony, and of balance is undoubtedly real. But these are subjective experiences. Science, of course, is an objective field of endeavor. So, how can one claim to dismiss subjective claims with an objective frame of reference (science) that cannot effectively measure those claims?”
You are the one trying to apply scientific “evidence” where it does not belong. And it appears that you are attempting to do so in an effort to discredit ideas that you don’t like and experiences that you don’t believe in.
@LEO
From your previous comment:
Narrow is the mind of those who can’t imagine being wrong.
Scientists just demand that claims for the existence of something can be supported by evidence. There is no evidence to support the notion that reiki is based on any real phenomena, other than the ones we already know exist (see below).
Please allow me to point out a rather big error in your reasoning.
Subjective experiences CAN be measured in a scientifically valid manner – it is, in fact, quite easy: simply expose one group to whatever is claimed to elicit those experiences (e.g. ‘real’ reiki), and expose another group to a sham version of that claimed cause (someone just waving their hands about without knowing what they’re doing, but keep all else the same).
And hey, presto: those in the first group should report far stronger effects than those in the second group. We have a valid scientific measurement of a subjective experience!
Then about this experience of strength, harmony and balance: what exactly is getting strengthened? What is this ‘harmony’, and which two or more things are ‘balanced’?
Note that the same experiences you describe here can be elicited in countless other ways, e.g. when visiting a concert, when doing (or even watching) sports, or even when just spending a blissful time in the arms of the one you love. Which strongly indicates that all these feelings you attribute to
handwavingreiki are in reality caused by hormones such as serotonin, dopamine, endorphins, and oxytocin – which CAN indeed be measured and quantified.All without the need for made-up things like qi(*), and without the need for people who sell the purported effects of those imaginary things for quite substantial (and not imaginary at all) sums of money.
*: There is no evidence whatsoever for the existence of qi – it is a simple prescientific concept, invented to explain what makes living things alive. We now know that life is a hugely complex collection of intertwined chemical and physical processes, and not based on just one very simple entity.
There is quite a difference between liking wine and mystical handy waving claiming all manner of super-powers, which just happen to go to another school, in Canada, so we can’t see them.
And I hardly ever vibrate at all…