A scientific paper from the National Institutes of Health describes Reiki as:

"…a healing and wellness practice that promotes balance and well-being in body, mind and spirit. Reiki encourages the relaxation response, and the recipient’s natural ability to heal is supported and enhanced.

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Reiki a complementary or integrative modality used in conjunction with, not in place of, conventional medicine.
 

Clinical studies support the efficacy of Reiki in stimulating the relaxation response; decreasing pain and discomfort; and alleviating feelings of stress, worry, and anxiety as well as symptoms of depression.

Reiki is spiritual in that it connects people with their innermost selves and creates harmony between the body, mind, and spirit.
 

Unlike many Western medical practices, the practice of Reiki is not specific to any disease or illness. Reiki supports the potential for healing by focusing on the individual’s innate capacity for renewal and growth on every level of being.
 

Reiki has been demonstrated to:

• Relieve the physical and emotional effects of stress

• Reduce pain and discomfort

• Decrease tension and anxiety

• Improve sleeping patterns and alleviate fatigue

• Prepare and support a person for surgery, other invasive procedures, and chemotherapy or radiation treatments

• Support the recovery process from injuries, surgery, or trauma (i.e. post-traumatic stress disorder)

• Minimise or make more tolerable the side effects of many kinds of treatment or procedures

• Facilitate wound healing

• Support recovery from addictions

• Support the resolution of psychological and emotional issues

• Promote healthy pregnancy and childbirth

• Support people who are acutely or chronically ill

• Support caregivers caring for loved ones dealing with acute or chronic illness

• Bring comfort to people who are terminally ill, and can help ease transition

• Enhance personal spiritual development

• Promote overall health and well-being, and prevent illness."
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Other research papers site the positive effects of Reiki to:

• Improve the sleep quality and increase quality of life in patients with epilepsy

• Control anxiety levels in patients about to undergo surgery

• Decrease pain and increase well-being in patients with osteoarthritis.

• Reduce pain and fatigue in oncology patients (along with guided imagery)

• Distant healing: four sessions of distant Reiki healing improved mood, cognitive awareness and increased energy levels in healthy individuals.