Reiki

Reiki for Stress and Anxiety

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A 2022 review gathered nine placebo-controlled trials of Reiki for stress and anxiety, and the results differ by how severe the symptoms are. The review rated its own evidence more favorably for people with clinical levels of stress or anxiety than for people with everyday levels, while calling the overall findings inconclusive. A 2015 Cochrane review found too little evidence to decide either way. Reiki can be a calming addition; an anxiety disorder still needs proper treatment.

What did the trials find?

The 2022 review by Zadro and Stapleton included nine placebo-controlled trials measuring anxiety or stress, eight of them peer-reviewed. The authors graded the certainty of their evidence by level of symptoms:

  • Stress at clinical levels: high.
  • Anxiety at clinical levels: moderate to high.
  • Stress at ordinary levels: low to moderate.
  • Anxiety at ordinary levels: low.

Those grades are the authors’ own, and they describe the support as short-term, with possible longer-term effects.

What are the limits?

The same review describes its findings as inconclusive and notes that most included studies carried some risk of bias. The 2015 Cochrane review of Reiki for anxiety and depression, working from three studies with small subgroups, concluded there was insufficient evidence to say whether Reiki helps people with anxiety or depression.

When does anxiety need treatment?

The NHS page on generalized anxiety disorder suggests seeing a GP if you think you might have it, if you find it hard to control your feelings, or if you have felt anxious a lot of the time for at least six months. The main treatments it describes are talking therapies, usually cognitive behavioral therapy, and medicines, usually a type of antidepressant called an SSRI, with talking therapies normally tried first.

Can Reiki help with sleep?

There is no sleep-specific evidence in the trials above: the 2022 review’s stress and anxiety studies did not report sleep as an outcome. If a session leaves you calmer, that may make winding down easier, but persistent sleep problems call for their own assessment and treatment.

Where does Reiki fit?

As something you choose for calm, alongside whatever treatment your symptoms need. It can make sense before a stressful event, during a hard stretch at work, or as part of a self-care routine, as long as it does not delay seeing a doctor or therapist when anxiety starts to take over daily life.

Measure it two ways

If you try Reiki, rate your stress from 0 to 10 just before and just after each session, and also once a week at the same time of day. The first number shows the immediate effect; the second shows whether anything carries over into your week.

This article is general information, not medical or psychological advice; talk with a licensed clinician about your own situation.

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