Scientific research in the area of energy healing has been progressing. Most of it is with Reiki a form of energy healing. At hospitals and clinics across America and Europe, Reiki and other energy techniques are beginning to gain acceptance as a meaningful and cost-effective way to improve patient care. Personal interviews conducted with medical professionals corroborate this view. "Reiki sessions cause patients to heal faster with less pain," says Marilyn Vega, RN, a private-duty nurse at the Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital in New York.

Reduced Stress

One of the benefits of energy healing is that it reduces stress. The first places in the body that stress manifests itself is in the heart and circulation. Heart rate and blood pressure both increase during stress and these responses are caused by increased activity of sympathetic nerves in the heart. On the other hand, increased activity of the parasympathetic or vagal nerves causes the heart to relax. Studies have shown that energy healing can reduce the stress response of the heart in both humans and animals.

Friedman et al (2010) found that when nurses gave Reiki to 12 patients recovering from acute coronary syndrome, a disease involving blockage of the coronary arteries, the vagal nerves became more active. This indicating a relaxation effect reflected by changes in the heart rate variability. In this case energy healing was having a similar effect as a medicine known to be effective therapy for heart disease. The increase in vagal nerve activity was statistically significant compared to the results from the groups of patients who listened to meditative music (13 patients) or just received standard care (12 patients).

Decreased Physical Pain

Another benefit of energy healing is that it reduces pain. Vitale and O’Connor (2006) showed that Reiki significantly improved preoperative relaxation and reduced postoperative pain in women undergoing hysterectomies. The 12 women in a Reiki group received a 30-minute treatment immediately before surgery and 24 hours and 48 hours after surgery. The 10 women in the control group received standard care only. The Reiki group reported significantly less anxiety pre-surgery and significantly less pain 24 hours after surgery than the control group.

Reduced Depression

Shore (2004) worked with 30 people needing treatment for mild depression or stress that received hands-on Reiki or distance energy healing once a week for six weeks. They experienced significant reduction of mild depression and stress and the beneficial effects lasted for at least one year following treatment. A control group reported no significant change in their depression or stress.

Accelerating Healing After Surgery

Aladydy (1999) worked with surgical patients at Columbia/HCA Portsmouth Regional Hospital in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. They were given the option of a 15 minute pre- and post-surgery Reiki treatment. More than 870 patients participated and as a result there was less use of pain medications, shorter lengths of stay and increased patient satisfaction.

References

Aladydy, Patricia and Kristen Alandydy, 1999. “Using Reiki to Support Surgical Patients”. Journal of Nursing Care Quality , 1999 Apr;13(4): pp. 89-91.

Friedman, R.S.C., M.M. Burg, P. Miles, F. Lee, and R. Lampert. 2010. Effects of Reiki on autonomic activity early after acute coronary syndrome. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 56:995 – 996.

Shore, A. G. 2004. Long term effects of energetic healing on symptoms of psychological depression and self-perceived stress. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine 10(3):42 – 48.

Vitale, A.T. and P.C. O'Conner. 2006. The effect of Reiki on pain and anxiety in women with abdominal hysterectomies. Holistic Nursing Practice 20(6):263 – 272.