March 2006 Research Studies  

Phase 2 - Study to Evaluate Energetic Exchange between
Reiki Practitioner and Subject

(no longer accepting volunteer applications)

Researchers associated with The Enlightened Health Institute and Bioenergy Associates are now recruiting healthy volunteers for a study exploring the effects of biofield energy exchange associated with Reiki.  Reiki is a natural healing art which originated in the Far East thousands of years ago.  Its effects on pain, anxiety and emotional well-being are being investigated as Reiki is gaining “mainstream” credibility and being incorporated into clinics and hospitals around the world.

There is no cost, nor compensation to participants who will undergo energetic diagnostics, one “Reiki” and one “placebo” treatment.  The participants are asked to agree to two one-hour visits, and to complete questionnaires, assessing their level of well-being before and after each treatments. 

The study date is Saturday, March 3 2006.  Participants will attend treatments in North Scottsdale.  Location will be provided at time of registration.

To qualify for the study, one must be over 18 years old.  All participants must fill out a form to determine their eligibility for the study.  Main criteria for exclusion from the study would be:  having a pacemaker or other implanted metal in the body, being pregnant or having a chronic medical disorder such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, etc. 

The following is a description of the rationale and design of the study:

Background:  In 1998, the U.S. Congress established the National Institutes of Health Care for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in response to emerging curiosity in complementary and alternative health modalities in the U.S.  NCCAM has classified energy medicine into two basic categories: biofield therapies and bio-electromagnetic-based therapies.  According to NCCAM classifications, biofield modalities are “defined as those therapies intended to affect energy fields that purportedly surround and interpenetrate the human body.”  These therapies, which include Reiki, Qi Gong and Therapeutic Touch, involve touch or placement of the hands in or through biofields, and are generally accepted as low-risk and non-invasive interventions.

Reiki (pronounced ray-key) is a natural healing technique thought to have originated in Japan or Tibet as a Buddhist healing practice thousands of years ago.  Dr. Mikao Usui, a Japanese Buddhist monk, is credited with rediscovering this ancient healing art and formulating the roots of what has become to be known as Reiki (Miles and True, 2003).  Reiki was introduced to America from Japan in 1938 by Hawayo Takata, a first-generation American and first female Reiki Master. 

The word Reiki consists of two Japanese words – Rei, meaning spiritual intelligence, and Ki, which means life energy.  Energy is similarly described as Chi (Chinese), Prana (Indian) or Mana (Hawaiian). Thus, Reiki is “spiritually guided life force energy.”  It is based on the theory that “life force energy” is present in all living things and when this life force becomes depleted or stagnant through stress, toxins or a variety of other reasons, the body becomes more vulnerable to physical, mental or emotional illness. 

“Practitioners believe Reiki has the potential to rebalance the biofield at the deepest vibrational level, hereby removing the subtle causes of illness while enhancing overall resilience” (Miles and True, 2003).  In addition to the non-invasive nature of this modality, it is easily learned.  Self-treatment is viewed as an essential key in personal wellness based on an enhanced level of self-empowerment, realization of an internal locus of control related to prevention of disease states, and subsequently, wellness optimization.

”There is no agreed upon theory for how Reiki might work, and its mechanism of action is still unknown…Reiki vibration is understood to be drawn through the practitioner according to the recipient’s need, within the ability of the practitioner to carry the vibration…the flow of energy is believed to increase as the practitioner becomes inwardly more still, an understanding acquired only through prolonged practice…while the practitioner’s ability to be a conduit for the vibrations may vary, there is ultimately no wrong technique…Reiki’s self-regulatory mechanism precludes ‘overdosing’” (Miles and True, 2003, pg 65).  During the session, the practitioner does not diagnose the receiver and does not perform any meaningful manipulations (addition or removal of energy) of the receiver’s bioenergy field.   Described as “primordial consciousness”, Reiki affects primordial chi, different from the chi that is being manipulated in acupuncture (Vanderbilt, 2004).

There is no requirement for the recipient to “believe” in this energy, only to be open and receptive to receive the energy.  Reiki is being utilized in a growing number of clinics and hospitals throughout the world as an adjunct to traditional Western medicine.  The duration of a typical treatment session is about 30 minutes. The therapeutic results have been shown to be very positive for all kinds of pain and physical disorders, mental health concerns such as anxiety and depression, as well as improving the inherent immune function of the body.   

Method:  Ten to sixteen healthy volunteers will be selected to participate in this exploratory study.  The focal point of the study will be to explore the change in the subject’s bioenergy patterns, as well as subjective data, after a Reiki session.  Prior to treatment (“placebo” or “Reiki”) each participant’s blood pressure and pulse will be measured.  Each participant will be asked to fill out a questionnaire asking about their feelings of well-being and general life circumstances.  The energy flow in the body will then be measured by Dr. Nancy Roberts using the EPIC™(Evoked Photon Image Capture) device.  The EPIC™ takes pictures of the energy that surrounds each of the five fingers on both hands.  These pictures are translated into information about the energy flow that exists in and around the body. Correlations will be made between the energy flow in the body before the Reiki (or placebo) treatment and afterwards.  After the treatments, blood pressure and pulse will be measured.  Another set of images will be taken using the EPIC™ scan and a post treatment survey will be filled out.

Main Hypothesis: This is a simple exploratory study to examine the possible benefits of Reiki on bioenergy patterns in the body.  EPIC™ measurements of energy flow before and after treatments will be used to assess the mechanism of the Reiki treatments and its effects on the subject’s perception of their state of well-being. 

Information on the EPIC™ scan:  please click here for further information on the biofield assessment using the EPIC™ scan.

Key Personnel:

Nancy R. Roberts, PhD, Principal Investigator, is a biophysicist who has conducted research at the National Institute of Health and Aging, at the University of Arizona, and at Mayo Clinic Scottsdale.  Her research has examined the change in energy as a result of acupuncture treatments and the validation of the EPIC™ equipment.  She is a past vice-chair for the Program of Integrative Medicine at Mayo Clinic Arizona in Scottsdale.

Barbara Hudak, RN, BSN, MS, Study Coordinator, is a registered nurse, licensed massage therapist and Reiki Master-Teacher, who has a private healing arts practice in the Phoenix metro area.  She maintains her nursing skills by currently working part-time as a House Supervisor at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix, AZ, after serving 12 years on active duty in the U.S. Air Force.  Barb is a member of the American Holistic Nurses Association and past Arizona State Coordinator for the AHNA.