Reiki: Effective Treatment or Mere Placebo?

As insurance and medical costs continue to escalate, more people are turning to alternative health therapies. One such therapy is Reiki. A form of energy healing, Reiki was the invention of Dr. Mikao Usui, who claimed to rediscover it when researching ancient Buddhist texts.

Reiki practitioners claim that they tapping into the “Universal Life Energy.” Jo Fontana, a Reiki Master and organizer of a free Denver-area Reiki circle, describes the process as “being a conduit” for the energy which is channeled and directed though the hands. Fontana says that the energy that Reiki is infinite in supply and can be utilized both for healing individuals and the planet.

There are three degrees of Reiki practice, each which has its own attunement to bring the practitioner closer in alignment with the energies that empower the healing process. Reiki I practitioners do “close contact” healing, a form of laying-on hands. The second degree, Reiki II allows the healer to perform distance healings where the subject is not physically present. Reiki III, or Reiki Masters, can channel more energy and do “spiritual healings.” Reiki Masters are also responsible for giving attunements to new Reiki practitioners.

Unlike massage and chiropractics, Reiki does not involve the manipulation of bones and muscles. There is no need for physical contact between the person receiving Reiki and the person channeling the energy.

Despite testimonials and anecdotal accounts of Reiki success at treating illnesses, skeptics claim that Reiki is a scam ran by the greedy to fleece the gullible. Skeptics claim that there is no scientific evidence or theory that would indicate that Reiki is actually capable of healing illness. At best, the skeptics claim that it is just an effective drama to induce the placebo effect.

The Skeptic Wiki (The Encyclopedia of Science and Critical Thinking) says of Reiki, “In the absence of any effect which can be replicated by researchers without an ax to grind, there is no reason to suppose that Reiki is more than a pretentious and expensive way of waving one’s hands about.”

Reiki practitioners disagree with the skeptics. They say that Reiki works on the energy flow of the body and the aura, though pathways called charkas, meridians and nadis, elements of the human physique that skeptics ignore. By improving the flow of energy, Reiki practitioners claim to be able to improve one’s health.

And even if the skeptics are right, one can not discount the placebo effect. William Lee Rand, founder of The International Center of Reiki Training notes that “Even Western medicine recognizes the role played by the mind in creating illness and some Western doctors state that as much as 98% of illness is caused directly or indirectly by the mind.”

This page was originally written by Emil Michael Eckstein for Campus Connection, the student newspaper for the Community College of Denver.