ReviewPain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses2014
Effect of Reiki therapy on pain and anxiety in adults: an in-depth literature review of randomized trials with effect size calculations.
Review in Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 5 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 19 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
The Effect of Touch on Pain and Anxiety During the Bone Marrow Biopsy Procedure
Effects of Reiki on Heart Rhythm, Biochemistry, Cortisol Findings and Anxiety in Individuals With Arrhythmia: A Randomized Prospective, Single-Blind and Placebo-Controlled Study
Reiki-Brachy: An Interventional Treatment Trial Using Reiki Therapy to Improve Symptoms Associated With Brachytherapy in Patients With Gynecological Malignancies
Biofield Therapy for the Support of Immunotherapy-related Symptoms Among Adult Cancer Patients - A Pilot Study
Evaluation of the Effect of Reiki on Pain After Lumbar Surgery: A Comparative Randomized, Double-blind, Pilot Study
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 108 citations in OpenAlex.
- Therapeutic effects of Reiki on interventions for anxiety: a meta-analysis.BMC palliative care · 2024Pooled it
- Feasibility and Efficacy of Reiki Versus Massage for Cancer-Related Fatigue in Patients With Breast and Prostate Cancer Receiving Hormone Therapy.Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network : JNCCN · 2026Trial
- Effect of Spiritist "Passe" on Preoperative Anxiety of Surgical Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Double-Blind.Journal of religion and health · 2020Trial
- Instrumental Measurements of Water and the Surrounding Space During a Randomized Blinded Controlled Trial of Focused Intention.Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine · 2017Trial
- Effects of Reiki Versus Physiotherapy on Relieving Lower Back Pain and Improving Activities Daily Living of Patients With Intervertebral Disc Hernia.Journal of evidence-based integrative medicineTrial
- The Urgency of Stress Reduction Amongst Medical Students: Is Therapeutic Touch the Answer? A Literature Review on Therapeutic Touch in Students and Healthcare Personnel.Medical science educator · 2025Review
- The Effect of Virtual Reality on the Reduction of Pain in Women with an Indication for Outpatient Diagnostic Hysteroscopy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- Self-Reiki, Consideration of a Potential Option for Managing Chronic Pain during Pandemic COVID-19 Period.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2021Article
- Perspectives, Measurability and Effects of Non-Contact Biofield-Based Practices: A Narrative Review of Quantitative Research.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Review
- Quantifying Biofield Therapy through Biophoton Emission in a Cellular Model.Journal of scientific exploration : a publication of the Society for Scientific Exploration · 2020Article
- Integrative medicine and the oncology patient: options and benefits.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2018Article
- An Integrative Review of Scientific Evidence for Reconnective Healing.Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) · 2017Review
- Clinical Studies of Biofield Therapies: Summary, Methodological Challenges, and Recommendations.Global advances in health and medicine · 2015Article
- Feasibility of energy medicine in a community teaching hospital: an exploratory case series.Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) · 2015Article
- Implementation of an integrative coping and resiliency program for nurses.Global advances in health and medicine · 2015Article
- Integrative Therapy Use for Management of Side Effects and Toxicities Experienced by Pediatric Oncology Patients.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2014Review
- A Feasibility Study of Reiki Therapy to Improve Symptoms in Cancer Survivors at an Integrative Oncology Clinic.Integrative cancer therapiesArticle
- Effect of Reiki on Measures of Well-Being in Low-Income Patients with Mental Health Diagnoses.Global advances in integrative medicine and healthArticle
- Assessing individual differences in attitudes towards touch in treatment settings: Introducing the touch & health scale.Health psychology openArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The objective of this study was to calculate the effect of Reiki therapy for pain and anxiety in randomized clinical trials. A systematic search of PubMed, ProQuest, Cochrane, PsychInfo, CINAHL, Web of Science, Global Health, and Medline databases was conducted using the search terms pain, anxiety, and Reiki. The Center for Reiki Research also was examined for articles. Studies that used randomization and a control or usual care group, used Reiki therapy in one arm of the study, were published in 2000 or later in peer-reviewed journals in English, and measured pain or anxiety were included. After removing duplicates, 49 articles were examined and 12 articles received full review. Seven studies met the inclusion criteria: four articles studied cancer patients, one examined post-surgical patients, and two analyzed community dwelling older adults. Effect sizes were calculated for all studies using Cohen's d statistic. Effect sizes for within group differences ranged from d = 0.24 for decrease in anxiety in women undergoing breast biopsy to d = 2.08 for decreased pain in community dwelling adults. The between group differences ranged from d = 0.32 for decrease of pain in a Reiki versus rest intervention for cancer patients to d = 4.5 for decrease in pain in community dwelling adults. Although the number of studies is limited, based on the size Cohen's d statistics calculated in this review, there is evidence to suggest that Reiki therapy may be effective for pain and anxiety. Continued research using Reiki therapy with larger sample sizes, consistently randomized groups, and standardized treatment protocols is recommended.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.