Reiki is a type of "energy therapy", also called "therapeutic touch", in which a practitioner engages in both spiritual and physical healing by redirecting the energy of the chakras.  Chakras are a hindu concept in which these seven "energy centers" are located in the midline of the body from just above the head to the lower segments.  Reiki means universal life force, and the "ki" in Reiki is the same as chi or qi, the Chinese word for energy that underlies everything.  The Reiki practitioner holds their outstretched hands over the patient and channels energy.

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According to Mrs. Takata (mentioned later), the modern history of Reiki began in the late 1800s when a Christian minister, Dr. Mikao Usui was teaching in a Christian Boys School in Japan. Usui was asked by a student how Jesus facilitated the healing miracles that he performed.  Usui then set out on a path to discover the answer to that question, and traveled to many countries. He travelled to the holy mountains of Kori Yama where he fasted and meditated for 21 days in order to attain a high altered state of consciousness which he believed would empower him with the healing energy. On the 21st day a great spiritual energy came down into the top of his head and he became "enlightened". The energy also bought with it Reiki Ryoho, which is the ability to heal. Subsequently he spent 7 years in the slums of Kyoto healing people. For Usui, reiki was a spiritual practice – an opportunity for each person to awaken their true nature. He adjusted the teachings to each students. Some students would have received symbols to study and chant, others may have be given the task of contemplating a reiki principle.  Dr Chujiro Hayashi, a retired naval officer and surgeon, became a pupil of Usui during the last year of his life. He opened a reiki clinic which remained opened until 1940. Hayashi developed a new style of Reiki, which has the same energy and lineage as Usui Reiki, and many of the original techniques but is also responsible for the formal aspects of reiki which are taught today – namely the hand positions. Instead of Usui reju, he taught an ‘attunement’.  He believed reiki was a healing rather than the personal spiritual development espoused by Usui.  Mrs Hawayo Takata was a Hawaiian woman of Japanese descent born in 1900. After the death of her husband and sister, she became sick and decided to travel to Japan in search of a doctor who could perform an operation for gallstones and appendicitis, but became disillusioned with the medical options when in Japan.  She sought alternative methods and was referred to Dr Hayashi’s clinic where she received regular weekly treatments. Over a period of several weeks, her health improved drastically to her amazement, and asked Dr Hayashi to teach her how to transmit reiki energies to others. She studied with him from 1936-1938, being taught Reiki I and II. She is one of the thirteen teacher students of Hayashi Chujiro, and returned to Hawaii where she set up a Reiki clinic.  In the 1970s she began training other reiki "masters" that have subsequently spread reiki throughout the US.

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The Christian etiology of Reiki has been called into question by later Japanese historians because there is virtually no documented history of Usui and his practice of Reiki in pre-world war II documents in Japan.  Takata knew anti Japanese sentiment was strong immediately before and after World War II, so she fabricated the idea that Jesus was involved in the quest of Usui, to "Christianize" the tale, thereby making it more acceptable to the American public.  It is far more likely he was a Buddhist monk attempting to understand the deeper meaning of Qi Gong rather than understand Christianity, and she changed him from a Buddhist monk to a Christian minister to sell to the West. This kind of fabrication calls in to question the veracity of Reiki itself. 

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Reiki is divided into Reiki I, II, and III.  Reiki I is for self fulfillment and teaches one to heal themselves, family, and pets.  Reiki II is what is needed to professionally heal people (according to Reiki organizations).  Reiki III brings you full circle, completing that which is not mastered in Reiki 2, and allows expansive self healing.  Reiki is usually taught in a series of workshops, online courses, etc. as a fee based service.

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ALPHA LEVEL EVIDENCE ABOUT REIKI:

• Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016 Aug 23;(8)  Mixed results for wound healing: 2 studies positive, 2 studies neutral or negative.  Sum of results- mixed.  Alpha recommendation- reiki lacks proof of effectiveness

• Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Apr 3;(4):CD006833  Anxiety and depression.  Alpha recommendation- reiki lacks proof of effectiveness

• Schmerz. 2012 Jun;26(3):311-7. Fibromyalgia guidelines:  Reiki is NOT recommended

• J Altern Complement Med. 2009 Nov;15(11)  A systematic review of the therapeutic effects of Reiki.  CONCLUSIONS:The modified CONSORT Criteria indicated that all 12 trials meeting the inclusion criteria were lacking in at least one of the three key areas of randomization, blinding, and accountability of all patients, indicating a low quality of reporting. Nine (9) of the 12 trials detected a significant therapeutic effect of the Reiki intervention; however, using the Jadad Quality score, 11 of the 12 studies ranked "poor."  The serious methodological and reporting limitations of limited existing Reiki studies preclude a definitive conclusion on its effectiveness. High-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to address the effectiveness of Reiki over placebo  Alpha recommendation- Reiki cannot be recommended due to the very poor quality of trials and extreme bias in trial results

• Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008 Oct 8;(4)  Touch therapy for pain.  Results: Reiki had a minimal reduction in pain of 0.8 VAS on a scale of 1-10 compared with placebo.  

• A review of randomized controlled trials with Reiki found “the evidence is insufficient to suggest that Reiki is an effective treatment for any condition” (Int J Clin Pract 2008 Jun;62(6):947-54

• Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2004;(3):CD001878.  Reiki for chronic headaches.  There is weak evidence to support Reiki for chronic headache treatment.

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The bottom line about Reiki is that it is largely a placebo effect.  There are few controlled studies, many uncontrolled studies about Reiki. The controlled studies show little effect, and the uncontrolled studies show significant effectiveness, strongly suggesting there is bias in the uncontrolled studies that affect the published outcome.