Reiki For Anxiety And Depression

Introduction

Did you know that 280 million people worldwide are thought to have depression according to the World Health Organisation (WHO)?¹

Depression and anxiety are both common serious mood disorders that can severely affect someone’s ability to live their life. While the general popular belief equals depression with feeling blue or sad, and anxiety with feeling nervous before an event, both are serious, and consistent, and can severely affect how a person feels, thinks, and handles daily activities. Standard treatments for these conditions range from changing your daily activities and psychotherapy to taking medications. However, complementary medicine is conceived as a more natural, ‘safer’ choice with reduced side effects, growing in popularity among the general public in recent years.² One of these complementary medicines is Reiki, which consists of massages over the clothed body, aiming to encourage your nervous system to induce relaxation in your body. In this article, we will explore this complementary medicine, as well as its potential impact on alleviating anxiety and depression. The take-home messages from this article are that while Reiki can help reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression, there is limited scientific evidence and further study should be conducted. Moreover, whether Reiki is beneficial or not varies from person to person and their condition.

What are depression and anxiety?

Depression and anxiety manifest as long-term mental health conditions negatively impacting people’s ability to have a normal life and engage in their day-to-day activities. In most cases before being diagnosed, your symptoms must have started at least 2 weeks before. Some common symptoms of depression include:³

• Persistent sadness and a feeling of emptiness
• The feeling of hopelessness, helplessness, and pessimism
• Loss of interest and pleasure in activities you used to enjoy (e.g. hobbies)
• Decreased energy levels, fatigue and feeling ‘slowed down’
• Difficulty sleeping, concentrating, remembering, and waking up early
• Appetite changes
• Thoughts of death or suicide

It is important to note that depression can look different in everyone. You don’t have to experience all these symptoms to be diagnosed with depression. Although some people can have both mood disorders (depression and anxiety), different to the former, anxiety is a constant feeling of unease, worry or fear that negatively affects your day-to-day life. Feeling anxious before an exam, a medical test or a job interview is perfectly normal. It is when this expands to general tasks that it should be diagnosed/treated. Importantly, anxiety can be a symptom of other conditions, including:⁴

• Panic disorder
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Social anxiety disorder (social phobia)
• Other phobias (agoraphobia or claustrophobia)

However, other people may not have any of these disorders, but instead, have generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), which is a long-term condition causing you to feel anxious most days about situations that would not normally cause any anxiety. While symptoms can vary from person to person, GAD includes the following symptoms:

• Feeling worried or restless constantly
• Being unable to sleep or focus on tasks
• Feeling dizzy
• Increased heart palpitations

There are some things you can do yourself to reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression. Some include joining a self-help course, exercising regularly, stopping alcohol and tobacco consumption, and eating healthily.  However, anxiety can also be treated with psychotherapy, medication, or both. Some of the therapies for depression and anxiety include:^4,5

• Talking therapies, like cognitive behavioural therapy, counselling, interpersonal therapy and psychodynamic psychotherapy, some of which you can get with the NHS
• Antidepressants (for depression)
• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (for anxiety)

But what is Reiki, and how can it help treat these mental health conditions?

Understanding reiki

Reiki is a Japanese complementary therapy which was developed by Mikao Usui in the early 20th century. It derives from two Japanese words: ‘’rei’’, which means universal, and ‘’ki’’, which means life energy or vital force. Reiki practitioners believe that there is a universal life energy flowing through all living beings, and they aim to channel this energy to promote healing and balance through massages. These massages consist of non-invasive, non-manipulative gentle touches on both your front and back. Thus, Reiki is sometimes used alongside standard treatments to reduce anxiety and depression in alternative medicine centres, some hospitals, hospices, cancer support centres and palliative care units.⁶

Practitioners believe that Reiki can achieve its beneficial effects by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system, which regulates the ‘rest and digest’ bodily functions.⁷ By activating this branch of the nervous system, Reiki aims to induce relaxation in multiple organs, supporting bodily functions related to rest, digestion, and recovery.⁸ 

Scientific perspectives on reiki

There aren’t many studies assessing the benefit of Reiki on depression and anxiety. Some of the studies have focussed on assessing whether Reiki can reduce stress levels, help people relax, and reduce symptoms of some chronic illnesses. However, the evidence is not very strong, different studies use different testing methods, have been done on animals, or have a high potential of being biassed due to the way the experiments were designed. This means that further research is needed and that we need to be careful when concluding them.

Some studies conducted using rats showed that those who received Reiki were less stressed when compared to the ones not receiving it. In this study, rats were stressed by exposing them to loud noises, which often provoke microvascular damage in response to stress (small damage in rats’ blood vessels). The scientists found that rats exposed to Reiki had reduced stress levels, demonstrated by having less microvascular damage when compared to their counterparts.⁹

Similarly, a subsequent follow-up study found that loud noise-stressed rats given Reiki had a lower average resting heart rate. Higher heart rates when resting are linked to higher levels of stress, further suggesting Reiki helped reduce stress responses in rats, according to the scientists.¹⁰

Studies conducted on humans have shown similar positive results. For example, when hypertensive patients (with high blood pressure) were given a single 20-minute session of Reiki, their blood pressure significantly decreased when compared to the group not receiving treatment, which further suggests that Reiki can help reduce stress levels. These studies are relevant since higher stress levels are often related to anxiety and depression.¹¹

The trend seems to correlate in studies looking at depression and anxiety, as patients who were given 30-minute Reiki sessions, 2 times per week for 5 weeks, had reduced pain, depression, and anxiety, as well as enhanced self-esteem.¹²

Another study assessing depression in the elderly living in nursing homes found that patients receiving Reiki by professional practitioners had reduced indicators of depression on the 4^th, 8^th, and 12^th weeks of treatment. This was different in the groups receiving ‘Reiki’ from nurses who were not trained on how to do this practice and those who did not receive treatment at all (13). Their depression was measured by a depression score called the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), which is a commonly used screening test for depression symptoms in the elderly.¹⁴

Other studies have highlighted the beneficial effects of Reiki on the quality of life of patients in palliative care or with chronic pain,⁶ showcasing the potential benefit of using Reiki as a complement to standard treatment. Nevertheless, because of the limited number of studies, it can’t be confidently asserted that Reiki helps patients with anxiety/depression. However, as demonstrated above, the published research and data tend to show positive results.

Summary

Reiki is a complementary medicinal practice that originated in Japan in the early 1900s. It consists of massages that focus on activating your parasympathetic nervous system, a branch of your nervous system responsible for promoting relaxation. For this reason, it’s gaining popularity among people suffering from stress, pain, or chronic conditions like anxiety and depression, as it can help reduce the symptoms associated with these illnesses. Although research suggests that Reiki can help people with these conditions feel better, the evidence is not very strong, mainly due to the scarcity of data, research groups using different testing methods which hinder comparisons, and the potential of bias, highlighting the need for having more research conducted to understand the health benefits associated with this practice better.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

What is reiki and how does it work?

• Reiki is a form of alternative therapy that involves the channelling of ‘universal life energy’ through the practitioner's hands to promote healing. It is based on the belief that a life force energy flows through all living things.

Is reiki safe for everyone?

• Reiki is generally considered safe for most people. However, individuals with certain medical conditions or those undergoing specific treatments should consult with their healthcare provider before trying Reiki.

Can reiki replace traditional mental health treatments?

• Reiki is sometimes used as a complementary therapy alongside traditional mental health treatments. While it may provide relaxation and stress reduction, it is not intended to replace professional medical or psychological interventions, but rather to complement them.

How many sessions of reiki are typically needed to see results?

• The number of sessions needed varies from person to person. Some individuals may experience benefits after a single session, while others may require multiple sessions to see significant results.

Are there any side effects of Reiki?

• Reiki is generally considered safe, and side effects are rare. Some individuals may experience a sense of deep relaxation or emotional release. It's essential to communicate with the practitioner about any unusual reactions.

Is reiki supported by scientific evidence?

• The scientific evidence supporting Reiki is limited. While some studies suggest positive effects, more research is needed to establish its efficacy conclusively. The subjective nature of experiences in Reiki makes it challenging to study using traditional scientific methods.

How do I find a qualified reiki practitioner?

• To find a qualified Reiki practitioner, consider seeking recommendations from trusted sources, checking practitioner directories, and ensuring that the practitioner has appropriate training and certifications. It's essential to feel comfortable and trust the practitioner.