I get asked all the time, "What is Reiki anyway?" It seems like something too good to be true; does it actually work? I understand the skepticism; that was my initial response too. Surprisingly, the saying, "it's not magic, it's science!" holds true, particularly in the realm of Reiki science and energy healing.
1. The objective of a recent study published in February 2026 was to "evaluate the effects of Reiki in pain, anxiety and hemodynamic parameters receiving invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) in an adult intensive care unit." In basic words, the study was to find out the effects of Reiki on adults who were on ventilators in the ICU. Hemodynamic parameters are the measurement of how your blood flows through your blood vessels. This includes but is not limited to your blood pressure and heart rate. What they found was the Reiki group "demonstrated beneficial effects in pain, anxiety, and certain hemodynamic parameters, particularly diastolic blood pressure and heart rate, with more limited effects on systolic blood pressure and respiratory rate". What does this mean? It means that the patients in the Reiki group had significantly less pain and anxiety levels when compared to the sham group. Reiki was also more effective at in reducing diastolic blood pressure and heart rate.
Study: "Effect of Reiki on Pain, Anxiety and Hemodynamic Parameters in Mechanically Ventilated Patients: A Randomized, Single-Blind, and Placebo-Controlled Trial." Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine, 2026, 32(2), 163-173.
2. Another study completed in Cleveland, OH in 2026 is the one listed below. While the study's main purpose was to find out if it was feasible and acceptable "to conduct a Reiki intervention with oncology patients in an integrative oncology symptom management clinic". They also found "numerical improvements in participants' pain, drowsiness, fatigue/tiredness, nausea, appetite, shortness of breath, depression, anxiety, overall wellbeing and a total ESAS symptom score after each reiki session". Hopefully this study will be a jumping off place for more scientific studies to be conducted with this population of patients.
Study: Dyer et al. (2026). A feasibility Study of Reiki Therapy to improve symptoms in cancer survivors at an integrative oncology Clinic. Integrative Cancer Therapies.
3. A recent breakthrough in cancer research, conducted at the MD Anderson Cancer Center on pancreatic cancer cells, showed a significant reduction in cancer cell growth in both petri dishes and in mice. Why is this study different from many others? It’s important to note that pancreatic cancer was specifically chosen for this study due to its reputation as one of the most challenging cancers to treat with conventional medicine. Another critical distinction in this study is that since the cells were placed in petri dishes, the human placebo effect was entirely removed from the equation of healing. This means that the energy healing alone, and not any human factors, was responsible for the reduction in cancer cells.
This study was published on April 13, 2026. To listen to the entire podcast and get more information about this study, click the link below. The study on pancreatic cells and energy healing is explained in detail in the second half of the podcast.
4. Scientists have also developed a machine that can detect energy/light emanating from a healer's hands during an energy healing session. This machine is called a Super Conductive Quantum Inference Device, or S.Q.U.I.D. for short. In the early 1980s, at the Colorado School of Medicine, Dr. John Zimmerman studied hands-on energy treatments with a S.Q.U.I.D. magnetometer and found a large bio-magnetic field emanating from the palms of the practitioners (p.99). He also discovered "magnetic pulsations from the practitioner's hands that averaged between 7 and 8 Hz--the same as the Earth's magnetic field (p.99)." This finding is significant because the human body feels most comfortable at the hertz level of the Earth's magnetic field.
5. Another great resource is a book written by Ann Baldwin, a PhD from The University of Arizona. She lays out all the scientific studies completed about Reiki and their findings in her book titled, Reiki in Clinical Practice: A Science-Based Guide.
Check Back Often! I am attempting to keep this page fairly short and concise. There is so much more I could add to this page and new scientific research about energy healing is always emerging!
Nienber.J ME.D. The Heart in You, a Personal Journey Through Your Physical, Mental and Spiritual Heart 2019. Balboa Press.