SUPPORTING YOUR HEALING SINCE 1994

The following article on the use of Reiki for relaxation and well-being in a hospital setting appears in the current issue of Allegheny General Hospital’s  Gerald McGinnis Heart Institute Women’s Heart Center News.  

Allegheny General Hospital, through its Integrative Medicine Department, has long promoted the use of body/mind/spirit approaches,  including Reiki, to complement traditional medical treatment and therapy (see AGH Seeks  Reiki Volunteers, Fall 2008).  Dr. Barbara Jean Nagrant, who oversees the hospital’s Reiki program, reports that the Reiki volunteer effort has expanded in recent years, and that she will soon be teaching Reiki Level One and Two classes to hospital staff.  What a great example of integrating Reiki into the hospital settings.  

Read on for the article, or click here to access the complete issues of the newsletter.

Reiki and Relaxation and Health in Hospitals

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Winter, 2009

Imagine you’ve just developed a serious illness and been hospitalized. You are worried about your condition and separated from your loved ones for most of the day. The doctors and nurses who care for you use big words that sound scary, and when they come into your room, it may be to perform a procedure that is uncomfortable. You’re not sure what’s going to happen next, or whether you will get better. You also worry about things you should be getting done at home or at work, and who will take care of your family members or pets.

Most people can appreciate that there is more to regaining your health than medical technology can address. Patients experience a great deal of anxiety when they get sick, and our scenario above doesn’t even address more serious stressful events that may be going on in a person’s life before they get sick. Many research studies have shown that anxiety can interfere with the body’s ability to heal.

Now imagine that a member of the hospital staff comes into your room and tells you they would like to do a Reiki treatment – if that is okay with you. You’ve never heard of Reiki before. The person explains that Reiki is a natural relaxation technique that touches on all aspects of a person: mind, body, and spirit. You are told that Reiki involves lightly touching several different areas of your body, without getting you undressed, while you are lying down or sitting in a chair. Since this sounds better than getting your blood drawn again, you say you’d like to try it.

The Reiki practitioner puts her hands lightly on 12 to 15 different locations on your body, including your head, shoulders, arms, belly, legs and feet. In each area, she keeps her hands there for 1-3 minutes. She doesn’t say much. You might feel some warmth or tingling where her hands are, but mostly you just feel really relaxed. You’re not sure what just happened, but you seem to feel better.

What is this all about?

Allegheny General Hospital’s Integrated Medicine Program has recognized for years that healing involves the mind, body and spirit, and since 2002 has run a part-time volunteer Reiki program for AGH inpatients. The program has been widely accepted and very popular. Integrated Medicine has even received letters stating that patients have come to AGH for care because they knew Reiki was available. Feedback given after Reiki treatments at AGH indicates that patients often feel more relaxed, less anxious, better able to sleep, and less uncomfortable.When Reiki and relaxation tapes were used for patients undergoing heart surgery, patients had shorter lengths of hospital stay, less time in the intensive care unit, required blood transfusion less often, and used less pain medication.

A 2002 national survey showed that about 1.1 percent of Americans had used Reiki in the past – that would be more than 2.2 million people. Reiki was developed by Mikao Usui in Japan about one hundred years ago and was brought to the U.S. in the 1930s. It is based on the idea that there is a universal (or source) energy that supports the body’s own healing abilities. Reiki is not based on any religious philosophy. Research regarding Reiki’s effects on health is in its early stages. Studies so far have shown that Reiki has decreased fatigue and improved quality of life in cancer patients. Reiki has been shown to bring about both physical and psychological relaxation in healthy adults experiencing stress (like our imaginary hospital patient, above). Studies on Therapeutic Touch, a similar form of relaxing touch therapy, have shown decreased levels of anxiety in hospital patients, improved circulation measures, decreased length of stay, and fewer complications. Reiki appears to be generally safe, with no serious side effects.

Why does Reiki help people? Studies do show that there are electrical energy fields in and around the human body, and that you can affect these energy fields by touching the body.We don’t know the exact effects of these changes in the energy fields.We do know that taking the time to slow down and relax calms the nervous system and decreases the output of stress hormones that can harm the body. Also, in our high-tech society, we sometimes forget that human touch is a basic human need. There is something very calming and nurturing about having another person put their hands on you in a caring way.

For non-hospital patients, there are several Reiki practitioners in the Pittsburgh region who can provide Reiki treatments at their own facilities or sometimes in a person’s home. Reiki can be used to improve general health, reduce anxiety, or help decrease the effects of an illness. Reiki treatments in the community usually cost from $30 to $90, and are not generally covered by health insurance. You should find out about a Reiki practitioner’s training and experience before agreeing to see them. Reiki should not be used as a substitute for proven conventional medical care or to postpone a medical evaluation for a possibly serious symptom. You should always tell your healthcare providers about any complementary therapies you use.

Reiki is one of several relaxation methods that can be used to improve general health and lessen the effects of illness. Check it out at a hospital near you!

Reiki for Relaxation and Health

by Betsy Blazek-O’Neill, M.D.

Medical Director, Allegheny General Hospital’s Integrated Medicine Program

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