Here is a list of some of my favourite books, articles and studies done on Reiki.
Research
EEG meditation and consciousness expert Judith Pennington attached brain scanners to a reiki practitioner and client during a treatment and the results were astonishing – see the results here The Brain Waves of Reiki (2011).
An overview of 13 peer-reviewed Reiki studies published between 1998 and 2016 concludes that Reiki is better than placebo in activating the parasympathetic nervous system so reducing pain, anxiety, and depression, and for improving self-esteem and quality of life. According to the neurovisceral integration model and the polyvagal theory, these effects are due to higher parasympathetic nervous system activity, mediated via the vagus nerve – Reiki Is Better Than Placebo and Has Broad Potential as a Complementary Health Therapy (2017).
For post-operative pain on patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty researchers found that all Reiki therapy sessions resulted in statistically significant reductions in pain. As a result of positive feedback and decreased pain ratings following Reiki sessions, a Reiki program has been established at the hospital and ten nurses became trained and certified in Reiki – Reiki's effect on patients with total knee arthroplasty: A pilot study (2016).
A study concluding that being with enhanced comfort and well-being in a chemotherapy infusion centre – ‘Investigation of standard care versus sham Reiki placebo versus actual Reiki therapy to enhance comfort and well-being in a chemotherapy infusion center’ (2011).
Document created by the CIA exploring human consciousness and quantum physics – https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00788R001700210016-5.pdf (1983).
If anyone has come across any new research or is looking for reiki practitioners to contribute to a study, please get in touch @gemmaautumnreiki / gemmaautumnreiki@gmail.com
Books
To explore how reiki travelled from Japan to the west and the differences between how reiki is practiced in different cultures this is crucial ‘Reiki and Japan: A Cultural View of Western and Japanese Reiki' by Masaki Nishina.
For more information on Shinto, this is a beautiful and easy-to-understand text ‘The Essence of Shinto’ by Motohisa Yamakage (recommended by Masaki Nishina as one of the best books on Shinto).
If you’re curious about what your stiff shoulders might be telling you on an emotional level, I highly recommend ‘Your Body Speaks Your Mind' by Deb Shapiro.
If you want to learn about the different chakras points and how you can unblock them at home read ‘Wheels of Life’ by Anodea Judith and ‘Chakras’ by Vinita Rashinkar, which is great for linking in chanting and mantra.
If you have read anything you loved recently, let me know as I am always looking for interesting books @gemmaautumnreiki / gemmaautumnreiki@gmail.com
Articles
New Age Ethics and Taming the Reiki Frontier by Kelley Harrell is a great discussion about the topic of cultural appropriation in the field of western Reiki.
Important two-part interview with Japanese Reiki master and leading authority on Reiki Hiroshi Doi Sensai (part-one with pictures) discussing how his own Reiki system, Gendai Reiki, is a combination of Usui Reiki and Western Reiki. This article first appeared in the Spring 2014 issue of Reiki News Magazine and a previous two-part interview appeared in 2003 – An Interview with Hiroshi Doi.
A great grounding in what people mean when they say 'energy’ can be found in the beginning of Llewellyn's Complete Book of Reiki by Melissa Tipton.
Please send any links to articles or blog posts you have read to @gemmaautumnreiki / gemmaautumnreiki@gmail.com