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Reiki as a clinical intervention in oncology nursing practice
Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, June, 2008 by Bossi. Larraine M., Mary Jane Ott, Susan DeCristofaro

Oncology nurses and their patients are frequently on the cutting edge of new therapies and interventions that support coping, health, and healing. Reiki is a practice that is requested with increasing frequency, is easy to learn, does not require expensive equipment, and in preliminary research, elicits a relaxation response and helps patients to feel more peaceful and experience less pain. Those who practice Reiki report that it supports them in self-care and a healthy lifestyle. This article will describe the process of Reiki, review current literature, present vignettes of patient responses to the intervention, and make recommendations for future study.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) lists Reiki as an energy therapy in its classification of complementary and alternative therapies. Energy therapy is defined as one that focuses on energy fields within the body and electromagnetic fields, which focus on fields outside of the body. Reiki is a Japanese word that is a combination of two characters (Rei) meaning universal and (Ki) meaning life-force energy. Reiki is an ancient healing art involving the gentle laying on of hands, well suited for nurses who provide hands-on care for patients in so many different ways.

Philosophy of Care
As in nursing, Reiki therapy is one of practicing the art of presence and compassion. Reiki is not a religion but a philosophy of care that is described by the following principles taught to Reiki practitioners.
* Relate to patients’ core or essence, not personality.
* Listen without judging patients’ actions.
* Be willing not to know or understand the “why’s” associated with patients’ presentation.
* Let go of viewing patient’s responses following Reiki treatment as the practitioner’s personal achievement (Rand, 1998).
Nurses often recognise the importance of entering and leaving another’s “space” or energy field and the impact that the presence of one person can have on another. They understand the pattern of patients’ energy and use as they care for patients and are licensed to provide treatments that often involve touching patients as a part of the care they provide. In doing so, nurses witness the effects of changes that occur in a patient’s energy field during routine nursing care, such as hanging an IV medication, taking a pulse, or teaching about self-care. Reiki practice takes these ideas a step further by acknowledging and working with the vital energy (ki) that patients and nurses possess and merging it with the universal healing energy (rei) through a specific intention of assisting the healing process.

Reiki Treatment
The serious study and use of subtle energy in nursing and other disciplines is receiving increased attention in the literature and in clinical practice (Engebretson, 1998). For example, the International Society for the Study of Subtle Energy and Energy Medicine hosts leading scientists for an annual meeting to discuss and disseminate research findings about energy medicine. Reiki, a type of energy healing, assists nurses in working with the body’s energy to achieve or restore a state of greater balance and harmony. Mikai Usui, a teacher from Japan, developed specific treatment procedures in 1920 after he studied and meditated about healing practices (Lambert, 2000; Petter, 1997; Usui & Petter, 2003). Trained practitioners use a light touch, placing hands in a systematic way to connect the universal life-force energy with a person’s own innate power to heal. Reiki is performed with the recipient fully clothed and either lying down or sitting in a chair. A full treatment may be as long (or as short) as needed; however, it usually lasts 45-90 minutes. A full treatment generally consists of placing the hands in 12 positions on the head and front and back of the torso, and some practitioners also add the knees and feet. The recipient can be awake, asleep, or even unconscious when receiving a treatment. During Reiki treatments, Reiki energy is made available to assist in the body’s efforts to reach a greater equilibrium (Miles & True, 2003). Generally, Reiki is accepted as low risk, and contraindictions and adverse events have not been reported (Miles & True). Recipients report a variety of individual responses to their experiences of Reiki energy, which are included in this article.
Learning to Be a Reiki Practitioner
Anyone can learn to become a Reiki practitioner through a process that combines new knowledge, practice with the form, and understanding of a Reiki session and a series of attunements or initiations that enhance the flow of Reiki energy within a practitioner, administered by a Reiki master or teacher. The process often produces a positive shift in the self-image of the emerging practitioner.Training is divided into three levels (I, II, and III). Initiation to each level celebrates the beginning of study, not the attainment of all necessary learning (Miles, 2003). The training for Reiki level I is a combination of didactic and clinical experience that focuses on the physical process of hand positions used by the practitioner for the delivery of the gentle Reiki energy. Reiki level II adds emotional and spiritual healing attunements with the use of specific symbols that allow the practitioner to offer long-distance Reiki. Reiki level II training increases the practitioner’s ability to listen to her or his own inner voice or intuition. Although some teachers will combine levels I and II together in a weekend workshop, the authors require students to practice doing self-treatments and treatments of others for a period of three to six months before moving from level I to level II training. The third level of Reiki training prepares the practitioner as a master and then as a teacher, usually by having the practitioner work closely with a master practitioner over time (Lubeck, Petter, & Rand, 2001; Miles, 2006). Continuing education is recommended for all practitioners in the form of Reiki sharing or Reiki practice groups. At the authors’ institutions, this involves a combination of giving and receiving treatments as well as opportunities to discuss research with a mentor and colleagues.

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