Benefits of Reiki For Anxiety Relief

Benefits of Reiki for People with GAD

Studies have shown that Reiki offers several potential benefits for people with generalized anxiety disorder. Some of these benefits include-

Lower stress level -

People with generalized anxiety disorder have higher stress levels than the normal population. Both research studies and anecdotal reports indicate that Reiki may assist to alleviate some of this stress.

Relaxation-

Having generalized anxiety disorder makes it difficult to relax even when no significant stressor is present. Many people who participate in Reiki sessions report feeling relaxed both during the session and after it is complete, which may be beneficial to someone who struggles with anxiety.

Improved mood-

Not every person who has been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder will experience depression. However, for many people, these two issues go hand-in-hand. Research indicates that people who participate in Reiki sessions on a regular basis feel less depressed than they did prior to therapy.

Better Sleep-

People with generalized anxiety disorder may find that they have trouble falling asleep, are unable to stay asleep or don’t feel rested even after sleeping all night. Reiki sessions may alleviate some of these issues and improve the quality of sleep.

Reiki is noninvasive and doesn’t pose any risk to the client. It also causes no side effects. Thus, Reiki can be used in conjunction with virtually any other treatment prescribed by a physician, including medication and other types of therapy.

Relevant Research

Multiple research studies have been conducted to explore the relationship between Reiki and anxiety disorders. Some of these studies are detailed below.
Reiki reduces anxiety among women
a study was published that sought to determine whether Reiki could reduce anxiety among women undergoing hysterectomies. The researchers found that women in the treatment group experienced less anxiety than those in the control group. Although this study was conducted only on women undergoing surgery, the results may apply to other individuals as well.
Reiki helps with anxiety and fatigue in cancer patients
Another study conducted in Turkey focused on the ability of Reiki treatment to reduce anxiety, pain and fatigue among cancer patients. The researchers found that all of these variables improved among subjects in the group treated with Reiki. Because both anxiety and fatigue are symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, it stands to reason that Reiki could potentially be helpful for people with this condition as well.
Reiki reduces depression and anxiety among older adults
During this study, researchers sought to determine whether treating older adults with Reiki would improve depression, anxiety and other issues. The researchers found that individuals in the treatment group experienced less anxiety and depression than those in the control group. Participants in the study also reported feelings of relaxation following Reiki sessions.These are just a few of the research studies that demonstrate the ability of Reiki to benefit individuals who are struggling with anxiety. More research studies exploring this idea are likely to be conducted in the future.