Objectives

• Conduct the first rigorously designed three arm hybrid efficacy/mechanistic trial of a biofield therapy (reiki) for knee osteoarthritic pain, on the path to a first widespread practical health application for biofield therapy
• Confirmatory replication of a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the clinical efficacy of biofield therapy for chronic pain, with further investigation into mechanism.
• Conduct the first large scale randomized controlled trial comparing biofield therapy with mindfulness meditation, another well accepted consciousness-mediated modality, to compare mechanism
• Comprehensively characterize participant mediators and mechanisms during a biofield therapy session by tracking bodily sensations and psychophysiological markers of self-transcendence which indicate a sense of dissolution of the self and an increase in oneness

Hypotheses

• The experience of pain can be modulated by the consciousness-mediated therapeutic modality of reiki; Biofield therapy will decrease chronic knee osteoarthritic pain and functional interference relative to placebo control and waitlist control groups
• As knee osteoarthritis pain and functional interference decrease, depression, anxiety, pain catastrophizing, and substance use will also decrease while sleep and quality of life will improve
• Reiki as a biofield therapy will be confirmed as feasible/acceptable within the knee osteoarthritis cohort
• Biofield therapy, a transpersonal modality, will be validated to have similar therapeutic mechanism to other consciousness-mediated therapeutic modalities like personal mindfulness meditation. We expect to see reiki facilitate central nervous system pain-modulatory processes, increase brain frontal midline theta activity, modulate the brain’s default mode network activity, increase parasympathetic activity, and increase the distribution of pleasant bodily sensations through EEG, HRV, fNIRS, and quantitative sensory testing

Participants

• 164 men and women over 60 years of age with pre-operative knee osteoarthritis in a blinded, four arm randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial

Outcomes

• Both reiki and mindfulness were highly effective, with reiki providing an average 32% reduction in pain and mindfulness achieving a 38% reduction, both comparable to results typically seen with standard medications like ibuprofen or opioids but without the risk of side effects
• Reiki and mindfulness significantly outperformed the waitlist; while the “fake” reiki control group provided some temporary relief at a level consistent with placebo, only the reiki group saw sustained, long term improvements
• The pain relief from reiki lasted for weeks after the final session, proving it to be a durable, drug-free option for chronic pain management
• In a practical setting, reiki was found to be safe, easy to access, and participants found the treatment credible
• Reiki appears to be a viable alternative for those seeking relief from arthritis symptoms

Publication in Complementary Therapies in Medicine:

Complementary therapies for chronic knee pain: A placebo-controlled RCT of Reiki and mindfulness