Integrative Medicine Reports (Jan 2023)
Extended Visual Perception Corroboration: A Pilot Study with Energy Medicine Reiki Practitioners
Abstract
Objectives: Reiki is an energy medicine type, with growing evidence for its benefit for various conditions and populations. The ?energy? in energy medicine implies a life force rather than a conventional physics definition. Many people feel they can perceive this energy through extended perception beyond their traditional five senses. This study's objectives were to evaluate extended perception during Reiki energy medicine sessions. Design/Methods: Six expert Reiki Masters (RMs) gave 30-min sessions to 40 participants. Participants had one or more conditions: acute physical injury (such as broken bone), mental symptoms of memory loss, and psychological symptoms (anxiety and/or depression). Six people vetted for extended visual perception made observations before, during, and after sessions using quantitative and qualitative measures. Participants and RMs also recorded their observations. Data were analyzed for corroboration: (1) within-perceivers, (2) between the RM and perceivers, (3) between the participant and RM, and (4) between the participant and perceivers. Participants' well-being outcomes and potential predictors were also evaluated. Results: Well-being improved after the sessions [F(3, 159)?=?12.3, p?<?0.00005; baseline ?55.7???18.8, before ?58.9???18.1, after ?73.2???16.2, 1-week later ?64.3???20.3; effect size is 0.61, 95% confidence interval [0.39?0.59]). The perceivers generally reported similar information in free-form drawings and free text. Perceivers' observations about the participants' health were highly corroborated and matched participants' self-reports. Further, the symbolic information that perceivers noted was meaningful to the participants, but perceivers did not see the same symbols nor ascribe the same meaning to them. Conclusions: Future studies must refine the methods developed here to continue exploring the extended perception's validity and practical application in health care. Clinical Trial Registration: ISRCTN16257705.
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