Reiki Energy Healing for Survivors of Narcissistic Abuse: A Complementary Approach to Trauma Recovery

Abstract

Survivors of narcissistic abuse often suffer from emotional trauma, chronic stress, and disrupted self-identity. Reiki, a hands-on energy healing practice, is sometimes utilized as a complementary therapeutic tool. This paper examines clinical and systematic evidence regarding Reiki’s effects on mental health, anxiety, and quality of life, discussing its theoretical basis, practical applications, benefits, limitations, and considerations for integrating it into trauma-informed recovery.

Introduction

Narcissistic abuse inflicts psychological harm including anxiety, depression, diminished self-worth, and complex PTSD. Recovery emphasizes restoration of autonomy, embodied presence, and emotional balance. Complementary practices such as Reiki may support such recovery by fostering relaxation, emotional regulation, and self-compassion through non-confrontational means.

Reiki: Theory, Mechanism, and Clinical Applications

Reiki originated in Japan in the early 20th century and involves practitioners directing “universal life energy” through their hands to promote healing . While widely practiced, Reiki is categorized as pseudoscience due to lack of empirical evidence for its fundamental claims.

Clinical research findings include:

Quality of Life Improvement: A recent meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) found that Reiki significantly enhances quality of life (SMD = 0.28, 95% CI 0.01–0.56, p = 0.043), particularly when administered in ≥ 8 sessions or ≥ 60 minutes, or in brief acute formats of ≤ 20 minutes.
Anxiety Reduction: Systematic review indicates short-term Reiki interventions (≤ 3 sessions) and moderate-frequency treatments (6–8 sessions) significantly reduce health-related and procedural anxiety (SMD = –0.82; 95% CI –1.29 to –0.36; p = 0.001) among various adult populations.
Mental Health Symptoms: Placebo-controlled RCTs suggest Reiki may outperform placebo in treating clinically relevant stress and depressive symptoms, with moderate to high evidence in these domains.

Relevance for Survivors of Narcissistic Abuse

Empirical studies specific to narcissistic abuse survivors are sparse. However, Reiki is used in trauma contexts—such as shelters for survivors of domestic violence and veterans with PTSD—with anecdotal reports highlighting benefits in emotional stabilization and empowerment .

Benefits and Limitations

Benefits

Facilitates emotional grounding and parasympathetic activation—crucial in healing trauma-related hyperarousal.
Supports emotional regulation, self-compassion, and intuitive self-awareness.
Non-invasive, low-risk modality that can be empowering for trauma survivors in supportive contexts.

Limitations

Lacks definitive empirical mechanisms; positive outcomes may be attributable to placebo effects or therapeutic context .

Reiki’s foundational claims of “energy transmission” are scientifically unsupported.
Existing research suffers from methodological constraints: small samples, participant expectancy, and lack of blinding.

Discussion

Reiki may play a supportive, non-invasive role in comprehensive trauma recovery for survivors of narcissistic abuse by offering somatic reassurance and emotional safety. Its greatest value lies in its ability to foster self-awareness and mindful presence—qualities often eroded by emotional manipulation and gaslighting.

For ethical and effective use, Reiki should be integrated as an adjunct, not a replacement, to evidence-based trauma therapies (e.g., trauma-informed psychotherapy). Survivor choice, informed consent, and boundaries around expectations are critical.

Conclusion

Reiki energy healing demonstrates modest evidence for improving quality of life, reducing anxiety, and supporting mental health when used appropriately. For survivors of narcissistic abuse, it may offer accessible, nurturing support within a broader healing framework. High-quality, targeted RCTs examining Reiki’s effects in trauma-specific populations are needed to assess its true clinical utility.

References

Guo, X. (2024). Therapeutic effects of Reiki on interventions for anxiety. BMC Palliative Care, (Article), SMD = –0.82; 95 CI –1.29 – –0.36.
Liu, K., Qin, Z., Qin, Y., Li, Y., Liu, Q., Gao, F., Zhang, P., & Wang, W. (2025). Effects of Reiki therapy on quality of life: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Meta-Analysis Review, SMD = 0.28, p = 0.043.
Zadro, S. (2022). Does Reiki benefit mental health symptoms above placebo? Frontiers in Psychology, High evidence for stress and depression improvement.
Ford, C. (2017). Reiki and Healing Touch: Implications for Trauma Healing. Capstones on Trauma Care.
Wikipedia contributors. (2025). Reiki. In Wikipedia. Classified as pseudoscience with methodological concerns.
Wikipedia contributors. (2025). Energy medicine. In Wikipedia. Notes lack of plausible mechanisms and methodological flaws.
Verywell Mind. (2024). What to Know About Reiki Healing for Self-Care. Outlines relaxation and mood benefits; not a medical substitute.