Eighteen percent of adult New Yorkers carry a diagnosed anxiety condition. That number comes from the city’s first comprehensive State of Mental Health report, published in 2024 by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Among adults aged 18 to 34, the figure climbs to roughly one in four (Source: NYC DOHMH, State of Mental Health of New Yorkers, 2024).
Daily stress is different from an anxiety disorder. Daily stress is the accumulation of subway delays and difficult meetings. An anxiety disorder is a clinical condition: persistent, disproportionate, and often resistant to the coping strategies that work for ordinary tension. The two require different approaches.
The question here: does Reiki have a legitimate role alongside, not instead of, established clinical treatment for anxiety disorders? Evidence suggests it does, with important qualifications.
Before Going Further
Reiki may be worth adding if: You are already working with a mental health professional. Your anxiety has a somatic component. physical tension, shallow breathing, difficulty relaxing even when safe. You have tried meditation but cannot quiet your mind alone. You respond well to human presence and gentle touch. You want additional support between therapy sessions.
Reiki is not appropriate as a starting point if: You have not yet been evaluated by a mental health professional. You are in acute crisis or experiencing panic attacks that require immediate intervention. You are considering Reiki instead of therapy or medication rather than alongside them.
Critical distinction: Reiki supports nervous system regulation. It does not treat the cognitive patterns that drive anxiety disorders. CBT and other evidence-based therapies address those patterns directly. Reiki complements that work. it does not replace it.
The Anxiety Disorders We Are Talking About
Anxiety disorder is not a single diagnosis. The American Psychiatric Association recognizes several distinct conditions under this category, each with its own characteristics.
Generalized anxiety disorder affects approximately 6.8 million American adults, or about 3.1 percent of the population, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. GAD involves persistent, excessive worry about everyday matters. finances, health, work, family. that persists for months or years. The worry is out of proportion to the actual likelihood of the feared event. Physical symptoms accompany the mental pattern: muscle tension, fatigue, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, sleep disruption.
Panic disorder involves recurrent, unexpected panic attacks. sudden episodes of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms like heart pounding, shortness of breath, chest pain, and dizziness. About 6 million American adults experience panic disorder (Source: ADAA). The attacks themselves are terrifying, but the anticipatory anxiety between attacks can be equally debilitating.
Social anxiety disorder is the most common anxiety condition, affecting roughly 15 million American adults. It involves intense fear of social situations where the person might be judged, embarrassed, or humiliated. In a city like New York, where social interaction is constant and unavoidable, social anxiety can severely limit a person’s professional and personal life.
Other anxiety-related conditions include specific phobias, separation anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Each has distinct features, but they share a common thread: the anxiety is persistent, disproportionate to the actual threat, and interferes with normal functioning.
One important note: only 36.9 percent of people with anxiety disorders receive treatment (Source: ADAA). In New York City specifically, the 2024 mental health report found significant gaps between diagnosis and treatment across all demographics. The reasons range from cost and access to stigma and the belief that anxiety is simply a personality trait rather than a treatable condition.
What the Research Says About Reiki and Anxiety
The evidence base for Reiki and anxiety has grown substantially, though it remains imperfect. Being honest about both what the research shows and where it falls short is essential for anyone considering Reiki as part of their treatment plan.
The most comprehensive recent analysis comes from Guo et al., whose meta-analysis in BMC Palliative Care examined data from 824 participants across multiple controlled studies. Their finding: Reiki therapy produced a statistically significant reduction in anxiety (SMD = -0.82, 95% CI: -1.29 to -0.36, P = 0.001). The analysis identified that both short-term interventions of three or fewer sessions and moderate-frequency treatments of six to eight sessions showed effectiveness in reducing anxiety among people with chronic health conditions and in the general adult population (Source: Guo et al., BMC Palliative Care, 2024).
As of mid-2024, approximately 140 Reiki research papers have been published in peer-reviewed journals. Four published literature reviews concluded that sufficient evidence exists to determine Reiki is more effective than placebo in reducing pain and anxiety (Source: Center for Reiki Research, 2024 Status Report, Ann Baldwin PhD). That said, most individual studies involve small sample sizes. fewer than 20 participants per group, and many lack appropriate control groups. The Center for Reiki Research acknowledges this limitation while noting the consistency of positive findings across diverse populations.
A study comparing Reiki and cognitive behavioral therapy in treating depression among adolescents found that both interventions reduced symptoms more than a wait-list control. CBT produced greater improvement than Reiki, but Reiki still showed statistically significant benefit over no treatment (p = .031) (Source: Charkhandeh et al., Psychiatry Research, 2016). This result is telling: Reiki did not outperform the established gold-standard treatment, but it contributed measurable benefit.
A 2025 study published in Global Advances in Integrative Medicine and Health specifically examined Reiki’s effect on well-being among low-income patients with diagnosed mental health conditions. a population with significant barriers to comprehensive care. The study found improvements in well-being measures among participants receiving Reiki in an outpatient behavioral health setting (Source: Global Advances in Integrative Medicine and Health, 2025).
The honest summary: Reiki shows consistent positive effects on anxiety symptoms across multiple studies. The effect is real but modest compared to primary treatments like CBT or medication. The research calls for larger, more rigorous trials. For someone managing a diagnosed anxiety disorder, this evidence supports Reiki as a complementary addition, not a primary treatment.
How Reiki Fits Into a Treatment Ecosystem
Think of anxiety disorder treatment as a system with multiple components, not a single intervention. Established treatments include psychotherapy. particularly cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure therapy. medication such as SSRIs, SNRIs, or benzodiazepines for acute episodes, and lifestyle factors like exercise, sleep hygiene, and stress management.
Reiki enters this system as a complementary layer. It does not compete with therapy or medication. It occupies a different space entirely.
Here is the framework for understanding where Reiki fits:
Primary treatment handles the core condition. For generalized anxiety disorder, that typically means CBT to address thought patterns and possibly medication to manage neurochemistry. A licensed therapist or psychiatrist directs this layer. Reiki does not belong here. No responsible Reiki practitioner claims to treat anxiety disorders the way a psychiatrist treats them.
Complementary support addresses what primary treatment often does not. the physical tension, the nervous system dysregulation, the difficulty achieving genuine relaxation that many people with anxiety experience even when therapy is progressing well. This is Reiki’s territory. The meta-analysis data suggests that Reiki activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is precisely the system that anxiety disorders keep suppressed.
Self-management covers what happens between clinical appointments. Daily practices, coping strategies, awareness of triggers. For attuned practitioners, self-Reiki falls here. Our guide to daily stress techniques covers self-practice in detail.
The key principle: Reiki supports the treatment plan your clinician has established. It does not replace any part of it.
What Complementary Care Looks Like in Practice
A person with generalized anxiety disorder working with both a therapist and a Reiki practitioner might structure their care like this:
Weekly or biweekly therapy sessions address cognitive patterns, behavioral avoidance, and the underlying beliefs driving the anxiety. The analytical, skill-building work happens in that room. The therapist might use CBT techniques, exposure exercises, or acceptance and commitment therapy.
Reiki sessions. typically weekly or biweekly during an initial period, then monthly for maintenance. provide something the therapy session often cannot: a sustained period of deep physiological relaxation without the need to talk, analyze, or perform. For someone whose nervous system is chronically activated, this matters. The BMC Palliative Care meta-analysis found that six to eight sessions provided consistent benefit for anxiety reduction.
Between sessions, the person practices what their therapist has taught them. thought records, breathing exercises, gradual exposure. alongside whatever self-care practices support their stability.
One detail that matters more than people realize: communication between providers. The best outcomes happen when your therapist knows you are receiving Reiki and your Reiki practitioner understands your clinical situation. This does not require sharing confidential therapy content. It means both providers are aware they are working toward the same goal.
A few situations where Reiki can be particularly useful within this framework. Medication transitions are one. the weeks when a person is adjusting to a new SSRI or tapering off one can involve heightened anxiety. Reiki sessions during these windows can help manage the transitional discomfort. Exposure therapy periods are another. after a challenging session where a person confronted a feared situation, a Reiki session can help the nervous system process the experience.
Finding a Reiki Practitioner Who Understands Anxiety
Not every Reiki practitioner is equipped to work with clients managing clinical anxiety. The practice itself is the same, but the awareness and communication style around it should be different.
What to look for: a practitioner who asks about your mental health history during intake, who understands the difference between general relaxation work and complementary care for a clinical condition, and who actively encourages you to maintain your primary treatment. Practitioners who have experience working in integrative health settings or alongside therapists tend to have this awareness.
Several NYC practitioners and centers specifically work with anxiety and mental health conditions. Zencare, an online directory, lists New York therapists who incorporate Reiki into their clinical practice. meaning the same provider offers both talk therapy and energy healing. Tigerlily Holistic in the Bushwick-Ridgewood area has practitioners who specialize in emotional blockages including anxiety and trauma. Our guides to finding sessions in Manhattan and in Brooklyn cover the broader landscape of available practitioners.
What to be cautious about: any practitioner who suggests reducing medication, skipping therapy appointments, or frames Reiki as sufficient treatment for an anxiety disorder. These are red flags, not just because the claims are unsupported, but because they indicate a fundamental misunderstanding of the condition.
A question worth asking during your first consultation: “How do you approach working with clients who are in therapy for anxiety?” The answer tells you whether this practitioner thinks in terms of complementary care or positions themselves as an alternative to clinical treatment. You want the former.
The Boundaries of What Reiki Can Do
We have discussed what Reiki offers for anxiety disorders. Equally important is what it cannot do.
Reiki cannot resolve the cognitive distortions that drive anxiety. If your anxiety is fueled by catastrophic thinking. believing the worst outcome is always the most likely one. Reiki will not restructure those thought patterns. Cognitive behavioral therapy was designed for exactly this purpose.
Reiki cannot correct neurochemical imbalances. If your anxiety responds to SSRI medication, that response indicates a neurochemical component that energy healing does not address. Continue your medication as prescribed. Discuss any changes with your prescribing physician, not your Reiki practitioner.
Reiki cannot substitute for crisis intervention. If you are experiencing a panic attack, severe dissociation, or suicidal ideation, you need immediate clinical support. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline provides 24/7 access. Emergency rooms are equipped for psychiatric crises. Reiki is not an emergency service.
Reiki cannot diagnose. A practitioner might notice patterns in your energy or physical tension that correlate with anxiety symptoms, but this observation is not a clinical assessment. Diagnosis belongs to licensed mental health professionals.
What Reiki can do, and what the research consistently supports. is help your nervous system learn to downregulate. For someone whose default state is activation, hypervigilance, and tension, experiencing genuine physiological calm is itself therapeutic. Not because it cures the anxiety, but because it teaches the body that calm is available. That experience becomes a reference point the nervous system can return to.
Questions That Come Up
Should I tell my therapist I am receiving Reiki?
Yes. Your therapist does not need to endorse Reiki to benefit from knowing about it. Understanding your complete care picture helps them make better clinical decisions. Most therapists in New York City are accustomed to clients using complementary modalities and will simply want to ensure nothing conflicts with your treatment plan.
How many Reiki sessions before I notice effects on my anxiety?
The meta-analysis data suggests effects become consistent with six to eight sessions. Some people notice shifts after two or three. Anxiety disorders involve deeply ingrained nervous system patterns, so patience matters more here than with general stress relief.
Can Reiki make anxiety worse?
Occasionally. Some people experience temporary emotional release during or after a session, which can feel like increased anxiety. This is generally a processing response, not a worsening of the condition. If it persists, discuss it with both your Reiki practitioner and your therapist.
Does insurance cover Reiki for anxiety?
Standard health insurance does not cover Reiki as a standalone service. Some HSA and FSA plans allow reimbursement for complementary therapies. If your Reiki is provided by a licensed mental health professional who incorporates it into therapy sessions, the therapy portion may be covered under mental health benefits. Our guide to session pricing covers cost considerations in detail.
Is distance Reiki effective for anxiety disorders?
Research on distance Reiki shows positive results for general well-being and stress reduction, though the specific evidence for anxiety disorders is less robust than for in-person sessions. Our distance Reiki guide explains how remote sessions work. For someone with social anxiety who finds in-person sessions initially challenging, distance Reiki can serve as a bridge to eventually comfortable in-person treatment.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical or psychological advice. Anxiety disorders are clinical conditions that require professional diagnosis and treatment. Reiki is a complementary wellness practice and is not a substitute for psychotherapy, psychiatric medication, or emergency mental health services. If you are experiencing symptoms of an anxiety disorder, consult a licensed mental health professional.