Reiki, sound healing, and breath work, Oh my!
Written by Julie Howell
7/30/2026
Chronic stress plays a role in the development of diseases such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, mental health issues, anxiety, depression, and reduced quality of life. (Fincham, G. et al., 2023) These illnesses can significantly reduce a person's well-being. Quality of life (QOL) is a multifaceted and multidimensional concept that includes an individual's overall health, comfort, and ability to engage in and enjoy life and incorporates emotional, physical, material, and social well-being. A common tool used to assess QOL is the Euro QOL 5D (EQ-5D), which focuses on mobility, self-care, daily activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. (Liu, K. et al., 2025)
Meditation, including systems such as mindfulness-based meditations, has shown promise in inducing the relaxation response. The relaxation response is the body’s physiological response in relaxation, including lowered blood pressure to counter the fight-or-flight response and activation of the parasympathetic nervous system (Goldsby, TL. et al., 2017).
Looking at 2 meta-analyses and an observational study brings to light some integrative relaxation therapies that are non-invasive and have evidence of being beneficial to reduce anxiety, stress, and pain.
Reiki
Reiki therapy is a complementary healthcare approach that originated in Japan, where practitioners gently place their hands on or above a person’s body to guide energy and promote the individual's healing response. This therapy is rooted in an Eastern belief in life force energy that supports the body's innate healing capabilities.
The meta-analyses done by Liu, K. et al., 2025, show that, based on the analysis and extracted data from their included 11 studies, which had a total of 661 subjects that indicated Reiki therapy significantly improved quality of life. Subgroup analyses showed that the frequency and duration of Reiki therapy interventions were significant factors influencing improvements in quality-of-life outcomes across different populations.
Sound healing
Sound healing has been used for centuries and has been used in a variety of ways by cultures and native peoples. Ancient instruments like the Australian didgeridoo and the Tibetan singing bowls have been used for religious and spiritual ceremonies. Sound healing typically uses the Tibetan singing bowls, which are metal bowls usually consisting of a combination of metal alloys and originally used by Tibetan monks for spiritual ceremonies. (Goldsby, TL. Et al., 2017)
In the observational study completed by Goldsby, TL. et al. (2017), found that the singing bowls could be a low-cost and feasible intervention, with results showing increased feelings of spiritual well-being and reports of significantly less tension, anger, fatigue, and depressed mood.
Participants who were new to this form of meditation had a higher rate of success in tension reduction than those who were experienced, and participants 40 to 59 years of age also showed the most reduction in pain. Additional results show that depressed mood and anxiety scores on the HADS scale had reduced, and scores on the FACIT scale showed increased feelings of spiritual well-being.
Breath work
Breath work is the intentional controlling of one's breathing in regard to rate and depth in order to promote mental, emotional, and physical health. It has historical roots from various traditions such as yoga, Tibetan Buddhism, psychedelic communities, and scientific/medical researchers and practitioners. (Fincham, G.W. et al., 2023).
Fincham G.W. et al. (2023) completed a meta-analysis on breathwork and theorize that breathing alters communication sent from the respiratory system, rapidly influencing brain regions regulating behaviors, thought, and emotion. Likewise, respiration may entrain brain electrical activity, with slow breathing resulting in synchrony of brain waves, thereby enabling diverse brain regions to communicate more effectively. It has been observed that adept long-term Buddhist meditation practitioners can achieve states where brain waves are synchronized continuously. The results from his meta-analysis show that the breathwork-controlled group had a significant effect on stress reduction when compared to the non-breathwork control group.
References
Fincham, G.W., Strauss, C., Montero-Marin, J. et al. Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials. Sci Rep 13, 432 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-27247-y
Goldsby TL, Goldsby ME, McWalters M, Mills PJ. Effects of Singing Bowl Sound Meditation on Mood, Tension, and Well-being: An Observational Study. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2017;22(3):401-406. doi:10.1177/2156587216668109
Liu K, Qin Z, Qin Y, et al. Effects of Reiki therapy on quality of life: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Syst Rev. 2025;14(1):72. Published 2025 Mar 27. doi:10.1186/s13643-025-02811-5
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