Effects of Reiki on Physiological Consequences of Acute Stress

描述(申请人提供)：灵气等能量疗愈疗法正变得流行起来。灵气是一种精神实践，涉及身体接触和与有同情心的人的社会接触；与许多放松疗法不同，灵气不需要患者参与。这些特点使灵气在医院环境中特别有吸引力，在医院里，患者通常非常焦虑、抑郁、疼痛或服用镇静剂。在这种情况下，应激可能与疼痛增加、心血管反应性增加、伤口愈合减少、感染疾病易感性增加、术后并发症增加和住院时间增加有关。尽管灵气通常用于医院环境中以减轻疼痛或手术前的焦虑，但很少有研究表明灵气有好处。值得注意的是，没有关于灵气训练过程中引起的生理变化的信息。在缺乏这些信息的情况下，很难对可能有益的情况做出合理的预测。此外，鉴于客户经常报告的深度放松状态，我们不能排除在某些医疗情况下可能会造成伤害的可能性。我们的主要研究问题是确定灵气训练是否会引起生理变化，以及灵气训练是否会影响对随后的急性应激源的反应。次要的研究问题包括评估安慰剂、同理心或灵气练习者的独特能力带来的益处，以及评估与接受和反应相关的背景特征。基于灵气用于减轻疼痛和焦虑，灵气可能发挥作用的一个潜在机制是影响大脑的情绪中枢，从而导致SNS和其他应激途径的活动减少。为了评估这些可能性，我们将对四组80名健康志愿者进行随机、对照、盲法研究。在具体目标1中，我们将评估与对照组相比，30分钟灵气训练前后交感、副交感和HPA激活、脑活动和心理健康等生理标记物的变化。在具体目标2中，我们将评估灵气对随后的5分钟急性实验室应激源的心理、交感、副交感、HPA、免疫功能和血小板激活反应的影响能力。使用仰卧控制、中性伪装和同理心伪装将使我们对灵气效应的调节机制有更深入的了解。将评估基线特征和治疗效果之间的相互作用。从拟议的研究中获得的信息将提供有关灵气影响的生理途径的详细信息。如果我们要对灵气课程可能带来好处和可能带来伤害的潜在情况做出理性决定，这些信息是至关重要的。灵气如果减少压力途径或减少对压力情况的生理反应，它可能是传统医学的强大辅助工具，并会对健康和经济产生巨大影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Energy healing therapies such as Reiki are becoming popular. Reiki is a spiritual practice that involves physical touch and social contact with an empathetic person; unlike many relaxation therapies, Reiki requires no participation by the patient. These features make Reiki particularly attractive in the hospital setting, where patients are often extremely anxious, depressed, in pain, or sedated. In this setting, stress can be associated with increased pain, cardiovascular reactivity, decreased wound healing, increased susceptibility to infectious disease, increased post-surgical complications, and increased length-of-stay. Although Reiki is commonly used in the hospital setting to reduce pain or pre-surgical anxiety, there are few studies demonstrating benefits. Remarkably, no information is available on physiological changes induced during a Reiki session. In the absence of such information, it is difficult to make rational predictions concerning situations in which it may be beneficial. Moreover, given the deep state of relaxation often reported by clients, we cannot exclude the possibility that it may have a potential for harm in certain medical situations. Our primary research questions are to determine whether physiological changes are induced during a Reiki session and whether a Reiki session affects responses to a subsequent acute stressor. Secondary research questions include assessing which benefits result from placebo, empathetic intentions, or unique abilities of "attuned" Reiki practitioners and assessing background characteristics associated with acceptance and responsiveness. Based on its use to reduce pain and anxiety, a potential mechanism by which Reiki might exert effects is at the level of affecting emotional centers of the brain with resulting decreases in activity of the SNS and other stress pathways. To assess these possibilities, we will perform a randomized, controlled, blinded study with four groups of 80 healthy volunteers. In Specific Aim 1, we will assess changes in physiological markers of sympathetic, parasympathetic, and HPA activation, brain activity, and psychological well-being before and after a 30-min session of Reiki, as compared to control groups. In Specific Aim 2, we will assess the ability of Reiki to affect psychological, sympathetic, parasympathetic, HPA, immune function, and platelet activation responses to an ensuing 5-min acute laboratory stressor. The use of supine-control, neutral sham, and empathetic sham groups will allow us to gain insights into mechanisms by which Reiki effects are mediated. Interactions between baseline characteristics and treatment effects will be assessed. Information obtained from the proposed studies will provide detailed information on physiological pathways affected by Reiki. This information is critical if we are to make rational decisions on potential situations in which Reiki sessions may provide benefits and those in which there may be the potential for harm. Should Reiki decrease stress pathways or reduce physiological responses to stressful situations, it could be a powerful adjunct to traditional medicine and have enormous health and economic impact.