Nontouch Biofield Therapy: A Systematic Review of Human Randomized Controlled Trials Reporting Use of Only Nonphysical Contact Treatment
Systematic Review on Non-Touch Biofield Healing
This review examines randomized controlled trials of biofield therapies delivered without physical contact. The results are encouraging, but the small pilot studies highlight the need for larger and more rigorous trials to determine true efficacy.
Research Question: What does the current scientific landscape of healing therapies (like Reiki and Therapeutic Touch) look like?
How can we create a public tool to make this research easy for everyone to find and understand?
What are the main health conditions and populations being studied in this field?
Key Findings: Researchers identified 353 major studies on energy-based therapies. Nearly half of these studies (48.7%) reported exclusively positive results for every health outcome they measured. The top most studied named biofield therapies identified in the sources are Reiki (n = 88), Therapeutic Touch (n = 71), and Healing Touch (n = 31). Other interventions that appeared frequently in the research landscape include intercessory prayer (n = 21), External Qigong (n = 16), and Spiritual Healing/Spiritual Passé/Laying-on-of-hands (n = 14).
Design:
- A systematic review that analyzed 28 separate clinical trials.
- The trials compared real non-touch healing against "fake" (sham) treatments or standard medical care.
- Sessions ranged from 5 to 75 minutes, with some participants receiving just one session and others receiving up to 16.
Articles Included for Review: 1,775 people total across 28 studies, ranging from premature infants to elderly patients.
Biofield / Energy Healing Intervention: Non-touch forms of Reiki, External Qigong, Healing Touch, Johrei, and Therapeutic Touch.
Results:
- 71% of all reviewed studies found that non-touch healing provided positive or mixed benefits for the participants.
- Two-thirds of the top-tier studies reported statistically significant improvements in the main health issues being treated.
- Studies also noted improvements in physical signs like heart rate and stress hormone levels.
Discussion:
- Non-touch research is vital because it suggests that healing can happen through energy fields, moving beyond our current biological understanding.
- Most current studies are small-scale "pilots" meant to prove the concept works before moving to larger trials.
- Because these therapies are safe and show consistent results, the evidence strongly supports continuing more robust research.
Conclusion: Non-touch healing shows clear potential to help with pain and stress. This research provides a promising foundation for a new way of understanding how the body can heal without direct physical contact.
Link to Publication: https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2014.0017
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