Effectiveness of Reiki as an Adjunct to Psychotherapy in the Management of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of Reiki, a complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) technique, in addition to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Methodology: A total of 20 participants with OCD were included and allocated to two groups. Group 1 (Control) received standard psychotherapy, while Group 2 (Reiki) received standard psychotherapy along with adjunctive Reiki sessions. Obsession, compulsion, perceived stress, anxiety, and depression were assessed at three time points: pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up. Changes over time and between groups were evaluated using mixed repeated-measures ANOVA, with Greenhouse–Geisser corrections applied to within-subject effects where appropriate. Results: Significant main effects of Time were observed for obsession, compulsion, perceived stress, anxiety, and depression (all p < .001), indicating substantial improvement across the assessment periods. The Group × Time interactions were not statistically significant for obsession (p = .442), compulsion (p = .920), or perceived stress (p = .081), indicating that the trajectories of improvement in these outcomes did not differ significantly between the groups. In contrast, significant Group × Time interactions were observed for anxiety (p = .006, ηp² = .318) and depression (p = .014, ηp² = .233), with descriptive mean scores indicating greater reductions over time in the Reiki group. Conclusion: Adjunctive Reiki was associated with significantly different trajectories of improvement in anxiety and depression, with result indicating greater reductions in the Reiki group. However, the trajectories of change in core obsessive-compulsive symptoms and perceived stress did not differ significantly between the Reiki and control groups. Given the small sample size and non-randomized design, these findings should be considered preliminary. Reiki may warrant further investigation as a complementary intervention for comorbid anxiety and depressive symptoms in individuals with OCD.