Science of Reiki - Reiki, Energy Healing, Nervous System Regulation and the Research Behind It – Details, episodes & analysis

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Science of Reiki - Reiki, Energy Healing, Nervous System Regulation and the Research Behind It

Molly Donlan

Religion & Spirituality

Frequency: 1 episode/1d. Total Eps: 11

A podcast for skeptics, scientists, and squiggly-brained humans who want to understand how Reiki actually works. I'm Molly Donlan: Reiki Master Teacher, bestselling author of Mundane Magic, and former skeptic who spent a decade digging into the science of why Reiki works. Expect honest, science-backed conversations about nervous system regulation, the placebo effect, neuroplasticity, distance Reiki, the Japanese history most teachers skip, and why 2 minutes a day beats a 60-minute ritual. No spiritual bypassing. Just science, spirit, and evidence your brain needs.

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https://mollydonlan.com/reikiwait
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BONUS: Reiki for Anxiety: How a Former Corporate Skeptic Went From Flight Panic to Total Calm

Season 1

Thursday, May 7, 2026 • Duration 20:11

After September 11th, Michelle's relationship with flying was never the same. Nearly three years ago, her anxiety had gotten so bad she watched her entire family board a plane without her and knew something had to change.

Four months into her Reiki practice, she booked a flight, got on the plane, and her husband asked her the whole way, "Are you okay?" Not because she seemed nervous, but because she was the calmest he had ever seen her.

In this bonus episode, I sit down with Michelle Montgomery-Gardes, self-described recovered corporate drone, and now a key member of my teaching team, to talk about how two minutes of Reiki a day helped her manage anxiety, quit a 30-year corporate career, and finally feel present in her own life.

This is a story for anyone who's burned out, skeptical, and wondering if something this simple could actually work.

In this episode:

Michelle's story of flight anxiety, corporate burnout, and finding Reiki
How two minutes a day created a total 180 in her nervous system response
The moment on the plane that proved Reiki was working
Why she quit her corporate job and what Reiki had to do with it
How presence became the biggest and most unexpected gift of her practice

🔮 Download the free companion workbook: https://mollydonlan.com/sor-workbook

🔮 Ready to learn Reiki for yourself? Join the waitlist for Reiki 1: The Science of Self-Healing training:https://mollydonlan.com/reikiwait

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S108: How to Start a Reiki Practice: The Science of Ritual & Why It Reduces Anxiety

Season 1 · Episode 8

Thursday, May 7, 2026 • Duration 14:53

What if the simple act of creating a ritual around your Reiki practice was enough to reduce anxiety before you even start?

In this season finale, I geek out about the science of ritual and what the research actually shows about ritualizing any practice. I walk through what you actually learn in a Reiki training, what a consistent practice can look like in real life, and why two minutes of intentional Reiki beats a 90-minute session you'll never actually do. Plus, two studies that prove ritual alone creates measurable, physiological changes in anxiety levels.

This is your invitation to take the next step.

In this episode:

The science of ritual and why it reduces anxiety on a neurological level
Two peer-reviewed studies on ritual and anxiety reduction
What you actually learn in a Reiki training and what it's not
Why consistency and structure matter more than duration or effort
How to begin your own Reiki practice starting today

Studies Mentioned:

🔮 The role of ritual behaviour in anxiety reduction: an investigation of Marathi religious practices in Mauritius https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7423266/

🔮 Don’t stop believing: Rituals improve performance by decreasing anxiety https://faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/jschroeder/Publications/Rituals OBHDP.pdf

🔮 Rituals decrease the neural response to performance failure https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5452956/

🔮 Download the free companion workbook: https://mollydonlan.com/sor-workbook

S107: How Reiki Rewires Your Brain: The Science of Neuroplasticity & Long-Term Healing

Season 1 · Episode 7

Thursday, May 7, 2026 • Duration 18:52

Two minutes of Reiki a day is more powerful than sixty minutes once a month. Here's the brain science that proves it.

In this episode, I introduce one of my favorite teaching tools, the sledding hill, to explain how neuroplasticity actually works and why consistent Reiki practice physically rewires the neural pathways in your brain over time. I break down the long-term signs that your practice is working, why your body whispers before it screams, and how to start noticing the one-degree shifts that are quietly changing everything, even when it doesn't feel like much is happening.

This is the episode that makes the science of consistent practice click.

In this episode:

What neuroplasticity is and how Reiki creates lasting change in the brain
The sledding hill analogy and why it explains everything about habitual thought patterns
Why your body whispers before it screams
Long-term signs your Reiki practice is rewiring your stress response
Why consistency is more powerful than duration, every single time

🔮 Download the free companion workbook: https://mollydonlan.com/sor-workbook

🔮 Ready to learn Reiki for yourself? Join the waitlist for Reiki 1: The Science of Self-Healing training:https://mollydonlan.com/reikiwait

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S106: Is Your Reiki Practice Actually Working?

Season 1 · Episode 6

Thursday, May 7, 2026 • Duration 16:14

If you've ever finished a Reiki session and thought "I didn't feel anything, so did it even work?" this episode is your answer.

In this episode, I break down why we're so fixated on the big, dramatic sensations, the heat, the tingles, the full-body transformation, and why those aren't actually the signs that matter most. I walk through every sense that Reiki can show up through, including the subtle ones nobody talks about like yawning, tummy gurgles, and watery eyes. And I make the case that noticing a one-degree shift in how you feel, think, or respond is more powerful evidence that your practice is working than any heat-and-tingles moment ever will be.

In this episode:

What Reiki can feel like across all five senses and beyond
The subtle signs of Reiki working that most practitioners don't talk about
Why comparing your experience to someone else's is a detriment to your practice
How the brain's negativity bias makes it hard to notice progress
Why showing up is sometimes the most powerful evidence of all

🔮 Download the free companion workbook: https://mollydonlan.com/sor-workbook

🔮 Want to learn Reiki in a way that actually makes sense? Join the waitlist for Reiki 1: The Science of Self-Healing training:https://mollydonlan.com/reikiwait

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S105: Reiki Myths Debunked by a Former Skeptic Who Used to Believe Them Too

Season 1 · Episode 5

Thursday, May 7, 2026 • Duration 26:25

Is Reiki demonic? Do you need a special gift to do Reiki? Does Reiki replace therapy or medication? Can Reiki only work in perfect conditions? Does distance Reiki even make sense?

I've heard every single one of these, and in this episode I'm rapid firing through the biggest Reiki myths and misconceptions one by one. No holding back. As someone who used to believe a lot of these myself, I'm uniquely placed to break them down with both science and compassion, including the ones that are rooted in anti-Asian prejudice and the history of Reiki's journey to the West during World War II.

This is the episode to send to anyone who's still on the fence.

In this episode:

Is Reiki demonic or sinful? Where that idea actually comes from
Do you need a natural gift or special ability to do Reiki?
Can Reiki work when the environment is chaotic?
Can distance Reiki actually work? The quantum entanglement explanation
Why Reiki is a complement to medical and mental health care, never a replacement
The harmful myth that medication blocks your intuition, debunked

🔮 Download the free companion workbook: https://mollydonlan.com/sor-workbook

🔮 Ready to learn Reiki for yourself? Join the waitlist for Reiki 1: The Science of Self-Healing training:https://mollydonlan.com/reikiwait

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BONUS: Reiki for Vertigo & Concussion Recovery: A Real Story With Jade Omardeen

Season 1

Thursday, May 7, 2026 • Duration 22:14

At 24, Jade Omardeen fell during an acroyoga session and hit her head on cement. What followed was one of the most challenging periods of her life, relearning how to walk, talk, and read, while managing a severe concussion and bilateral benign vertigo so bad her specialist called her the worst case she had ever seen.

This is the story of how Reiki found her in the middle of all of it, and what happened next.

In this bonus episode, I sit down with Jade Omardeen, now a Reiki Master, crystal practitioner, and Director of Student Experience in my training community, to talk about her journey from total skeptic to one of the most passionate advocates for energy healing around. Jade shares the moment she knew Reiki was doing something real, where her vertigo is today, and why she shows up every day to support students on their own healing journeys.

In this episode:

Jade's story of recovering from a traumatic brain injury and bilateral vertigo
How she found Reiki and why she went straight to training instead of sessions
The moment in the car that proved to her Reiki was real
Where her vertigo is today (spoiler: she rode roller coasters)
What kinds of students Jade loves supporting most

🔮 Download the free companion workbook: https://mollydonlan.com/sor-workbook

🔮 Want to learn Reiki in a way that actually makes sense? Join the waitlist for Reiki 1: The Science of Self-Healing training:https://mollydonlan.com/reikiwait

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S104: What Does a Reiki Session Feel Like? A Science-Based Breakdown

Season 1 · Episode 4

Thursday, May 7, 2026 • Duration 22:49

Thinking about booking your first Reiki session but have no idea what to expect? This one's for you.

In this episode, I demystify exactly what happens during a Reiki session, what the practitioner is doing, what you might feel, and the one thing most people get completely wrong about who's actually doing the healing. I also walk through the full sensory experience of Reiki, from heat and tingles to emotional releases, visual shifts, and the more subtle signs that energy is moving, even if you feel absolutely nothing at all.

No, you don't have to get undressed. No, the practitioner isn't the one healing you. And yes, it's okay if you don't feel what you expected.

In this episode:

What actually happens during a Reiki session from start to finish
Why the practitioner is a conduit, not the healer, and what that means for you
The full sensory experience of Reiki across feeling, sight, sound, smell, and emotion
Why consent is essential for Reiki to work
What forward momentum looks like when results feel subtle

🔮 Download the free companion workbook: https://mollydonlan.com/sor-workbook

🔮 Ready to learn Reiki for yourself? Join the waitlist for Reiki 1: The Science of Self-Healing training:https://mollydonlan.com/reikiwait

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S103: Is Reiki Just a Placebo Effect? Here's What the Science Actually Says

Season 1 · Episode 3

Thursday, May 7, 2026 • Duration 18:07

When someone tells me that Reiki is just a placebo effect, I don't get offended. I get excited, because if you think it's a placebo, you already agree that it works.

In this episode, I break down what the placebo effect actually is, how modern medicine uses it every single day, and why it's not the insult skeptics think it is. I also dive into one of my favorite rabbit holes, open-label placebos, where people know they're receiving a placebo and it still works. And then I bring the receipts: peer-reviewed studies that prove Reiki is more than belief.

Your inner skeptic is welcome here. In fact, this episode was made for them.

In this episode:

What the placebo effect actually is and why it's not a bad thing
How doctors, therapists, and name-brand painkillers all use placebo effects
Open-label placebos and why knowing it's a placebo doesn't stop it from working
The peer-reviewed studies that prove Reiki isn't just placebo
Why curiosity is more powerful than belief when it comes to Reiki

Studies Mentioned:

🔮 Reiki improves heart rate homeostasis in laboratory rats https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18435597/

🔮 Reiki Is Better Than Placebo and Has Broad Potential as a Complementary Health Therapy https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5871310/

🔮 The effects of Reiki and hand massage on pain and fatigue in patients with rheumatoid arthritis https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35752581/

🔮 The Effect of Reiki on Anxiety, Stress, and Comfort Levels Before Gastrointestinal Endoscopy https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36272846/

S102: The Science Behind Reiki for Anxiety, Chronic Pain & Stress

Season 1 · Episode 2

Thursday, May 7, 2026 • Duration 22:24

Your nervous system doesn't know the difference between a tiger chasing you and your WiFi buffering before a Zoom call. And that's kind of the whole problem.

In this episode, I break down the science of your nervous system, sympathetic versus parasympathetic, fight-flight-freeze, and why so many of us are stuck in survival mode without even realizing it. I also touch on the history of Reiki, how it traveled from Japan to the West during World War II, and why that timeline matters more than most teachers let on.

Plus, a placebo-controlled rat study that proves Reiki is doing something real in the body. Yes, really.

In this episode:

The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system explained
Why chronic stress causes chronic pain, anxiety, and burnout
How Reiki shifts you out of fight-flight-freeze and into rest, restore, and heal
The 90-second stress response window and why what you do in it matters
The rat study that skeptics need to hear about

Studies Mentioned:

🔮 Reiki improves heart rate homeostasis in laboratory rats https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18435597/

🔮 Download the free companion workbook: https://mollydonlan.com/sor-workbook

🔮 Ready to learn Reiki for yourself? Join the waitlist for Reiki 1: The Science of Self-Healing training:https://mollydonlan.com/reikiwait

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S101: The Beginner's Guide to Reiki: Science, Energy & Why It Works

Season 1 · Episode 1

Thursday, May 7, 2026 • Duration 19:50

What is Reiki, really? Not the woo-woo version. The actual science-backed explanation that even the biggest skeptic can get behind.

In this first episode, I break down what Reiki is from a scientific perspective, starting with particle theory and the physics of energy and frequency. You'll learn why everything in our universe, including you, is made up of vibrating particles, what that has to do with healing, and why Reiki isn't a superpower, a religion, or a placebo. It's a practice used in over 15% of hospitals across the United States, and there's real science behind why it works.

I also kick off the Reiki in Real Life segment with a story about a near-deer-collision on a Maine backroad and how a hand to my heart brought me back to baseline in minutes.

In this episode:

What energy healing actually means from a physics perspective
How frequency and vibration explain the way Reiki works
Why you don't need to believe in Reiki for it to work
What Reiki is and what it absolutely is not

🔮 Download the free companion workbook: https://mollydonlan.com/sor-workbook

🔮 Want to learn Reiki in a way that actually makes sense? Join the waitlist for Reiki 1: The Science of Self-Healing training:https://mollydonlan.com/reikiwait

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Science of Reiki - Reiki, Energy Healing, Nervous System Regulation and the Research Behind It – Details, episodes & analysis

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Science of Reiki - Reiki, Energy Healing, Nervous System Regulation and the Research Behind It – Details, episodes & analysis

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