Clinical Studies of Biofield Therapies: Summary, Methodological Challenges, and Recommendations

Shamini Jain, Richard Hammerschlag, Paul Mills, Lorenzo Cohen, Richard Krieger, Cassandra Vieten, Susan Lutgendorf, Shamini Jain, Richard Hammerschlag, Paul Mills, Lorenzo Cohen, Richard Krieger, Cassandra Vieten, Susan Lutgendorf

Abstract

Biofield therapies are noninvasive therapies in which the practitioner explicitly works with a client's biofield (interacting fields of energy and information that surround living systems) to stimulate healing responses in patients. While the practice of biofield therapies has existed in Eastern and Western cultures for thousands of years, empirical research on the effectiveness of biofield therapies is still relatively nascent. In this article, we provide a summary of the state of the evidence for biofield therapies for a number of different clinical conditions. We note specific methodological issues for research in biofield therapies that need to be addressed (including practitioner-based, outcomes-based, and research design considerations), as well as provide a list of suggested next steps for biofield researchers to consider.

Keywords: Biofield; Reiki; biofield therapies; clinical trials; energy medicine; hands-on healing; healing; healing touch; integrative medicine; therapeutic touch.

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