Testing feasibility, acceptability, and safety of Reiki touch for premature infants

Care that helps premature infants survive is often aversive and stressful. It is important to address infants' developmental needs. Researchers conducting controlled clinical trials with premature infants have found that moderate pressure massage has developmental benefits and gentle human touch is safe and favorably affects behavioral states. In a recent study of therapeutic touch, the treatment group had beneficial changes in heart period variability compared to controls and no adverse effects. Reiki touch is a form of energy healing that has been experimentally tested with adult patients with promising results but has not been investigated in premature infants. We are currently testing the feasibility, acceptability and safety of a Reiki intervention with sample of 10 infants born at 28-33 weeks gestation. Infants receive the Reiki intervention once daily for 10 days beginning 7-14 days post-birth. Infants' heart and respiratory rates, oxygen saturation, and behavioral states are measured before, during, and after the daily 15-minute Reiki session to evaluate responses and safety. Additional maternal and infant data are being collected to describe the sample and the infants' clinical and developmental trajectory from birth until discharge. To date 8 infants have completed the study for a total of 80 Reiki sessions with observations. In our IRB applications we defined instabilities in vital signs and oxygen saturation, which occur frequently in this population, and how we would distinguish between typical instabilities and adverse events. There have been no serious adverse events attributable to Reiki. Infants' physiological and behavioral responses to Reiki will be presented.