Reiki, Research, and Real Life: What 14 Practitioners Across 6 Countries Taught Us About Energy Healing

In this episode of The Unity Code, I’m joined by Lindsay Harper, a certified Reiki practitioner and the founder of Open Your Eyes Reiki, who also works in higher education as an associate professor and archivist. Lindsay is one of my favorite kinds of people: deeply spiritual, wildly grounded, and obsessed (in the best way) with patterns, stories, and what actually works in real life. That mix is exactly why I wanted her here, because she didn’t just “learn Reiki” — she studied it through lived experience across a truly diverse group of practitioners.

Lindsay created the Reiki and Well-being Interviews Project through Marshall University, interviewing 14 Reiki-certified individuals across six countries, ranging from three months into their Reiki journey to 21 years of experience. Her goal wasn’t to debate lineages or chase a “perfect” definition of Reiki. It was to document how Reiki shows up in everyday life, what brings people to energy healing, and what changes when they begin working with universal life force energy consistently. The interviews were anonymous and handled with research-level integrity, because people shared real experiences — including trauma, identity shifts, and deep healing.

One of the clearest themes across the interviews was that people often find Reiki while they’re searching for something that actually resonates. Many participants described growing up in traditional religious environments and still wanting connection with God/Source, but in a way that felt direct, personal, and less confining. Reiki became a bridge: not a replacement for faith, but a different pathway to spiritual connection and inner regulation. This is part of what makes Reiki so accessible — it isn’t tied to any one religion, and people can work with it using whatever language they use for the Divine.

Another powerful takeaway was how Reiki practice evolves over time. Newer practitioners tend to follow structure closely, trying to “do it right,” while more experienced practitioners often become less formulaic and more intuitive. That was especially validating for Lindsay, because she doesn’t resonate with rigid hand placements. Her own self-Reiki practice is simple and effective — hands on heart, eyes closed, letting the energy flow — and the interviews reinforced that many seasoned practitioners move toward that same kind of natural simplicity.

The most practical insight, though, was how people weave Reiki into normal life. Not everyone has an hour a day to meditate or do a full session, so practitioners get creative: Reiki their tea, their food, their home, their car, their notebook, even their showerhead. The point isn’t perfection — it’s consistency. When Reiki becomes part of the rhythm of your day, it stops being “another thing to do” and starts becoming a tool you actually use.

Lindsay also shared a perspective that stopped me in my tracks: several participants raised concerns about the term “Reiki master,” especially in the U.S., because the word “master” can imply ownership or hierarchy over something no one owns. In some cultural contexts it’s traditional and honorable, but in an American context it can carry heavier connotations. That feedback led Lindsay to shift toward language like “Reiki-certified practitioner” instead — not to be politically correct, but to be intentional and respectful.

Across the interviews, Reiki wasn’t framed as a magic wand or a personality upgrade. Instead, it often acted as a catalyst. People described becoming more aware of what felt aligned and what didn’t — including relationships, habits, and ways of coping that no longer matched their nervous system. The common thread wasn’t “Reiki makes you different.” It was “Reiki helps you listen to yourself more clearly.”

If you’re Reiki-curious or already attuned, this episode is a reminder that Reiki doesn’t have to be rigid, dramatic, or performative to be powerful. It can be quiet. It can be woven into daily life. And it can be a deeply human way to regulate, heal, and reconnect to Source — without needing to follow one “right” path.

You can find Lindsay on Instagram at @oyereiki, where she shares grounded Reiki content that makes this work feel doable, not mystical and out of reach.