Beyond the Veil: Encounters with Non-Physical Beings in Reiki
Our belief in unseen entities, such as spirits, angelic beings, extraterrestrial intelligence, and more, transcends culture and time. These non-physical beings are often believed to be capable of influencing the physical world, and can be a malignant force, such as malevolent spirits causing illness (for example, the “evil eye”), or may provide healing and other benefits (for example, through holy water or “divine intervention”). The prevalence alone of these beliefs across societies warrants scientific interest and exploration. However, it was the unexpected reports of non-physical beings in our previous energy medicine research that prompted us to further explore the role of non-physical beings in energy healing.
In this article, we discuss the objective, innovative design, and novel findings of our latest study, Reports of Non-Physical Beings Assisting in Reiki Sessions, published in Anthropology of Consciousness.
An Overlooked Dimension of Energy Healing
Energy medicine focuses on how energy fields interact with living systems and support health and healing. Some forms of energy are thought to regulate physiological processes even as they remain undetectable by conventional scientific instruments. The biofield is “a complex organizing energy field engaged in the generation, maintenance, and regulation of biological homeodynamics.” (Rubik, 2015) These “subtle” energy fields are believed to play a central role in maintaining health and may be leveraged to promote healing through energy-balancing techniques.
In a previous study, we evaluated the effects of 30-minute energy medicine sessions conducted by practitioners for participants with chronic hand or wrist pain. These sessions were performed in the presence of a clairvoyant seer, someone believed to have the psychic ability of perceiving non-physical phenomena, such as energy movement, auras, and non-physical beings. It was during these sessions that we received unexpected reports of the presence of non-physical beings.
This finding was unexpected, but perhaps unsurprising. It is possible that such entities have always been integral to energy healing, yet overlooked as awareness of their presence is not required to perform Reiki effectively. Furthermore, it has been suggested that individuals who are physically sensitive and engaged in Reiki often detect non-physical beings during practice. Thus, as practitioners gain proficiency, they may become increasingly aware of the ways in which these beings contribute to the Reiki process.
Study Design: Capturing Insights on Non-Physical Beings in Energy Healing
To expand on our previous research and investigate the unexpected reports of non-physical beings during energy healing, we designed a new study centered on a single healing modality—Reiki. Reiki, a Japanese term for “universal life energy,” is a form of energy medicine or biofield therapy. The practitioners of Reiki focus on channeling subtle energy into a participant to activate healing processes and restore physical and emotional well-being.
Our novel study included six experienced Reiki Masters, each with at least ten years of regular Reiki experience as their primary modality. We also had six seers with verified professional experience who had been able to accurately perceive confidential details about the lead researcher during recruitment. These seers observed 30-minute, one-on-one Reiki sessions with 40 participants, each session led by one of the experienced Reiki Masters.
The seers observed the energy healing sessions from a distance of 10 feet, and both participants and practitioners were instructed not to speak during the session. Observational data were captured using an energy code checklist, which included six energy categories, as well as a table for text-based observations. Text from both the drawing forms and observation tables was transcribed and compiled into a qualitative dataset. Seers observed participants before, during, and after the sessions, and participants and practitioners also recorded their own observations.
Consistent Reports of Non-Physical Beings Across Successful Energy Healing Sessions
Participants’ well-being improved significantly after the energy sessions. The seers’ assessments of participant health were also generally consistent with one another and closely aligned with participants’ self-reports, demonstrating strong agreement between observed and experienced outcomes. Additionally, non-physical beings were reported in all 40 energy healing sessions, with spirit guides and angelic presences appearing most consistently.
Observers described a range of actions by these non-physical beings. Many were supportive, aiding the healing process through guidance, energy clearance, protection, blessing, or grounding. Others were seen as interfering, such as spirit attachments or possessions, which are thought to disrupt energy flow and contribute to illness. Overall, some non-physical beings appeared to simply observe the session or hold space for healing, while others actively supported the process—either through the Reiki Master or independently—by clearing blockages and providing energy, light, or other positive influences. In many sessions, the removal of interfering energy took place before the infusion of supportive energy.
Cultural Beliefs and the Evolution of Reiki Practices
While non-physical beings were reported across sessions, there was variability in seer observations. The findings for 29 sessions revealed four of the six seers reported a non-physical being, six sessions had minimal agreement and three had no seer agreement, six showed minimal agreement, and in. Greater variability was observed in identifying the specific type of being, and beyond unhelpful beings and extraterrestrial intelligences, agreement among participants, Reiki Masters, and seers on the type of beings present was generally low.
This variability likely reflects the influence of cultural beliefs and psychological frameworks on how individuals interpret and experience phenomena. For example, the concept of Reiki spirit guides emerged in Western practices in the 1980s, and these guides are often seen as benevolent beings who once lived as humans. Additionally, archangels and animal spirits generally appear across traditions, guiding, protecting, and supporting spiritual insight. Furthermore, practitioners frequently describe connecting with certain sources of energy—such as divine, spiritual, or earthly—for effectively channeling energy healing.
These findings suggest that belief systems shape how non-physical beings are perceived and categorized, influencing both the types of entities observed and the interpretation of their roles in energy healing sessions.
Channeling New Insights: What’s Next?
While we can’t confirm if these non-physical beings are “real” or not, this study provided a methodical investigation of them being perceived during Reiki energy healing sessions. Clear patterns emerged despite not all observations being consistent across seers, suggesting that non-physical beings may play meaningful roles in the healing process. The findings also highlighted important considerations for future research, including using control conditions, structured observer training to improve reporting consistency, and the careful assessment of the participants’ cultural and psychological frameworks. Altogether, these results offer compelling grounds to continue investigating the presence, influence, and effects of non-physical beings within Reiki and other energy medicine practices.
