Reiki for Birth

I am a big fan of anything doulas can do that has absolutely no risk of harm: the gentle ways we can support people that might do good or at the very least might do nothing. Then I attended a birth for a reiki practitioner who said, "You have very healing hands. Your touch is really comforting. You might want to look into reiki." Which is how I found myself at a reiki training.

What is Reiki?

Reiki is a traditionally Japanese practice in which a practitioner channels energy to the client, usually through their hands. There are specific points and techniques used to create feelings of calm, warmth, and relaxation. The energy is qi, or "universal life force."

Skeptics call it pseudoscience since there is no empirical evidence that qi exists. I'm a scrunchy guy (science-crunchy) so evidence matters to me. The research is very mixed: some studies show positive effects, others show no difference with a placebo. That said, no study shows any harmful effect. If the outcomes are positive or neutral, I'm in.

Does it even work?

After my first training, I was telling my partner about doing reiki on myself at night. I couldn't get through all of it without drifting off to sleep. I was pleasantly surprised! My partner, a begrudging-believer-mostly-skeptic, has trouble sleeping at night. I offered to try it on them to see if it would help.

I was a little reluctant because I knew they wouldn't believe it would work and I felt like you probably needed to be open to reiki in order for it to have any effect on you. I could not have been more wrong. I did reiki on them for maybe 10 minutes and they were out like a light. A fluke? Maybe we were just co-regulating?... Maybe not. It has continued to work for them any time they can't sleep for months. They even sometimes ask for it after a particularly stressful day. (Now I need to get them trained so they can do it for me...)

How can it be used in birth?

Reiki can be used in labor to help with pain relief as well as to keep the birth giver calm and the energy in the room relaxed. There are no contraindications and no risks associated with reiki - which is part of why I was drawn to it. If the possible outcomes are either neutral or positive, I think it is worth a try.

Basically, I just put my hands on you and then take deep breaths. That is kinda the whole thing. You might feel the area I'm touching get hot.

The first time I used reiki in a birth room, I can only describe it as psychedelic. I know I just said I believe in science - stay with me. I was shocked. After practicing so much on myself and others outside of the birth room, I could not believe how much stronger the energy passing through me was. It was as if birth literally made the life force in the room stronger. It was easier to channel. My hands got so very hot. My cheeks flushed and I felt like I was a piece of an electrical circuit bigger than me.

As a skeptic myself, I convinced myself that I made it up. It was just hot in the room. Until later when the other people who were in the room talked about the period of time while I was doing reiki (the others didn't know that is what I was doing). They said things like, "wow that was such a powerful moment" and "the vibes during that part of labor were immaculate." It wasn't just me! I don't understand how it works, and I don't fucking need to. If it works, it works.

Since then, I've used reiki in the birth room any time it feels like it could be useful. A client of mine ended up needing an unplanned cesarean and as we waited for all the protocols and procedures, I asked if I could do some reiki on her. I held her feet and then later her head as I channeled energy. She was able to close her eyes and rest for a few minutes, gathering her strength for the task ahead. Even though everyone around her rushed around, she settled and closed her eyes.

I've noticed other clients, especially right after an epidural, struggle to settle and rest. I'm usually already touching them to help them change positions or release certain muscles for labor progress. I can easily add in a little reiki, and they are always able to settle and get some rest.

Perhaps it truly just is some magical co-regulation, or maybe there is some universal life force being transmitted through me. The earth has an electromagnetic field; that is why compasses work! It is easy for me to believe that we, humans with electric signals that control everything from our synapses firing in our brain to our nervous system, are also affected by a larger electric field.

The more I have studied different healing modalities and cultures, the more I have come to believe that everything is part of one giant electrical field. A birthworker that I deeply admire, Carol Phillips (of Spinning Babies fame) talks about case studies where she does lots of chiropractic adjusting to help breech babies or to relieve discomfort, but sometimes it is not enough. Then, she moves into reiki.

I have always been able to feel other people's energy. I had a therapist call me a "lighting rod" for other people's feelings. I think that I like reiki because it gives me a way to channel positive energy toward people. I am not just noticing and receiving, but helping. Because you are channeling universal energy, there is no limit. It is infinite and abundant. You neither take nor give. You bring attention and hold space - and that is already exactly what I do as a doula.

If you are interested in learning more about how we can use reiki at your birth, you know where to find me!

References

1. Keklik D, Karaçay Yıkar S, Nazik E. The Effects of Reiki on Wellbeing, Postpartum Physical Symptom Severity, and Maternal Attachment in Women With Risky Pregnancies: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Holist Nurs. 2025 Sep 26:8980101251377482. doi: 10.1177/08980101251377482. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41004389.

2. Bondi A, Morgan T, Fowler SB. Effects of Reiki on Pain and Anxiety in Women Hospitalized for Obstetrical- and Gynecological-Related Conditions. J Holist Nurs. 2021 Mar;39(1):58-65. doi: 10.1177/0898010120936437. Epub 2020 Jul 3. Erratum in: J Holist Nurs. 2022 Sep;40(3):NP1-NP5. doi: 10.1177/08980101221127086. PMID: 32618216.