Reiki and Polyvagal Theory: A Path to Nervous System Healing

By Tim Aiello, MA, LPC, NCC, ADHD-CCSP, ASDCS

As a neurodivergent-affirming therapist and someone who works closely with energy practitioners, I’ve always been fascinated by the ways healing can happen beyond traditional talk therapy. One area I see bridging beautifully into my clinical work is the connection between Polyvagal Theory (PVT) and Reiki energy healing. At first glance, these approaches might seem like they come from two different worlds—one rooted in neuroscience and the other in ancient Eastern healing traditions. But when we look a little closer, we find remarkable alignment. Both are deeply concerned with regulation, safety, and presence—three core ingredients in healing trauma and restoring nervous system balance.

Let’s take a closer look at how Polyvagal Theory and Reiki intersect, and why this matters for those of us living in a world that often overwhelms our senses and keeps us stuck in survival mode.

Understanding Polyvagal Theory: The Science of Safety

Polyvagal Theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, redefined our understanding of the autonomic nervous system. Rather than a simple on/off switch for "fight or flight" and "rest and digest," PVT describes a hierarchical system with three distinct pathways:

1. Dorsal Vagal (Shutdown/Freeze) – The oldest part of our vagal system. When we perceive extreme danger or helplessness, our body may immobilize or dissociate.

2. Sympathetic Nervous System (Fight/Flight) – Mobilizes us into action when we sense threat or danger.

3. Ventral Vagal Complex (Connection/Safety) – Our newest system evolutionarily, responsible for social engagement, calm, and connection.

   
   

According to PVT, we move through these states moment to moment, based on how safe or threatened we feel. Chronic trauma, neurodivergence, or systemic stress can leave us stuck in survival states, often without even realizing it.

Therapeutic approaches that help clients access ventral vagal safety—whether through breath, eye contact, safe touch, or co-regulation—can literally reshape the nervous system (Dana, 2018). This is where Reiki comes in.

What is Reiki?

Reiki is a Japanese energy healing technique developed by Mikao Usui in the early 20th century. It involves the gentle laying on of hands (or distance work) to support energetic balance and wellness. The word “Reiki” combines “rei” (universal) and “ki” (life force energy).

In practice, Reiki promotes a deep state of relaxation. Recipients often describe warmth, tingling, or a release of emotional or physical tension during or after a session. While Reiki doesn’t claim to cure illnesses, it’s increasingly recognized as a complementary approach that enhances quality of life—especially when integrated into trauma-informed care.

Emerging research supports Reiki’s role in reducing stress, pain, anxiety, and depression, all of which correlate with dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system (VanderVaart et al., 2009; Thrane & Cohen, 2014).

The Intersection: Polyvagal Theory Meets Reiki

Here’s where it gets really interesting: Reiki sessions, whether in-person or virtual, often create the exact conditions needed to activate the ventral vagal system.

Let’s break it down:

1. Co-Regulation Through Safe Presence

Reiki practitioners create a non-judgmental, grounded, and attuned environment. Even without talking, the presence of the practitioner can support neuroception of safety—the subconscious scanning our nervous system does to determine if we’re safe or in danger (Porges, 2011).

This mimics the therapist-client relationship in Polyvagal-informed therapy. Whether through a hand on the shoulder or calm, regulated voice, humans need safe connection to heal. Reiki offers that same relational container—without needing words.

2. Energetic Touch and Polyvagal Engagement

Touch, when safe and consensual, can be profoundly regulating. Research shows that therapeutic touch can reduce cortisol levels, lower heart rate, and support parasympathetic (ventral vagal) activation (Field, 2010). Reiki uses gentle touch or even no-touch techniques that still promote this downshift into calm.

Even distance Reiki, often misunderstood, may work through intention, presence, and quantum resonance—activating a relaxation response through felt safety, much like guided meditation or visualization might.

3. Slowing Down to Restore Regulation

Reiki sessions encourage stillness, slowing the breath and reducing sensory input. These are key ingredients in moving out of sympathetic arousal or dorsal collapse and into the window of tolerance. This supports clients in re-entering their bodies and expanding their capacity to regulate stress and emotion (Ogden & Fisher, 2015).

From a Polyvagal lens, this is gold.

Research and Evidence

While the scientific community is still catching up to fully explaining energy work like Reiki, there’s growing evidence that it impacts the autonomic nervous system—the same system PVT focuses on:

• A meta-analysis found that Reiki significantly reduces anxiety and pain and improves quality of life in clinical populations (VanderVaart et al., 2009).

• Another study found measurable reductions in heart rate variability (HRV) and increased parasympathetic tone following Reiki sessions—both markers of improved nervous system regulation (Baldwin & Hammerschlag, 2014).

• Reiki has also been shown to increase alpha and theta brain wave activity, states associated with deep relaxation and parasympathetic engagement (Wardell & Engebretson, 2001).

  
  

All of these outcomes align beautifully with the goals of Polyvagal-informed therapy: not just symptom reduction, but the creation of lasting nervous system safety.

Final Thoughts

For clients who struggle to regulate, feel disconnected from their bodies, or have maxed out on cognitive therapy, Reiki offers something profound. It helps people feel safe again—often before they can explain why. And Polyvagal Theory gives us the science to understand why Reiki works, especially for trauma survivors and neurodivergent individuals like myself and the ones I work with.

As someone who walks the path of both science and soul, I believe we need more spaces that honor the body’s wisdom, the nervous system’s language, and the energetic blueprint of healing. Reiki and PVT aren’t opposites—they’re companions in the journey home to ourselves.

References

• Baldwin, A. L., & Hammerschlag, R. (2014). Biofield-based therapies: A review of the experimental data. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 20(5), A62-A73. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2014.5181.abstract

• Dana, D. A. (2018). The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy: Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.

• Field, T. (2010). Touch for socioemotional and physical well-being: A review. Developmental Review, 30(4), 367–383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2011.01.001

• Ogden, P., & Fisher, J. (2015). Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Interventions for Trauma and Attachment. W. W. Norton & Company.

• Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-Regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.

• Thrane, S., & Cohen, S. M. (2014). Effect of Reiki therapy on pain and anxiety in adults: An in-depth literature review of randomized trials with effect size calculations. Pain Management Nursing, 15(4), 897–908. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmn.2013.07.008

• VanderVaart, S., Gijsen, V. M. G. J., de Wildt, S. N., & Koren, G. (2009). A systematic review of the therapeutic effects of Reiki. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 15(11), 1157–1169. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2009.0036

• Wardell, D. W., & Engebretson, J. (2001). Biological correlates of Reiki Touch healing. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 33(4), 439–445. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2648.2001.01676.x