Clinical Studies of Biofield Therapies: Summary, Methodological Challenges, and Recommendations

Shamini Jain; Richard Hammerschlag; Paul Mills; Lorenzo Cohen; Richard Krieger; Cassandra Vieten; Susan Lutgendorf

doi:10.7453/gahmj.2015.034.suppl

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Clinical Studies of Biofield Therapies: Summary, Methodological Challenges, and Recommendations

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Clinical Studies of Biofield Therapies: Summary, Methodological Challenges, and Recommendations

Shamini Jain, Richard Hammerschlag, Paul Mills, Lorenzo Cohen, Richard Krieger, Cassandra Vieten and Susan Lutgendorf

Global advances in health and medicine, Vol.4(Suppl), pp.58-66

11/2015

DOI: 10.7453/gahmj.2015.034.suppl

PMCID: PMC4654788

PMID: 26665043

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Abstract

Biofield therapies are noninvasive therapies in which the practitioner explicitly works with a client's biofield (interacting fields of energy and information that surround living systems) to stimulate healing responses in patients. While the practice of biofield therapies has existed in Eastern and Western cultures for thousands of years, empirical research on the effectiveness of biofield therapies is still relatively nascent. In this article, we provide a summary of the state of the evidence for biofield therapies for a number of different clinical conditions. We note specific methodological issues for research in biofield therapies that need to be addressed (including practitioner-based, outcomes-based, and research design considerations), as well as provide a list of suggested next steps for biofield researchers to consider.

Integrative Medicine

Clinical Trials

healing

energy medicine

healing touch

hands-on healing

Biofield

Reiki

therapeutic touch

Original

biofield therapies

Details

Title: Subtitle: Clinical Studies of Biofield Therapies: Summary, Methodological Challenges, and Recommendations
Creators: Shamini Jain - Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego; and Center for Integrative Medicine, University of California San Diego; and Consciousness and Healing Initiative, San Diego (Dr Jain)
Richard Hammerschlag - Consciousness and Healing Initiative, San Diego; and The Institute for Integrative Health, Baltimore, Maryland (Dr Hammerschlag)
Paul Mills - Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego; and Center for Integrative Medicine, University of California San Diego; and Center of Excellence for Research and Training in Integrative Health, University of California, San Diego (Dr Mills)
Lorenzo Cohen - The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston (Dr Cohen)
Richard Krieger - Institute of Noetic Sciences, Petaluma, California (Dr Krieger)
Cassandra Vieten - Institute of Noetic Sciences, Petaluma, California; and California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, San Francisco (Dr Vieten)
Susan Lutgendorf - Institute of Noetic Sciences, Petaluma, California; and Departments of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Urology, and Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Iowa, Iowa City (Dr Lutgendorf)
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Global advances in health and medicine, Vol.4(Suppl), pp.58-66
DOI: 10.7453/gahmj.2015.034.suppl
PMID: 26665043
PMCID: PMC4654788
NLM abbreviation: Glob Adv Health Med
ISSN: 2164-957X
eISSN: 2164-9561
Publisher: Global Advances in Health and Medicine
Language: English
Date published: 11/2015
Academic Unit: Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Obstetrics and Gynecology; Urology
Record Identifier: 9984002466602771

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