Reiki in the Hospital: A Day in the Life at the University of Maryland

By Kathleen Lester, Board Member, Medical Reiki Works

It’s Thursday morning at 9am in October and I make my way to the basement of the University of Maryland to meet with the Integrative Care Team. I meet with the three full-time staff members, who provide Reiki, sound healing, relaxation techniques and as I learn, so much more. The day starts with reviewing the schedule and planning the roster of patients to see for the day, prioritizing those who are planned for discharge that day, scheduled due to a doctor’s order and those that request services themselves. 

Once the schedule is set, Donna, the Coordinator, heads off for the day to conduct “consults”, which are the most comprehensive of the sessions and gather a significant amount of information to determine what are the patient’s needs and educate them and their family about their services. She asks each patient who they are, who is their support system, how do you relax, what are you afraid of and what are your passions as guiding questions for the Consult to inform the treatment plan. 

I first accompany Trish to see a few patients. We traverse the long corridors of the hospital and we reach our first patient’s room, but the nurse practitioner is there doing a pain medicine consult and we are asked to come back. We then walk through more long corridors to another wing to the next patient’s room, who is out for an x-ray and we have the same results for two more patients. This is part of the job, working around traditional care and continually revisiting patient rooms until the patient is available. 

Next we meet 28-year-old “Miguel” with acute pancreatitis and kidney issues due to alcohol abuse. Miguel was in his own room and agreed that I could observe the session. Trish compassionately speaks with him and asks what has changed since her last visit. As she asks questions, his face begins to change, and an ease comes over him amidst the beeping machines and a nurse coming into the room. Trish is in a unique position of not wanting anything from him but is here to offer something else instead. In broken English, he shares his improved progress with his mental wellbeing and that he is looking forward to seeing his two-year-old son. The session begins with sound healing and “hands off” Reiki and surprisingly ends in about 15 minutes. Trish asks if he would like her to come back and he enthusiastically says yes. She notes this for the chart.  

I then follow Donna to a patient who is being discharged. “Penny” is recovering from spine surgery and lights up when she is asked if I can observe. As I enter, I notice the loud beeping of the machines and a visitor, who I learn is her partner. Penny requests that I come to her bedside so she can see me and proceeds to tell me her story for about 45 minutes. We intently listen. Donna eloquently shifts the conversation to the Reiki and sound session and reminds her that once the session is over, she’ll be relaxed and asleep and we will say our goodbyes now. Donna does a beautiful 20-minute sound and Reiki session for “Penny” and her partner, using “hands on” at their request. As we exit, Penny and her partner are asleep. 

Donna then explains that much of the job is considered “Therapeutic Listening”, also documented in the chart, as patients lay in a hospital room with minimal connection except for the doctors and nurses buzzing in and out and “doing things” but often not having the time to listen to their stories. 

Next, I accompany Michelle on her rounds, and the first few patients are not available. We find “Sandy” in the Epilepsy wing, who has also undergone spine surgery due to an accident. With patients making loud noises through the corridor, she is still able to share how happy she is to see us and shares that her family has not visited or brought her anything. Her roommate has her TV on loud and the multiple noises are distracting. Sandy looks as if she has not had an easy life. Michelle talks with her and asks many questions throughout the 20 minutes we are there. She facilitates a sound and Reiki session and then asks Sandy questions about what helps her relax. She documents a list of things to bring back, including affirmations, pictures of African safari trees that bring Sandy peace. And before we leave, Michelle asks Sandy to place her hands over her heart and to just love herself whenever she needs to fill her cup.  

We continue to a few more patient rooms before we wrap up for the day.  

The day ends with documenting each session in the patients’ charts, as well as detailed notes for the Integrative Care Team’s “Handoff Summary”, then a group debrief. It is interesting that Michelle shared with Trish that something she said during her last visit had made a significant impact on that patient. The team discussed that they really do not have a good gauge of the impact they have made as they may only see a patient once, but they know that they impact the body, mind and spirit of their patients and that fills their cup to continue to do this important work.