Stress Reduction Study

Effects of Energy Therapy
on Physiological Responses to Acute Stress

Welcome! You have accessed the webpage for the research study Effects of Energy Therapy on Physiological Responses to Acute Stress conducted by researchers at Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF). We will first give you a general introduction to the study. If you are interested in participating, you can call us or follow the link to a short questionnaire at the end of the page. This questionnaire will help us decide if you are eligible to participate in the study.

The Effects of Stress on the Body

Stress can cause many changes in health, decreasing the ability of our immune system to fight disease, making platelets more reactive, and affecting the normal regulation of our heart. It can make us more susceptible to disease, slow our recovery from illness or surgery, and accelerate the development of heart disease. A single highly stressful experience is enough to damage the heart, inducing heart-failure like symptoms. For people who already have cardiovascular disease, an episode of acute stress can precipitate serious consequences, including death.

How can we Reduce the Effects of Stress?

Increasingly, people are turning to relaxation and stress-reducing practices to help them deal with everyday life stressors. As part of our research, we are studying the extent to which such practices affect the detrimental effects of stress on the body. We are studying the way in which the brain responds to stress and communicates with immune cells, platelets, and the heart. To gain insights into the mechanisms of action of relaxation practices, we are determining whether such practices affect any of these responses to stress. In this study, we are specifically looking at the effects of Reiki, another touch therapy, and rest.

What is Reiki?

Reiki is an energy therapy in which a practitioner gently lays their hands on the client with the intention of instilling a sense of calm and well-being. Reiki sessions are now available in some hospitals, including the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, where they are provided primarily to help patients relax and manage anxiety and pain. Although many people report obtaining benefits such as decreased anxiety and pain from Reiki and other touch therapies, there has been very little research to determine whether these therapies decrease the harmful consequences of stress on the body or to investigate how they might work.

What does the Research Study Involve?

There are two parts to the study which will be done in 1 visit at the Cleveland Clinic. The first part will help us determine whether you are a high responder to stress. The second will allow us to investigate whether a relaxation practice will affect your response to stress.

Part One:

You will:

  • Complete two short questionnaires
  • Perform a challenging mental activity to induce a stress response
  • Provide blood and saliva samples
  • Have your heart rate and skin conductance recorded

We will also perfo rm additional blood and saliva tests on a few participants. If so, Part one may be 1hr longer, since one of the test requires an additional blood draw 45 min after the stress test .

Part Two:

You will first relax for 30 minutes after which you will do the mental stress activity again. You will be randomly assigned to one of three relaxation groups. Depending on your group assignment, you will receive a 30 minute Reiki session, a 30 minute session of another type of touch-based therapy, or you will simply lie quietly for 30 minutes. As in the first part, your heart rate will be recorded throughout and you will provide blood and saliva, and complete questionnaires. In this Part 2, we may also use EEG to measure your brain activity.

Compensation:

You will be compensated $50 for participating in the study. If additional blood tests performed in Part 1 will require you to rest 45min after the stress test or EEG is recorded for Part 2, thus lengthening the visit by another 45min to 1hr, you will be compensated an additional $10.

Duration:

The whole visit will last about 4hrs. Some additional tests done in Part 1 or the EEG recording performed in Part 2 may lengthen the visit by an hour, which then will last about 5 hrs.

For More Information

More information about the study can be found in the Consent Form, which participants are asked to sign at the beginning of their first visit. 

How to Enroll in the Study?

If you are interested in participating in the study, you will need to fill out two questionnaires to provide information about your current health status and your level of depression, stress and anxiety. This will help us determine whether you are eligible to participate. The questionnaires will take 5-10 minutes to complete and can be accessed at the following link, Online Questionnaires, or you can request paper versions be sent to you by contacting the study coordinator.

For more information or to request a screening questionnaire please call the study coordinator at (440) 391-1708.