Mental Health Wellness and Biofield Therapies: An Integrative Review

ABSTRACT

Biofield therapies such as Healing Touch and Reiki increase relaxation, decrease anxiety and stress, and improve mood. Understanding the efficacy of these therapies in terms of mental health wellness is important for nurses interested in complementary and integrative care. The goal of the present integrative review was to investigate the state of knowledge regarding biofield therapies and the impact on anxiety, mood, and mental health wellness. Electronic databases were searched for articles available in English and published from 2014 to 2016. Biofield therapies show safety and promise in reducing anxiety, improving mood, and cultivating mental health and wellness.

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Acknowledgments

The authors offer appreciation and thanks to Kathleen Scinto for her steadfast support, and Healing Touch and Reiki practitioners for their tireless work.

Funding

No funding was received for the research and writing of this manuscript.

Authors' contributions

In this inter-professional endeavor, LM was responsible for the research and drafting of the manuscript, JA was responsible for the idea, and LM, DS, and JA each made critical revisions to and approved the final document.