S108: How to Start a Reiki Practice: The Science of Ritual & Why It Reduces Anxiety

What if the simple act of creating a ritual around your Reiki practice was enough to reduce anxiety before you even start?

In this season finale, I geek out about the science of ritual and what the research actually shows about ritualizing any practice. I walk through what you actually learn in a Reiki training, what a consistent practice can look like in real life, and why two minutes of intentional Reiki beats a 90-minute session you'll never actually do. Plus, two studies that prove ritual alone creates measurable, physiological changes in anxiety levels.

This is your invitation to take the next step.

In this episode:

• The science of ritual and why it reduces anxiety on a neurological level
• Two peer-reviewed studies on ritual and anxiety reduction
• What you actually learn in a Reiki training and what it's not
• Why consistency and structure matter more than duration or effort
• How to begin your own Reiki practice starting today

Studies Mentioned:

🔮 The role of ritual behaviour in anxiety reduction: an investigation of Marathi religious practices in Mauritius https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7423266/

🔮 Don’t stop believing: Rituals improve performance by decreasing anxiety https://faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/jschroeder/Publications/Rituals OBHDP.pdf

🔮 Rituals decrease the neural response to performance failure https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5452956/

🔮 Download the free companion workbook: https://mollydonlan.com/sor-workbook

🔮 Want to learn Reiki in a way that actually makes sense? Join the waitlist for Reiki 1: The Science of Self-Healing training:https://mollydonlan.com/reikiwait