Reiki Therapy Training

An overview of Reiki Therapy

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) at the National Institutes of Health defines Reiki Therapy as “a complementary health approach in which practitioners place their hands lightly on or just above a person, with the goal of facilitating the person’s own healing response.” (2015)

Reiki Therapy is considered to be a low risk intervention, since no serious side effects or risks have been identified in research studies. Reiki is facilitated either with a very light touch, or slightly off the body without touch, making it a beneficial therapeutic option for those who are in pain. Reiki Therapy has been offered at Beaumont through the Department of Integrative Medicine since 2004.

Consistent research-documented outcomes of Reiki Therapy include:

• pain relief
• reduced anxiety and depression
• lower levels of stress
• increased relaxation

Reiki Program Instructor

Gail Elliott Patricolo is Integrative Medicine’s Reiki therapy program instructor. She started Beaumont's Integrative Medicine department in 2004 where she designed, implemented, and directed all Integrative Medicine services for patients, caregivers, and staff at multiple locations in the hospital system. Additionally, Gail had oversight of all Integrative Medicine educational programs: Reiki therapy, yoga therapy, oncology massage therapy, and a faculty scholar program educating physicians about Integrative Medicine. Due to the success of Beaumont's Reiki therapy training program, Gail created and ran a Reiki volunteer program where practitioners treated in palliative care, hospice, and oncology in patient rooms.

Gail retired from Beaumont in December 2019 but has remained close and a strong advocate of all Integrative Medicine services and programs. For over two decades, she has been actively involved in learning and practicing complementary wellness modalities. Gail is a Reiki Master, hypnotherapist, guided imagery specialist, and has undergone numerous hours of hospice training.