The Influence of 10 min of the Johrei healing method on laboratory stress

SummaryObjectiveJohrei has been shown to decrease exam stress responses but its immediate effects have not been assessed.DesignIn a randomised, blinded, counter-balanced design, 33 medical students were asked to calculate mental arithmetic in the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (PASAT), which served as an acute stressor prior to two conditions, 10 min of Johrei or a control resting condition involving10 min without Johrei in a cross-over trial; after each, saliva was collected and mood tested.SettingUniversity EEG laboratory.InterventionJohrei, a non-touch healing method.Main outcome measuresProfile of mood states (POMS-Bi); state anxiety (STAI); salivary variables: cortisol, DHEA, IgA.ResultsMood scores on 5/6 of the POMS-Bi subscales were slightly but significantly more positive in the Johrei condition. State anxiety was similarly decreased. IgA levels were unchanged but cortisol levels were found to be slightly but non-significantly lower after Johrei than after the control condition and DHEA levels slightly but non-significantly raised, with a negative correlation between cortisol and DHEA levels.ConclusionsThis study gives some indication that Johrei can reduce negative mood and increase positive mood states after the acute effects of a laboratory stressor in comparison to a resting control condition.