Effects of Reiki Therapy in Women With Fibromyalgia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The goal of this randomized clinical trial is to evaluate the effects of a 4-week Reiki therapy program in women with fibromyalgia. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does Reiki therapy lead to a greater change in pain intensity compared with a placebo intervention after 4 weeks of treatment? Does Reiki therapy lead to a greater change in the impact of fibromyalgia compared with a placebo intervention after 4 weeks of treatment? Researchers will also evaluate whether Reiki therapy affects depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, sleep quality, and acute changes in pain intensity, heart rate, and respiratory rate. Researchers will compare participants receiving Reiki therapy with participants receiving a placebo intervention to determine whether changes in these outcomes differ between groups. Participants will: be randomly assigned to either the Reiki therapy group or the placebo group; receive one 30-minute intervention session per week for 4 weeks; complete assessments of pain intensity, fibromyalgia impact, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and sleep quality before and after the 4-week intervention period; have pain intensity, heart rate, and respiratory rate assessed immediately before and after each intervention session to evaluate acute responses.

Inclusion Criteria: * Female participants aged 18 years or older. * Medical diagnosis of fibromyalgia, confirmed according to the 2016 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria using the Brazilian version of the Fibromyalgia Survey Questionnaire (FSQ-Brazil). Exclusion Criteria: * Clinically unstable medical condition. * Presence of acute injuries. * Pregnancy. * Cognitive impairment or any other condition that prevents the participant from completing the study questionnaires.