Effects of Reiki Healing on Newborn Attachment and Postpartum Depression in Women

PPD is a depressive disorder that affects 10-15% of women. Depressed mothers are more withdrawn and unresponsive toward their children. Because of this, the importance of giving oneself Reiki-healing can offers several ways to improve the overall well-being of postpartum depression. Therefore, the DNP-FNP project was originally focused on teaching postpartum mothers who are experiencing postpartum depression the self-care practice of Reiki. Due to the severe restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the project was revised with a new population for education, that of the multidisciplinary clinical team members at an outpatient psychiatry department who care for patients with a range of mental health disorders including PPD. This project identified that people experiencing mental health disorders suffer a great deal of pain. Using developmental evaluation, a new approach was designed and implemented. The modified design of this project became to use and uncover an understanding of an individual's experiences and attitude toward Reiki modality. Throughout this project, the design were gathered from the participants about their beliefs and their experience learning about Reiki. The education Reiki modality was provided using the Microsoft Teams application along with supporting written material. The project's findings demonstrated the positive effect of Reiki teaching and further illustrated the importance of integrating the healing art of Reiki into clinical practice. Furthermore, the DNP Essentials and NONPF competencies were addressed throughout this project. Significance and implications for future DNP-FNP practice are discussed.