Reiki, Akashic Records, Biodecoding or Family Constellations: Which One Do You Need?

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The short version: Reiki works on the state of the body and on calm, through the laying on of hands. Akashic records are a reading, a search for meaning. Biodecoding proposes reading a symptom as an emotional message. Family constellations look at bonds and the family system. And there is one thing all four share: the scientific evidence supporting them is scarce or absent.

That last point is not an attack. It is information you should have before choosing.

Why almost everyone offers several at once

If you have looked for therapies in Medellín, you will have noticed. Many profiles offer Reiki, akashic records, biodecoding, constellations, tarot and five other things, all on the same card.

Sometimes it is coherent: some people have walked several paths for years and integrate them thoughtfully. Other times it is a menu, and whatever people ask for gets added.

I prefer to say plainly what I practise and what I do not. Not because the other modalities seem less worthy — they are not, and there are serious people in each of them — but because doing one thing well takes time, and time does not multiply.

This article exists so you can find your bearings without depending on whoever is selling.

Reiki

Where it comes from. Japan, early twentieth century, with Mikao Usui. It reached the West mid-century and spread through lineages: each master transmits to their students, and that chain can be named.

What it proposes. That there is a vital energy animating all living beings, and that it can be harmonised through the laying on of hands. In my own understanding, it is God who heals; the practitioner acts as a channel so that divine love reaches the person receiving.

What it is like. Clothes on, lying down, in silence or with soft music. Typically forty to sixty minutes. Non-invasive and painless.

Who looks for it. People who are tired, who cannot sleep, who live with anxiety, who are grieving, or who are exhausted in a way ordinary rest no longer fixes. Also people alongside medical treatment who want a space of calm.

What the evidence says. The most studied of the four, and still limited. The 2015 Cochrane review found only three randomised trials with about 62 participants and concluded there was insufficient evidence to know whether Reiki helps with anxiety or depression. The NCCIH is explicit: Reiki has not clearly been shown to be effective for any health purpose, and has not been shown to cause harm. A 2025 meta-analysis of 11 trials and 661 participants found a small but statistically significant improvement in quality of life, with high heterogeneity.

I go through all of it, without stretching it in either direction, in does Reiki work.

Akashic records

Where they come from. Akasha is a Sanskrit word meaning something close to ether or space. The idea of a record holding every experience of the soul spread in the West in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, in theosophical and esoteric circles, and became widely popular much later.

What they propose. That a non-physical archive holds the trajectory of the soul, and that it can be consulted through a ritual opening in order to understand repeating patterns.

What it is like. A spoken consultation. You ask questions and the reader answers from what they perceive. Usually forty minutes to an hour, in person or online.

Who looks for it. People with questions of meaning rather than symptoms. "Why does the same thing keep happening to me?" "What am I here for?" Also people at a crossroads wanting a different angle on it.

What the evidence says. None, in the scientific sense of the word, and by its own nature it is not a proposal clinical research can test. Anyone practising it honestly presents it as work of understanding, not as a health technique.

Biodecoding

Where it comes from. Its roots are usually traced to European proposals from the last decades of the twentieth century about a supposed emotional origin of illness, and to later developments in French- and Spanish-speaking countries.

What it proposes. That a physical symptom expresses an unresolved emotional conflict, and that identifying that conflict — often by tracing family history — allows it to be worked with.

What it is like. A long, detailed interview about your biography, your family history, and the moment the symptom appeared. There is a great deal of talking.

Who looks for it. People with a persistent physical problem who have been through the medical route and still want an explanation. That is its main appeal and its main risk.

What the evidence says. There is no scientific support for the causal relationship it proposes, and medical consensus does not accept it. It is also the modality about which the most warnings have been issued, precisely because it speaks directly about illness.

Here I want to be careful and completely clear at once. There are professionals who practise it prudently, who never touch a treatment, and who frame it as self-knowledge work. I respect that work. What is not acceptable, in this or any modality, is suggesting that someone stop or reduce their medical treatment. If that happens, get up and leave.

Family constellations

Where they come from. From the work of the German Bert Hellinger, developed from the 1980s out of his experience in systemic and family therapy.

What they propose. That certain patterns — repetitions, exclusions, invisible loyalties — are transmitted within the family system, and that representing them makes them visible and allows them to be reordered.

What it is like. Here is the biggest difference: it is usually done in a group. Other people stand in for members of your family and are placed in the space. An individual format also exists, using figures.

Who looks for it. People with long-standing family conflicts, unprocessed losses, secrets, or the sense of repeating something they did not choose.

What the evidence says. Scarce and of limited quality. Studies exist, but they are small and methodologically weak, and do not allow firm conclusions.

Two honest warnings: it is not psychotherapy, even when it resembles it, and it can be emotionally intense. If you are in a fragile moment, talk it through beforehand with whoever leads the group.

The comparison table

	Reiki	Akashic records	Biodecoding	Family constellations
Origin	Japan, 20th c., Mikao Usui	Western esoteric tradition, 19th–20th c.	Europe, late 20th c.	Germany, Bert Hellinger, from the 1980s
What it looks at	The state of the body and calm	Meaning and soul patterns	The symptom as emotional message	The family system and bonds
How it runs	Laying on of hands, in silence	Spoken consultation, ritual opening	Long interview about biography	Representation, usually in a group
How much talking	Little during the session	Constant	Constant	Talking and representing
Who tends to seek it	Fatigue, anxiety, insomnia, grief	Questions of meaning	Persistent physical symptom	Family conflict and repetition
Scientific evidence	Limited; small gains in quality of life	None; not a testable proposal	No support for its causal claim	Scarce and of limited quality
Main risk	Someone promising a cure	Taking a reading as literal truth	Delaying or abandoning medical care	Emotional intensity without support

None of the four replaces medical or psychological care. None. That is the one row with no nuance.

How to choose, based on what is happening to you

A practical shortcut, knowing it is a shortcut.

If what you need is rest and to slow down, start with Reiki. It asks the least of you and stirs the least: you lie down, you tell only what you want to, and the body does its part.

If you arrive with a question of meaning, akashic records are a spoken route that often leaves a sense of order.

If there is a persistent physical symptom, the doctor comes first. Always. Afterwards, explore the emotional dimension with someone who never touches your treatment.

If the knot is in the family, constellations look exactly there. Choose the facilitator carefully, and consider psychological support first if the subject is raw.

One legal note: in Colombia none of these practices is a regulated health profession, and none is equivalent to medical care. I explain it in alternative therapies in Colombia.

What Sananda Reiki offers, and what it does not

With the same clarity I ask for.

What I do. Reiki, from the lineage of Mikao Usui, integrating the accompaniment of the ascended masters, the archangels and the seven rays. In-person sessions in Medellín and Santa Elena, and at a distance, available in English. Also the Encounter with nature and the Christic Self, and energetic harmonising of spaces. It is all under terapias.

What I do not. No akashic records. No biodecoding. No family constellations. No tarot. I do not diagnose, I do not discuss your medication, and I do not promise results.

If you write to me looking for one of those, I will say so and help you find your way. Losing a booking for telling the truth seems a reasonable price.

When in doubt, ask before booking

It is the healthiest thing you can do, and almost nobody does it.

Write first. Ask exactly what you will receive, how long it lasts, what is expected of you, and what that therapy cannot do.

That last question is worth all the others. Someone working honestly has an answer ready and gives it without discomfort. Someone who does not is telling you something important.

And if you are still unsure, wait. None of these practices is urgent.

Frequently asked questions

Can I combine Reiki with one of these other therapies? Yes, and many people do. The advice is not to start three things at once: if everything happens simultaneously, you will not know what is helping and what is not. Begin with one, give it a few weeks, and tell each practitioner what else you are doing.

Which of the four has the most scientific support? Reiki, though it is worth not overstating what that means. It is the only one with published systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and their conclusion is modest: small improvements in quality of life, from few and heterogeneous studies. None of the four has evidence for curing illness.

Are family constellations psychotherapy? No. They can look like it because of the emotional intensity and the work with family history, but they are not, and the facilitator is not necessarily a mental health professional. If you are in psychological treatment, tell your therapist before taking part.

If I have a diagnosed illness, which one suits me? None replaces your treatment, and that is the answer that matters. As accompaniment, Reiki is the gentlest option and the one with the most evidence for its safety. Tell your treating doctor what you are doing, and be wary of any practitioner who comments on your medication.

Why do you not offer the other three? Because I have spent more than seventeen years on one particular path, and I would rather hold well what I know than add services I do not practise. It is not a judgement on the others: there are serious people in each of them.

How do I know whether a practitioner offering seven things is serious? Ask which one they have practised longest, and who trained them in each. The answer will tell you whether there is a path or a catalogue. It also helps to ask what each therapy cannot do: someone who truly knows them is clear about where each one stops. The full checklist is in how to choose a Reiki practitioner.

Disclaimer

This article is for educational purposes and does not replace diagnosis, treatment or follow-up by a healthcare professional. Reiki is a complementary practice: it accompanies, it does not substitute. If you are under medical or psychological care, continue it and talk to your treating professional before adding any complementary therapy.

If you are unsure what you need, write to me on WhatsApp at +57 314 811 7561 or through contacto. If what you are looking for is not what I do, I will gladly tell you.