The Science of the Hunch: Reiki and the Subconscious Mind
In his book Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain, David Eagleman explores the mechanics of "hunches", that familiar experience of having a gut feeling or listening to your intuition. As I read this, I was struck by the clear connection between Eagleman’s research and the way Reiki practitioners often know which part of the body to work on next.
The Card Deck Experiment
Eagleman illustrates how the brain processes information behind the scenes using a study by neuroscientist Antoine Bechara. In the experiment, subjects chose cards from four different decks, each resulting in a monetary gain or loss.
"In 1997, neuroscientist Antoine Bechara and his colleagues laid out four decks of cards in front of subjects and asked them to choose one card at a time.With time, the subjects began to realize that each deck had a character to it: two of the decks were 'good,' meaning that the subjects would make money, while the other two were 'bad,' meaning they would end up with a net loss."
While it took about 25 draws for subjects to consciously identify which decks were "good" or "bad," their bodies knew much sooner. Eagleman explains:
"The investigators also measured the subjects' skin conductance response, which reflects the activity of the autonomic (fight or flight) nervous system. And here they noticed something amazing: The autonomic nervous system picked up on the statistics of the deck well before a subject’s consciousness did. That is, when subjects reached for the bad decks, there was an anticipatory spike of activity,essentially a warning sign. The information was being delivered in the form of a 'hunch.'"
Bridging Science and Reiki
This suggests that during a Reiki session, a practitioner may be receiving non-conscious information about the client’s body well before their conscious mind registers a thought. Because Reiki is known to facilitate the parasympathetic nervous system (the rest and digest mode), it creates an environment for these subtle autonomic signals to surface.
However, the experience of intuition often goes a step further than just a gut feeling. In one of my previous articles, The Intuitive Channel, I shared data from Reiki practitioners which revealed that:
53% hear guidance in their own voice.
29% see guidance in images.
6% hear guidance in a different voice.
What Does This Mean for Our Practice?
This data allows us to speak to clients about intuition in a more grounded, scientific way. We can explain that our bodies are constantly picking up unconscious signals through the autonomic nervous system, which then manifests as a hunch.
As for the source of these specific voices or images? That remains a deeper mystery. I could speculate that it is the higher self or a layer of the brain that functions beneath our conscious awareness, but without further evidence, it remains a theory. While we still need more research to fully understand how the nervous system tracks this information, these findings highlight just how powerful our internal wiring truly is.
Ultimately, it adds to the growing evidence that Reiki is working alongside the physical body and the subconscious.
© 2026 Laura Noonan Reiki. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes without prior written permission. Attribution is required for all shared insights.
