The 1999 Field Representative's Manual defines energy healing as:

This definition was not routinely shared with respondents.

In later years the definitions were more expansive. The 2002 Field Representative's Manual says that "energy healing/Reiki" is:

This definition was not routinely shared with respondents.

The 2007 and 2012 Field Representative's Manuals provide a similar definition:

In 2007 and 2012 field representatives were advised to "feel free to offer [this definition] even if the respondent has not requested [it]."

The 2002, 2007 and 2012 survey questions asked whether the person had seen "a practitioner" for energy healing therapy in the past 12 months for sample adults in 2002 and 2007, and sample adults and children in 2012. In 2007, the survey question asked whether the person had seen "a provider or practitioner" for sample children. The 2007 and 2012 Manuals define an "alternative provider or practitioner" as:

The later versions of EHTYR emphasize the use of an energy healing practitioner, an emphasis that is not found in the 1999 question. However, the 1999 definition of energy healing (see above) points out the role of "someone else" in providing the treatment, and the definitions from the Field Representative's Manuals for later survey years make explicit mention of a practitioner.

The term Reiki only appears in the question for 2002. The definition for that year (see above) presents it as a synonymous term for energy healing.

In 2007, sample children were added to the universe for this question. In 2007 only, the sample child universe was not restricted by if the sample child had ever used energy healing (EHTEV). Because of this expanded universe, the number of negative responses for EHTYR is much higher in 2007.