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Why Belief is the Catalyst for All Healing

 

For centuries, countless individuals suffering from various ailments have claimed to experience miraculous recoveries through the aid of psychic healers.

These unconventional healers challenge the standards of Western medicine, which typically relies on the principles of physics and chemistry. Despite this, seemingly miraculous recoveries do happen in medical practice. Such cases, along with the effects attributed to psychic healers, are often dismissed as anomalies and subsequently ignored. Psychic healing, which is also referred to as faith, spiritual, or mental healing, is often regarded as quackery by medical professionals, who tend to credit any positive outcomes to suggestion or spontaneous recovery. Interestingly, suggestion itself was once not recognized by the scientific community, yet it is now deemed worthy of research. While suggestion might explain these phenomena, it's possible that there are other factors at play.

Psychic healers assert that they possess a natural ability to heal, often without formal medical knowledge or training. Some claim they can also diagnose illnesses, not through chemical tests, blood analyses, or X-rays, but merely by observing a patient or examining a photograph or signature for a few moments. The treatments these healers provide usually differ from traditional medical practices, and they generally fall into two categories:

1. Manual Healing: This method involves physical touch, where the healer uses their hands to promote healing. It is the most common form of psychic healing.

2. Non-contact Healing: In this method, the healer does not touch the patient. Instead, they might move their hands over the body or place them on either side of the area needing attention.

Absent healing is another practice where the healer and patient do not need to be in the same location, or the patient may not even know the healer exists.

Psychic healers assert they possess the healing gift, despite typically lacking medical expertise or training. Some can diagnose without using chemical tests, blood tests, or X-rays. Instead, they merely observe the patient or an intermediary object, like a photo or signature, briefly. Their treatments usually diverge from conventional medical methods and can be categorized into two main types:

(1) Touch-based methods, or manual healing, which is the most prevalent form of healing;

(2) Non-contact methods, where healers do not touch the skin. Instead, they may wave their hands over the body or position them on opposite sides of the affected area. In absent healing, the patient may not be near the healer or even know of their existence.

Franz Anton Mesmer adopted the ideas of Paracelsus and founded mesmerism, linking ancient healing practices with modern psychic healing. He challenged the Church's control over healing and proposed the concept of a "universal fluid," or "animal magnetism," which could be manipulated to influence minds and heal illnesses.

In France, Mesmer gained significant attention for his purported healing abilities, prompting the scientific community to investigate him. Despite his popularity, most academics remained skeptical, leading to a 1784 commission declaring animal magnetism fraudulent. In contrast, the Marquis de Puysegur's findings were better received; he discovered that subjects in a state he termed "artificial somnambulism" became highly suggestible and responsive to direction. This state was attributed to the subject's mental condition rather than any influence from the mesmerist, establishing de Puysegur as the true pioneer of modern hypnotism focused on suggestibility.

The debate around animal magnetism has led to two main schools of thought: one supports Mesmer's idea of a magnetic force at play in healing, while the other attributes healing solely to mental suggestion. This divide remains unresolved after nearly two centuries, with mental suggestion now more widely accepted. Interestingly, both theories may be valid and represent different facets of the same phenomenon, much like the particle-waves debate regarding light. Additionally, mesmerism and somnambulism have spawned two religions—Spiritualism and Christian Science—where healing is fundamentally linked to spirituality. Spiritualists believe in healing gifts reinforced by guidance from those beyond, while Christian Scientists view disease as a mental error that requires correction for healing.

Despite numerous accounts of miraculous healings by contemporary practitioners such as Kathryn Kuhlman and Harry Edwards, these claims lack verification, as alternative explanations exist. Nonetheless, both healers and patients maintain a strong belief in their healing abilities, particularly when traditional medicine has failed. The healer's efficacy should theoretically be discernible under experimental conditions, warranting research to explore if some individuals can expedite healing and to unravel the underlying mechanisms. While revered physicians acknowledge Nature as a fundamental healer, it is essential to recognize that healing also depends on human awareness of our unique position in the world, bridging nature and the divine.

In "The Colossus of Marousi," Henry Miller explores four explanations for healing power: divine intervention, guidance from spirits, the healer's own abilities, and the patient's suggestibility. He notes that many healers attribute their success to prayer and the belief in God's role in healing, which encompasses both spiritual and medical methods. However, he argues that the concept of God provides little insight into the healing process itself. Some psychic healers believe in channeling spirits, while others see themselves as conduits of various forms of healing energy, such as prana in yoga. This energy is thought to repair and restore health, and yoga teaches that individuals can use their own vital forces for self-healing.

The complexities of psychic healing, distinguishing between two types as identified by Dr. Lawrence LeShan. In type I healing, the healer enters an altered state of consciousness and perceives a unity with the patient, which facilitates a healing process through a sense of connection rather than direct intervention. Type II healing, in contrast, involves a more active approach where the healer aims to cure the patient by manipulating energy around the affected area. There exists a boundary between psychic healing and suggestion, highlighting the similarities to medical practices like using placebos. Ultimately, both suggest that the patient's belief in healing plays a critical role in their recovery.

Research into psychic healing suggests that something beyond suggestion may be occurring. In 1957, Dr. Bernard Grad from McGill University conducted experiments with healer Oscar Estabany, who claimed to transfer a “power” through his hands. They tested the healing effects on wounded mice, with Estabany treating them by holding them for 20 minutes twice daily. Results indicated that the wounds of the treated mice were smaller than those of the control group. Further experiments involved three groups: those treated by Estabany, those treated by non-healers, and a no-treatment group. Additional controls included sealing cages and obscuring views to minimize bias. The mice treated by Estabany consistently showed smaller wounds, especially when the cages were held openly. The study concluded that Estabany’s treatment had a notable effect compared to the other groups.

Dr. Grad conducted experiments to explore how personal treatment of saline solutions affected plant growth. In the first experiment, barley seeds watered with a treated saline (held by Estabany) grew faster than those with untreated saline, indicating that Estabany's handling altered the water's molecular structure. In a subsequent experiment, three individuals (one healthy and two depressed) treated normal saline before watering additional barley seeds. The healthy participant yielded the tallest plants, while one of the depressed participants also produced more plant material than the control group, suggesting that the mood of the individuals holding the bottles significantly influenced results. This indicates a positive mood may be essential for enhancing plant growth outcomes.

Dr. Justa M. Smith, Chairman of Biology and Biochemistry at Rosary Hill College, studied how Estabany influences enzymes, hypothesizing that effective psychic healing boosts enzyme activity. In experiments comparing untreated and Estabany-treated trypsin, results showed significant increases in activity, similar to effects of a strong magnetic field, despite no detectable magnetic field near Estabany’s hands. Dr. Smith replicated her findings with other healers. Additionally, Graham and Anita Watkins explored the influence of concentration on anaesthetized mice’s recovery rates, finding no significant healing results but observing a “linger effect” even after concentration ceased, impacting nearby mice. This lingering effect appears to be more reliable than immediate results.

An experiment led by Dr. Robert N. Miller, Dr. Philip Reinhart, and Anita Kern, featuring spiritual healer Olga Worrall, investigated the measurable energy emitted from a healer's hands using a cloud chamber. As Worrall visualized energy flowing from her hands, a wave pattern appeared in the chamber, moving perpendicularly to her palms. Remarkably, a follow-up experiment confirmed similar results even when Worrall was 600 miles away, illustrating a "linger effect" where energy took about eight minutes to dissipate. Additionally, researchers at Duke University discovered that a psychic healer can emit ultraviolet light, which affects detection instruments. This suggests a potential inherent power within us that impacts healing, although its full extent remains undefined, hinting at a connection between self-repair and self-realization.


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References:
(1) Encyclopedia of the Unexplained. ed. by Richard Cavendish. McGraw Hill, New York, 1974.
(2) Fuller, John G. Arigo: Surgeon of the Rusty Knife. Pocket Books, New York, 1975.
(3) Grad, Bernard. “The ‘Laying on of Hands’: Implications for Psychotherapy, Gentling, and the
Placebo Effect.” Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, Vol. 61, No. 4, Oct. 1967,
pp. 286-305.
(4) Grad, Bernard. “A Telekinetic Effect on Plant Growth II.” International Journal of
Parapsychology. Vol. VI, No. 4, 1964, pp. 473-498.
(5) Grad, B., Cadoret, R., & Paul, G. I. “The Influence of an Unorthodox Method of Treatment on
Wound Healing in Mice.” International Journal of Parapsychology. Vol. III, No. 2, 1961, pp. 5-25.
(6) LeShan, Lawrence. The Medium, the Mystic, and the Physicist. Viking Press, New York, 1974. p.
111.
(7) Miller, R., Reinhart, P., & Kern, A. Science of Mind. July, 1974. pp. 12-16.
(8) Mitchell, Edgar D. Psychic Explorations. ed. by John White. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York,
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(9) Podmore, Frank. From Mesmer to Christian Science. University Books, New Hyde Park, New
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(10) Proceedings of the Canadian Conference on Psychokinesis. New Horizons Research Foundation,
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(11) Smith, Sister Justa M. Human Dimensions. Rosary Hill College, Buffalo, 1972.

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