Healing

Healing or the ‘laying on of hands’ is one of the most ancient forms of health care and almost certainly the one in most widespread use in the UK. Some estimates suggest that there may be over 20,000 healers in the UK, although exact figures vary between 8,000 healers belonging to 16 different healing organisations and 14,000 healers registered as complementary practitioners.

Healing is probably best defined as the practice of conscious intentionality – that is, positive thinking and beliefs designed to improve the health and well-being of others.

The origins of healing are probably very ancient, because they resemble certain Shamanistic practices which, if Australian Aboriginal culture is anything to judge by, have their origins in Neolithic societies. There are two features that all systems of healing share:

• There is usually some organised approach to the healing process. This may be religious (or recently ‘New Age’ spiritual beliefs) or may be linked to a particular system of medicine such as traditional Chinese medicine – for example, Qigong may be considered to be a system of healing firmly based on a traditional Chinese medical approach.
• Healers believe that they can somehow channel healing energy to the person being healed (the ‘client’).
• Within Christian societies, healing became an important part of Christian ministry, particularly during mediaeval times when there were often few effective medicines. The UK has developed a strong healing tradition over the years and there are probably more healers working in the UK than in any other Western industrialised nation.

There are a variety of different approaches to healing:

• Lay healers describe themselves as being of no specific faith but have usually discovered some innate healing ability along with some concepts of helping to ‘balance people’s energy’.
• Spiritual healing is the specific laying on of hands and involves prayer and/or religious meditation.
• Reiki is a system of healing that involves an interactive approach where healing energy is transferred between the healer and the person being healed (the client) with the aim of restoring the client’s energy balance.
• Therapeutic touch is a specific modern form of healing that was developed in the twentieth century by Professor Dolores Kreiger, an American nurse, to ‘rebalance’ or ‘repattern’ the ‘energy field’ of the client.

The mechanism involved in healing is unknown, but if healing works it must do so through an effect that encourages the client’s own body to reverse the damage caused by their disease. In other words, the effect of the healer/client relationship actually promotes self-healing.

WHAT DOES HEALING INVOLVE?

The ways in which the various healing techniques may be practised vary enormously. There are some charismatic healers who have in the past been associated with celebrities and sportsmen. However, many healers work on an entirely voluntary basis with local people who contact them for help.

Healing may take place with the healer and client present in the same room at the same time, or it may be in the form of absent healing. In absent healing, the client may simply request that the healer prays or meditates for them at specific set times of the day.

Healing may be practised almost anywhere – including in doctors’ surgeries, at special healing centres or in your home. A session may last from a few minutes to an hour and you may be treated in a sitting or lying position. Usually the healer will go through a quiet period, which is an initial preparation for them. During this time, they will relax and focus on your problem.

The healer may then pass his or her hands over your body, usually without touching you, and will try to identify the particular areas requiring healing. He or she may then either just leave the hands over the area of your body to heal it, or may move the hands in a stroking or sweeping manner over your body to rebalance your energy.

In general, healing is a soothing and relaxing experience and you may notice some degree of tingling or warmth around the area being healed. Some people experience quite remarkable help with just one or two healing sessions, whereas others need many sessions.

DOES HEALING WORK?

Healing may produce real benefit for people suffering from almost any illness. There have been a large number of clinical trials looking at different healing techniques. Probably the most thoroughly investigated technique is that of therapeutic touch, which by and large produces demonstrable benefit in a wide range of con­ditions. The evidence suggests that healing has a positive physiological effect on the body’s healing process.

One of the most impressive studies, carried out in the early 1990s, involved the absent healing of about 1,000 patients admitted to an American intensive care unit after they had experienced chest pain. Patients were randomly allocated to two groups: those who received absent healing and those who did not, although the patients were unaware which group they were allocated to. The outcome of their stay in hospital was recorded independently by someone who did not know who had received treatment. The results were quite astonishing and suggested that the absent healing had caused a dramatic effect because people who had healing were more likely to survive and had fewer complications.

At present, it’s difficult for conventional science to explain this phenomenon. The positive feelings that a person experiences in the presence of somebody who knows and cares about them very deeply may be part of the whole healing process. However, this doesn’t explain absent healing.

IS HEALING SAFE?

There have been no reported adverse physical reactions to healing. However, non-medical healers should not diagnose medical problems.

All responsible healing organ­isations suggest to their healers that they should work with conventional doctors and base their treatment firmly on a clear conventional diagnosis. This will avoid people with a disease that should be treated conventionally going to a healer who most likely will not have medical training and is not in a position to make diagnoses.

WHOM SHOULD I SEE?

There are two main healing organisations in the UK, both of which have clear ethical and professional guidelines. The most important of these guidelines is that a healer should always work with those who have medical res­ponsibility for the client and should respect the client’s confidentiality. A clear code of ethics and a list of appropriately qualified individuals are available from the National Federation of Spiritual Healers and the Confederation of Healing Organisations (see Useful addresses).