Overview

This unique book brings you a light summary of a comprehensive survey of scientific research on spiritual healing from around the world. Spiritual healing is used as a generic term for hand-healing (without massage or pressure) and healing through meditation, mental intent or prayer. Common methods included are Therapeutic Touch, Healing Touch, Reiki, Qigong and more. 

The popular edition focuses on what healers say they do and how they do it, with a lighter review of the research, without the statistical analyses. The professional supplement is for readers who want to see research confirming that these methods really work, with all of the statistical details. 

If you’re considering buying this book, you will want to read the endorsements below from leaders in the field of healing.

Contents

This is an annotated bibliography of 189 randomized, controlled studies of healing 

Research shows that spiritual healing may be helpful in treating heart conditions, AIDS, hypertension, muscle fatigue, arthritis, pains of many sorts, depression, anxiety and stress reactions. Studies in other species demonstrate effects on wound healing, cancer growth, growth of plants, bacteria and yeasts, and influencing cellular and DNA functions. There is more research on spiritual healing than on most of the other complementary therapies.

Chapter 1 surveys healers from around the world about their experiences in learning, giving and teaching healing. It is wonderful to see that there are excellent results from healing for common problems such pains of all sorts, physical trauma, and acute and chronic diseases. While the media focus on rapid improvements or cures from healing for highly unusual diseases, these are the more rare cases (and therefore newsworthy). Far more commonly, healing is a gradual process of change, though far more rapid than normally seen - and still extremely impressive when seen in medically incurable problems. What is also impressive is that healing appears to exist in all cultures where it has been sought.

Chapter 2 explores measurements of healing effects. Subjective sensations of heat, cold and tingling suggest that there is an energy exchange between healers and healees. Varieties of measurements of known physical energies have sometimes shown effects, but these have rarely been consistently replicated. We are clearly still at the beginning of our journeys of exploration of these effects.

Chapter 3 reviews research in Parapsychology, which has broad overlaps with spiritual healing. Many healers are able to identify and assess the problems of healees intuitively. Parapsychology provides surprisingly solid evidence that these abilities are present in most of the population, although only measurable in common people through statistical analyses of large numbers of people. This is because most of us possess only modest parapsychological abilities. Healers are highly gifted and can demonstrate them more regularly and robustly.

Chapter 4 reviews and analyzes results of 189 controlled studies of healing. Of the 51 most rigorous, controlled studies of healing research, 74% show significant positive effects.

Chapter 5 reviews observational studies, qualitative studies and other reports from careful observers of healing. Again, these are reviewed and discussed in detail.

Conclusions: Healing research is demonstrating far-reaching benefits, with wonderful implications for health care, personal spiritual awareness, and the healing of our environment.

Healers are starting to collaborate with doctors and to work in hospitals. Nurses and doctors are learning to develop and use their own healing gifts. Healing can be an effective, safe and cost-effective complement to most treatment modalities.

Healing also enhances personal spiritual awareness, a deep inner knowing that you are a part of a vast, loving universe.

Healing knows no limits. We can learn to extend healing to our ailing society and planet.

Healing research also clarifies the subjective nature of research, showing that there is no “objective truth.” If mind can interact with living and inanimate matter, as research evidence in this book convincingly suggests, then researchers can actually influence their own experiments to conform with their expectations. One healing experiment specifically examines and confirms that this can happen.

580 pages, over 1,500 references, endnotes, glossary, index, resources