Updated 8/27/2001

Psi healing and related evidence: implications beyond individual treatment

This paper accepts the existence of spiritual healing (also called psi healing, mental and paranormal healing) to be an established fact. The author has found 191 published studies of healing (Benor 2001a, b). Close to two thirds of these demonstrate significant effects. There is thus more research on healing than on most of the other complementary therapies, with the exception of acupuncture, hypnosis and psychoneuroimmunology.

Spiritual healing demonstrates that the mind of a healer can alter the conditions of organisms, including cells in vitro, bacteria, yeasts, plants, animals and humans. In addition, there is evidence that healers may influence water, crystallization of salt solutions and enzymes. Some of these studies show significant effects of healing at a distance.

These studies have focused on the question of whether healing exists and whether healing may influence particular target organisms or other systems. There is evidence that healing effects may extend beyond an individual or single target system. Healing may influence groups of bacteria or mice simultaneously. Anecdotal reports and the author’s experience indicate that healing directed at individual persons’ problems may influence their relationships with others.

There is evidence from healers that unconscious or subconscious needs and/or wishes of healees may link them telepathically with healers or with a source of healing. Anecdotal reports indicate that healees may draw healing to themselves and/or that healers may send healing without conscious awareness or even without specific intent.

Healers, New Age people, members of various religions and some psi (parapsychology) researchers believe that minds may link telepathically in meditation, prayer and group activities such as sports.

Clairvoyants and telepaths appear able to obtain information from an undefined source about anything they wish to know. This extends to intuitive diagnosis in healing. The existence of “super-ESP” is suggested by numerous experiments These facts imply that psi may link us to a collective consciousness or that it may connect us with information on demand from anyone, anywhere in the world.

Many of the experiments forming the basis for Rupert Sheldrake’s theory of morphogenetic fields suggest that a collective consciousness may for a basis for species-specific memory.

There is a growing awareness of “Gaia” as a geo-biological ecosystem.

The implications of the above are that psi may link us as individuals with other individuals and with our planet as cells are linked with each other to form an organism whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts. A growing awareness of “Gaia” as a unitary organism suggests that parapsychology has much to contribute about possible mechanisms whereby the parts may function as a whole.

At least one simple experiment is suggested to forge a link in this direction. Rex Stanford’s “conformance” theory postulates that psi acts readily upon systems that are in random flux. Cells dividing for reproductive purposes (in meiosis) appear to go through a phase where the individual genes arrange themselves randomly within chromosome pairs. This would appear to be a system that could be readily influenced by psi. A Mendelian bean color experiment could be performed in which subjects seek to influence more white or more black beans to be produced (Benor 1987).
 
Relevant References

Benor, D.J. ( 2001a ) Healing Research, Volume I , Scientific Validations of a Healing Revolution, Southfield, MI: Vision Publications.

Benor, D.J. ( 2001b ) Healing Research, Volume I , Professional Supplement, Southfield, MI: Vision Publications.

Benor, D.J. (1987) Lama rckian genetics: theories from psi research and evidence from the work of Luther Burbank, Proceedings of SPR Conference, Edinburgh, August.
 
Resources on spiritual healing

Benor, Daniel J. (2007) Healing Research: Volume I, (Popular edition)
Spiritual Healing: Scientific Validation of a Healing Revolution , Bellmawr, NJ: Wholistic Healing Publications. (Orig. 2001)
   Healers describe their work, research in parapsychology as a context for understanding healing, brief summaries of 191 randomized controlled studies, pilot studies.   

Benor, Daniel J. (2001) Healing Research: Volume I, (Professional Supplement)
Spiritual Healing: Scientific Validation of a Healing Revolution , Southfield, MI: Vision Publications.
  Only the annotated, critiqued 191 randomized controlled studies and the pilot studies – described in much greater detail, including statistical information.    

Resources for exploring messages from your body

WHEE: Whole Health – Easily and Effectively®
AKA
Wholistic Hybrid derived from EMDR and EFT
  Potent self-healing method for releasing emotional and physical stress, pains, residues of traumas
  Workbook     WHEE for pain     Articles    

Resources for explaining the mind-body connection

Benor, Daniel J. Healing Research, Volume II: (Professional edition)
Consciousness, Bioenergy and Healing , Bellmawr, NJ: Wholistic Healing Publications 2004.  
  Thorough review of research validating the efficacy of self-healing, wholistic complementary/ alternative medicine (CAM), biological  energies, and environmental interactions with bioenergies.
  “Book of the Year” award – The Scientific and Medical Network, UK
   
Benor, Daniel J. Healing Research, Volume II: (Popular edition)
How Can I Heal What Hurts?   Wholistic Healing and Bioenergies,Bellmawr, NJ: Wholistic Healing Publications 2005  
  Popular edition Explains self-healing, wholistic complementary/ alternative medicine (CAM) and bioenergies, and discusses ways in which you can heal yourself. 

Develop and deepen your intuition and personal spirituality

Healing Research, V. 3
   Personal Spirituality: Science, Spirit and the Eternal Soul , Bellmawr, NJ: Wholistic Healing Publications (November 2006)
   
  Reaching Higher and Deeper
Workbook for Healing Research, Volume 3 : Personal Spirituality:
   Bellmawr, NJ: Wholistic Healing Publications 2007
 
Y ou may reproduce all or any parts of this article as long as you include credits as follows:
Copyright © Daniel J. Benor, MD, 2004. All rights reserved. An expanded version of this article appears as Benor, Daniel J.
www.wholistichealingresearch.com       [email protected]

You must also obtain permission from, German translation: Hagia Chora to reproduce this article.