HERE ARE SOME THOUGHTS AND NOTES ON DISTANT HEALING

             The Efficacy of Distant Healing: A Systematic Review of Randomized Trials

            John A Austin, PHD, Elaine Harkness,BSC & Edzard Ernst,M.D., PHD

Purpose: To conduct a systematic review of the available data on any form of “distant healing”

                        (prayer, mental healing, Therapeutic Touch, or spiritual healing)

 A total of 23 trials involving 2774 patients met the inclusion criteria & were analyzed. Of the 23 studies, 13(57% ) yielded statistically significant treatment effects.

A 1996 national survey in the U.S. found that 82% of Americans believe in the healing power of prayer.

A growing body of evidence suggests an association between religious involvement and spirituality and positive health outcomes.

Spiritual healing is a broad classification of approaches involving, “The intentional influence of one or more persons upon another living system without utilizing known physical means of intervention”.

In the words of a leading researcher in this field, “No experiment can prove or disprove the existence of God, but if in fact (mental) intentions can be shown to facilitate healing at a distance, this would clearly imply that human beings are more connected to each other than previously believed. That connection could be actuated through the agency of God, consciousness, love, electrons, or a combination.”