Healing research
Research: So far several tens of papers have been published concerning therapeutic touch/reiki – a very small quantity, but an interesting start. Area’s investigated include anxiety, relaxation, muscle tension, wound recovery and on reducing pain. By the way, if anyone reading is in a position to develop research projects related to healing I’d love to be involved! Some interesting links to research relating to spiritual healing:
- Healing helping reduce anxiety and hospital stay following bypass operations
- Therapeutic touch in chronic neuropathic pain (indicating positive effects on well-being and reduction in fatigue and confusion)
- Healing may help reduce tiredeness, anxiety and pain in cancer treatment whilst also improving quality of life.
- Therapeutic touch appears to even have an effect on cells in a test tube!
- Experience of a Reiki session ‘Participants described a liminal state of awareness in which sensate and symbolic phenomena were experienced in a paradoxical way. Liminality was apparent in participants’ orientation to time, place, environment, and self Paradox also was seen in participants’ symbolic experiences of internal feelings, cognitive experience, and external experience of relationship to the Reiki master’
- An interesting paper on the psychopysiological effect of distant healing.
- A small trial of distant healing on chronic pain.
- Other research of interest: Energy work practises, Supporting cancer treatment, Prayer, ‘Six pillars of energy healing’
- Models developed for assessing energy healing.
Links:
- Heartmath have a good collection of research links. In my clinic I sometimes assess Heart Rate Variability as a biofeedback device for help bring people into their heart consciousness.Neurofeedback and the impact of alpha/theta brainwave states. There is a huge emerging field around this, of which the ‘Peniston Protocol’ was one of the first approaches. This protocol was geared towards rehab. for addicts (with great success), but touches on a more universal self-healing response. During 2010 I am training in using Neurofeedback in my practice, and will be offering this therapeutically from 2011 onwards.
- A good article on past lives and relevance in therapy/healing. From my point of view I maintain an open opinion of these and rarely if ever actively go seeking information that people may recognise as having past-life qualities. However, this information does sometimes surface during treatment and if so I may support you in exploring it. This is often as a body memory or emotional resonance with a visual or kinaesthetic story attached to it. The great thing working with past lives is that it makes absolutely no difference if you believe in them or not – when you hit one of your own, it has a power that is undeniable, wherever it comes from! For those who don’t believe in them they can be seen as a highly charged and personal symbolic narratives touching on archetypal human themes. ‘Past lives’ is easier to say tough…..