...all approaches heal the body in the identical way; the only difference is in how they limit their options...
                                          Hugh Prather, What is healing?
                                          In: R. Carlson and B. Shield, Healers on Healing

The Doctor-Healer Network is applying for registered charity status.  Here is the formal definition of healing developed in the DHN (1993) and submitted in draft form with that application:  Healing is the bringing about of wholeness in body, emotions, mind and spirit to an individual or group of individuals through the focused intent of those persons themselves or with the assistance of another individual or group of individuals through focused intent (such as thought, meditation or prayer).  Healing may involve the laying-on of hands or may be done with a healer near or distant from the healee.  Healing may be given in combination with massage, allopathic and homeopathic medications, conventional medical treatments including surgery and radiotherapy, counselling, psychotherapy and any of a wide range of complementary therapies.  Spiritual healing focuses on the spiritual dimension of wholeness, while including all other levels of healing as well.  Spiritual healing as intended in this instance is not to be taken as representing the beliefs of any exclusive religion or system of beliefs.

  Healing is, first and foremost, an attitude evident in one's state of being and with one's actions and interactions.  Articles featured in this issue show that there are many paths to healing.  Healing attitudes include awareness of oneself as part of a larger whole and bring oneself and the healee into this awareness of being one with something vaster than oneself.  Each of us is as a cell in the body of the All.  Healing requires that we do our best to be the clearest cell possible in order to contribute to the overall integrity and healing of the All.  As we become clearer, the All becomes clearer.  Others can resonate with our clarity, to find a similar note of clarity within themselves.

  Research confirms that healing is related to one's mental focus.  Studies of Therapeutic Touch healing demonstrate significant differences between laying-on of hands with the intent to heal and making the same hand motions while keeping one's mind on irrelevant thoughts (such as doing arithmetic). (1,2)

  Though healing is given to some as a strong gift, most people have a measure of ability to heal (themselves and others) which can be strengthened through learning and practice.  If we hold a healing attitude in our minds we can bring healing to whatever we do.  With a healing attitude, prescribing medication and doing surgery are healing acts.

  The editor both agrees and disagrees with Hugh Prather, quoted above.  It appears that our principal limitations in healing may be our disbeliefs about how a healing might occur.  In the exercise of beliefs and disbeliefs through our theories and methods of healing treatments we may well shape the process of healing in individual ways.  For example, the labels we use for healing may mould the expectations of healers and influence the results of our healings.  Healing in the US is called psychic, psi or mental healing and in the UK it is called spiritual healing.  In the last instance, it is the impression of the editors that there appears to be more obvious inclusion of spiritual awareness amongst healers in the UK than in the US.

  The feature section in this Newsletter includes people who have found many and varied paths to healing themselves and others.  All of the methods described appear to facilitate healing.  I am increasingly impressed that the healer may in many instances be more important than his or her chosen method.  Yet scientific methodology and logic caution that some methods may be more effective than others for particular problems.  There also may be methods which are ineffective in themselves.

  Also included are articles on how the person of the healer can be cleared in many ways to enhance what occurs in healing.

  Readers are invited to share their views on what healing is and can be.

  This issue rounds out our second year of publication.  Enclosed should be a questionnaire in which we request your feedback on what you like or dislike, and would like to have more of or less of in the Newsletter.  If your Newsletter does not include this page, please write to us with your comments and suggestions.

(1) Quinn, J. An investigation of the effect of therapeutic touch without physical contact on state anxiety of hospitalized cardiovascular patients, Doctoral dissertation, New York University 1982

(2) Keller, E. and Bzdek, V.M., Effects of therapeutic touch on tension headache pain, Nursing Research 1986, 35, 101-104.
 

You may quote from or reproduce these editorial clips if you include the following credits and email contact:
Copyright © Daniel J. Benor, M.D. 1993 Reprinted with permission of the author P.O. Box 76 Bellmawr, NJ 08099 www.WholisticHealingResearch.com   DB@WholisticHealingResearch.com

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