Studies and Progress Notes (October 2006)
Spiritual Awareness and Wholistic Healing
Study shows significant effects of WHEE and HeartMath intervention
Wholistic Hybrid derived from EMDR and EFT, AKA Whole Healing – Easily and Effectively
I am pleased to share that the first of several studies including WHEE has been completed. Christine Caldwell Bair found that significant synchronizations were demonstrated between heart rates of healer and healees – the primary focus of the study. The volunteer healees came in response to an advertisement to learn a self-relaxation and healing technique that was part of a study. Both the control and treatment groups were also taught WHEE (Wholistic Hybrid derived from EMDR and EFT). The control group demonstrated a significant decrease in Subjective Units of Distress (SUDS) from before to after their practice of WHEE (p < .04), which was taught to all 41 participants simultaneously.
Subjects in the treatment group who received the WHEE plus a HeartMath intervention demonstrated additional significant effects compared to the control group who only practiced WHEE. “The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of the healer's heart field upon subjects during energy healing, as measured by synchronization of heart rates and scores on a Subjective Units of Distress (SUD) scale and Profile of Mood States (POMS) inventory. A nonequivalent pretest posttest design was used based on heart rate comparison of healer and subject, and correlated with pre-and post-test SUDs and Profiles of Mood States scores. The subjects included two populations: N = 50 who sat within the 3-4 foot “strong” range of the healer's heart field, the independent variable, while using self application of the WHEE energy healing technique, and N = 41 who completed the same process beyond the 15-18 foot range of the healer's heart field. The dependent measures were heart rate, Subjective Units of Distress, and Profile of Mood States inventory. All subjects completed these measures within one hour. Statistically significant heart rate synchronization [p < .001] was found in the intervention population. Subjective Units of Distress and Profile of Mood States scores demonstrated more improvement than the control population, indicating additional benefit beyond the WHEE effect alone [p < .003].”
The researcher notes in private communications about WHEE: “Anecdotally, I can report that almost all the folks I've had opportunity to teach it to actually USE IT because of it's ease, unobtrusiveness, and effectiveness - very different than other techniques which work fine, but no one uses them because they can't get off alone and find 15-20 minutes to do them, so they just don't bother.”
Source: Bair, Christine Caldwell. The heart field effect: synchronization of healer-subject heart rates in energy therapy, Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Holos University Graduate Seminary, Springfield, MO, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Theology 2006.
IJHC – WHR Observations
It is helpful to have this objective research confirmation of the efficacy of WHEE.
The measurement of heart rates used in this study is of particular interest as regards the HeartMath intervention. Most previous HeartMath studies rely on sophisticated comparisons of electrocardiograms of healer and subjects. This study simply counted heartbeats.
The healer was able to add significantly greater decreases in the subjective units of distress of the experimental group compared to the self-healing effects in the control group. This is an important finding, providing evidence that healer interventions can add to self-healing treatments.
WHEE is particularly helpful in research for two reasons:
1. It is easily learned, easy and rapid to use, and very potent and effective. (I routinely offer a money back guarantee in workshops and have yet to have anyone take me up on this!)
2. WHEE taps into the research database of EMDR and is thus more easily accepted by hospital research boards and conventional medical and nursing researchers and clinicians. The efficacy of EMDR is gaining acceptance as equivalent to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for treatment of PTSD by growing numbers of authorities.
Future Research in Wholistic Healing
The IJHC/WHR E-Zine features monthly suggestions for future research in healing.
READERS ARE INVITED TO SUBMIT SUGGESTIONS FOR TOPICS TO STUDY
If your topic is chosen, you ill receive free access to the IJHC for a month, including the current issue and all back issues.
Identifying differences in healing effects
Researchers have avoided explorations of the differences in effects between the diverse healing modalities. We have no objective evidence whether Therapeutic Touch, Healing Touch, Reiki, LeShan Healing, Prayer healing or any other forms of healing are similar to each other or different in their effects. This is primarily because we have not wanted to get into 'healing competitions' or 'prayer contests,' since the only way of assessing the effects of healing has been to explore whether people with illnesses improve or not. Any such measures of differences in effects between healing modalities would be fraught with potential confounding errors due to the high degrees of variability in effects of any one healing modality between one healer and another; one healee and another; and one research protocol and setting and another. It would be impossible to say with any certainty that a better effect of one healing modality over another in a given study was due to the healing modality rather than to these other variables (and to countless further possible confounding variables as well).
Jeanne Achterberg's study of fMRI effects of different healers opens a completely different doorway into studying this question. This may provide objective ways to identify differences between effects of healing modalities on the brains of healees.
Wholistic Approaches
University of Leicester produces the first-ever 'world map of happiness'
Happiness is ... being healthy, wealthy and wise. Happiness is found to be most closely associated with health (correlation of .62), followed by wealth (.52), and then provision of education (.51).
Adrian White, an analytic social psychologist at the University's School of Psychology, analyzed data published by UNESCO, the CIA, the New Economics Foundation, the WHO, the Veenhoven Database, the Latinbarometer, the Afrobarometer, and the UNHDR, to create a global projection of subjective well-being: the first world map of happiness…
Whilst collecting data on subjective well-being is not an exact science, the measures used are very reliable in predicting health and welfare outcomes. It can be argued that whilst these measures are not perfect they are the best we have so far, and these are the measures that politicians are talking of using to measure the relative performance of each country…
"There is increasing political interest in using measures of happiness as a national indicator in conjunction with measures of wealth...
"There is a belief that capitalism leads to unhappy people. However, when people are asked if they are happy with their lives, people in countries with good healthcare, a higher GDP per captia, and access to education were much more likely to report being happy.”
The 20 happiest nations in the World are:
1. Denmark
2. Switzerland
3. Austria
4. Iceland
5. The Bahamas
6. Finland
7. Sweden
8. Bhutan
9. Brunei
10. Canada |
11. Ireland
12. Luxembourg
13. Costa Rica
14. Malta
15. The Netherlands
16. Antigua and Barbuda
17. Malaysia
18. New Zealand
19. Norway
20. The Seychelles
|
Other notable results include:
23. USA
35. Germany
41. UK
62. France
82. China
90. Japan
125. India
167. Russia
The three least happy countries were:
176. Democratic Republic of the Congo
177. Zimbabwe
178. Burundi
IJHC - WHR Observations:
Wealth as a measure of happiness appears to me to be questionable. Wealth appears more often to be a trap of unhappy seeking for ever more wealth, at the expense of true happiness. The most outstanding evidence for this is country No. 8, Bhutan, which is a very poor country that has actually resisted very vigorously incursions of Western materialism. See wonderful article describing happiness in Bhutan at
http://www.science-spirit.org/printerfriendly.php?article_id=595
Complementary Therapies
Probiotic supplements may help the elderly
“Probiotics, meaning ‘for life,’ are products that contain live strains of bacteria [that are naturally found in the gut] incorporated into yoghurts, fruit juices or freeze-dried powders, which boost levels of the friendly bacteria in the gut… could help protect older people against bowel conditions, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
People over 60 have about 1,000-fold less ‘friendly’ bacteria in their guts compared with other adults…
The human gut contains different strains of bacteria, some of which are ‘friendly,’ such as bifidobacteria or lactobacilli, some that help with food digestion and some that are disease-causing.
Having a balance of friendly bacteria is thought to stop harmful forms taking hold and causing disease.”
Quality control is a problem in products of some brands, so the consumer is advised to look for probiotics from larger manufacturers such as Nestle, Danone, Seven Seas and Yakult (UK); Rebalanced Health, Vital Health, Flora Source (US).
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5253182.stm
IJHC - WHR Observations
Antibiotics often kill off helpful bacteria in the gut along with the pathogenic bacteria that are causing infections. It is particularly helpful to take probiotics after receiving antibiotics.
More CAM reviews at
www.naturalhealthvillage.com
www.mdlinx.com/FamilyMDLinx
www.ucalgary.ca/~camig/litsearch.html
AMSA website
www.amsa.org/humed/camresources/camnews.cfm
Environment (Healing Our Planet)
Outstanding green innovations and inventions
“We all want the latest cars, the grooviest clothes and the shiniest gadgets. But what of the price to the planet? Is it possible to go shopping with a clear conscience? Can environmentally sound products still be objects of desire?” The Independent http://www.news.independent.co.uk/environment/article1359779.ece%20
www.treehugger.com is an unusual environmental website that promotes clever and attractive alternative inventions that are friendly to the environment.
The following is just one of the more than 6,000 items from this sparkling site - which appeals to me because it is both environmentally friendly and a contribution to healing of social issues.
No sweat: organic yoga togs from Bethlehem
Plans are under way to develop production of cotton underwear and sportswear by Palestinians – both an eco-friendly project (cotton is biodegradable, unlike synthetics that are mostly made of oil-based fibers) and a stimulation to the Palestinian economy. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/09/no_sweat_organi.php
Here is a further potpourri of suggestions from this exceptional site:
TreeHugger Picks: Unusual Materials in Recycled Fashion
September 18, 2006 08:31 AM - Collin Dunn, Seattle
“After a little summer vacation, we're happy to bring back the TreeHugger Picks column to help guide you dear readers through our archive of over 7,000 posts. Today, inspired by the recently-completed fashion half of the Umbrella Inside Out design competition, we're taking a look at some other unusual materials that make inspired choices as recycled fashion.
1) iWood's sexy, sustainable sunglass frames are made from sustainably-harvested wood. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/08/sustainable_sty_3.php
2) Adidas uses surplus military materials to make each pair of their BW Army shoes totally unique. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/07/adidas_bw_army.php.
3) The Condom Project offers a solution to the condom conundrum and helps start conversations and raise awareness at Toronto's AIDS 2006 Conference. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/08/condom_fashion.php
4) Salewa's Ingeo shirt is part of the line that claimed to be the first sportswear collection to use Ingeo, the fabric derived from corn starches. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2004/12/salewas_jummy_i.php
5) Deborah Milner and Aveda collaborated to bring the world 'lace' made from melted plastic bags and tree resin extracts and leaf dyes used to make her high-style couture fashion a little more sustainable." http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/06/deborah_milner.php
IJHC-WHR Observations
Garbage is a growing problem. We are running out of places to dispose of it. Biodegradable clothing (and other products) are a contribution to solving this problem.
The popular perception of ecology is that it is primarily a subject for academic study, and likely to produce predictions of doom and gloom. This negative perception is fostered by questions raised by industry and politicians about how accurate the warnings are of irreversible changes from pollution and impending or actual exhaustion of resources. The public has difficulty knowing who to believe.
Ecology also appears to threaten our luxurious (and often environment-unfriendly) lifestyles. People are torn between wanting to contribute to the planet and wanting to enjoy luxuries that may be environmentally unfriendly or even destructive.
It is therefore a delight to find a website that offers so many wonderful suggestions that are eco-friendly!
Technology
A low tech solution to bathroom and litter box odors
Some deodorizing aerosols can contribute to global warming. The deodorant cans add to the environmental problems of garbage disposal.
More common in Europe, but growing in the US is the use of a burning match to neutralize fecal odors. Lighting a single match usually does the trick. This is not a matter of burning off methane or other gasses. Something in the lighting of the match head seems to be the effective agent.
The third picture shows a low tech solution to the fire hazard.
IJHC-WHR Observations
Simplicity!
Human Ecology
Hearing voices may not be a bad thing
One in 25 people hear voices. While this is often disturbing to many of these people, a significant number report that the voices may offer inspiration, comfort and helpful advice.
Sources:
Hearing voices movement http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_Voices_Movement
(Has extensive references)
Mental Health Foundation
Rethink - Coping with hearing voices fact sheet http://www.rethink.org/how_we_can_help/publications/coping_with.html%20
BBC - Voices in the head 'are normal' http://www.news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5346930.stm
IJHC – WHR Observations
It is lovely to see this acknowledgment in mainstream science and media that inspiration may come in the form of hearing voices. Many intuitives, healers, artists and others have reported that they have guidance from spirits, often in the form of hearing voices, but also as imagery and concepts that appear in their minds.
It is fascinating to see this opening to part of the awareness of inspiration as a voice, but no discussion of our higher self, spirits, angels, saints, God and other spiritual sources as possible origins for them.
See Healing Research, Volume III -
Personal Spirituality: Science, Spirit and the Eternal Soul for a thorough discussion of these issues, with a spectrum of research pointing to validation of spirit existence.
eBook: $27.00
Paperback: $17.77