CONCEPTS OF PAIN IN SPIRITUAL HEALING
Daniel J. Benor, MD, ABHM
Chapter In: Ernst, Edzard (ed), Complementary Therapies for Pain Management, UK: Elsevier 2007.
Introduction
Spiritual healing (abbreviated here as healing) is arguably the oldest among all of the CAM modalities, found in one form or another in every culture. Shamans in traditional societies and healers in industrial societies are known for treating through the laying on of hands and through prayer/meditation/intent. This chapter reviews the common practices and concepts involved in the use of healing for treating pain.
Methods
Healing through the laying on of hands is offered with a light touch (not involving manipulation of the body) or with the hands held near to but not touching the body. In shamanic and other healing traditions, the laying on of hands may be supplemented with prayers, meditations, imagery, healing rituals, chants and ceremonies. Prayers and the other methods may also be used alone, without the laying on of hands.
Concepts of pain in healing
Various systems of healing have been developed and have grown in popularity in modern times,[1] including Therapeutic Touch,[2] Healing Touch,[3] Reiki[4] and many other, less well-known approaches. In the UK, spiritual healing is a generic term commonly used for any and all forms of healing. Each approach involves sets of rituals and recommendations of ways for healers to offer healing. Some healing traditions encourage healers to give themselves healing when in need, and some teach people to develop their own healing gifts for self-healing.
Theories explaining healing
Biological energies (bioenergies) in the body
Healers and healees (those receiving healing) commonly report that during healings they sense heat, tingling, vibrations and other sensations between the hands of the healer and the parts of the body of the healee that are in need of treatment. This is often interpreted as a bioenergy exchange occurring between the healer and the healee. Healers claim to remove blocks to the flows of energies within the bodies of the healees; to release and/or remove excesses of energies; to harmonise energy imbalances; and to supplement missing energies. Bioenergies within the body can be addressed with spiritual healing, as well as by acupuncture, acupressure, reflexology, shiatsu, applied kinesiology and other CAM therapies.[5]
Biological energy fields surrounding the body
Healers and medical intuitives report that they perceive the bioenergy body as an energy field surrounding and interpenetrating the physical body, reflecting the health and illness of the body, emotions, mind, relationships and spirit. Healers report that the biofield is not only the product of physiological processes, it is also an informational template for guiding growth, maintaining integrity and promoting repair of body form and functions. Some sensitives can see changes in the biofield before the manifestation of these changes in the physical body, and can use these to predict the development of physical and psychological illnesses.[5]
Conventional science has confirmed Einstein's observation that matter and energy are interconvertible. The chair we sit on and the floor we stand on can be described as collections of particles; alternatively, they can be described as waves and energies. Conventional Newtonian medicine has been slow to absorb this lesson. Within the frameworks of modern physics, the body may be addressed as matter; it can equally be addressed as energies - which is what many healers believe.[5]
While thus far the definitive identification of biological energies related to healing has eluded measurements, preliminary research has indicated alterations in the infrared spectrum of water following treatment with spiritual healing.[6-8] Observational reports have indicated changes in the surface tension of water and in photographic film treated with healing.[9]
To some extent, all treatments of any sort involve self-healing. This applies to spiritual healing as well. It is speculated by healers that spiritual healing may be particularly effective in this regard because it adds bioenergy and intentional interventions to those present for all therapies through suggestion.
Transpersonal agents for healing
Many healers report that they are not the agents for the healings but rather they are channels for healing from Christ, Mary, saints, or other religious figures, from angelic or nature spirits, or directly from the Divine.
Religious interpretations of healing
Historically, healing has often been given within religious contexts, where it is sometimes claimed that faith in the teachings and tenets of the given religion is required for healing to occur - which has lent the name faith healing to this modality. People who are ill may respond better to a person who shares their religious beliefs. While faith may be helpful to members of a religion, the fact that animals, plants and other organisms respond to healing places this assumption in serious question. A further disadvantage to religious involvement in healing can be the engendering of guilt when people suffer blame for their inability to cure themselves or to respond to spiritual healing, interpreting their suffering as punishment for insufficient faith.[10]
Suggestion, placebo and other self-healing responses
Suggestion, placebo and other self-healing responses have been documented with every known treatment. Thus, there is reason to believe that every treatment involves a measure of self-healing on the part of the healee, and spiritual healing is no exception.[5]
Spiritual self-healing is also possible. It is commonly held by healers that everyone has a measure of spiritual healing ability.[1] Much like playing the piano, some develop their healing gifts easily and spontaneously, some may become proficient with diligent practice and some are best off not engaging in healing lessons. Spiritual healing as taught by member groups of the UK Healers organization involves training and certification by peers. Some systems of healing are taught internationally, such as Therapeutic Touch and Healing Touch, and involve extensive training, certifications and ongoing professional development following certification. Some systems, such as Reiki, involve inductions of healing abilities by the teacher (master) and may be learned in one to three weekends with no further supervision or certification. The UK Healers has a Code of Conduct that has been standardized for its various member organizations.
Touch, skin sensitivity and spiritual healing
One possible mechanism whereby laying on of hands healing may be effective is simply through the power of touch, unrelated to spiritual healing. Conversely, part of the potency of touch may reside in the effects of spiritual healing, which may occur even without the conscious knowledge or intention of the practitioner.[11]
Relaxation, breathing and a broad spectrum of other self-healing capabilities
Relaxation, breathing and a broad spectrum of other self-healing capabilities could explain many of the effects of healing on pain. Most people notice a difference between their experiences of pain when they are rested and relaxed compared to when they are tired or anxious. When people are 'uptight' they have a lower tolerance for pain. Through mechanisms of suggestion and relaxation, healers could help to reduce pain.[5]
Controlled studies
Rigorous controlled studies have indicated that there are probably factors related to spiritual healing beyond suggestion and self-healing that reduce pain. Some studies have suggested that spiritual healing is helpful in reducing headache,[12] back pain,[12] arthritis pain [12] and post-operative pain.[13-16] Other studies have explored healing for neck, menstrual and idiopathic pain, but these were not rigorous in either design or reporting or in both.
Possible mechanisms for the experience of pain [5]
1. Pain perception is initiated by stimulation of nerve endings in the various organs of the body. Sources of stimulation can include:
a. Mechanical factors - trauma ranging from chronic external pressure to acute blows or cuts; internal trauma from heavy or chronic, repetitive use of the musculoskeletal system beyond its natural capacities; and swelling or other deformity of organs and tissues from factors such as oedema (excessive body fluid), infection and direct trauma to nerves
b. Chemical or metabolic factors - caustic external substances or toxins that damage tissues or cause muscle spasms; and accumulations of physiological toxins within the body
c. Thermal or electromagnetic stimulation - reactions range from unpleasant sensations, through muscle spasms, to coagulation of tissues
d. Infections - direct inflammation of nerves or indirect pain via swelling of tissues and organs
e. Neoplasms - tumours with invasions of tissues and nerves, or indirect pain via swelling of, or encroachment upon, tissues and organs, especially nerves and bones
f. Degenerative factors - wearing out of tissues and articulating surfaces, with pain felt as the body 'complains' about overuse
g. Immune system responses - swelling or inflammation of tissues because of allergic reactions that produce inflammation (rheumatoid arthritis is included here because it is thought to be caused by autoimmune reactions)
h. Neurophysiological factors - malfunctions of the central and peripheral nervous systems, leading to tension in muscles, which eventually tire or spasm, producing pain, which in turn creates the vicious circle considered previously
i. Psychological factors - muscle spasms with tension or conditioned responses; metaphors for emotional problems that are expressed through muscle tensions; and phantom limb phenomena following amputations.
2. Pain perception is variable between different people. Pain is more than a simple chain of cause and effect of physical and psychological relationships. One person may have little reaction to a given painful stimulus, while another may writhe in agony under the (apparently) same stimulus or condition. Psychological factors influencing pain perception may involve:
a. Innate differences in pain thresholds - one person may have less sensitivity to certain stimuli than another
b. General state of the nervous system (whether affected by tiredness, anxiety, or other emotional factors) - this may relate to altered sensitivity thresholds, or to the amount of energy a person has for coping with the added stress of pain
c. Specific psychological factors - for example, people may tolerate post-surgical pain well if they know that the operation has resulted in a cure of their illness, or they may tolerate the same pain poorly if they hear that the surgery brought only a diagnosis of incurable disease
d. Cultural conditionings - which teach a person to be stoic or vociferous in dealing with pain
e. Attention factors - at the height of an emergency or exciting situation (accident, sports event), while engrossed in achieving some immediate objective, a person might not feel pain despite a severe injury. Only later, when attention is focused on the wound, is the pain perceived. People who have a goal to work toward may focus all their attention on this and even deliberately ignore their pain, subsequently finding that they also feel the pain less
f. Mood factors - may influence responsivity to pain anxiety and depression may increase pain, tranquillity and joy decrease it)
g. Rewards associated with the expression of pain - may influence the frequency of its occurrence and the severity of its expression. A person who unconsciously enjoys some benefit (secondary gain) from a pain, such as avoidance of unpleasant tasks or extra attention from family members, is likely to experience more pain. People who anticipate compensation following accidents are likely to relinquish their pains slowly, if at all.
I enjoy convalescence. It is the part that makes illness worthwhile.
- George Bernard Shaw
h. Phantom limb phenomena persistence of perceptions in a part of the body (limb, breast) that has been amputated, often associated with pains that are experienced as though the limb were still present. Paraplegics (paralyzed from the waist down) may have phantom limb pains even when their spinal cords have been completely severed so that no ordinary sensations are felt from beyond the level of the nerves that were cut. Similarly, phantom limb sensations are reported in people with congenital absence of limbs
i. Fantasy pains - sensations seemingly created by the mind, where no objective causes can be identified. These may be body metaphor equivalents for anxieties, emotions, traumatic experiences and psychotic misperceptions and misinterpretations of reality.
3. Transpersonal or spiritual awarenesses may contribute to how we experience and comprehend our pains.[10] a. Pain may be experienced and interpreted as a stimulus for people to pray, or to question why they are suffering, and to ask God for help in understanding and dealing with their injury or illness. At the very least, pain may be the unconscious mind's way of forcing them to take a break from stresses or lifestyles that are in some way harmful.
Many people who have serious health issues come to feel that their illness led them to re-examine their lives, and to make enormously enriching decisions for better relationships and more emotionally satisfying and rewarding careers, not to mention healthier lifestyles. This life transforming process may come as a response to the physical challenges that force them to face their mortality and ask questions about the meaning of life. b. People may come to feel a spiritual causality that underlies and guides major life challenges, sensing that they might have been deliberately invited or pushed into such experiences by their higher self, by spirit or angelic guides, or by the Infinite Source - as a way of deepening their spiritual quest in life.
Pain may be related to lessons chosen by their higher self or soul for their spiritual growth. When people are free of pain they tend to be complacent and coast along, enjoying life but not learning very much. When they are in pain they are challenged to find new solutions to their problems, to plumb the depths of their being, and to push beyond the limits of their ordinary capabilities and awarenesses.
We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, but spiritual beings having a human experience.
- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
c. Pain may be a residual from a previous incarnation, which invites people to explore this dimension of their existence, and to resolve ancient emotional scars.
Mechanisms for healing to relieve pain
Any of the mechanisms of healing listed above can interact with the causal mechanisms for pain. The complexity of the human condition thus makes the study of pain a challenge.
Practical issues
One of the major benefits of healing is that it is a safe intervention, in and of itself. There are no known detrimental effects of healing. It has occasionally been reported that pains may increase temporarily after initial healing treatments. This is viewed by healers as a positive sign, indicating that biological energies are being activated. With time and further healings, the pain levels return to baseline and below.
Where healing is misused as an alternative - rather than as a complement - to other therapies, there can be a danger that effective conventional or other therapies might be delayed to a point when they are no longer effective. In some cases, however, this could be a matter of patients' choices regarding the quality of life they prefer. They may decline to have chemotherapy, for instance, when this might offer limited hope but could seriously impair their enjoyment of life because of its major side effects.
In summary
Pain is a multifactorial problem, extremely complex to understand, much less to treat. Spiritual healing is presumed to address many, if not all, of the factors through bioenergies and intent. Self-healing mechanisms present in organisms receiving healing may also be activated by the healing.
References
1. Benor DJ. Healing research, volume I - spiritual healing: scientific validation of a healing revolution. Southfield, MI: Vision Publications; 2001.
2. Krieger D. Living the therapeutic touch. New York: Dodd Mead; 1987.
3. Hover-Kramer D. Healing touch: a guidebook for practitioners. Albany, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning; 2001.
4. Barnett L, Chambers M, Davidson S. Reiki energy medicine: bringing healing touch into home, hospital, and hospice. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts; 1996.
5. Benor DJ. Healing research, volume II (professional edition): consciousness, bioenergy and healing. Medford, NJ: Wholistic Healing Publications; 2004.
6. Miller R. The relationship between the energy state of water and its physical properties. Research paper, Ernest Holmes Research Foundation; undated
7. Rein G, McCraty R. Structural changes in water and DNA associated with new physiologically measurable states. J Sci Explor 1995;8:438-439
8. Schwartz SA, De Mattei RJ, Brame EG Jr, Spottiswoode SJP. Infrared spectra alteration in water proximate to the palms of therapeutic practitioners. Subtle Energies 1990;1:43-72
9. Miller RN. Methods of detecting and measuring healing energies. In: White JW, Krippner S, eds. Future science: life energies and the physics of the paranormal. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press; 1997:431-444
10. Benor DJ. Healing research, volume III - personal spirituality: science, spirit and the eternal soul. Medford, NJ: Wholistic Healing Publications; 2006
11. Montagu A. Touching: the human significance of the skin. New York: Perennial Harper & Row; 1971
12. Redner R, Briner B, Snellman L. Effects of a bioenergy healing technique on chronic pain. Subtle Energies 1991;2:43-68
13. Green WM. The therapeutic effects of distant intercessory prayer and patients' enhanced positive expectations on recovery rates and anxiety levels of hospitalized neurosurgical pituitary patients: a double blind study. Doctoral dissertation. San Francisco: California Institute of Integral Studies; 1993
14. Meehan TC, Mersmann CA, Wisemann ME, Wolff BB, Malgady RG. The effect of therapeutic touch on postoperative pain. Pain 1990;41:S149
15. Silva C. The effects of relaxation touch on the recovery level of postanesthesia abdominal hysterectomy patients (abstract). Altern Ther Health Med 1996; 2:94
16. Slater VE. The safety, elements, and effects of Healing Touch on chronic non-malignant abdominal pain. Doctoral dissertation. Knoxville: University of Tennessee, College of Nursing; 1996
Copyright © Elsevier Ltd, UK 2007
Chapter In: Ernst, Edzard (ed), Complementary Therapies for Pain Management, UK: Elsevier 2007.
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 Paperback - WHEE for pain Articles Workshops
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
Paperback, CD-ROM or e-Book of Consciousness, Bioenergy and Healing
(15% author’s discount on V2. Professional edition paperback and CD-ROM worldwide, and free postage in the US)
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.
(15% author’s discount on V2. Popular edition paperback worldwide, and free postage in the US )
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
Resources on spiritual healing
Benor, Daniel J, Healing Research: Volume I, (Popular edition)
Spiritual Healing: Scientific Validation of a Healing Revolution, Bellmawr, NJ: Wholistic Healing Publications 2007 (Orig. 2001)
Healers describe their work, research in parapsychology as a context for understanding healing, brief summaries of 191 randomized controlled studies, pilot studies. (FREE postage in the US)
Benor, Daniel J, Healing Research: Volume I, (Professional Supplement)
Spiritual Healing: Scientific Validation of a Healing Revolution,
Southfield, MI: Vision Publications, 2001.
Only the annotated, critiqued 191 randomized controlled studies and the pilot studies - described in much greater detail, including statistical information. (FREE postage in the US)
You may reproduce this article with permission of Daniel J. Benor, MD and must also obtain permission from
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