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Results for “MENTAL HEALING”

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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1982

Study on the effectiveness of remote mental healing.

A study which involved eight healers and ninety-six patients was conducted to determine the effectiveness of remote mental healing. The test subjects were hypertension patients between the ages of sixteen and sixty. Neither the doctor nor the patients knew who received the mental healing treatments. Normal medical treatment was continued in all cases. Improvement was judged by changes in the diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, heart beat rate, and weight. The statistical analysis showed a significant improvement in the systolic blood pressure of the healer-treated group compared with the change in the control group. There were no significant differences in the changes of diastolic blood pressure, pulse, and weight of the two groups. Four of the healers had a 92.3 per cent improvement ratio in their total group of patients compared with a 73.7 per cent improvement for the control group. The general healing treatment used by the healers involved (a) a relaxation step, (b) attunement with a Higher Power or Infinite Being, (c) a visualization and/or affirmation of the patient being in a state of perfect health, and (d) expression of thanks to God or to the Source of all power and energy.

Blood Pressure↗
PubMed1988

[Ancient mental healing and cognitive behavior therapy in comparison].

Although cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) is a relatively new psychotherapeutic approach, the theoretical antecedents actually date back two thousand years, to the period of the hellenistic philosophers. The Stoic Epictetus is often acknowledged as the main philosophical father of CBT and especially of rational-emotive therapy (RET). Beck and Ellis frequently noted that they have drawn upon the writings of the ancient philosophers in developing their psychotherapeutic techniques. This paper reviews some implications of hellenistic philosophy for CBT. We like to show that the teachings of the ancient 'healer of souls' are remarkably consistent with the current theoretical framework and techniques of CBT.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1982

Modern Christian healing of mental illness.

Healing of mental illness through religious practices was a key element of early Christianity. In the early twentieth century such healing was associated with blue-collar and rural Fundamentalists, but religious healing practices have gained widespread acceptance by many middle-class, conservative Christian groups. "Evil demons" are now equated with envy, pride, avarice, hatred, and obsessions with alcohol and gambling. Many psychotherapeutic techniques of modern Christian healers appear to be rediscoveries of psychoanalytic insights expressed in religious metaphors. Most responsible healers encourage clients to seek medical and psychiatric help, especially for serious mental disorders. Psychiatrists need not share patients' religious beliefs, but for treatment to be effective these beliefs must be understood and respected.

Humans↗
PubMed2000

The efficacy of "distant healing": a systematic review of randomized trials.

PURPOSE: To conduct a systematic review of the available data on the efficacy of any form of "distant healing" (prayer, mental healing, Therapeutic Touch, or spiritual healing) as treatment for any medical condition. DATA SOURCES: Studies were identified by an electronic search of the MEDLINE, PsychLIT, EMBASE, CISCOM, and Cochrane Library databases from their inception to the end of 1999 and by contact with researchers in the field. STUDY SELECTION: Studies with the following features were included: random assignment, placebo or other adequate control, publication in peer-reviewed journals, clinical (rather than experimental) investigations, and use of human participants. DATA EXTRACTION: Two investigators independently extracted data on study design, sample size, type of intervention, type of control, direction of effect (supporting or refuting the hypothesis), and nature of the outcomes. DATA SYNTHESIS: A total of 23 trials involving 2774 patients met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Heterogeneity of the studies precluded a formal meta-analysis. Of the trials, 5 examined prayer as the distant healing intervention, 11 assessed noncontact Therapeutic Touch, and 7 examined other forms of distant healing. Of the 23 studies, 13 (57%) yielded statistically significant treatment effects, 9 showed no effect over control interventions, and 1 showed a negative effect. CONCLUSIONS: The methodologic limitations of several studies make it difficult to draw definitive conclusions about the efficacy of distant healing. However, given that approximately 57% of trials showed a positive treatment effect, the evidence thus far merits further study.

Complementary Therapies↗
PubMed2003

Discourses of culture and illness in South African mental health care and indigenous healing, Part II: African mentality.

This discourse analytic study explores constructions of culture and illness in the talk of psychiatrists, psychologists and indigenous healers as they discuss possibilities for collaboration in South African mental health care. Disjunctive versions of what 'culture' is in relation to the illness of a person form an important site for the negotiation of power relations between mental health practitioners and indigenous healers. The results of this study are presented in two parts. Part I explores how a professionalist discourse structured western psychiatric and psychological practice as rational, pragmatic and effective. 'Cultural differences' were variously deployed to support and subvert western psychiatric power. Part II explores the various constructions of African culture'--as 'collectivist' and 'pathogenic'--and the 'African mind'--as 'primitive' and 'irrational'--and how these formulations work to disqualify egalitarian positioning for indigenous healers within formal mental health care settings in South Africa.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1984

[Psychiatry of the physician J.C. Reil--a critical view].

Reil (1759-1813) was one of the doctors who developed psychiatry in Germany. He represented a materialist psychiatry with dialectical aspects. His concept, which was orientated mainly on therapy, is based on the assumption that mental disturbances can be healed. He proposed the establishment of psychiatric hospitals in order to eliminate the hospitalization of the sick in the same building as healthy and to permit the application of specific forms of treatment. The methods he used to heal mental disorders were partly repressive, but they also contained elements of psychotherapeutic treatment.

Germany↗