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Anyone had spiritual healing?

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Philos

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Folks,

OK, I know we are mostly a secular bunch here, but I'll try anything once.

So, after a second dose of spiritual healing, I have to announce that it worked for me! Maybe I'm so run down that anything would help, or its just a placebo, but both times I have had three or four days feeling like my old self afterwards. Also it's cheap. The first session was £20 with a private practitioner but the second was at a spiritual church and just a £2 donation. Also there were two ladies working on me in that session and I felt twice the blast of energy from that. I can go every week if I like and I think I will.

Anyone else had experiences of the 'spirit' world? :tranquillity:

Alex.
 
OP: I would want to know if you've assessed your good fortune in the light of cherry picking, confirmation bias, etc. I had an aunt who was into a sort-of Scientology sect who claimed her Lincoln Continental was a "green light" car -- that when driving it, she was practically guaranteed all green lights to and from her destination. She was quite serious. Because she was a dear, I never suggested that she keep an actual log of green lights/red lights in her car and when being driven in others' cars -- but I assume she wouldn't have been sustained in her faith.
Another aunt played the state lottery and once won $10,000 and claimed it was because of a statistical notebook she kept. I saw the thing; it had page after eye-dizzying page of tiny, spider-like notations. Among her calculations was the likelihood of certain two-digit numbers coming up based on the weight of the ink used in printing the numbers..... When pressed, she would admit that the $10,000 did not cover her losses over the years.
On health matters, I've seen several relatives succumb to cancer after fervid prayer sessions with the born agains in the extended family. In any case, if intercession works, there is absolutely no predictable pattern to it that I have seen demonstrated. The world seems to work as it would if there were no deities. And how many children of Christian Scientists have to die of treatable ailments before this whole faith healing thing goes away?
 
Curious, what do they do when they work on you?

Given that solicitous company is known to produce positive health effects (experiment where eating a bowl of soup when you had a cold had significantly greater effect when someone else made it for you), this is not a terribly surprising outcome.
 
Rhea said:
Curious, what do they do when they work on you?

Given that solicitous company is known to produce positive health effects (experiment where eating a bowl of soup when you had a cold had significantly greater effect when someone else made it for you), this is not a terribly surprising outcome.
Click to expand...

Rhea,

I was offered the choice of chair or massage table. I lay on the table on my back, jacket and shoes off. Eyes closed. The ladies laid hands on me in a firm way, not moving or stroking, just holding me. One did my feet and the other my shoulders and then moved down to the waist and hips. After about one minute I was relaxed in a way that takes at least half an hour of breathing exercise. My arms and legs went heavy, like I wasn't in them and I felt totally centred and keenly aware of energy coming into my body. It was three days ago and I am still feeling the bern. :)

In the past I have had Reiki, which did nothing, and Shiatsu which I like. This was qualitatively different and a real find IMHO. Guess the only way to know is suck it and see.

Alex.
 
Hi Philos,

That's wonderful that you found relief, and without it coming from medications or surgery.

Did these ladies have a name for the technique they’re using?

To answer the question, "Anyone else had experiences of the 'spirit' world?" I would say Yes, I've experienced things that some folk would attribute to a spirit world (sightings of apparent "spirits", out of body experiences, religious experiences), but I don’t attribute them to a spirit world. Spiritual folk tend to do that because they think matter is too stupid to have the "magical" effects they've experienced, somehow it's disappointing if it's nature that does it and more super-special if the supernatural has stepped into their lives. Whereas I think only matter can do anything at all, whether it's totally mundane or incredibly marvelous.
 
Hi Alex,

I am glad you have found relief. It sounds like they may have also triggered some pressure points, given that they pressed firmly.

However, given that you are experiencing success with it, I would say who cares what other people think and do it. Placebo or not, it's working. You are intelligent and reasonable enough to recognise that it COULD be a placebo, and yet still recognise that it is working for you so go for it.

I, myself, haven't had a spiritual experience like that and don't think I shall.

Good luck and I hope things keep moving forward. :D
 
Philos said:
Rhea said:
Curious, what do they do when they work on you?

Given that solicitous company is known to produce positive health effects (experiment where eating a bowl of soup when you had a cold had significantly greater effect when someone else made it for you), this is not a terribly surprising outcome.
Click to expand...

Rhea,

I was offered the choice of chair or massage table. I lay on the table on my back, jacket and shoes off. Eyes closed. The ladies laid hands on me in a firm way, not moving or stroking, just holding me. One did my feet and the other my shoulders and then moved down to the waist and hips. After about one minute I was relaxed in a way that takes at least half an hour of breathing exercise. My arms and legs went heavy, like I wasn't in them and I felt totally centred and keenly aware of energy coming into my body. It was three days ago and I am still feeling the bern. :)

In the past I have had Reiki, which did nothing, and Shiatsu which I like. This was qualitatively different and a real find IMHO. Guess the only way to know is suck it and see.

Alex.
Click to expand...

This sounds like some specific massage technic rather than just "healing". Its very body centered and not spiritual in any way.

Doesnt sound quacky or woo to me.
 
abaddon said:
Hi Philos,

That's wonderful that you found relief, and without it coming from medications or surgery.

Did these ladies have a name for the technique they’re using?

To answer the question, "Anyone else had experiences of the 'spirit' world?" I would say Yes, I've experienced things that some folk would attribute to a spirit world (sightings of apparent "spirits", out of body experiences, religious experiences), but I don’t attribute them to a spirit world. Spiritual folk tend to do that because they think matter is too stupid to have the "magical" effects they've experienced, somehow it's disappointing if it's nature that does it and more super-special if the supernatural has stepped into their lives. Whereas I think only matter can do anything at all, whether it's totally mundane or incredibly marvelous.
Click to expand...

abaddon,

It is called 'spiritual healing' and takes place at a church which is a part of the Spiritualist National Union. As a paid up agnostic I have no problem with the idea that spiritualism might reflect reality, just as atheism might reflect reality. I talked with them about the church and they are quite keen to say that they are not believers in any way. They don't posit that 'faith' is required in the healing or in their open circle activities, it just works or it doesn't for the person/persons concerned.

I asked if they had any historical texts in their theory background and one said they often refer to Kahlil Gibran, who is a favourite author of mine.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6466154.Kahlil_Gibran

Alex.
 
Philos said:
Folks,

OK, I know we are mostly a secular bunch here, but I'll try anything once.

So, after a second dose of spiritual healing, I have to announce that it worked for me! Maybe I'm so run down that anything would help, or its just a placebo, but both times I have had three or four days feeling like my old self afterwards. Also it's cheap. The first session was £20 with a private practitioner but the second was at a spiritual church and just a £2 donation. Also there were two ladies working on me in that session and I felt twice the blast of energy from that. I can go every week if I like and I think I will.

Anyone else had experiences of the 'spirit' world? :tranquillity:

Alex.
Click to expand...

I have a jar full of vomit. If you drink it, you will become immortal. I will sell it to you for one billion dollars.

If you ask me to prove that the jar of vomit will make you immortal, then you are a bad person and I will sell it to someone else. You can't prove that the jar of vomit doesn't grant immortality!
 
Underseer said:
I have a jar full of vomit. If you drink it, you will become immortal. I will sell it to you for one billion dollars.

If you ask me to prove that the jar of vomit will make you immortal, then you are a bad person and I will sell it to someone else. You can't prove that the jar of vomit doesn't grant immortality!
Click to expand...

Underseer,

I have considered your offer and prefer to continue with my spiritual healing. :)

A.
 
If it's harmless and it works, go for it. There has been research that placebos also work for a lot of people when it comes to pain relief. Prayer even works for some people. As long as you're only using it for pain relief and anxiety relief, it sounds like a good idea for you. When I was a young nurse, it was common to give a shot of sterile saline to folks who had unrelieved pain from oral meds. In many cases, it worked great. I read a study last year that even when people were told they were being given a placebo it worked in many cases. There are a lot of people that seem to benefit from massage too.
 
southernhybrid said:
If it's harmless and it works, go for it. There has been research that placebos also work for a lot of people when it comes to pain relief. Prayer even works for some people. As long as you're only using it for pain relief and anxiety relief, it sounds like a good idea for you. When I was a young nurse, it was common to give a shot of sterile saline to folks who had unrelieved pain from oral meds. In many cases, it worked great. I read a study last year that even when people were told they were being given a placebo it worked in many cases. There are a lot of people that seem to benefit from massage too.
Click to expand...

southernhybrid,

I agree with you; when teaching adults I often found that positive suggestion and non judgmental support worked wonders for people who had become afraid of reading/writing after a lifetime of being told they were just stupid. My results with them proved otherwise.

When I was seriously ill in hospital I remember that the most powerful boost to getting better came from the cleaning lady, who came around sweeping up and stuff. She talked to me like a regular person, not like a was a sick patient. I looked forward to her visits very much and still remember them.

The spiritualists are like this. There is no fancy medical/pseudo medical talk, but when the ladies put their hands on me I can feel the caring coming from one person into another person, and that lucky recipient is me! :)

Alex.

PS - On the medical thing, they do take a short medical history (meds and stuff) and a next of kin phone number. Also they record something about the healing after each session. This record is totally private, they don't even show it to your doctor; only the person concerned can see it if they ask. For some reason, I don't want to see it just yet, as there are spaces on the form for several months of work together.
 
Philos said:
abaddon said:
Hi Philos,

That's wonderful that you found relief, and without it coming from medications or surgery.

Did these ladies have a name for the technique they’re using?

To answer the question, "Anyone else had experiences of the 'spirit' world?" I would say Yes, I've experienced things that some folk would attribute to a spirit world (sightings of apparent "spirits", out of body experiences, religious experiences), but I don’t attribute them to a spirit world. Spiritual folk tend to do that because they think matter is too stupid to have the "magical" effects they've experienced, somehow it's disappointing if it's nature that does it and more super-special if the supernatural has stepped into their lives. Whereas I think only matter can do anything at all, whether it's totally mundane or incredibly marvelous.
Click to expand...

abaddon,

It is called 'spiritual healing' and takes place at a church which is a part of the Spiritualist National Union. As a paid up agnostic I have no problem with the idea that spiritualism might reflect reality, just as atheism might reflect reality. I talked with them about the church and they are quite keen to say that they are not believers in any way. They don't posit that 'faith' is required in the healing or in their open circle activities, it just works or it doesn't for the person/persons concerned.

I asked if they had any historical texts in their theory background and one said they often refer to Kahlil Gibran, who is a favourite author of mine.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6466154.Kahlil_Gibran

Alex.
Click to expand...

The book "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jrcole/gibran/prophet/prophet.htm was the first book my father ever gave me as a child...

(Personally I don't think that Gibran has anything to do with your experience) The fact that they referred to it must be because it's thought provoking and insightful, but not because your experience has anything to do with it. I would be more inclined to say that your experience relates to Chi circulation. http://www.energyarts.com/what-is-chi

You don't need religion, or faith, to understand how Chi works or to benefit from it. It worked for you this time. Do it other times and see if you get the same response...I would like to try it too so I can see for myself...Any place in the US for that?

Good luck with it!
 
Last edited:
Thomas II said:
The book "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jrcole/gibran/prophet/prophet.htm was the first book my father ever gave me as a child...

(Personally I don't think that Gibran has anything to do with your experience) The fact that they referred to it must be because it's thought provoking and insightful, but not because your experience has anything to do with it. I would be more inclined to say that your experience relates to Chi circulation. http://www.energyarts.com/what-is-chi

You don't need religion, or faith, to understand how Chi works or to benefit from it. It worked for you this time. Do it other times and see if you get the same response...I would like to try it too so I can see for myself...Any place in the US for that?

Good luck with it!
Click to expand...

Hi Thomas,

Nice to talk with you again. :)

Yes, I had forgotten about 'Chi' but of course it fits. Your link makes a lot of sense to me.

I agree about your response point. Of course we don't have to get into faith or religion if something works for us. I was trying to be clear about that in the OP.

http://americanassociationofhealers.com/

The above link has a map of the usa. I don't know if its the same kind of thing; as mentioned, my healers don't give us a bunch of psychic talk, they just get straight to the healing. BTW, in the USA there might be some native Americans doing similar and I would be interested in that historical side of it.

Alex.
 
Hi Alex,

BTW if you look into the Chi "instructors" there is also a list there for England (and the world). You might find it useful. If I find anything related to American Indian I'll pass it on to you.

All the best,

:)
 
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