How spiritual healing works, from an outsiders point of view

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How spiritual healing works, from an outsiders
point of view
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The psycho-analytic dimension

• Psychoanalyst Thomas Scheffs theory, advanced in
  his Catharsis in Healing, Ritual and Drama (1979)
• Applying theory to Dales case
• Example from Professor Burdicks own experience

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The physiological dimension the placebo effect

• From Latin placere, to please
• any positive physiological effect of an
  intervention that results not from the objective
  qualities of the intervention but from the
  patients belief in the power of the
  intervention.
• Frank (1985) estimates that 40-60 of
  effectiveness of biomedicine due to placebo

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Physiological placebo effects

• Pain reduction (Lewis, Gordon, and Field 1988)
• lowered anxiety associated with increased pain
  tolerance, and with release of endogenous
  endorphins (analgesics)
• Heightened immune response (Akil and Watson 1978)
• lowered anxiety reduces blood pressure
• lowered blood pressure enhances ability to fight
  infection and absorb vitamins and minerals
• Further reading Michael Jospe, The Placebo
  Effect in Healing (Heath, 1978)

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Sociological aspects

• Effects of gathering together supporters
• reduction of isolation and helplessness decrease
  stress and anxiety, alleviate symptoms (McGuire
  1989)
• Effects of perceived alteration in judgment and
  behavior of significant others
• Social stressor (in-laws disapproval) removed
  from barren Ndembu woman
• Social stressor removed from Dale. What was it?

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Self-healing

• Self-healing
• The oncologists skepticism
• Structured delay in Hmong shamanistic healing

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What if the healer fails to heal?

• The offending spirit may be unexpectedly
  tenacious a healer with a solid reputation will
  not lose it
• the shaman may not yet be sufficiently
  well-developed to do effective battle
• the initial diagnosis may have been faulty other
  diagnoses will be tried (e.g., a curse spell
  witchcraft wrath of a nature or house spirit,
  the anger of an ancestor)
• healer may be deemed incompetent