Healing expectations: a study of the significance of expectation within the healing encounter
Healing expectations: a study of the significance of expectation within the healing encounter
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Issue Date
1987
Authors
Wirth, M.S., J.D., Daniel P.
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Abstract
A mental health battery and a physical health battery were given to 48 subjects prior to a psychic healing treatment and 3 weeks thereafter. The initial questionnaire packets, which were distributed to the patients by the healer, were self contained and included an explanatory cover letter which requested participation in the study. The initial packets also included a question which measured the subject's expectancy of improvement. The second questionnaire packets were mailed to the subjects by the researcher and arrived 3 weeks subsequent to the initial psychic healing treatment. The healer, immediately after the healing treatment, completed a separate questionnaire for each subject, listing the subject's condition and the healer's expectancy of improvement. There was a wide range of serious organic conditions for both high vs. low patient expectancy groups and high vs. low healer expectancy groups. The researcher's absence during the completion of the questionnaires reduced the possible influences of the experimenter effect. It was hypothesized that: 1) All of the 14 mental and physical health variables would improve after the psychic healing treatment - including such variables as Depression (D), Anxiety (A), Current Health (CH), and Health Outlook (HO); 2) Patients with a high expectancy of improvement would have their conditions ameliorate to a greater degree than the patients with a low expectancy of improvement; 3) Patients for whom the healer had a high level of expectancy would improve to a greater degree than the patients for whom the healer had a low level of expectancy. The highly significant (P< .05) results were verified by independent medical examinations and solidly confirmed hypotheses 1, 2 and 3.
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Keywords
Mental healing