Interview with Australian Counselling network: crisis counselling, trauma and suicide

Here is the link to my recent interview which contains useful information on counselling and trauma https://www.australiacounselling.com.au/podcasts/overview-crisis-counselling/

Faith Healing

     Faith healing

            By Jimmy Henderson (MA Psychology, FRC) 

I was listening to a Christian radio station this morning and they were discussing healing through prayer and the role of faith. In cases where healing did not take place, the general consensus appeared to be either that the person's faith was insufficient, or else the healer admitted to being an imperfect instrument of God. What was overlooked were the deeper metaphysical and growth factors that play a role in faith healing, which, as a cognitive scientist and metaphysician, I would like to discuss here.

Faith healing takes place within a framework of laws and principles and requires a deep insight into each person's case. In this regard, a true gifted healer will have access to higher guidance or have at least a highly developed spiritual insight. This is necessary, as there are often underlying causes and issues associated with a person’s illness that require attention. 

He or she should examine each case holistically and this should ideally include a consultation with the person involved, or at least a close family member, beforehand. 

In my opinion, any healer who offers unconditional healing to all and sundry without insight into their backgrounds or circumstances, can at best offer only temporary relief or partial healing on an emotional level. The reason for this statement will become clear once we examine the five instances that I have identified, in which faith or spiritual healing may not always take place.

   

• First, from a purely religious viewpoint, it may be God’s will that a particular soul should return after having completed the tasks which were assigned to him or her to perform. In other words, it could be his or her “time to go”. Alternatively, on a more general level, this person could have made a very deep soul-choice (of which he or she is usually not objectively aware), that his or her mission is completed and wishes to return to the spiritual source. As this decision or act is in accordance with God’s will or universal law, depending on your viewpoint, any effort to save such a dying person will be ultimately unsuccessful.                                                                                                                                           
• Second, sickness can sometimes also be linked to issues of the individual’s growth or development on a spiritual level or as a form of “soul-lesson’. In other words, an individual may actually 'draw' an illness to himself or herself (be 'given' this malady by God), in order to develop God-attributes such as love, empathy, patience and tolerance or to learn a necessary lesson in human experience. Removing this affliction prematurely could be likened to forcing open the chrysalis of a butterfly before it is ready to fly. In other words, a healer who prematurely removes the “thorn from his or her side” in fact performs a disservice. 

• Third, a person may also not yet have reached the point where he or she is ready to be healed. In counselling it is quite a well-known fact that a person must have reached a certain point of despair where he or she is willing to ask for help, before therapy will be really effective. This is the reason why it is of utmost importance that the individual request, or at least be willing to receive healing and not be forced into the situation. In other words, he or she may not yet have reached the point where they are ready to ask for help. If healing has been requested by a third person, but the patient is not willing or ready to unconditionally accept such healing, due to lack of faith, no belief in a superior power, or as the result of plain stubbornness, this attempt at healing initiated by a third person, may also not be successful. This would be the 'lack of faith' reason given by most healers.                                                                                                                                                      
• Fourth, an illness can also be the result of certain maladaptive patterns in thinking, emotions or behaviour (lifestyle), or due to extreme or unfavourable circumstances. Research has proven that psychological stress as well as intense pent-up emotions such as rage, resentment or a state of chronic depression can lead to psychosomatic illnesses. The illness may therefore only be a symptom of an inharmonious psychological or emotional state and the issue of healing will have to be addressed holistically and not merely by pronouncing the person healed. In terms of our present understanding of cause and effect, it will therefore be essential for the healer to redirect the patient back to attend to these underlying issues before he or she can be permanently healed.                                 
• Finally, in rare cases, illness may also be caused by other factors such as the belief in black magic (believing oneself to be cursed), or the attentions of unpleasant entities or energies, which may have intentionally or unintentionally been invited by the victim. Treatment in this case will need to be more than the laying on of hands, as the real cause of the illness will need to be addressed first.

Some healers can mask or even remove symptoms temporarily, by moving the patient’s focus from negative thinking, emotional trauma or self-destructive behaviour, to more positive thoughts and actions. If the person, by virtue of his or her healing experience, is able to let go, immediately change these patterns or come to terms with these issues, then more permanent healing could occur. However, if there are deeper causes and they are not resolved during the process, the patient could very well return later to the earlier patterns of thinking, emotion or behaviour and the illnesses could re-surface.

It is therefore advisable for any healer to make himself or herself aware of the possible underlying causes of the illness during a brief diagnosis and attempt to facilitate their release before attempting to bring about healing. If the patient is not ready or willing to release any negative and destructive patterns, permanent healing will not be possible and the healer would be wasting his or her time.                                          

To conclude therefore, it may now be understood why a healer who has the necessary insight and spiritual guidance, may sometimes actually refrain from attending to a patient at a certain time, and why some healings are not permanent. Effective spiritual healing calls for spiritual insight, a comprehensive knowledge of the situation, or at least a proper diagnosis. The process should include the identification of underlying root causes and should not be seen as a quick fix. Merely masking the illness with an emotional “high” will at best, only provide temporary relief. We really need to look holistically at the problem.

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Jimmy Henderson a well-known metaphysician and regular radio talk show guest. He is the author of a number of books and e-books available through his website or Amazon.com. He is based in Durban, South Africa.

www.jimmyhendersonbooks.com