Promises of Restoration Resulting in Fatal Consequences
Many self-proclaimed healers rely on this arguably misleading argument: "Look at my successes: 'The healer is justified!'" However, this statement isn't just a deception, but it costs lives every year. These individuals are commonly found in the realm of modern esotericism or controversial groups. Examples include the Bruno-Groening-Friendship Circle, "Christian Science," and the Christian-Essene Church's leader, Reiki master Eckhardt Strohm.
These individuals present numerous testimonials of supposed healings on their websites or during conversations. The underlying argument is clear and prevalent: "The healer is justified!" This belief is almost a dogma in the alternative medicine community. But how much truth is there in this mantra? Absolutely none.
The picture drawn by these testimonials is not entirely accurate. What gets highlighted are the (apparent) successes that have been meticulously collected and emphasized over several years or even decades. What's overlooked – and this is crucial – are the countless cases where no improvement is seen. The failed 'healings' are quietly brushed under the rug.
What's more, a claimed 'healing' success isn't permanent in all cases. In fact, the individual who was supposedly healed by Bruno Groening (1906-1959) ended up dying eight years later from the same disease that Groening claimed to have 'defeated.' But this information is rarely disseminated – relapses or diseases returning after years are never mentioned in the supposed healing stories. Nevertheless, they are of utmost importance, as they demonstrate that no real healing occurred.
The Psychological and Medical Processes
And then there are the well-studied psychological and medical processes that can explain the supposed 'healing' miracles – without any supernatural intervention.
One such phenomenon is the placebo effect. Merely believing in improvement can lead to temporary improvements in a person's condition. Numerous scientific studies have proven that an individual's expectations can significantly impact their subjective feelings as patients. People believe they will get better when they visit a certain healer – and they actually feel better temporarily. Some symptoms may even disappear completely. But what works here is the power of one's psyche, not the healer's.
Our healthcare system also has significant flaws. Doctors often have limited time to engage in in-depth conversations with their patients, thereby making them feel genuinely valued and heard. The soothing words of healers and the time they invest can work wonders in this regard.
Another factor is the right time to visit a 'healer' with supposed healing powers. Many diseases follow cycles, with phases of improvement and deterioration. If a patient seeks 'healing' during a natural recovery phase, the success is automatically attributed to the 'healer's' intervention. But improvement would have occurred regardless, the 'healer' was merely present at the right time.
The Side Effects of Therapy
There are also side effects associated with many therapies that take time for patients. If a patient agrees to participate in regular rituals – such as placing an image of a 'healer' on a painful spot, adjusting to 'positive energies' several times a day, or intensely focusing on healing – it can alter their perception of their body.
They may start paying more attention to themselves, notice minor changes they hadn't noticed before, and sometimes feel better, even if their illness hasn't actually changed. This heightened mindfulness can easily give the impression that the therapy is working – even when there's no actual health improvement.
There are also spontaneous remissions that are medically inexplicable and remain a mystery. They occur in extremely rare instances, estimated to occur in at most one in 60,000-100,000 cancer patients, and have no connection to the 'healer's' alleged powers, as they also occur outside any alternative medical or esoteric contexts.
Caution with 'Regulating Pains' or 'Initial Worsening'
However, it becomes particularly problematic when patients, who show no signs of improvement, are told that improvement is occurring. In other words, when symptoms of an illness are simply reinterpreted. Instead of actual healing, continued suffering is then simply attributed to 'part of the process.' In the Bruno-Groening-Friendship Circle, for instance, pains are suddenly referred to as 'regulating pains' – supposedly signs that the body is cleansing and healing.
This reinterpretation of disease symptoms distorts reality. Individuals who are still suffering believe that they're getting better, while their disease persists unchecked. It's worth mentioning that a similar concept called 'initial worsening' exists in homeopathy, which relies solely on the placebo effect.
"The healer is justified" – in light of all these explanations, this argument seems significantly less convincing. After all, traditional medicine has countless healings to its credit, and these are based on rigorous scientific studies, not anecdotal evidence or the selective presentation of testimonials.
Therefore, caution is advised when someone has to resort to this argument because they're lacking in all other explanations. The phrase 'The healer is justified' is merely a smoke screen used by alleged healers and controversial groups to conceal the fact that there's no evidence that their methods work. In the worst-case scenario, this can lead to delays in therapy that can be fatal.
Despite the prevalent belief in the alternative medicine community, the mantra "The healer is justified" lacks evidence in many cases. In fact, the failure of some 'healings' is often overlooked or silently dismissed.
Moreover, the placebo effect and psychological processes can often be misinterpreted as 'healing miracles', leading individuals to believe in the healer's powers without any actual improvement in their health.
