Tuesday 4 May 2010

Healer or Conman?

I’m about to hop on my soap box. It won’t be pretty. First, some background.

A few weeks ago a guest was introduced as an international healer. Apparently he’s performed mass healings in South America. He personally told me he had healed three thousand people in one session.

He entered the church near the end of the service. Members of the congregation lined up in front of him. Those in line were asked to clasp their hands to protect themselves—from what? Curious, I joined the line.

Individually, people stood with their backs turned to the healer. He held his hands either side of the torso, almost under the arms, and people fell backwards. They were guided to the floor. The healer placed one hand near the collar bone and the other hovered over the chest or head. He’d ask the person to wake up and then direct them to stand up.

Moving behind the person again, the routine was repeated, but without the fall. If the recipient stumbled he’d say wake up. Some people were obviously disorientated and in a daze. Most looked bemused.

I felt something when I closed my eyes. He prompted me to relax, and then I felt like I had been pushed in the chest. I didn’t have any difficulty opening my eyes or getting to my feet.

Afterwards I asked the healer what he experienced: what do you feel, hear, or see?

“I feel nothing. I don’t know what has happened unless I watch a recording of myself.”

Bullshit!

He had just said to me that I was too curious, I was watching him, and this is why I didn’t receive healing. If you don’t know what’s happening, how do you know I was curious? Before we spoke he was playing laser-beam-finger-pointing hands at someone’s neck. Attempting to do, what?

Me: “Why did I need to clasp my hands?”

Him: blank stare.

His assistant: “He doesn’t speak much English. It’s God healing. He’s healed thousands at a time. He’s healed cancer.”

Me: “I’ve had success healing cancer too.”

His assistant: blank stare.

Him: walks away and laser-beam-finger-points someone who doesn’t ask questions.

His assistant then try’s to sell me a place in a psychic healing workshop.

Me: blank stare.

It gets worse. Two weeks later international-healer (IH) is at another church. A woman takes a teenage boy who is terminally ill with cystic fibrosis to see him. Imagine a hall, a door, a corridor, and another door that leads to a restroom and toilets.

Woman and boy go through the first door. IH is in the corridor and instructs woman and boy to wait. IH enters the restroom. Five minutes later a woman comes out of the restroom. Woman and boy go into the restroom. IH asks boy to undress. Woman is desperate and remains silent. Boy takes his shirt of. IH asks boy to take his pants of. Woman and boy stunned. Boy is embarrassed, but trusts woman. Woman is desperate. Boy can’t take his pants of because he has a feeding tube coming out of his stomach attached to a medical device. Boy is embarrassed.

IH goes through his routine. Boy gets dressed.

IH: “If he has a 20% improvement, come back and see me.”

Woman and boy: blank stare.

The assistant was in the room, but this, is bullshit! Bring three thousand faith filled people together all hoping for a miracle and someone’s going to be healed. But if you have to clasp your hands together to protect yourself from God, then God’s a bully and his side-kicks a conman. Ask children to take their clothes of in a restroom, and the conman's a predator.

I’m disgusted that the church allowed this to happen.

I mentioned this here, but I’m going to repeat it: you don’t need to take your clothes of to be healed! Please, no matter how desperate you are, don’t let anyone manipulate you like this.

For healers to be credible we must:

• Work with absolute transparency.

• Have reportable and evidence supported results.

• Work without posturing.

• Work with science, and be willing to be tested.

• Market to a broader audience.

• Be professional.

• We have to evolve. It’s no longer appropriate to be labelled new age, esoteric, spiritual, or alternative. Being on the fringes is limiting.

Do some research before booking an appointment with a healer. Ask a lot of questions. If you have a similar story to share, I’d like to hear it.

* I don’t like the phrase terminally ill. It erodes hope and the will to live. I used it to highlight the woman’s desperation. In my world, no one is terminally ill.

For more Soul Healing, visit simonhay.com.au

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6 comments:

  1. Very interesting, Simon. I've never seen a healer at work. I agree, what you describe here sounds like a charlatan. It seems like the church that invited him would have done some research beforehand.

    Helen
    Straight From Hel

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  2. There are so many people eager to take advantage of those who are physically ill or in emotional pain. If we're well, we're properly skeptical. When we get sick and begin to feel desperate, common sense flies out the window.

    Simon, you asked about books at my blog and whether I have a favorite. Although my personal favorite is the most recent "The Desert Hedge Murders", I've received the best reviews for "The Prairie Grass Murders" (my first novel). That one is now available as a paperback from Harlequin's online store (the link is on my blog). The second book is for sale in hardcover online, but is also scheduled for paperback release in September. And thanks so much for asking.

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  3. Hi Helen and Patricia. Thanks for visiting. Patricia, I'll be ordering some books soon. I think I'll go with your favourite.

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  4. Interesting post Simon, and good point that 3000 people will result in at least one miracle. What do you think it was that pushed you in the chest?

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  5. Hi Livia. I think that IH is able to manipulate the energy field of the body, so he is pulling rather than I was pushed. I was unable to see or feel spirit, which is what I had expected to see. With intent and a thought I can get a response from a client, but I'm surrounded by spirit, and I feel a union is formed between my energy field and clients. If mind is in the enrgy field rather than the body then a unions formed between minds. I'm not sure what IH thinks he's doing, but his actions unsettle me. Do you have a theory?

    Thanks for stopping by, Simon.

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