- balancedmag.com/2011/10/spiritual-healing-another-approach-to-fighting-pain/
- mysticsaint.info/2009/09/spiritual-energy-healing-sufi-healer.html
- ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11240080
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
7-Oct-11
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
A revolution in fighting pain is sweeping the traditional medical community in some of the more advanced US medical cities. Dr. Howard Hall of University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Ohio is actively conducting extensive research into the application of Sufism, the mystical dimension of Islam, for pain control and rapid wound healing. Says Hall, “My research is cutting edge in the field of spiritual healing. My research seeks to apply rapid wound healing using for spiritual application: for burns, surgical procedures, and even battlefield situations.” Sufism, Kabbalah, Reiki, and even mystical Christianity have made their way into mainstream facilities in high profile medically advanced metropolitan areas, such as Cleveland, Minneapolis, Houston, and New York. While the amazing healing efficacies imparted by these spiritual disciplines are not well documented with empirical data, large numbers of patients have come forward with anecdotal reports of astonishing pain relief and rapid healing after serious injury or major surgery.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
I used NIMH website information and data, completed studies and data collected during Dr. Hall’s extensive research, well-known quantum physics principles, and doctrinal/liturgical information about the mystical dimensions of the 3 major religious philosophies: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.
Explain types of human sources used.
Howard Hall, Ph.D., clinical psychologist, faculty member, and licensed practitioner at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio Tanya Edwards, MD, director of Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Integrative Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio Douglas J Moore, Ph.D. psychologist and licensed practitioner in private practice in the Cleveland/Akron area who employs various energy medicine techniques and spiritual disciplinary techniques in treating patients for the purpose of healing and pain control.
Results:
Studies in this emerging field in pain control and wound healing are ongoing and in their preliminary stages, but initial evidence strongly suggests that when used properly, these techniques hold significant potential to relieve pain in patients who not found relief in the many traditional remedies as well as potential to facilitate extremely rapid wound healing after surgery.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
None
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
There’s so much information out there surrounding the topic of spiritual healing that it can become difficult to sift through the charlatans claiming to have special powers and prophet-like status and find the true pioneers and path forging heroes in this area. Check the credentials of experts you interview and whose data you cite carefully for error, misleading information, and inherent flaws in research methods.