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Spiritual Healing Before engaging in any complementary medical technique, you should be aware that many of these techniques have not been evaluated in scientific studies. Often, only limited information is available about their safety and effectiveness. Each state and each discipline has its own rules about whether practitioners are required to be professionally licensed. If you plan to visit a practitioner, it is recommended that you choose one who is licensed by a recognized national organization and who abides by the organization's standards. It is always best to speak with your primary health care provider before starting any new therapeutic technique.
Many therapeutic techniques and medical traditions involve spiritual aspects. Spiritual healers use numerous approaches and styles. Spiritual healers may practice at healing centers, in medical settings, in hospice programs or in homes. Spiritual healers may also work with patients over the Internet. There are schools that offer certification in spiritual healing, although there are no widely accepted or official licensure requirements. Some of the therapies used in the United States that involve spiritual healing or mind/body medicine include distance healing, therapeutic touch, Ayurveda, prayer, pastoral counseling, supernatural healing sources, metaphysical healing and Reiki. These therapies may be grouped under the concept of holistic care. There is a difference between Eastern spiritual healing traditions and psychoanalysis. The Eastern traditions claim that the healer's meditative practices and communication to the patient are through channels other than verbal communication. In early history, physical healing was intimately tied to religious salvation, spiritual healing and the civilizing process. Various studies of Native American culture suggest that shamanism may be considered effective care, irrespective of age, gender or degree of acculturation. The shaman may also use mineral, animal and industrial-derived materials (ethnopharmacy) for specific conditions.
High-quality scientific research of spiritual healing is limited, possibly because of difficulties in designing accurate studies. Some spiritual healers believe that illness is caused by imbalances in the body and that channeling of "energy" from the healer to the patient may have health benefits. Spiritual healers often believe they can direct energy from greater outside sources, through themselves, to patients. Some spiritual healers aim to transmit energy through physical contact. Some use distance healing to direct compassionate thoughts, intentions or prayers toward the patient. Often, a goal of spiritual healing is to help patients improve well-being and quality of life, rather than to cure specific diseases. Spiritual healers may encourage patients to use visualization, prayer and positive thinking.
Scientists have studied spiritual healing for the following health problems: Medical conditions, chronic diseases, chronic pain, quality of life | Some studies report faster recovery, improved body function (such as in patients with restricted neck pain) or improved quality of life with spiritual healing, although other studies do not support these claims. Most published trials have been poorly designed. Therefore, it remains scientifically unproven if spiritual healing, distance healing, prayer and related techniques are beneficial to individuals with medical conditions (such as chronic disease or chronic pain). | Asthma | It is not clear whether spiritual healing has any affect on symptoms or quality of life in asthma patients. Further research is needed. | Cancer | Research suggests that prayer and spiritual healing are commonly used by cancer patients, especially those who fear recurrence or are unhappy with their physicians. Further research is needed to address the effect of spiritual healing on cancer patients, especially in terms of anxiety, depression, and quality of life. | Eczema | Early research offers no insight into whether spiritual healing has any beneficial effects on eczema. Further research is needed. | High blood pressure (hypertension) | Early research suggests that spiritual healing does not reduce high blood pressure. Further research needs to examine whether spiritual healing can be used to treat high blood pressure. | HIV/AIDS | According to new research, distant healing and prayer do not seem to improve symptoms in HIV patients. However, the treated patients were more likely than nontreated patients to guess that they were receiving treatment. Further research is needed to determine whether spiritual healing can influence HIV patients. | Neck stiffness | Early studies suggest that spiritual healing can significantly improve flexibility and pain in patients with neck stiffness. However, more well-designed studies are necessary to determine whether spiritual healing can effectively treat neck stiffness. | Psychiatric disorders | Early research suggests that when spiritual healing is added to psychotherapy, psychiatric patients have improved relaxation and sense of well-being. However, the research thus far does not provide conclusive evidence that spiritual healing is effective for treating psychiatric disorders. | Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) | There is currently not enough evidence that spiritual healing adds any benefit to conventional treatment in RA. Further research is needed to determine whether spiritual heading is effective in treating RA. | Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders | Recent research suggests that spiritual healing, in the form of shamanic healing, can treat temperomandibular joint (TMJ) pain. More studies are needed to determine whether spiritual healing is an appropriate and effective treatment for TMJ disorders. |
Spiritual healing has been suggested for many other uses, based on tradition or on scientific theories. However, these uses have not been thoroughly studied in humans, and there is limited scientific evidence about safety or effectiveness. Some of these suggested uses are for conditions that are potentially life-threatening. Consult with a health care provider before using spiritual healing for any use. Aging
Alcohol withdrawal
Amyloidosis (a protein disorder)
Anxiety
Asthma
Blood vessel disease
Breast cancer
Cervical disc disease
Depression
Diabetes
Disrupted childhood
Dissociative identity disorder (a type of mental disorder)
Emotional problems
Epilepsy
Feelings of resentment
Fibromyalgia
Gallstones
Gastrointestinal disorders
Goiter
Graves' disease
Growth rate abnormalities
Heart attack
Heart disease
High blood pressure
HIV/AIDS | Impaired self-image
Immune system enhancement
Insomnia
Intestinal blockage
Labor and delivery
Low back pain
Malaria
Mental illness
Migraine headache
Multiple sclerosis
Pancreatic cancer
Pregnancy
Prevention of bovine foot and mouth disease
Prevention of influenza
Reduced side effects of chemotherapy or radiation therapy
Schizophrenia
Sedation
Sickle cell disease
Stress reduction
Tension
Trauma
Tumors
Warts
Wound healing |
Spiritual healing should not be used as the sole treatment for potentially dangerous medical or psychiatric conditions, and it should not delay the time it takes to consider more proven therapies. Schizophrenic relapse and worsening of other disease states due to delay of timely medical intervention have been associated with spiritual healing. Spiritual healing may be unsafe to use in individuals who may be inclined to self-blame or shame if they do not get the desired results from spiritual healing. Further research is needed to draw any conclusions. Spiritual healing appears to be safe when added to other treatment approaches.
Spiritual healing has been suggested for many conditions. Possible benefits remain scientifically unproven. Speak with your health care provider if you are considering starting spiritual healing in addition to or instead of other treatments.
The information in this monograph was prepared by the professional staff at Natural Standard, based on thorough systematic review of scientific evidence. The material was reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School with final editing approved by Natural Standard.
- Natural Standard: An organization that produces scientifically based reviews of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) topics
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM): A division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services dedicated to research
Selected Scientific Studies: Spiritual Healing Natural Standard has reviewed all of the currently available medical literature to prepare the professional monograph from which this version was created. - Abbot NC. Healing as a therapy for human disease: a systematic review. J Altern Complement Med 2000;6(2):159-169.
- Abbot NC, Harkness EF, Stevinson C, et al. Spiritual healing as a therapy for chronic pain: a randomized, clinical trial. Pain 2001;91(1-2):79-89.
- Ai AL, Bolling SF. The use of complementary and alternative therapies among middle-aged and older cardiac patients. Am J Med Qual 2002;17(1):21-27.
- Alferi SM, Antoni MH, Ironson G, et al. Factors predicting the use of complementary therapies in multi-ethnic sample of early-stage breast cancer patients. J Am Med Womens Assoc 2001;56(3):120-123, 126.
- Allaire AD, Moos MK, Wells SR. Complementary and alternative medicine in pregnancy: a survey of North Carolina certified nurse-midwives. Obstet Gynnecol 2000;95(1):19-23.
- Astin JA, Harkness E, Ernst E. The efficacy of "distant healing": a systematic review of randomized trials. Ann Intern Med 2000;132(11):903-910.
- Astin JA, Stone J, Abrams DI, et al. The efficacy of distant healing for human immunodeficiency virus: results of a randomized trial. Altern Ther Health Med 2006;Nov-Dec, 12(6):36-41.
- Atwood KC. The efficacy of spiritual healing. Ann Intern Med 2001;134(12):1150.
- Begay DH, Maryboy NC. The whole universe is my cathedral: a complementary Navajo spiritual synthesis. Med Anthropol Q 2000;14(4):598-602.
- Brown CK. Methodological problems of clinical research into spiritual healing: the healer's perspective. J Altern Complement Med 2000;6(2):171-176.
- Crawford CC, Sparber AG, Jonas WB. A systematic review of the quality of research on hands-on and distance healing: clinical and laboratory studies. Altern Ther Health Med 2003;9(3):96-104.
- Ernst E. A primer of complementary and alternative medicine commonly used by cancer patients. Med J Aust 2001;174(11):611-612.
- Ernst E. Complementary and alternative medicine for pain management in rheumatic disease. Curr Opin Rheumatol 2002;Jan, 14(1):58-62. Review.
- Everett W, Aberra F, Bisson G, et al. Spiritual healing as a therapy of chronic pain: a randomized, clinical trial. Pain 2002;96(1-2):219-220.
- Flaherty JH, Takahashi R, Teoh J, et al. Use of alternative therapies in older outpatients in the United States and Japan: prevalence, reporting patterns, and perceived effectiveness. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2001;56(10):M650-M655.
- Foster DF, Phillips RS, Hamel MB, Eisenberg DM. Alternative medicine use in older Americans. J Am Geriatr Soc 2001;49(11):1577.
- Gerard S, Smith BH, Simpson JA. A randomized controlled trial of spiritual healing in restricted neck movement. J Altern Complement Med 2003;9(4):451-453.
- Gundersen L. Faith and healing. Ann Intern Med 2000;132(2):169-172.
- Harkness EF. Spiritual Healing for rheumatoid arthritis. Focus Alt Comp Ther 2000;5(4):288-289.
- Helsel DG, Mochel M, Bauer R. Shamans in a Hmong American community. J Altern Complement Med 2004;10(6):933-938.
- Henderson JW, Donatelle RJ. Complementary and alternative medicine use by women after completion of allopathic treatment for breast cancer. Altern Med 2004;10(1):52-57.
- Jonas WB. The middle way: realistic randomized controlled trials for the evaluation of spiritual healing. J Altern Complement Med 2001;7(1):5-7.
- Jonas WB, Crawford CC. Science and spiritual healing: a critical review of spiritual healing, "energy" medicine, and intentionality. Altern Ther Health Med 2003;9(2):56-61.
- Jonas WB, Crawford CC. The healing presence: can it be reliably measured? J Altern Complement Med 2004;Oct, 10(5):751-756.
- Joseph DG. "Essential Christian, eminently philanthropic": the Mission of Lepers in British India. Hist Cienc Saude Manguinhos 2003;10(1):247-275.
- Kakar S. Psychoanalysis and Eastern spiritual healing traditions. J Anal Psychol 2003;48(5):679-681.
- Keegan L. A comparison of the use of alternative therapies among Mexican American and Angio-Americans in the Texas Rio Grande valley. J Holistic Nurs 2000;18(3):280-295.
- Lengacher CA, Bennett MP, Kipp KE, et al. Design and testing of the use of a complementary and alternative therapies survey in women with breast cancer. Oncol Nurs Forum 2003;30(5):811-821.
- le Gallez P, Dimmock S, Bird HA. Spiritual healing as adjunct therapy for rheumatoid arthritis. Br J Nurs 2000;9(11):695-700.
- Messerli-Rohrbach V, Bosch J. [Spiritual healing at a public psychiatric institution.] Forsch Komplementarmed Klass Naturheilkd 2000;Dec, 7(6):275-285.
- Money M. Shamanism as a healing paradigm for complementary therapy. Complement Ther Nurs Midwifery 2001;7(3):126-131.
- Montazeri A, Sajadian A, Ebrahimi M. Depression and the use of complementary medicine among breast cancer patients. Support Care Cancer 2005;13(5):339-342.
- Montazeri A, Sajadian A, Ebrahimi M, et al. Factors predicting the use of complementary and alternative therapies among cancer patients in Iran. Eur J Cancer Care (Engl) 2007;Mar, 16(2):144-149. Review.
- O'Mathuna DP. No specific effects on chronic pain from spiritual healing. Focus Alt Comp Ther 2001;6(2):135-136.
- Pieroni A, Quave C, Nebel S, Heinrich M. Ethnopharmacy of the ethnic Albanians (Arbereshe) of Northern Basilicata, Italy. Fitoterapia 2002;73(3):217-241.
- Plotnikoff GA, Numrich C, Wu C, et al. Hmong shamanism. Animist spiritual healing in Minnesota. Minn Med 2002;85(6):29-34.
- Salib E, Youakim S. Spiritual healing in elderly psychiatric patients: a case-control study in an Egyptian psychiatric hospital. Aging Ment Health 2001;5(4):366-370.
- Singh V, Raidoo DM, Harries CS. The prevalence, patterns of usage and people's attitude towards complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among the Indian community in Chatsworth, South Africa. Altern Med 2004;4(1):3.
- Vuckovic NH, Gullion CM, Williams LA, et al. Feasibility and short-term outcomes of a shamanic treatment for temporomandibular joint disorders. Altern Ther Health Med 2007;Nov-Dec, 13(6):18-29.
- Wahner-Roedler DL, Elkin PL, Vincent A, et al. Use of complementary and alternative medical therapies by patients referred to a fibromyalgia treatment program at a tertiary care center. Mayo Clin Proc 2005;80(1):55-60.
- Walach H, Lewith G, Bosch H, et al. Spiritual healing as a therapy for chronic pain: a randomized, clinical trial. Pain 2002;96(3):403-405.
- Wiesendanger H, Werthmuller L, Reuter K, et al. Chronically ill patients treated by spiritual healing improve in quality of life: results of a randomized waiting-list controlled study. J Altern Complement Med 2001;7(1):45-51.
Last updated May 07, 2008
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