An Introduction to Spiritual Healing

therapies, some of which have been practised for hundreds of years, to be adopted into mainstream society. A world of specialist therapies has become more acceptable and readily available.

Faith healing is one of the most conservative and respectable of the so called alternative therapies to be welcomed into society. It is difficult to give a definitive description of faith healing because it has become an umbrella term for all the diverse elements of healing that come within its range. In its purest meaning faith healing is the belief in ‘right’ thinking that is practised within a religious system. Christian faith healers believe that all healing comes from God.

However the implication that faith is necessary before a person can be helped by healing forces means that non believers will be excluded. Another problem with the term ‘faith healing’ is that it places the source of healing in a person’s faith and not in Christ or a divinity. This definition reduces the role of God in healing and is also potentially harmful to those people who do not experience any lessening of the symptoms following healing. This will result in them believing that it is their fault for not having enough faith. This can then lead to a spiritual crisis.

A more flexible definition of faith healing is that of a therapy that is based on something other than current scientific knowledge. The term ‘spiritual healing’ is used by those who are reluctant to be emphatic as to the origin of healing, whether it is from God or from some other universal source.

When redefining healing it is important to note that this means changing attitudes towards disease. It has been suggested that all diseases are psychologically rooted

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