the energies of the body are addressed and harmlessly realigned without the harmful effects of radiation or needless surgery. If he had built a machine that did, then his work would have been accepted. But, a human being who could mentally send medication halfway around the world in a matter of minutes? Impossible. Never mind that we can now hook up a patient in Abu Dhabi to some electrical leads and a doctor in Dallas can instantly read their EKG. My father didn’t need the convenience of a machine, he was the machine.
Now, so many people say, “I wish I knew your father.” Unfortunately, he was dismissed and disdained while he was alive by those he wished to help and teach. What is most satisfying and surprising is that I have heard from many, many physicians that in learning about my father’s unusual work, they are rethinking how they approach medicine. Some are installing healing touch workers on their ward, others are admitting that medicine can only go so far and that successfully healing the patient may involve subtle and unseen spiritual methods and beliefs. While my father generated these ideas almost fifty years ago, they seem to be finally taking root and provide us with hope of a new day in medicine. I have no doubt that he is satisfied with our slow and incremental progress.
©2008 Philip Smith
Philip Smith is the former managing editor of GQ and an artist whose works are in the permanent collections of the Whitney Museum, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Detroit Institute of Arts, among many others. He lives in Miami. Visit him online at www.WalkingThroughWallsTheBook.com.