who regularly attend church have a 25 percent reduction in mortality-that is, they live longer-than people who are not churchgoers.
- Dr. L. H. Powell, Rush University Medical Center16
Preliminary data on a trial of 750 heart patients shows that 30% had lower death rates if they were prayed for and given a special program of music, therapeutic touch and guided imagery.
- Dr. Mitchell Krucoff, Duke University17
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People are recognizing that there is a spiritual component to being healthy, and healing. 84% of Americans think that praying for the sick improves their chances of recovery18. Many are looking for a way to develop spiritually, not sure where to turn, and concerned with how to maintain a meaningful connection to community. In Brazil, some of these individuals have found their way to Kardecist Centers where they take training to become healers, take classes to study Kardec's philosophy, and learn about spiritual dimensions within an ecumenically-based, caring community.
Hopefully in the future we will see the Gates Foundation, or another similar foundation born of corporate profits, sponsoring the maintenance of Spiritist Centers in the USA. In the meantime, if there are not sufficient funds to start a Center, one can certainly consider bringing components of Kardecist Spiritist Centers into our already existing health centers-to revitalize and improve the emotional and spiritually-based therapies.
In Portraits (Part Two), you will be introduced to rejuvenation devices that appear to be highly effective in the tradition of Spiritist healing. Rustum Roy, who wrote the Foreword for this book, told me that our foremost scientists are researching just such electromagnetic devices.19 and finding they have great potential for healing. They will soon be reviewing the efficacy of such devices in use at Spiritist Centers. In the future, after adequate clinical trials, these apparatuses may also be approved for use in our health maintenance systems and hospitals.
For the patient, it is challenging and sometimes frightening to seek medical help now. "Should I go with conventional treatment, with complementary care, or spiritual healing?" Even though 55%, more than 116 million North Americans are actively pursuing good health through alternative health care options, they are usually finding their way without professional guidance, in spite of their doctor's opinion. We need proven paths of alternative health care options. We need blueprints for clinics and health centers that have effectively made these options available. We need doctors and patients to be open to new options, and working together as an aligned team to solve health problems. I hope this book will serve such a purpose.
My intention is to stimulate more research dollars flowing to alternative health protocols, and offer a fascinating sphere of seed thoughts about healing. These seeds can illuminate important alternatives for health, and spiritual growth. My hope is these may sprout into real human centers of personal transformation and healing for individuals and communities, and/ or enhance already existing centers.
Footnotes
1 Spiritists and Scientists; and Samba in the Night: Spiritism in Brazil
2 Leila Speeden in conversation, October, 2003.
3 Afonsa, F. "A Busca Da Cura Espiritual," in Planeta, April, 2002, p. 12-17.
4 Bragdon, E. "Spiritual Alliances: Discovering the Roots of Health at the Casa de Dom Inacio," 2001.
5 Dan Haley, "Politics in Healing," 2000, page 2.
6 USA Today, April 24, 1998.
7 Townsend Letter, May 1998.
8 "Emerging Opportunities for Affordable Healthcare Solutions," October, 2003. Author: The National Foundation for Alternative Medicine
9 Hawkins, D. "Power versus Force,"1995.
10 Haley, D., "Politics in Healing," 2000, page 4.
11 Ibid, page 7.
12 Ibid, page 10.
13 Eisenberg et aI., "Trends in alternative medicine use in the US, 1990-1997," JAMA, 1998.
14 NFAM Report, Ibid.
15 Newsweek, Nov. 10,2003. "God and Health"
16 Ibid, p.48
17 Ibid, p. 49
18 Ibid, p.46
19 personal conversation, February, 2004.
Personal Note
I chose to write this book, for the most part, as a reporter. However, I have been so personally moved by what I have discovered in visiting these Centers, it seems also important to include a personal note, from time to time, sharing with you a sense of my subjective experience to give more dimension to the subject.
Having spent a year at the Casa de Dom lnaclo, during numerous visits, my personal approach to health and healing has changed radically. I now consider that spiritual healing and spiritual evolution, are more important than physical healing, or curing. Although I would still consult a physician for his/her diagnosis, if I became ill, I would also consult a medical intuitive for both diagnosis and treatment suggestions. Although my preference is to live a long life, I feel more focused on accomplishing the mission I am here to complete, and less attached to the length of this lifetime. Holding on to physical life for as long as possible is not as important to me, as doing 'what I came here to do'. Like many others visiting Spiritist Centers, I have also gone further into letting go of my fear of death. Numerous personal spiritual experiences have convinced me that "death" does not exist. What we call an ending, in death, is but a transition into another form, where the spirit lives independent of the body.
My limited Portuguese did not inhibit my getting tremendous benefit from my visits to Spiritist Centers in Brazil. They speak a language that transcends cultural differences. Through my personal search in Brazil I feel I have come to a much deeper understanding of the word "health" and the components of what we call "healing."
On another note: there are very few clinical trials quantifying the results people have gleaned from their participation in healing activities at Spiritist Centers. This was at first distressing to me. I wanted to see objective statistics on who was coming, when, why, and what the results were. However, I have come to understand and respect the Centers' persistence in maintaining the anonymity of their visitors. You will also understand why, as you read on.
The plethora of anecdotal first-hand stories given to me by international visitors and Brazilians gave me ample reason to believe that extraordinary healing was, and is taking place in these Centers. Also, even if we put measurable physical statistics aside, there is much to learn, of great value, from what is not so easily measured, e.g. the presence of love, a person's sense of leading a meaningful life, and the feeling of well-being. These are also indicators of wellness that we need to bring into our health care systems.
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Mayall sentient beings be happy and at peace.
May we all discover the joy of service and brotherhood.
May
