Theos-Talk Archives (March 2002 Message tt00071)

Spiritual healing and placebo part 1.To Larry, Leon, and all.


Leon: "Thanks for the confirmation. I take it, then, that you
agree that such tricks are a good thing, especially if they can cause 
people to use their mind (even unknowingly) to heal themselves."


Brigitte: The first part of your statement I can relate to and
describe some personal observations as an example. (maybe you can 
describe some of your own, as far as not only new-age neo- 
shamanism) 

Leon: "So, it isn't the belief in the placebo that causes the
healing, but a belief that it is a real curative medicine that does the 
healing --wouldn't you agree?" 

There is a to big jump imbedded in this last statement. 
So as far as time permits, I would like to proceed with the first
part. 
Partly also in regards to something Larry mentioned about spiritual 
healing that I wanted to respond to, but simple didn't have the
time. (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theos-talk/message/5466 )

Leon: "I also wonder what makes you so eager to always prove to
us that you are the last word on anything you write about?"

No that's not true, and just proves you misinterpret me,
(Example: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theos-talk/message/5923 )
In fact if you would just look a bit more at the history of all
these development streams that you constantly try to talk about you 
would not have so many fallacies in your mind (and that counts for other
people on this list who don't simple like to be ignorant, Blavatyan 
Theosophy "is" 19th century, not 21th, just like flat earth science of the 
Renaisance is not modern physics the way Leon thinks). Therefore the 
history of ideas can be a great teaching device, and no need to
blame that on me. 

I mentioned already before on this list that some years back I did a
field trip studying the different styles of traditional healing on the
Philippines, a former shamanic society. I traveled first to Baguio in the 
North traveling from village to village until I reached the north shore of 
Mindanao.

For example Filipino mananambals used sleight of hand in a
therapeutic context for centuries. lnitiaily, lt was employed as a means of
exorcism. 
During an exorcism, the mananambal would call out the possessing 
entity and finally the mananambal would grab the head of the 
possessed person and dramatically extract a live cockroach' from the 
person's ear, and immediately kill the cockroach. The stunned patient 
would show signs of recovey and his relatives wou breathe a sigh of 
relief. The spell was broken.

Only the mananambal knew that the live cockroach had been in his hand 
all along, and illat nothing ,supematural' had occurred except the 
restoration of heath or/and sanity of the patient.

I saw a documentarie two years or so ago where they explained how in 
some hospitals in Alaska (USA) when the Dr.'s dont feel they are 
succesfull expecially if they are older patients, they will call in
the hospital Shaman. He arrives in jeans, dresses up in his traditional
garm that he carries with him in his bag, does his dance, and leaves
again, mostly leaving satisfied patients. Who also if they didn't cure
completely of watever ailment at least feel better becouse of the extra
attention they received, that is also verry important.


Bri.