Running head: SPIRITUAL HEALING
Spiritual healing
According to the Cambridge dictionary, spiritual healing can be defined as the activity of
making a person healthy without necessarily using medicines or other physical methods. Often
time, it is regarded as a religious ceremony. In the same line, a number of empirical evidence
stands out in support of this assertion.
Spiritual healing plays a vital role in the reduction of morbidity and mortality rates
(Ellison & Levin, 1998). These authors go ahead and give instances to prove that spiritual
healing is real and it can actually decrease morbidity and mortality rates in this scenario. The
first example is in accordance with the study that was conducted by Oxman and colleagues. This
study reported that the risk of 6-month mortality amongst patients undergoing elective open heart
surgery is markedly higher in patients who lack strength and comfort from their religious faith as
compared to those who are spiritually nourished. Another study that gives the same evidence is
one conducted by Strawbridge and colleagues. This research indicates that religious attendance
or rather being spiritually nourished, reduces 28-year mortality risk among community-dwelling
residents of Alameda County (California), due partly to enhanced social ties and improved health
behaviours. In this case, therefore, spiritual healing is real.
The reality of spiritual healing comes into play when mental health and psychological
well-being is under question. To prove this point, Ellison & Levin (1998), researched Mexican
American from three generations with a primary aim of showing that spiritual healing reduces
depression. This study showed that individuals with religious attendance have a decreased
psychological distress and a reduced risk of major depressive disorders. Religious participation is
firmly and positively associated with psychological well-being hence spiritual healing is real.
