ArticleBMC complementary and alternative medicine2014
Perceived outcomes of spiritual healing and explanations--a qualitative study on the perspectives of German healers and their clients.
Article in BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed.
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- Impact of biofield energy treatment on broiler chicken growth performance, feed efficiency, carcass characteristics, and meat quality.Open veterinary journal · 2025Article
- Push and pull factors influencing preference for traditional healing by jaundiced patients in Bangladesh.PloS one · 2024Article
- Perceived Benefits of Magdalena Energy Healing Sessions: An Exploratory Study of Clients' Perspectives.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Barriers to the hospital treatment among Bede snake charmers in Bangladesh with special reference to venomous snakebite.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2023Article
- The Therapeutic Process in Spiritual Healing: Qualitative Results of a Prospective Case Series.Complementary medicine research · 2023Observational
- Obstacles to access to community care in urban senior-only households: a qualitative study.BMC geriatrics · 2022Article
- Linking coping strategies to locally-perceived aetiologies of mental distress in northern Rwanda.BMJ global health · 2020Article
- Explaining the Process of Spiritual healing of Critically-ill Patients: A Grounded Theory Study.Ethiopian journal of health sciences · 2020Article
- Predictors of the use and approval of CAM: results from the German General Social Survey (ALLBUS).BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2020Article
- Spiritual healing from Iranian cancer patients' viewpoints: A hybrid concept analysis.Journal of education and health promotion · 2020Article
- Traditional healing practices in rural Bangladesh: a qualitative investigation.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2018Article
- Healing, a Concept Analysis.Global advances in health and medicine · 2015Article
- Healing Relationships: A Qualitative Study of Healers and Their Clients in Germany.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2015Article
- Assessment of Spiritual Care Practices Among Nurses Caring for Cancer Patients in a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria.SAGE open nursingArticle
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLimited research has been conducted on contemporary spiritual healing in European countries. The aim of this article is to report how German healers and their clients experienced and perceived the outcomes of spiritual healing and which explanations they use to describe the perceived effects.
methodsSemistructured interviews and participatory observation was used to collect data from spiritual healers and their clients. Analyses were based on the methodological concept of directed qualitative content analysis. Data was analyzed using MAXQDA software, discussed and reviewed by a multidisciplinary research team consisting of medical anthropologists, medical doctors and a religious studies scholar.
resultsIn total 15 healers and 16 clients participated in this study, 24 interviews with healers, 20 interviews with clients and 8 participatory observations were analyzed. Healers and clients reported outcomes as positively perceived body sensations, increased well-being, positive emotions and symptomatic relief of medical complaints. Clients often described changes in their self-concepts and adapted life values. Explanations for perceived effects included connecting with transcendent sources, construction of meaning, as a result of the client-healer relationship, and as empowerment to make changes. Because the interviewed clients were recruited by the healers, a selection bias towards positive healing experiences is possible.
conclusionWe hypothesize that concepts of meaning construction, resource activation and the utilization of the clients' expectations help to explain the data. Grounded in the emic perspective, we propose to use the following outcomes for further prospective studies: positive body sensations, changes of self-concepts and values, changes of medical symptoms and complaints. From the etic perspective, physical, emotional, social and spiritual wellbeing, sense of coherence, meaningfulness of life, empowerment, resource activation, change and symptom control should be further explored as potential outcomes.
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