MENTAL HEALING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2856, 9 December 1908, Page 12

MENTAL HEALING.

s - SUGGESTED EXPERIMENTS. \ \ CHRISTCHUKCH, November 50. Bishop Julius has made jsome Arrange ' % - ments to have inquiries made into the £ttb r ject of mental healing, which was -deali s with' at the Pan-Anglican Congress in Lon don a few months ago. There is in Ohrist , chorch an Anglican clergyman who, it it i .stated, possesses in a remarkabl-e degree b the power of mental healing. He has - studied the subject deeply, las watched » the progress of knowledge in relation tx. * it, and has exercised hie powers so sue [ ceeasfully that many people have reoedvec r treatment from him. This clergyman hta . %oPf been authorised by Bishop Julias *< j act with Ghristchurch doctors in testing t the value of the treatment by "meo&a' healing." Several local doctors have ex i -pressed their willingness to help in the r investigation by examining patients who , wish to be treated and in electing patients > who are likely to be benefited. Bishop f Julius has written to the Canterbury * Branch of the British Medical Association . aisking it to express an opinion in regard j to the value of psychotherapy, and also > : to ascertain how far its members will be H , disposed to take part in the scheme. ; , Bishop Julius apparently has not consulted , any of his clergy except the clergyman i specially interested, but from information £ gathered to-4ay -there is no doubt that ■ i they will enter heartily into any proposal * made in the direction that has been sug- ; gested. There seetns, indeed, to be a ( widespread belief amongst them that men- , tal suggestion may be used to a much [ greater extent than at present. - Some of 1 them make use of it at present with results i that are said to be very satisfactory. They ; all speak in high praise of the work done in this way by the clergyman whom Bishop Julius is encouraging to go further into the subject. They say that he has brought about some remarkable cures. A mental * i healer in Christchurch, who has a private i but wide practice, has also earned their ' goodwill. The doctors, on the other hand, , az-e rather sceptical. Several of thoeewho • were seen to-day said that they would be much better pleased if the clergymen did I not interfere with their work. They •would not tolerate it. In fact, they believe that with neurotic and nervous patients mental suggestion might have' a ; very .beneficial effect, bnt they utterly difi- , card the theory that either suggestion or faith can cure cancer or mend a brokaijt •j mb ' u They ar€ incline d to laugh at tte | idea that the rules laid down in the textbooks on the subject can be effective. They have never known a patient to he ! cured by repeating each morning when he awoke : " 1 have no pain ; I have no , pam." They make use of mental suggesi tion at present with a view to keeping' I patient* in good spirits, and those who i expressed! an opinion to-day said that they 1 thought that mental suggestion in thai ' way was now made the most of.