*** Aspects of Spiritual Healing and the Spiritualization of Matter (Part 2)

How can we understand healing, which seems to occur through intention and subtle energies?

Albert Einstein pointed out, earlier in this century, that matter and energy are interchangeable. Quantum physics has amply confirmed his theory. Conventional, Newtonian medicine continues to address the body primarily as matter. Healers have been saying for a long time that they are addressing the energy body when they do healings. Allopathic and energy medicine approaches simply represent the two sides of Einstein's equation, E = mc2.

Why is it so hard for conventional medicine and science to accept healing as a valid and potent treatment?

Modern science has gone through a similar process in assimilating the observations and theories of quantum physics.

Some of the observations of quantum physics, that relate to the energy side of the equation, are counter-intuitive to conventional, Newtonian physics, and to "everyday, common sense". In conventional physics and medicine, linear interactions are the rule. (Note another prejudicial term.) We deal with measurable forces that produce measurable effects in material objects or chemicals.

In quantum physics, it has been shown that non-local effects may occur. An electron may be understood both as a particle and as a wave function. Single electrons may bilocate when passing through two slits. Time may flow backwards as well as forwards. The universe is so intricately interwoven that every element in it is ultimately influenced by every other element. An event may be considered as both occurring and not occurring -- until an observer intervenes and determines which is the case. In other words, the observer cannot be separated from the system that is being observed. Much has been made of the similarities between modern physics and psi phenomena in excellent books, such as Fritjof Capra's The Tao Physics, so I shall not belabour these.

I am fascinated as a psychiatrist and healer to review the psychological and social processes in the assimilation of the new concepts of quantum physics. It took several decades of research before these observations, that run counter to our ordinary experiences of the world, were accepted. A similar process is apparent with psi healing.

There may be greater difficulty with the acceptance of healing, however, as this involves a shift in world views with far more personal consequences than the abstract and highly theoretical shifts with quantum physics. Many people find it threatening to learn that another person might influence them through thoughts or intentions. Rather than examine and deal with their discomforts, they prefer to reject the threatening concepts and to distance themselves from those who propose them. This is analogous to the ancient method of killing the messenger who bears bad news. People who advocate a belief in healing may be discredited and may suffer various discriminations against them.

It took several decades for scientists to accept these counter-inutitive observations of modern physics. The same is happening with healing.