Effect of belief in "psychic healing" on self-reported pain in chronic pain sufferers
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Michael Lyvers1, Norman Barling, Jill Harding-Clark
1Department of Psychology, Bond University, Gold Coast, Qld 4229 Australia. mlyvers@staff.bond.edu.au
Objective:
The "psychic healing" ability of a well-known Australian psychic was subjected to a televised experimental test.
Methods:
Twenty volunteers suffering from chronic pain were recruited by newspaper advertisements. Half were randomly assigned to the treatment or control condition using a double-blind procedure.
Results:
Comparison of pre- and posttreatment McGill Pain Questionnaire ratings indicated no effect of psychic healing. However, pretreatment questionnaire ratings of belief in psychic healing and related phenomena were significantly correlated with improvement in McGill Pain Questionnaire ratings irrespective of treatment condition.
Conclusion:
Results suggest that anecdotal reports of effective psychic healing and "faith healing" are attributable to the power of belief.
