Journal of the Society for PychAPRLOved For Release 2000/08/11 QUESTIONNAIRE STUDY OF EXPERIENTIAL REACT BRAZILIAN HEALER , by Stantey Krippner ABSTRACT Anomalous healing is a com measure (Frank, 1974, chap. or tpparent anomalies in irkpatrick, 1981), unusual heali Achterberg, 1975; Hall, 1983), “and i healings have not survi i urvived rigorou i I ° identify some of the experiential compan, repeal see ealers, Westerbeke and Krippner (1980) seriously ill persons who visi : o visited one of six Filipi vere asked Os € of six Filipino practitioners j well as 6 ayn Pete luestionnaires several days after their healing Sonn questionnaines, making ie I the 8 approached, | 1 completed all three and spitinal he el-selected sample. Pur i : ‘ ported ph subjene confidannees ee elated at statistically significant lec "le the € elicacy of mental healing and in the practiti ner, ine § acuitioner, to ulity following the healing sessions, t ychic phenomena \ plex process and one whos 3; Solvin, 1984) mental he. vhose results are difficult to i . The literature contains instances ‘ ing with adequate follow-up {e.g plainable by ordinary mechanisms (eg, and i i i Instances in which seemingly dramatic . Inan attem ” us of people’s reactions to mental onducted a questionnaire study of 88 perceived increa in ‘ creases in ‘energy and vit oO » and to the willingness to (Westerbeke Glee Krippner oy ain relief from one’s health problems Procedure A similar Opportunity afforded itself j : self Sciences (Sausalito, California) organized a std oan tec in indigenous healing practices. The proup e no Spend the most time was Jose Maced eee (Brot er) Macedo, a self-styled ‘spiritual Bea fo spend four days with the group as itc razuian folk festival, in the city of Salvador in t when the Institute of Noetic y tour of Brazil for 25 people practitioner with whom this o de Arruda, better known as healer’ from Recife who was elebrated Carnival, an annual he province of Bahia. 208 : CIA-RDP96-0 [Vol. 56, No. 82¢uly- 1990] 0792R000700340004-0 A Questionnaire Study of Experiental Reactions IONS TO Aer upper limbs when he felt tremors. He realized that a minor earthquake was in srogress, and the young woman moved toward him for support. Macedo smbraced the stranger and claims that he felt a sudden ‘surge of energy’ as well is a strong conviction that he could heal her paralysis. When the earthquake tremors subsided, the woman realized that she had used her arms for the first time in many years. Because the stranger’s paralysis did not return, she proclaimed herself ‘healed’ and gave Brother Macedo the credit. From the time of the experience, Macedo has devoted himself to ‘spiritual healing’, using a curative power he purportedly generates through prayer. Macedo uses the word ‘telergy’ to describe his work. In a typical healing session, he will ask people to close their eyes and will hold his hands a short distance from their body. He will then pray in an attempt to generate and transfer the ‘telergy’. His prayers are directed to Jesus Christ. Brother Macedo’s reputation has grown to the extent that he has been visited & by people from various parts of Brazil, as well as individuals from several foreign" countries. In addition, he claims that sometimes it is possible for him to heal people at a distance. Macedo holds weekly healing seminars each Thursday and encourages people to focus upon his meetings at that time, believing that the effects of his curative powers will transcend digtance. Unlike the members of the previous group, the individuals on this study tour were fot seriously il} but joined it for other personal or professional reasons. Responses from this group were elicited to the same questions as had been used in the previous study. In this case, however, the questionnaires were mailed to the subjects upon their return; the previous subjects had completed the questionnaires on their flight back to North America, several days after the conclusion of their healing sessions. Most questions were phrased so that they could be answered on a 3-, 4-, or 5-point scale. To avoid a ‘halo effect’, the value ofa rating of ‘1’ varied; for half the questions it meant ‘a great amount’, and for the other halfit signified ‘a small amount’. (For this reason, a number of negative correlations were obtained, but for clarity Table | presents all correlations as positive, including those obtained from the earlier sample.) Using the Pearson product-moment coefficient of correlation, the 4 quantitative items from the first questionnaire were correlated with the 3 outcome items from the third questionnaire. The 3 quantitative items in the second questionnaire were correlated with the 3 outcome items in the third questionnaire. A total of 21 correlations were made. Fifteen individuals did not complete either or both of their follow-up questionnaires, reducing the number of subjects to 10 (6 women, 4 men). Results Table 1 presents the results of this study and compares them to the data obtained in the previous investigation. One question asked, ‘If regaining health necessitates changing your personality or style of living, to what extent would you be willing to make a change?’ Five types of response were possible ranging from ‘I would not be willing to change my life’ to “I would make any changes at all if it meant getting well’. These responses were significantly and positively related to 96-00 DB aROOCZ in one’s spiritual viewpoint for both groups GIA: RDR96-0079 0070034000400 the Filipino study group. 209
: CIA-RDP96-00792R000700340004-0 Approved For Release 2000/08/11 Journal of the Society for Psychical Research Table I Relationshi ps (Pearson Product-Moment C i r oeffic i from Three Questionnaires De Experiential Ree Healer (N = 10) compared with Results from a Similar Stud Healers (noted in parentheses) (N = Il) Willingness io change one’s behavior; physical condition... .... mental attitude..........., . Mo 030/08" spiritual viewpoint ................. - o.68"*(0 63") Degree of religious commitment: . physical condition........ . . mental attitude..........., 7 ee oonoan spiritual viewpoint ............. nl, 031(0,53y Number of reported person iences with al i i physical condition... 1b mental attitude....2. 2... - oso spiritual viewpoint ..................... 0.58(0.78""*) Degree of confidence in men ing before ; tal heal i ; physical condition............ " 5 Pelore 0.2400 mores mental attitude.....0..0.0.00 0” o2go7ote spiritual viewpoint ..................... 0.1 I pase). Degree of confidence in men ing after se ; tal heal i ; physical condition............ me wer "0.15 aioe mental attitude....0000 0.00(0.7786% Spiritual viewpoint .............. — ‘o21oeges). Amount of help reportedly received from healer: physical condition......... eee 0.00 0.86*** mental attitude. ...2 2... nn. oor spiritual viewpoint ............... i 0.53(0.85""") Perceived amount of ‘energy and vitality’ change; physical condition.............. 6 45 0.84*** mental aititude................, cl oes ms spiritual viewpoint .............. 02806 Hem etd _ Significant, .05 (8 df for Brazilian data, 9 df for Filipino data) _ significant, .02 (8 df for Brazilian data, 9 df for Filipino data) ein: significant, .01 (8 df for Brazilian data, 9 df for Filipino data) The num i degree nel or reported Personal experiences with psychic phenomena, one’s amount of penned a eir healer before and after the healing session and the amount ofp elp retained from the healing session 6 months late o any of the three outcomes for the Brazilian study group but these > at si nificant levels or a the Filipino= tudy roup items had been related g f ll I nS & s The perceived change in ‘ ved ge In ‘energy and vitality’ session was significantly related to a shift (at i2 spiritual viewpoint for the Brazilian study group 6 months after the healing months) toward a positive Energy and vitality’ change 210 [Vol. 56, No. 8July 1990] y of Reactions to Filiping|coholic drinks consume A Questionnaire Study of Experiental Reactions ‘at 6 months) had been related to physical, mental, and spiritual shifts (at 12 : eH ) among R ilipi signed to Elicit Experiential Reactions toa St or Phat group werg the Humbe For neither group were the number of cigarettes smoked or. the number of per day related to perceived changes. These data are omitted from Table I. In summary, 17 of the 21 attempted correlations had been significant for the Filipino study group whereas 2 of the 21 were significant for the Brazilian study group. The open-ended questions produced a variety of interesting responses. Subject #1, a 37-year-old woman, recalled, ‘My treatment was what Brother Macedo calls “telergy”, which resulted in trance induction’. She recalled no short-term or long-term effects. Subject #2, a 54-year-old man, participated in a group treatment with Brother Macedo, but no individual treatments. His short-term effects included an” enhanced belief in spiritual power’ and his long-term effects were ‘contitlied insight and commitment to belief in the value of the spiritual path’. Subject #3, a 47-year-old woman, wrote that she ‘stood, shoeless, eyes closed, while the healer moved his hands near my kody. There was a considerable focus ,on my head. I recall the sensation of the warthth of his hands almost touching my ‘ears and scalp’. No short-term effects were noted but there was a long-term | effect: ‘Positive physical changes reflective of mental and emotional changes, in ‘that I have increased my activity in those three areas’. ‘Subject #4, a 50-year-old woman, wrote that Macedo held his hands above ‘her swollen ankle and that she ‘could feel the energy of his hands, also ,the . quietness of the room helped me focus’. There was some short-term relief offper ‘ condition but no perceived long-term effect. Subject #5, a 62-year-old woman, ‘felt a great amount of energy from Brother Macedo and watched what that power was capable of doing, physically anyway; to a few of the other persons. His strength seems to come from his deeply rooted spiritual beliefs which did affect all of us in the group’. The short-term effects were described as ‘reaffirmation of what I already knew, i.e., the importance of healing myself though sometimes using the healer’s energy’. Long-term effects were described as ‘My spiritual growth, and mental and emotional attitudes continue to change, although I don’t believe this came from the trip, but rather a direction I continue to follow’. Subject #5, a 62-year-old woman, stated that Macedo ‘fed energy to me through his hands. My eyes were closed throughout the sessions so I do not know more than this. He did not touch me at any time’. She described a long-term effect: ‘Brother Macedo gave my spiritual development a strong forward thrust’. Subject #6, a 58-year-old woman, said that she had been experiencing daily constipation and swelling in the legs and feet during the study tour. Following her healing session, she reported ‘less swelling in legs’ and ‘no constipation’. Her long-term benefits were described as ‘no changes in spiritual viewpoint but an increasing depth of perspective’. Subject #7, a 59-year-old woman with glaucoma, recalled ‘feeling heat from his hands’ during Macedo’s healing sessions. She reported no short-term or long- term effects on her eye problem, but ‘a sense of inner peace; the old impatience and anxiety seem to have disappeared, for the most part’. 211 oot : CIA-RDP96-00792R000700340004-0 Approved For Release 2000/08/11
: CIA-RDP96-00792R000700340004-0 Approved For Release 2000/08/11 Journal of the Society for Psychical Research Vol / [Vol. 56, No. ily 1990] A Questionnaire Study of Experiental Reactions APPENDIX A First questionnai . What symptoms had you ex erienced in the two months prior to y' heali ion? y ad y your healing session: g ire, Administered Shortly after Healing Session ow often “id they occur? , , Thousands i of Americans and E ans “uropcans visit traditionz iri onal and spiritual healers in various parts of What was the name of the healer with whom you mone world each year. How . vever, very little inf i them. Your answ 2 information has been collec . vers to this ; : . collected about wh place. Please put down as noch infoumana will help to clarify and put into neranective Set of the questions if ti ation as you care to. H what ta me demands or c ; . However, do not feel you need oncerns for privacy are considerations for you answe Aprennix B , Second Questionnaire, Adminstered 6 Months after Healing Session. a. Your name and address. b. Age at the ti : 8 ¢ time of the healing. ‘ y this time, you should have completed Part | of the questionnaire. If you have not done so, and if ou wish to participate in the study, fill it out before you attempt ihis one. Again, write as much as yu desire and omit anything that you would like to keep confidential. do you have more or less confidence in the aling experience, prior to your trip? (Check the correct answer.) c. Ailment d tet . s and conditions for which you sought healing. . Now that you have gone through the he: d. During the two m . onths previous to t i o the healing, how many cigarettes did you smoke per dpwers of ‘psychic healing’ than you felt (Check correct answer.) b aan fiv ’ Much more confidence now. 3. About half, k : Somewhat more confidence now. rs * 4. About a pack. . About the same amount of confidence ng oe one pack. .. Somewhat less confidence now. J }. Much less confidence now. 5. About a pack and a half. 5. Please describe the treatment given y 6. About two packs. 7. Two and a half . packs or more. e. During the two month: i . >, From what you can observe so far, how much help (if any) did you receive from the healing session? have each day? Be sare S previous io the healing session, how many alcoholic dri . |. A lot of help. | None nd include beer and wine as well as hard liquor. rinks did you usttaly Some help. 2. One or two ca. : , 3. A little help. 3. Three or four. nS, glasses, drinks, etc. 4. No help. 4. Fi i : 5 Seven or ef h d. if you were helped, describe how. oe ight. . °- Nine to eleven. ; ie, Compared to how you felt prior to the experience, do you feel more or less energy and vitality now? - Twelve or more. . Feel more energy. ©. Feel no change. f. If regaining health n i 7 id ecessitates changi : 3. Feel less energy. a you be willing to make a change? nging your personality or style of living, to what extent woul a ‘ . i i ? , would not be willing to change my life is What was the name of the healer with whom you worked? 3 Wooly pe willing to make slight changes. ig. Your name. ; Would e willing to make moderate changes \ . woud be willing to make major changes. , , : . uld be willing to make any changes at all, if it meant getti U , APPENDIX C > Ing well. ' Third Questionnaire, Administered 12 Months after Healing Session mpleted Parts | and 2 of the Questionnaire. If you have not done so, his study, fill them out before you attempt this one. Again, write as g. Which of the followin : g best describ: ot . cribes your religious commitment or orientation at the time of th By this time, you should have co ,, By this time, y hing that you would like to keep confidential. healing? and if you wish to participate int - much as you desire and omit anyt I. Deeply religi gious. ive changes in your physical condition? 2. Moderately religious. 3. Largely indifferent or opposed to religion , gion. _a. Have you experienced posit 2. Few. 3. Some. 4, Many. one. your mental and emotional attitudes? h. Have you had any i ; y previous pe : . phenomena? personal experience (prior to the healing) with so-called psychic b.H ‘ d ave ch: : . Have you experienced positive ¢ anges in 2. Few, 3. Some. 4, Many. 1. None. 2. Few. 3. Some. 4. Many 1. None. c. Have you experienced positive changes in your spiritual viewpoint? - : ‘0 > ; i. Prey ious to your contact with the healer how much confidence did you have in his or her ability to 2 M assist you? 1. Completely confident 1. None. airly confident. d. Describe the changes (either positive or negative) that have taken place in your physical condition, mental and emotional attitudes, and/or your spiritual viewpoint. 3. I had very stron g¢ doubts, e. What was the name of the healer with whom you worked? 214 215 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000700340004-0 Approved For Release 2000/08/11