Bruno Gröning
Bruno Bernhard Gröning (May 30, 1906 in Danzig – January 26, 1959 in Paris) was a German mystic who performed faith healings and lectured. He was active in Germany in the 1940s and 1950s after World War II. Life. Gröning was born into a Catholic family in Danzig in 1906. He was the middle child of seven and was raised in the suburb of Oliva. He did not finish school; he began training as a carpenter and worked in a variety of jobs. During the Nazi era, his family changed their last name to the more German Gröning from  Grönkowski, Grenkowski, or Grzenkowski, and he, his father, and his brother joined the Nazi Party. In March 1943 he was conscripted into the Wehrmacht as a "Panzerjäger"; after stating that he would not kill another human being, he came close to being executed for this stance at a court martial. He was captured by the Soviets in Köslin and from March to October 1945 was in a POW camp in Frankfurt an der Oder, where he argued with his captors for better conditions in the prison. Gröning came to public attention in 1949. In Herford, the father of a young  boy named Dieter Hulsmann, claimed that Gröning had healed his son of muscular dystrophy and told many people of his belief. News of this story circulated and soon crowds gathered in front of the Hulsmann residence, seeking healing. Soon newspapers began covering the story, which drew larger crowds of up to 5,000 people. As he traveled around Germany, Austria and Switzerland he would often draw larger crowds. In September 1949, up to 30,000 people daily came to the city of Rosenheim to see him. Once again, newspapers ran stories about him, even printing entire special editions about the gatherings there . Gröning died at the age of 52 of stomach cancer; his ashes were buried in Dillenburg next to his younger son. Find-a-Grave for Bruno Groning, Teachings. Gröning said that his ideas were not a new teaching or religion, but rather an ancient knowledge that had been lost, saying that people had forgotten "the most important thing", that there is a higher power or force that is available to help people. Gröning regarded health (rather than illness and disease) as the natural state of all living things and asserted that one can maintain health and heal from illness by  absorption of a Divine life force that he called "heilstrom". which translates into English as "healing wave" or "healing stream". Tuning in to divine energy. To connect with and receive this energy, Gröning taught a technique he called "einstellen" (German for "tuning in"). He said that human beings were like batteries that used energy. To maintain health, a person needed to daily renew themselves by tuning into the healing wave. The practice of "einstellen" consists of sitting in an upright position with arms and legs uncrossed and palms facing upwards. He stated that it was very important for the back  to be straight and to not have any kind of backrest if possible. Inwardly the practice consists of having the wish to receive the "heilstrom", having faith that healing is possible, and then focusing on the body, observing the sensations and feelings thereof. He told people to "take on health" and that specifically in regard to healing it is permissible, even necessary, to be selfish, that is, to focus on oneself. Gröning believed that when a person tunes into the healing stream that healings can occur spontaneously or slowly, depending on variables such as the quantity of life force flowing  through the body, accelerated during "einstellen". Sometimes the symptoms may worsen or increased pain is experienced before a healing occurs. Gröning called this occurrence "regelungen" (German for "regulation" or "adjustments") and stated that it is sometimes a necessary part of the healing process. Power of thought and faith. Gröning emphasized the importance of maintaining a positive attitude and having faith, especially the faith that healing was possible, rather than thinking about negative things, especially dwelling on an illness one was hoping to heal. In his teachings, he emphasized that negative thinking and dwelling on problems interferes with the healing process . Gröning's ideas about himself. Gröning's concept of himself was that he was an "appointed person", given the task and capacity to help people by God. He spoke of himself also as a "mediator" and a "transformer", in terms of his role and ability to help people connect with the healing stream. Reception. Media coverage of Bruno Gröning was mixed, with contradictory reports. Some called Gröning a "miracle doctor", others "charlatan." Gröning faced many legal challenges. In many towns he was forbidden to heal or speak to people. Reasons for this varied. One charge brought against him was that  he was practicing medicine without a license. At other times officials were concerned about the large crowds that gathered. He went on trial twice. He was unable to take part in the second trial because he was undergoing surgery at the time. Following. Various groups continue to promulgate Gröning's teaching, including the Circle of Information, the Bruno Groening Trust, the Bruno Groening Friends, the Association for the Advancement in Germany of Spiritual and Natural - Psychological Foundations for Living, the Association for Natural Spiritual Living, the Bruno Gröning Circle of Friends, and Help and Healing Sessions. Gröning founded the Association  for the Advancement in 1958 to replace the Gröning Association. The Circle of Friends was founded in 1979 by Grete Hausler, an Austrian school teacher who worked closely with Gröning. The Circle of Information was created by Thomas Busse, who has written a number of books about Gröning and directed the documentary film "The Gröning Phenomena". Help and Healing Sessions is an association of independent Groening groups and hosts online meetings. The Bruno Gröning Circle of Friends was listed as a commercial cult in an official 1997 report by the Berlin Senate Committee. Personal life. Gröning married in 1928. He  had two sons with his wife, Gertrud, both of whom died, the elder in 1939 from a congenital heart defect, the younger in 1949 from pleurisy; the couple later divorced. He was a chain-smoker, preferring American Chesterfield cigarettes, a heavy coffee drinker, and an alcohol abuser, and known to sexually harass women at times; members of his inner circle found it necessary to control his access to them to prevent scandal. In the 1940s he wore his hair unusually long and kept only one set of clothing, which he washed every evening.