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Sufism and Healing

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Neuroscience, Consciousness and Spirituality

Part of the book series: Studies in Neuroscience, Consciousness and Spirituality ((SNCS,volume 1))

Abstract

This chapter examines a neglected phenomenon: rapid wound healing after deliberate bodily damage. Some spiritual traditions, such as a particular school of Sufism, maintain that through immediate contact with the Divine bodily damage may not do harm and any wounds can heal rapidly. During such rituals the body is pierced and wounded by various objects, such as daggers, skewers, glass or razor blades. To investigate this claim extensive field documentations were conducted and a series of well controlled demonstrations under laboratory conditions. These findings are described. The observations and measurements seem to suggest the following: the rapid wound healing phenomenon after deliberate bodily damage is repeatable, even under laboratory conditions and outside the context of the religious ritual; there is clear evidence of penetration of tissue, but no evidence of pain, infection or other lasting damage; concomitant EEG data and the phenomenology do not seem to suggest that this phenomenon is a consequence of hypnosis. Spiritual explanations are discussed.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    It is important to note here that the term “energy” is employed metaphorically and not in a strictly physical or material sense, as no known energy would be able to provide an explanation for the phenomena observed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. WO Walker Center, Case Western Reserve University, Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, University Hospitals of Cleveland, 10524 Euclid Avenue, Suite 3150, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA

    Howard Hall

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Correspondence to Howard Hall .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Institute for Transcultural Health Scien, European Universtiy Viadrina, Frankfurt, Grosse Scharrnstr. 59, Frankfurt, 15230, Germany

    Harald Walach

  2. , Dept. of Environmental Health Sciences, University Medical Center Freiburg, Breisacherstr. 115b, Freiburg, 79106, Germany

    Stefan Schmidt

  3. Samueli Institute, King Street 1737, Alexandria, 22314, Virginia, USA

    Wayne B. Jonas

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Hall, H. (2011). Sufism and Healing. In: Walach, H., Schmidt, S., Jonas, W. (eds) Neuroscience, Consciousness and Spirituality. Studies in Neuroscience, Consciousness and Spirituality, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2079-4_16

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