Effect of Spiritist “Passe” on Preoperative Anxiety of Surgical Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Double-Blind

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the preoperative anxiety of hospitalized patients exposed to Spiritist "passe," laying on of hand with the intention of healing (Sham) and without laying on of hand. Other variables as depression, pain, physiological parameters, muscle tension, and well-being were assessed. Patients in the Spiritist "passe" intervention group showed greater reductions in anxiety (p < 0.05) and muscle tension (p < 0.01) and increases in well-being (p < 0.01). More marked reductions in preoperative anxiety and muscle tension and improvement in wellbeing were observed in patients exposed to Spiritist "passe" compared to Sham or standard medical care. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT03356691.

Effect of laying on of hands as a complementary therapy for pain and functioning in older women with knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled clinical trial

“…Some authors suggest that patients submitted to "spiritual healing" may assimilate a "vital energy" passed by the healers and this could be a possible mechanism promoting salutary effects in the mental and physical health of subjects. 27 This has not been scientifically proven and should be interpreted with caution. Another explanation is that patients may have discovered which group they were assigned to and, thus, were more prone to indicate better changes in the group submitted to SP.…”

“…There are several factors that might explain these findings. Some authors suggest that patients submitted to “spiritual healing” may assimilate a “vital energy” passed by the healers and this could be a possible mechanism promoting salutary effects in the mental and physical health of subjects 27 . This has not been scientifically proven and should be interpreted with caution.…”

“…The dropout/withdrawal rate was low and similar for all groups, indicating that subjects were committed to remaining in the study. Unlike other CAM and SP trials, 13‐17,22‐27 our study used an ITT analysis, providing more solid evidence. Finally, the present study added to the current scientific literature, comparing the so‐called “spiritual healing” therapies with other interventions.…”

“…Concerning the scientific background of SP, the first study published on this subject was an experiment demonstrating that SP was able to inhibit bacterial growth in vitro 21 . Subsequently, some clinical trials evaluated SP, finding that participants who received SP showed reduced anxiety and depressive symptoms, negative effects and muscle tension, as well as improvements in QoL, immunological response, peripheral oxyhemoglobin saturation and well‐being 22‐27 …”

“…21 Subsequently, some clinical trials evaluated SP, finding that participants who received SP showed reduced anxiety and depressive symptoms, negative effects and muscle tension, as well as improvements in QoL, immunological response, peripheral oxyhemoglobin saturation and well-being. [22][23][24][25][26][27] Despite this promising evidence, these studies have limitations that require caution when interpreting their results. Most trials have not evaluated SP provider characteristics, the control groups did not have the intention to "heal the patient", these studies involved only a small number of intervention sessions and short follow-up periods, and lacked an intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis.…”