Healing Relationships: A Qualitative Study of Healers and Their Clients in Germany

Abstract

Background. The aim of this study was to investigate the nature of the relationships between healers and their clients in Germany. Methods. An interdisciplinary research team performed semistructured interviews with healers and clients and participatory observation of healing sessions. All interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using content analysis. Results. Fifteen healers and sixteen clients were included. The healer-client relationship was described as a profound and unique experience, which brought forth interpersonal and spiritual connections. The healers were seen as role models for healing to occur and support for being connected spiritually. The clients had to be open-minded and responsible. The importance of the healers' empathy was emphasized. Discussion. The relationship between healer and client can be seen as a triangular connection between client, healer, and a transcendent source which is not the case in typical patient-doctor relationships. The spiritual connection is also said to enhance the empathetic understanding of the healer. The personality and a partner-like attitude of the healer supported the client in giving a more positive meaning to his life, in reconnecting to his spirituality, and in taking responsibility. Future studies should address the role of spirituality in health care and the development of enduring healer-client relationships.

Transformational Changes in Health Status: A Qualitative Exploration of Healing Moments

“…This required intention to heal, and then relinquishing all intention. 15,39 Some healers see this as the main mechanism through which they effect change. 40 Consequently, clients were enabled to take control, in what has been described as a self-healing capacity.…”

“…Indeed, healers have been characterised as teachers, 27 companions or coaches 39 on the client's healing journey, with clients as active agents 16 who should share authority. 32 This differs from psychotherapeutic accounts of quantum change, in which people report being passive recipients, experiencing change without particular effort or intention.…”

Healing, a Concept Analysis

“… 32 Anthropological research highlights the therapeutic impact of the relationship between healers and healees. 33 , 34 Healing is an innate capability, a natural process; therefore, the healing relationship is facilitative.…”

Transcendent Experiences Among Pilgrims to Lourdes: A Qualitative Investigation

“…Transcendent experiences have been defined and explored in depth by Levin and Steele who reported that while they are difficult to characterise, they typically involve a state of altered consciousness and a sense that there is more to reality than is evident within the usual everyday boundaries (Levin & Steele, 2005), such as a divine presence beyond physical experience. For Stöckigt, a transcendent experience is one which lifts a person beyond the self (Stöckigt et al, 2015), and Alling provides an excellent overview including non-religious examples such as certain intense examples of conversion experiences, romantic love and encounters with nature, concluding that transcendent experiences are mystical phenomena (Alling, 2015). Surveys suggest that a third of people in the USA and the UK have had an intense religious experience like a transcendent experience that "lifted them outside of themselves" (Levin & Steele, 2005).…”