Psycho-spiritual healing : basis for the development of psychotherapeutic intervention / Reynold P. Varela

This study sought to describe the phenomenon of faith healing/psycho-spiritual healing in the Philippines, and from it to establish a psychotherapeutic intervention. The study used the phenomenological analysis method which is comprised of: the reading of a written healing testimony, division of the text into meaning units, transformation and synthesis. The phenomenon described in this study relates to the experience of 172 participants during the healing seminars of two healing priests -- Rev. Fr. Joey Faller and Rev. Fr. Fernando Suarez. In this research, the researcher deals with the human experience of healing. It has been found through this experience that the healing sensation stimulated by the healing touch of the hand of God. The sensations were described as warm, electrifying, with serenity and lightness, coupled with a deep emotional experience of deliverance from bitterness and hatred. It is an experience of joy, euphoria, a rebirth of the spirit or metanoia, connectedness with God/transcendence, and ephphata. This research described how God touches a person in ways that could be felt and understood. God touches us to satisfy our need of affirmation that He is there, and in return, we have to trust him. Based on this research, it is found that there are five different ways of experiencing the sensation of the healing touch of God's hands. He touches our souls, hearts, and minds with warmth, lightness,/joy/euphoria; an electrifying energy; a certain heaviness to unload us of our earthly burdens; and a crying moment (metanoia)/rebirth of the spirit, and a change of heart. This research has found seven syntheses of the moment of healing experience. These seven themes are drawn from the units of the written testimonies of healing experiences of the co-researchers. This is a product of the final synthesis. The seven themes are (1) reassurance/affirmation, (2) experiencing faith, (3) God's locus of control, (4) conversion/reconciliation, (5) goodness of God, (6) forgiveness, and (7) intimate relationship with God/transcendence.

Psychology.