| It is official! The power of prayer can heal, and it is not | | | | improvements in these people, or was this rather a |
| just wishful thinking of religious fanatics, there is a study | | | | matter of mind power that resulted in these |
| to prove it. Research was conducted by a team of | | | | improvements. |
| medical doctors and scientists, headed up by Prof | | | | Remember that the mind is so powerful that it can |
| Candy Gunther Brown from the University of Indiana. | | | | effect physical change in the human body. This is why |
| The study was conducted in rural Mozambique and | | | | hypnosis is becoming ever more popular today. |
| included a group of 11 hard of hearing participants as | | | | Hypnosis works by distracting the conscious mind and |
| well as 11 visually impaired people. The study found | | | | concentrating its efforts on the subconscious mind. If |
| that when one or more people prayed for someone | | | | the subconscious mind believes in something strong |
| else, the improvements for that person is significant | | | | enough, it will actually realize that believe, either into a |
| and measurable. | | | | mental picture, or into a physical effect. If the person is |
| Those that were hard of hearing were tested with a | | | | put under hypnosis, and then told that a cigarette has |
| hand-held audio meter before and after they took part | | | | been placed on the back of his hand, and then is |
| in the prayer session. What was discovered was that | | | | convinced enough that the cigarette is burning his skin, |
| there was a big improvement in hearing in 18 out of 22 | | | | the skin on the back of his hand will actually react as if |
| ears. In fact, two of the participants were able to hear | | | | it had been burnt. |
| sounds to 50 dB lower than they previously could | | | | For hundreds of years, hypnosis was seen by the |
| before the prayer session. For those who were | | | | Church is the act of the devil and something so evil |
| visually impaired, three of them saw their vision | | | | that it needed to be avoided at all costs. Today, |
| improve from 20/400 to 20/80. | | | | hypnosis can be shown as proof that the power of |
| Should we really be surprised by the outcome of this | | | | belief and faith can effect physical changes in the |
| research? Well, for those who are deeply religious, this | | | | human body. The act of praying should never be |
| comes as no surprise as it is something that they had | | | | dismissed. Because of the power of concentration, |
| always believed in. For others who were more | | | | thought and faith that is focused in one central point |
| skeptical, it came as a major surprise. However, it | | | | can be strong enough to benefit those who need it |
| should not. The scientists could not determine why the | | | | most and who are willing to accept this powerful gift |
| prayers worked, only that they did. Could it be that a | | | | for what it is. The village in Mozambique that |
| higher power had intervened and caused the | | | | participated in this research are proof of this. |