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Page 218
person. We do not yet know the causal mechanism involved, but the results are indisputable.
The experience that psychic, spiritual, and energy healers have in reducing the pain and stress of a patient may be the best evidence we have in all of psychical research for a direct mind-to-mind connection between people. Of course, not every case of a healer's interaction with a person spontaneously recovering from pain is evidence of a psychic event. There are several possible explanations that must be considered in any situation where a healing professional interacts successfully to decrease the pain of a suffering person.
Psychiatrist Elisabeth Targ delineates three hypotheses for healing outcomes. The first is that when a healer is present with the patient, the healer's presence may cause a distraction from the pain, or psychologically enhance relaxation of the patient. Relaxation of the musculature of a distressed person almost always produces a reduction in pain, and this process need not involve any ESP whatsoever.
Secondly, a healer (either distantly or in the presence of a patient) may psychically guide the patient in using naturally endowed self-healing capabilities. Stimulation of the endocrine system, endorphin production, or a psychoneuroimmunological response may be promoted psychically, in that all of these systems are known to be susceptible to ordinary mental and psychological influences.
A third factor to be considered in healer-patient interactions is psychokinesis. This term refers to a possible direct interaction between a healer's mind and a patient's body.
I (Jane) add a fourth hypothesis for healing outcomes. That is, healing information may be manifested through the focused consciousness of a caring person or healer who surrenders his or her individuality, and is willing to be used as a vehicle of spiritual healing. Such a healing message would involve a greater consciousness, different from what an individual healer alone could provide.
As stated previously, we don't assume that every case of surprising spontaneous recovery from pain or illness has a psychic or spiritual component. However, we feel those cases that do appear to involve some form of distant

 
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