spiritual healing

Transmission of energy from or through a healer, who may practise hand healing or absent healing through prayer or meditation.

In religions worldwide, from shamanism to latter-day charismatic Christianity, healing powers have been attributed to gifted individuals, and sometimes to particular locations (Delphi, Lourdes) or objects (religious relics), and the anecdotal evidence for the reality of spiritual healing is substantial and cross-cultural. Since both healers and beneficiaries can only adduce metaphysical explanations for the effects, medical science remains sceptical, at most allowing that in exceptional cases faith and will may bring about inexplicable cures or remissions, which, however, also occur in cases where no spiritual contribution is claimed.