Effect of laying on of hands as a complementary therapy for pain and functioning in older women with knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled clinical trial
Spiritual Energy Healing Intervention for Knee Pain
The study assessed a non contact version of the spiritual healing tradition known as “laying on of hands” for older women with knee osteoarthritis and found that when delivered with a spiritual component, patients experienced significantly improved functional capacity, reduced anxiety, and better long term outcomes compared to both the nonspiritual version and a no intervention control.
Research Question: Does adding a "spiritual component" to laying on of hands (LooH) make it more effective for treating chronic knee pain and improving physical movement?
Key Findings: Patients who received LooH with a spiritual focus (Spiritist Passe) experienced significantly better physical function and lower anxiety levels than those receiving secular LooH or exercise alone.
Design: A triple-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial (RCT)
- Intervention Groups: 120 women were randomly assigned to either the Spiritist Passe group (spiritual LooH), the secular LooH group (intention to heal without religious context), or a control group.
- Dosage: Weekly 5-minute, no-touch sessions for eight weeks, integrated with a twice-weekly, 45-minute group exercise program.
Subjects: n= 120 (Women aged 60 and older with knee osteoarthritis).
Biofield / Energy Healing Intervention: Spiritist Passe—a form of laying on of hands that combines a healer's focused intention with a "spiritual component" to enhance healing.
Results:
- Overall Results: While physical therapy helped all participants, adding Spiritist Passe led to significantly greater improvements in pain and mobility that lasted for months after the treatment ended.
- Primary Outcome Results: The spiritual healing group significantly outperformed the secular LooH group in daily functioning and showed much greater overall pain relief than the exercise-only group.
- Secondary Outcome Results: Patients in the Spiritist Passe group experienced a significant drop in anxiety and a measurable boost in their overall quality of life.
Discussion:
- A deeper "spiritual connection" or intention may act as a catalyst, making energy healing more effective for physical recovery.
- Energy-based therapies provide a low-cost, drug-free way to manage chronic pain without the side effects of traditional medications.
- The fact that results lasted through the follow-up period suggests these treatments may trigger long-term healing mechanisms in the body.
Conclusion: Combining traditional exercise with spiritual energy healing is more effective for reducing knee pain and restoring function than exercise alone, making it a valuable tool for clinical practice.
Link to Publication: https://doi.org/10.1111/1756-185X.13952
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