Spiritual Healing and Conventional Mainstream Medicine

Pilot study

Scientific studies on the issue of spiritual healing have a longstanding tradition at the IGPP. The purpose of the pilot study was to review the current state of research in the field of spiritual healing and to identify the respective research desiderata and suitable methodological approaches. Our focus of interest was on the examination of research projects on the relation between spiritual healing and conventional, orthodox medicine which have already been conducted. With this topic, the area of tension between alternative and conventional or respectively between informal and formal health care as well as of heterodox and orthodox forms of knowledge is being addressed.

In detail the pilot study comprised the sighting of findings concerning the following areas:

• effects of spiritual healing,
• motives for using such approaches,
• general developments in health policy, relevant for the area of unconventional and alternative medicine methodologies and approaches,
• cooperation projects between representatives of the established health care system and spiritual healers,
• socio-cultural factors contributing to the increasing interest of the general population in unconventional and alternative medicine methodologies and approaches.

The pilot study showed, that in the area of "spiritual healing" in general and "spiritual healing and orthodox medicine" in particular, there is a whole lot of interesting research issues that have not yet been adressed and which could be fruitfully realized within the thematic and methodological spectrum of the department of Cultural Studies and Social Research. A number of respective research outlines has been worked out.

Projektleader: PD Dr. Michael Schetsche

Staff member: Dipl.-Psych. Liane Hofmann