If you’ve seen the recent BBC2 TV show - Trust me I’m a healer - you may agree that complementary and alternative methods tend to get a particular style of treatment in the media. This particular show demonstrated very adequately the opinionated skepticism and understated ridicule that programme makers often use.

Sadly the inference is that all healing is suspect, which to any intelligent person is like saying all eating is somehow bad or all medicine is wrong. Healing is an activity which, like eating and medicine, can go a number of ways in the hands of any number of people.

Also in the news this week was the 'Barefoot Doctor' (real name Stephen Russell), who has popularised Taoist philosophy and holistic health among millions mainly on TV and through his books and range of products. According to the Observer newspaper, for which he used to write, he has been “forced to issue an extraordinary statement admitting to having sex with ex-patients in the past”.

Clearly, there may be serious issues of trust and professionalism at stake, but it seems this alleged indiscretion has been used by those wary of complementary and holistic approaches to bring about additional controls and again cast a shadow over the whole complementary community.

What can we do to bring complementary programme making and holistic witch-hunting out of the dark age in which it seems to be stuck?

Make our own programmes? Anyone interested......?

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Hi Carl, we don't get that programme in NZ, probably a good thing. However, I would like to say that anyone who casts themselves as a healer is on the wrong track. Firstly urs bodies are designed to heal themselves, some people are able to help, however, true healing comes from within. I would always be suspicious of anyone who called themselves a healer, its usually an ego thing.
As far as illness goes, when you look at what illness is (see below) you start to realise that we have to responsible for ourselves, and that sometimes means we seek the advise and help of others, but those others are NOT healers.

by Raymond Francis, M.Sc.

"One Disease * Two Causes * Six Pathways"

One Disease: Cellular Malfunction

Two Causes:

Deficiency
Toxicity

Six Pathways:

Nutrition
Toxin
Psychological
Physical
Genetic
Medical

"Diagnosis by symptoms is the process by which modern medicine gives
each collection of symptoms a particular name. Medicine views symptoms as enemies, and physicians are trained to eliminate them, even if that means aggressively assualting the body with dangerous toxins, radiation or invasive surgery.

Symptomology leads the medical profession to look at symptoms individually, organize them into thousands of catagories, label them as different diseases and then prescribe a currently accepted protocol to supress those symptoms. This approach adds needless complexity, creates massive confusion and results in an inability to deal with disease in a meaningful way.

In truth, each collection of symptoms - each specific "disease" - is just a different expression of malfunctioning cells."

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I saw a few episodes of that programme, but stopped watching because it was obviously a "hatchet job". They set out with the intention of ridiculing the extreme methods of the healers in question, starting with their choice of healers and then proceeding with an air of cynicism all the way through.

Now I am not the least cynical person on the planet, in fact i foudn myself doubting the authenticity of many of the healers as individuals, but I coudl see the structure of each programme was deliberately set to provoke the most outlandish aspects of each healer's ways, and to provide drama for the viewing millions. It was the TV equivalent of getting a captive animal in a cage and poking it with sharp sticks.

A repeated factor in this programme was the questioning of the healers' 'higher motives' simply because they dared to earn money and make a living from their path. This stupid idea that you're not allowed to live comfortably if you take up a healing path seemed to be a main focus of the programme, implying that a healer cannot ethically demand a reasonable amount of money for their services.

I did wonder for a moment why they chose such eccentric characters with extreme methods - but that was quickly obvious, you 'ordinary' healer wouldn't be such an interesting target for them to create drama from.

Investitgative journalism or cheap pathetic sensationalism? Decide for yourself.

Cheers,

Scott

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I was contacted by endemol a few weeks back. They asked if I was interested in being the head of a team working with 6 newly diagnosed anorexic women. Here's the 'sell' it would be a no nonsense approach (code for sensationalist tv) and they had to put 2 stone on in 6 weeks! I was asked how I would approach this. I said I wouldn;'t and it wouldn't work.

I find it really upsetting that this may come to our screens, prime time 8pm on channel 4.

Needless to say I didn't get called back!

Yes make it yourself is the answer Carl

JayneC x

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Hi Jon,
I agree that there are only faciliatators for others self healing and not 'healers.' Unfortunately some students will be lulled into believing this if their teacher is suffering from the self delusion created by ego.
L&L
Dave

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I didn't see the show, but it does sound as though the clue is cunningly in the title. I personally wouldn't trust anyone who claimed to be able to 'heal' me, because as has already been said, it's your own body that heals you. It just needs a helping hand from time to time.

The problem with these types of programmes is that they always go for the extreme because they wouldn't get an audience if they didn't. It's a bit like negative sensationalism I guess.

A sane, well trained, experienced reflexologist or reiki master doing their stuff in a professional manner isn't going to make entertaining television.

It's a real shame that they didn't see fit to make a balanced programme saying, 'avoid these weirdo people, go see a proper therapist, like this one, who will help you get the results you're after.'

Any budding film makers out there fancy giving it a go?

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Jayne - I'm glad you told Endemol to get stuffed! I get contacted a lot by TV programme makers, and I'm very wary of them. You just never know what the end product will be like.

And yes - I've always thought someone should make a prog showing that therapists really can make a difference - a positive one for a change.

I never call myself a healer - I'm a therapist & facilitator.

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hmmm I missed these programmes too and am pleased I did ....when I have been approached by any media types for any of my work I have proceeded with extreme caution because this is how I earn my money and I have always lived in small communities where I need to retain my authenticity F.xxx

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Ditto.... and Here here!

And yes I resonate with some of the above posts.

I have been contacted by various TV and Radio stations many times with a hard sell of we are going to have a tough and revealing aproach. Thus meaning I would expose myself to some quite vigorous investigation. I am always happy to be explored but not down right used to make a program or particular station look good!

Tough is never a way any faciliator of 'wholistic' (fnding the wholsome self) development ought to work.
Congruent and integral yes.

I so much have complete faith that we are all self healers and may awaken that skill within us at any given moment and sometimes without any help and guidance

Personally and professionaly I can not abide the Media the way they want to sell sell sell. I faciliate a lot of volunteers and volunteer work and have seen many of these folk who I faciliate, go on to sell their newly found skills and charge at disgraceful exchanges!

If I may, I would like to take the Opportunity of asking for your support for our Downing St recognised and officially flagged Petition
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Wholistic/


We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to List in a global 'dictionary' and make practice of the word Wholistic.

Negotiates to inform Government of wholistic awareness.

Seeks funding as wholistic consultant. Paradigms developed since 1993 shaped & shared across the board.

Seek funding for 7 online outreach 'Wholistic consultants'. Units banked with NOCN. Volunteers practice the Wholistic self, documenting experiential learning for the provision of wholistic awareness.

Founder listed with NHS Directory of Complementary and Alternative Practitioners & Member of a Registered Charity.

Expect on consultation to arrive at the real meaning of the word "Holistic" & awareness 'bridging the gap' between mainstreams of education to the complementary (post 16) fields of Learning.

Objective- share experience of wholistic learning techniques in the 'digital age' to statutory agencies, organizations and communities that wish to develop a simple understanding of the word wholistic.

Warm regards all

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Healers are being taken seriously. NFSH Members Ruth Kaye and Angie Buxton King have founded Healing within the NHS,

I have been acknowledged by Consultants for the work I have done as a Healer.

There are studies being taken carried out with several University Professors. I am also taking part in studies by PRISM, Psychical Research Involving Selected Mediums by Professor Archie E Roy and Tricia Robertson who work from University of Glasgow.

Shall we also acknowledge for the sake of the Christians out there that Jesus was an amazing Healer.

!t's 2007 and by 2012 a time when the World Healers will be increasing through the great shift.

Last edited: 30-09-2007 11:24:13 PM

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Sorry, Nina, leaving religious beliefs aside, I do not believe anyone is a healer, sure people help the healing process, but to say anyone is a healer is to negate our own natural healing ability and to abdicate responsibility for our health. If someone is a true healer, then the person being healed could continue to poison themselves and just get a 'healer' to heal them when there is too much poison in their system. This, to me, is so totally against nature and also 'GOD'.
I am not a christian, so beliefs of the new testement writings are not my perview.

Last edited: 1-10-2007 05:56:31 AM

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!t's 2007 and by 2012 a time when the World Healers will be increasing through the great shift.

There may be a change in thearth's situation in 2012, or not, but healers do not exist, so, I do not agree with this.

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Jon

Everyone has an opinion. Yours is no more valid than anyone else's, considering we're all one. Healers exist to those that are, or consider themselves healed. If you looked into it more closely, you'd see that self-healing is part of that process.

Chill man, and condemn not, as there is no 'right' or 'wrong' - just opinion.

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Jon

Chill man, and condemn not, as there is no 'right' or 'wrong' - just opinion.

I agree everyone has an opinion, and all I did was to give mine, people are free to agree or disagree as they see fit.
I take exception to your telling me to 'chill' and I certainly do not condemn, perhaps if you read my words you would see, it is MY OPINION, nothing more, nothing less.

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Jon

In denying others' positions in the scheme of things, you condemn. You deny healers exist. Your denial is therefore condemnation. Hence, chill. If you don't feel something is of significance, you don't push against its energy.

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Chris, please show me where I am denying others positions, in fact, you are denying my opinion, therefore, by your own definition, you condemn me. Mind you, I don’t agree with your definition either.
I see you call yourself a healer, what do you heal??? People??? Healing comes from within, not from without.
Your attempt to antagonise me with ‘chill out’ a second time, will not work, as I said above, and, BTW, others agreed, to call yourself a healer, is usually because of ego.

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Have you heard the saying from Native American Wisdom?

"Before I judge a man, let me first walk a mile in his moccasins"

I have looked at your profile and can understand where you are coming from.

But you haven't walked in mine!!!

I can say from conversations I have had on your comment's you have offended many Healers on this site!!

Last edited: 5-10-2007 08:38:24 PM

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Nina you have NO IDEA where I am coming from, I can judge that by your comments, and if I have offended anyone with my comments, then that is their responsibility. Nothing I have said have I said to offend, I have stated my opinions, if you or anyone else doesn't like the way I state them, then you have 2 choices.

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If anyone in the UK is interested in getting in touch with fully qualified and vetted healers, you can get names from www.nfsh.org.uk

The training takes a minimum of two years, and doesn't stop there. There are loads of opportunities to undertake ongoing development, and most folk do.

Well worth a look, as they also have a distant healing facility for those not close to an NFSH healer.

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