Sandy Edwards - Spiritual Healing in Hospitals and Clinics: Scientific Evidence that Energy Medicine Promotes Speedy Recovery and Positive Outcomes

To Roy, Max, and Ben

Spiritual Healing in Hospitals and Clinics

This book is intriguing and contains true gemsinteresting cases, musings, and reminiscences. It is time that our medical system became more open to the data-supported prospect that healing has a clinically valuable effect on patients and seems to trigger effects that the medical system by itself is unable to harness. I am impressed by Sandy Edwardss strength, stamina, and dedication to bring such an ambitious project to fruition.

HARALD WALACH, clinical psychologist and professor of research methodology in complementary medicine

This is an important, deep, and inspiring book. It successfully integrates rigorous evidence-based science with the more subtle approach of spiritual healing. It contains a wealth of heartening anecdotes from patients, clinicians, and spiritual healers. Sandy Edwards is a pioneer in this field having brought spiritual healing directly into an NHS hospital. I warmly recommend her book as required reading for anyone interested in holistic health care and well-being.

WILLIAM BLOOM, PhD, author ofThe Endorphin Effect

We are entering an era in which we are rediscovering the ability of conscious intentions to influence distant biological systems. This research is well underway but is little known. Sandy Edwardss research in this field, along with her excellent book Spiritual Healing in Hospitals and Clinics, is a major step toward a wider appreciation of this information. The importance of this research extends far beyond healing to the very nature of human consciousness and its origins and destiny. No one can consider themselves an educated citizen in todays world without an awareness of the findings in this important book.

LARRY DOSSEY, MD, author of One Mind and executive editor of Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing

Sandys engaging book tracks how we went from anecdotes to a substantial and rigorous clinical trial that revealed significant findings.

SUKHDEV SINGH, MD, FRCP, consultant physician

The results of this research are spectacular. Patients and clinicians should take this work seriously. Sandy Edwards employs both reason and emotion by applying scientific methodology to spiritual healing, challenging a narrow view of biomedicine. The conclusion of her work is clear. Biomedicine must widen its remit to understand, not reject, the mysteries of healing.

MICHAEL DIXON, LVO, OBE, FRCGP, FRCC, former chair of NHS Alliance, past president of the NHS Clinical Commissioners, and chair of the College of Medicine

Sandy Edwards first experienced healing when she sought relief from psoriasis. Her book contains the remarkable story of how she went on to set up a healing service in the NHS. It offers a valuable introduction to a complementary therapy that is increasingly being used in the NHS.

KENNETH DAY, Macmillan clinical nurse specialist

Sandy brilliantly leads the reader through the scientific evidence confirming that spiritual healing improves health. She skilfully tells her own open and honest story, drawing the reader into how she discovered her own healing hands. I was increasingly eager to read Sandys diligent research and evidence and had to keep turning the pages to discover the overwhelming benefits that healing can bring to us all and how this story is just the beginning.

JANET BARETTO, registered nurse, NDND (retired)

Sandys book is unique, written in a sympathetic and understanding manner. She takes her reader through a journey of explanation, evidence, and hope and debunks some myths about spiritual healing. By doing so she makes the medical profession sit up and take notice. Having worked with chronic disease management for many years, there can never be too many options for healing available.

THELMA DEACON, registered nurse

Sandys book is very well researched and gives a great insight into spiritual healing. Extensive trials and results are published within the book. A totally different perspective in the treatment of life-changing illnesses.

JANICE AUSTEN, registered nurse

Acknowledgements

O ne person cleared the way for me to be a volunteer healer at an NHS hospital. Better still, he allowed me to work in his clinic, which meant that he became personally aware of how healing affected his patients. He also agreed for me to conduct audits so that the healing effects that patients reported could be documented. When I alerted him to the opportunity of gaining research funding from the National Lottery, he brought together the necessary individuals and organizations to make a successful application. Dr Sukhdev Singh, a consultant physician at Good Hope Hospital and Senior Lecturer at the University of Birmingham Medical School, had the courage, drive and commitment to make all of this happen. Without his willingness to assess the value of healing for his patients, the research programme would not have happened, and this book could not have been written. I am indebted to Dr Singh for his kind and generous support, and for the joy it has brought me to work at his clinic. When I began writing, he gave me valuable advice, but he did not read the manuscript. I hope he approves of the book!

My sincere thanks go to all of the healers and individuals who have assisted in my endeavours to bring healing to the public. I would love to acknowledge everyone by name, but one person asked not to be mentioned. Consequently, I have referred only to those people whose involvement is already in the public domain. In particular, I thank David Daniels for his tremendous commitment to our voluntary healing group in Walsall. Despite a full-time profession and extended family commitments, he kept our dedicated team together for many years. He was also one of the main healers on the research trial.

For help with my two hospital audits, thanks go to Jan Lacy for producing the graphs, and to Marion Willberry for typing up hundreds of patient comments.

I was thrilled and touched when several long-time friends with professional skills in English volunteered to check my manuscript. Sian Davies read through the first draft, and could be objective, since she had no affinity to healing. But I then tinkered with the text and added more while waiting for the main research paper to be published. As explained in the book, the latter had to happen before I could go to print. Glynis Alder worked on the second draft and in record time, because it seemed that the research paper was on the verge of being published. But more months passed, so I continued to add and amend. Then Patricia OGrady read a proof copy and offered some beneficial ideas. Thank you, my friends.

I was a complete stranger to the two people I approached to read my first draft and write words of support Dr Michael Dixon and the Duchess of Rutland. I felt honoured when they each readily emailed their agreement, and ecstatic when they provided glowing testimonials. Thank you, both. My gratitude also goes to the medical doctors, scientists and nurses who have chosen to buy a copy of my book and then sent me words of support for it.

My husband has never attempted to discourage me from being involved in healing or from embarking on healing-related projects. I am grateful for his continued support during the production of this book.

It is believed by experienced doctors that the heat which oozes out of the hand, on being applied to the sick, is highly salutary. It has often appeared while I have been soothing my patients, as if there was a singular property in my hands to pull and draw away from the affected parts, aches and diverse impurities, by laying my hand upon the place and extending my fingers toward it. Thus it is known to some of the learned that health may be implanted in the sick by certain gestures and by contact.