Our need for healing is universal. There are times when we are not applying our healing concepts that we feel out of balance, out of harmony with ourselves, our surroundings or other people. This disequilibrium may be manifested in our emotions, in our physical bodies, or in our spiritual condition. Often all three are affected. We can choose to live with this situation, or we can choose to move toward healthier change. The work of The Pilgrimage is to assist those who choose change.
The process of healing begins when trust is established and there is connection instead of isolation. There are many approaches to healing, but we believe that the force behind all real healing is love. The healing ministry of The Pilgrimage joins the intention and the energy of human beings with the power of the Spirit in extending love.
Those who have been called to this ministry bring a wealth of experience and talent to the work of The Pilgrimage. We are grateful for the strength and diversity of our healing team. Pilgrimage healing partners are a varied group which includes nurses, physicians, clergy, massage therapists, counselors, business executives, members of the legal profession, and others. All are dedicated to serving in this ministry: They allow themselves to be used by God in the healing of others. They teach values they embrace by example. These values include unconditional love, good communication, a strong belief in the power of the Spirit, and the importance of self-care in matters of health. By giving their time and energy to this healing work, they are deepening their own spiritual journey. They often find that along the way they too are being healed.
The important elements in The Pilgrimage Integrative Healing Process are:
♦The qualities of presence and intentionality
♦The power of prayer, and
♦The laying on of hands.
The Pilgrimage Integrative Healing Process affirms the power of the spirit in bringing about healing. Mind, body, emotions and spirit are connected in endless ways. Thus, movement toward health and wholeness can be initiated from any point. Behind all real healing is the Spirit, present in human beings as the living energy of love. This Spirit can be invoked through prayer and through touch, when infused with intentionality.
Within each person is the God-given mechanism for self-healing. It is available when trust, relaxation and stillness are present. These will allow healing to take place. Hence, the importance given to helping the client relax. When healers and clients are still and open, the Spirit can work in and through them.
There are many systems for healing that acknowledge the supremacy of Spirit. The sequence we have developed is grounded in the following beliefs:
φ That openness to the Spirit and intentionality for healing are more important than technique.
φ That relaxation can facilitate healing.
φ That gentleness and genuine caring help to effect healing.
φ That when two partners work together, the healing effects are intensified. The client is centered in a community of charity.
φ It is important to keep in mind always that the real power in healing is beyond where we place our hands. The Spirit of God’s love which is invoked through prayer is that power.
Divine love is the power, the energy, the life force. When this energy becomes blocked, the body will reflect this. Disease processes and physical or emotional pain may be both cause and expression of blocked energy flow. In hands-on healing, we affirm the possibility that the power of God’s love may flow through the hands of the healers to help in unblocking the life force in the client.
Perhaps the most valuable gift we can offer to another is our presence. Simply being there, our own issues laid aside, can be healing in itself. Letting go of all interference in the mind allows us to be open to the fullness of the other. When we are present in this way, any separation between us and the other disappears. We no longer need to identify ourselves as “the healer” and the other as “client”. We are simply two beings joined in a process that is healing to both.
At this level of presence, we experience strong intentionality. It is empty of ego, totally focused, 100% present to the other and to the Spirit within. Our intention is in bringing a loving and healing presence into the existing moment. This degree of focus is not usually maintained for long, the mind being what it is. Our healing partners have learned to breathe consciously and refocus as soon as they notice that their focus has slipped away.
Scientific studies have demonstrated that there are indeed a multitude of intricate connections between mind and body, that the emotions and stress can cause illness, and that beliefs can be powerful catalysts for either disease or healing. A growing field of research is validating the power of prayer and spiritual healing.
The wisdom of the ancients and the findings of modern physics reveal the human body as a field of energy connected with all things, and the energy of love as a powerful force in healing.
Dr. Benson with Dali Lama
In his book, Timeless Healing, Dr. Herbert Benson, the Director of The Mind/Body Medical Institute of the Harvard Medical School, affirms that religious and spiritual belief can have a powerful effect in healing. We agree that belief in the power and presence of a Supreme Reality facilitates the mind’s own natural God-given ability to heal itself. An important part of our mission is to witness to this belief through the collaboration with a broad base of medical and religious institutions around issues having as their primary thrust the integration of spirit, mind and body for healing and wellness.
Dr. Benson introduced to the science world the term Relaxation Response for physiological state which is the opposite of the fight-or-flight response of stress. Relaxation Response will often counter the effects of stress in our lives. Fight or flight can serve well in situations of physical danger. Yet many of the stresses of modern life cannot be dealt with by fighting or running away. Doing so puts us in chronic stress.
Dr. Benson’s instruction for eliciting the Relaxation Response resemble many meditative techniques, including sitting quietly with eyes closed and repeating a focus word or phrases (a mantra). The resulting relaxation has many measurable physiological effects. Added benefits, according to his research, result when the focus word has a special meaning as part of a personal belief system. He calls this “the faith factor.” In the Pilgrimage Integrative Healing Process, prayers are spoken and the suggestion is given during the relaxation process to focus on the peace of God, Spirit or Source. We have recognized in many of our clients an increasing awareness of the dimension of holiness in life and in the human spirit especially.
How do we call forth this new state of being? In much the same way that people have been doing for centuries when they practice meditation. In fact, the process of eliciting the relaxation response as described by Dr. Benson may be thought of as a scientist’s way of describing mediation. The two necessary components are:
After choosing your focus device, sit quietly in a comfortable position and close your eyes. Breathe slowly and naturally, repeating your focus word or phrase as you exhale. When distracting thoughts arise, just say to yourself, “Oh well”, and gently return to the repetition. Continue for 10 to 20 minutes, and practice once or twice daily.
Dr. Benson emphasizes the importance of choosing your focus. He says, “If your focus has special meaning, it will not only be more effective in meditation, but most likely you will become more deeply involved in practicing the relaxation response. We call the combination of the relaxation response with the personal belief system “the faith factor.” In the Pilgrimage Integrative Healing Process, prayers are spoken and the suggestion is given during the relaxation process to focus on the peace of God.
Prayer is an integral part of The Pilgrimage Integrative Healing Process. The power of prayer has been invoked by many cultures throughout the ages, and today its effectiveness is being embraced and documented by many in the scientific community.
Prayer during the healing sessions is both silent and spoken. Those who come to us for healing represent a variety of faith orientations. We adapt our spoken prayer to their belief system so that we do not say things that are unacceptable to their understanding of who and what the Spirit is, causing them discomfort. (See examples of various types of prayer here). The important thing is that together we recognize the source of hallowing as a universal power which, while beyond our ego selves, resides in each one of us and is accessible through prayer and meditation.
One of the ways love is expressed is through touch. When someone is touched with the intention of healing, connection and caring are conveyed. Feelings of isolation are dispelled. The laying on of hands has been part of healing work in every culture and every age, and there are many systems of hands-on healing. The Pilgrimage approach is a unique blend which includes both touch (hands on the body) and non-touch (hands above the body but not touching). Either way, healing energy is exchanged. Modern physics reveals that the human body is a field of energy, connected to and interacting with the energy that surrounds us. We understand this energy to be the creative power of God. Disease can cause blockages to the flow of energy within, as can feelings of depression, anger, resentment and bitterness. As we open to the power of the spirit, the energy flowing through the hands of the healer may assist in the release of blocked energy, which is then made available for healing.
It is very important to enter into this work with faith that something of benefit does indeed happen. However, judging the results of a healing session is not appropriate. There is no way to know what healing may have occurred on deep levels or what a particular soul requires; nor should there be feelings of inadequacy, if the benefit of the healing is not obvious. Positive change may not be seen until sometime later. Trusting the process and giving the gift of love unconditionally are necessary attributes for this work as a member of The Pilgrimage team.
The following quotation from Janet Quinn, a Nurse Healer and teacher, gives eloquent voice to our understanding of healing.
All of our years of accumulated scientific knowledge tell us that people who are loved and relaxed heal the best. Social support literature tells us that our connectedness with each other is primary, not secondary, to our health and healing. If we as practitioners can make that kind of connection with somebody and hold them in that place, somehow, whether through energy or with information, at some level this person can drink in the sure knowledge that they are loved, and this is a profound healing opportunity.
Doing this work is a blessing for all of us as well as for the clients we serve. As we give the gift of ourselves, the benefits flow around the healing circle, bringing deeper relaxation and peace to all. We are ambassadors as well as practitioners, representing a kind of selfless healing rare in our world. As we tell our friends and acquaintances about this work, the more opportunities for healing there will be.
The Pilgrimage “Integrative Healing Process”, now called, “The Pilgrimage Process,” grew out of Reverend Natalia (Tanya) Beck’s vision of a healing center where the power of prayer would be joined with hands-on healing for the benefit of all who came seeking healing of spirit, mind and body. The context of this realized vision is two-fold: 1) recognition of the reality of the spirit/mind/body connection, and 2) desire to demonstrate that connection, particularly the reality of spirit as it relates to the world of science and medicine.
