CLINICAL RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTATION ABSTRACTS
Please note: All posters will be displayed in
Salons 10-12.
FRIDAY, 10:15-11:00 AM
Achterberg J, Richards T, Salomie IA, Cooke K.
Individual recipients' functional brain changes during
distant healing intentionality: an fMRI analysis.
North Hawaii Community Hospital jeannieach@aol.com
PURPOSE: To demonstrate using fMRI technology
whether there are changes in brain function of the individual recipients
of distant healing when it is performed by healers from various traditions.
The protocol and analysis will be described, and the results of the
significant individual scans presented in a 3-D moving image format.
METHODS: Eleven healers from traditions that
claimed to be able to heal at a distance and in sensory isolation from
the recipients were recruited from the Big Island of Hawaii. Healing
modalities included Qi Gong, Reiki, traditional Hawaiian healing (Kahuna),
Healing Touch, Peruvian/Brazilian shamanic healing, prayer, vibrational
healing, and various eclectic types of distant healing. Each healer
was paired with a person with whom they felt a special connection, and
who served as recipient of the distant healing intentions. The recipient
was placed in the MRI scanner and isolated from all known forms of sensory
contact from the healer. The healer was instructed to send healing to
the recipient in a manner that reflected their own practice. Healing
was sent at random 2-minute intervals in a sequence that was unknown
to the recipient. Scans were acquired using brain oxygenation level
dependent (BOLD) functional technology and analyzed with FSL software.
3D moving images were created using a novel MeshGrid data representation
software designed for this study. MeshGrid allows the display of multi-resolution,
time-varying 3D data and supports 3D morphing with topological changes.
RESULTS: Significant changes were found in 9
of the 11 healer/recipient pairs. Brain areas that were significantly
activated included cerebellum, anterior cingulate cortex, thalamus,
and hippocampus.
CONCLUSIONS: Distant healing, as measured by
fMRI scans, can be correlated to changes in brain function of individual
recipients, when recipients are sensory isolated from the healers and
unaware of the On/off sequencing of the healing.
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