What is a spiritual healer?

Rustic Wolfheart

I've been told twice now by people in pagan stores that I posses healing capabilities. Does anyone know what exactly this means? I'm both intrigued and confused at the moment, but I really want to see if there is anything to it.

I've been told by a Wiccan and a Eastern Pagan. Both claimed to be healers themselves and told me some pretty accurate things about my life. So how do I know if I am gifted with these healing abilities? Any help is much appreciated.

Gumbi

Rustic Wolfheart wrote: »

I've been told twice now by people in pagan stores that I posses healing capabilities. Does anyone know what exactly this means? I'm both intrigued and confused at the moment, but I really want to see if there is anything to it.

I've been told by a Wiccan and a Eastern Pagan. Both claimed to be healers themselves and told me some pretty accurate things about my life. So how do I know if I am gifted with these healing abilities? Any help is much appreciated.

Look into cold reading and confirmation bias I find it highly unlikely 2 strangers magically knew things about your life. More like calculated guesses - Barnum statements, etc etc.

maximoose

The only way to find out is with practice

Try breaking a finger or two with a hammer, or even better a leg - then see if you can heal it.

Oryx

Gumbi wrote: »

Look into cold reading and confirmation bias I find it highly unlikely 2 strangers magically knew things about your life. More like calculated guesses - Barnum statements, etc etc.

With respect, the op may want to hear from healers who work and deal in this area, not just a sceptical response.

There are many understandings of spiritual or energy healing. Some common names are reiki and bioenergy. The basic concept is manipulation of a persons energy/aura, but its a wide and unproven area. If healers are telling you you have ability, sure they could be just flattering you, :P or they may have noticed something about you that they feel would make you a good person to work as a healer. To know exactly what they spotted youd have to ask them. As long as they are not trying to sell you their particular class or doctrine, its all good.

Rustic Wolfheart

Rustic Wolfheart wrote: »

I've been told twice now by people in pagan stores that I posses healing capabilities.

Just from a skeptic point of view this is very common in shops like these to get you to come back.
Its also a tact "questionable psychics" use to get you on side with them.

With regards cold reading i have yet to see scientific evidence to suggest it exists

Gumbi

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Just from a skeptic point of view this is very common in shops like these to get you to come back.
Its also a tact "questionable psychics" use to get you on side with them.

With regards cold reading i have yet to see scientific evidence to suggest it exists

Look up cold reading.

Rustic Wolfheart

Thanks very much guys, I'll look into it further. And in general, I am very sceptical. But what they were saying was very very specific about things that I am going through in my life rather than just a general statement like "you eat a lot when you're stressed" or "you've got trouble being organised". I was told details that not even my family know, which is what made me think there was something to it.

Some common names are reiki and bioenergy. The basic concept is manipulation of a persons energy/aura

I actually heard about reiki before, but never really explored it further. Could anyone recommend books or sites on the subject? Again, thank you very much for the help. And I did expect the sceptism.

kylith

Rustic Wolfheart wrote: »

Thanks very much guys, I'll look into it further. And in general, I am very sceptical. But what they were saying was very very specific about things that I am going through in my life rather than just a general statement like "you eat a lot when you're stressed" or "you've got trouble being organised". I was told details that not even my family know, which is what made me think there was something to it.

Look for some of Derren Brown's work on the subject; you'd be very surprised how specific he can get, but he will admit that it's a learned skill, not a supernatural ability.

Gumbi

kylith wrote: »

Look for some of Derren Brown's work on the subject; you'd be very surprised how specific he can get, but he will admit that it's a learned skill, not a supernatural ability.

And yet some people will say to his face "I don't believe you, I know you're psychic". ^^ People LOL.

Gumbi

Gumbi wrote: »

Look up cold reading.

Oh i have, and its not as effective as you might think. I mean think about it, if it were possible for people to learn how to get a credit card number from peoples facial expressions and mannerisms, wouldn't there be people out there exploiting it ? Well there are not. It also doesnt work with everybody, it cant be done over a distance i.e Stage to audience , it doesnt work over the phone.

Gumbi

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Oh i have, and its not as effective as you might think. I mean think about it, if it were possible for people to learn how to get a credit card number from peoples facial expressions and mannerisms, wouldn't there be people out there exploiting it ? Well there are not. It also doesnt work with everybody, it cant be done over a distance i.e Stage to audience , it doesnt work over the phone.

Cold reading isn't really like that.

And it can work over the phone, especially given confirmation bias etc. Remeber, the great power of "psychic" readings is that the listener does most of the work. They fill in the blanks.

Also, I would advise recording such a conversation; you might be surprised as as to the supposed accuracy of a "reliable psychic".

kylith

Deleted User wrote: »

Oh i have, and its not as effective as you might think. I mean think about it, if it were possible for people to learn how to get a credit card number from peoples facial expressions and mannerisms, wouldn't there be people out there exploiting it ? Well there are not. It also doesnt work with everybody, it cant be done over a distance i.e Stage to audience , it doesnt work over the phone.

I think you might want to look it up again because I don't think you understood it properly.

Cold reading is being able to see someone in their, say, mid thirties and make the educated guess that their grandparents are dead. It's about being able to take in how someone is dressed and from that say if they're likely to have a job. If it's an overweight person you might say that they've been having some difficulty with their health. A woman in her thirties without a wedding ring might be told that she'll meet the man of her dreams soon.

It's not about somehow tricking someone into telling you things, it's about using what you can see about their dress, hair, makeup, stance, accent, perceived income, age, gender, race etc. to make high-accuracy guesses about their life that will fool them into thinking you're in contact with those 'on the other side'. They won't say 'you had a collie called Simon when you were 4', but they'd spot the dog hair on your trousers and say 'you have a great love of animals. I see a dog that you were very fond of in the past, he's 'insert common dog colour' and he passed when you were young...' even if you didn't have a dog you might have had a neighbour, or a friend, or maybe it was your grandparent's dog, and so you will make the reading fit your circumstances.

Gumbi

Precisely. I saw a tv interview with James Randi and 2 other psychics. The interviewer asked if it was true that the psychic (referring to one of the psychics in the interview I think or another outside) had known someone's birthday. (Randi had heard the recording of the reading). The psychic responded "I know what I saw". Randi conceded that it would be amazing if the psychic had indeed known the person's birthday. As it turned out, the psychic threw out the date, and the person made the connection.

That's an example of a Barnum statement. Very generalised. The listener makes the connection. It could have been anyone else's birthday. It could have been a date of significance (close friend/relative died, got married etc etc). Oftentimes the psychic will get away with a "near-hit" and proceed from there, all because the listener is willing to believe in it.

I could go on. Given the right ingredients, cold reading is very powerful.

kylith

Gumbi wrote: »

That's an example of a Barnum statement. Very generalised. The listener makes the connection. It could have been anyone else's birthday. It could have been a date of significance (close friend/relative died, got married etc etc). Oftentimes the psychic will get away with a "near-hit" and proceed from there, all because the listener is willing to believe in it.

I could go on. Given the right ingredients, cold reading is very powerful.

Hence the psychic's cliché of saying "I'm getting a name beginning with M. does that mean anything to anyone?" instead of actually giving a name. If you say Martin, no-one might know a Martin, but if you say "M....Mar....Marcus....Martin...." chances are someone will know someone with a name like that and it'll magically become a message from Martina or Muirtinn.