Empathy and mental health associated with non-conventional healing practices

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to evaluate empathy and mental health in individuals who practice spiritual healing techniques. A sample of 190 healing practitioners was recruited to evaluate the healing experiences, along with to test cognitive-perceptual deficit and empathy. Significant differences were found due to age in two groups (Practitioners, n = 71, and Newly initiated, n = 119). Practitioners scored high on cognitive and affective empathy and proneness for cognitive and social schizotypy compared to the newly initiated. An secondary analysis also showed positive correlations between the total score of healing modalities and both schizotypy and empathy, as well as higher scores of spirituality and training in various healing techniques. These and other findings may allowed us to build a personality profile of healers as characterized by an adaptive dissociative personality trait and the ability to establish links with their clients/patients.

KEYWORDS:

• Healing
• schizotypy
• empathy
• spirituality

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank the Universidad Abierta Interamericana (no. 2345/03/UAI-2016) and Columbia Foundation (Grant 1/2017) for the financial support for this research project. He also like to thank Juan Carlos Argibay, Margaret Moga and Ramsés A. D. León Macías for his useful methodological advices. A large number of centers and individuals contributed to the data collection, including the Johrei Center of at Buenos Aires, MOA International, Rita Larrauri, Mirta L. Larrea, Graciela Medica, and Julieta Espinosa Abad. Also are due to Miriam Klajnberg (Columbia Foundation) and John Curtin (Spanish Reiki Federation).

Disclosure statement

The author declares no conflict of interest.