The utilization of spiritual healing in and around pregnancy can provide many benefits to alleviate stresses and pain within a women’s life, in fact forms of spiritual healing have become the most widely practiced complementary therapy, although some people in Western society consider its effects to be those of a placebo. Daniel J. Benor, who has a background in psychology, finds otherwise.
Benor has found over 150 studies about spiritual healing, and 60% of them demonstrate significant effects. Healing can be given directly or from a distance. Both ways require a healer to center their mind and focus on conveying healing energies from sources such as nature, God, or spirits. Direct healers gently place their hands on the patient’s body and move their hands around to where they feel guided to, all while conveying healing energy. Distance healers send the energy via meditation, prayer, or mental intent. It can be important for a healer and the patient to have a good relationship, one that mirrors that of a client and a counselor.
In regard to pregnancy, spiritual healing can be used to improve physical symptoms of pregnancy like pain and nausea. During labor and delivery, mothers can use self-healing in order to ease their pains and their minds. Spiritual healing can also be used postpartum to alleviate emotional stress.
Regarding infertility, spiritual healing has been found to be beneficial when there is no known physical cause of the infertility. Increasingly general practitioners are beginning to refer their patients to healers.
One way to find an accredited healer is to go to the National Federation of Spiritual Healers. Through this service, one can find a healer to help ease their pain and stresses both before and after childbirth.
Resources:
Benor, D. J. (1996). Spiritual healing for infertility, pregnancy, labour, and delivery. Complementary Therapies in Nursing and Midwifery, 2(4), 106–109. doi: doi: 10.1016/S1353-6117(96)80086-2