Prayer work is a most potent form of communion with the Source of all that is. One part of prayer is the sharing of our deepest longings, concerns and desires with our Creator. Another is the surrendering of these things to that which is greater than ourselves. And a third, often forgotten yet critical part is the quieting of our minds while opening our hearts to receive the blessings, grace and guidance of God/Goddess/Creator. Through invocation we consciously connect with and amplify the presence of Spirit. Through speaking, we offer words or songs of gratitude, surrender, trust, intercession, petition and affirmation. And through listening, we receive healing energies, guidance, love and peace.

There have been over 200 studies showing how effective prayer is in promoting health, healing and well-being. Seeking the highest and best for each one of us is at the heart of prayers offered through this ministry. Prayer is inherent in all the healing modalities and rituals we offer, including the powerful LifeLine sessions. Blossoming Heart Ministry also take prayer requests, which are prayed for daily.

Why Consider Spiritual Healing?
As demonstrated by the studies on prayer and healing, one can enhance his or her medical care and state of health by adding healing prayer to one’s medical regimes. In addition to your own praying and seeking the prayers of others, there are additional ways to receive spiritual healing work as a compliment to your allopathic or more conventional care. Dr. Herbert Benson, director of Harvard’s body-mind clinic, says in his book, Timeless Healing,

“… I became impressed with the human trait to turn to beliefs and faith in times of illness and need, so I spent more than thirty years developing the findings I now present. Practicing medicine and conducting medical research, I’ve learned that invoking beliefs is not only emotionally and spiritually soothing, but vitally important to physical health.”

So what is spiritual healing and why is it enjoying a resurgence at a time when there are so many advances in medical technology? Spiritual healing covers a broad range of offerings designed to support the healing of our bodies, hearts, minds, spirits and lives. Since each of us is far more than a body, and since our thoughts, emotions, life events, and choices have significant effects on how healthy and fulfilled we are, healing on deep levels is essential to our well-being. And if we choose to recognize or at least explore our spiritual nature and our connection to a power that is greater than ourselves, we can begin to call upon it to help us in our healing endeavors and life goals.

Spiritual Healing as an adjunct to medical treatment
Our conventional medical model typically looks at our biochemical status (electrolytes, blood counts, blood chemistry, cholesterol levels, hormone levels….) and our physical integrity (bones, joints, ligaments, undesired “invaders”, and the functional capabilities of our organs). We have developed very sophisticated ways to both measure and address these aspects with drug therapy, surgical intervention and physical therapies being key modalities. However, the system falls short when it can’t identify the cause of an ailment, only offers symptomatic treatment or has no known treatment. And while nutritional and stress factors are finally being addressed, we’ve got a long way to go especially since studies have shown that 60-90% of doctor office visits are from patients manifesting physical symptoms of emotional distress. And, as an article in Medical Utilization noted, “Patients with concerns and symptoms related to societal, interpersonal and work difficulties do not tend to receive appropriate and responsive care within the general health care systems.”

So people have begun turning to spiritual healing [in conjunction with medical care] because it addresses all levels of their being, it often relieves fear and stresses, it typically catalyzes healing lifestyle changes and more conscious living, it is not dependent on human technology and results can occur beyond that which can be explained by medical science.. And finally, even if a physical cure is not occurring, spiritual healing supports other arenas of healing that either improve the quality of life regardless of the physical challenges or it can support someone in completing their life with far more peace and grace.

So What Exactly is Spiritual Healing?
Spiritual healing can present as laying on of the hands, ceremony and ritual, energy healing work, prayer work, soul recovery work and more. It can harness the power of sound, talk, movement, visualization, and music. You can find Christian, Native American, Shaman, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and many other indigenous types of spiritual healing work. The commonality of all the various modalities is the harnessing, amplifying and surrendering of and to the presence of Divine Love, God, Holy Spirit, Adonai, Allah, Buddha mind, Christ consciousness, Shekinah… or whatever name one gives to our Divine Creator. Sometimes specific techniques such as Reiki, Healing Touch, chakra work, or energy healing are utilized. Sometimes deep prayer spaces, the bestowing of a blessing or a simple touch of a higher vibrational healing energy is enough to literally change our physiology. Some healers call upon the eternal presence of saints, mystics, angels or other healing presences to facilitate the influx of these higher healing energies. The modality of the healing facilitator is less important than the degree of spiritual mastery he or she has attained.

What is thought of as miraculous or even impossible is simply the harnessing of spiritual laws that have dominion over the physical ones. If we’re not aware of them, then it seems impossible. If we only view ourselves as solid physical beings, limited by the laws of physical science, then it seems impossible. But when you begin to explore the spiritual dimensions, you begin to understand that your core is spiritual, and your physical being is made up of dense frequencies of energy that can be affected by higher vibrational ones. And, in a nutshell, spiritual healing can access the highest healing frequencies we know. Also, the frequencies of our thoughts, beliefs and emotions can support or hinder healing. Spiritual healing of our emotional hearts, our belief systems and fears… may also lead to physical healings once thought impossible.

Receiving Spiritual Healing Work
Spiritual healing does not need to be nor is it recommended as an alternative to medical care. It can enhance surgical recovery or effectiveness. It can increase the potency of medicine while lessening side effects. It can put a person in a place to begin to finally respond to medical care. It can support the desire to live or can ease a transition from this life. Hospice care is probably the medical field in which spiritual work is best integrated.

If you are seeking spiritual healing, get references. Find someone with whom your spiritual beliefs resonate. Also consider a LifeLine session as this work combines cutting-edge energy medicine with ancient spiritual wisdom to facilitate major release of limiting beliefs and blocks to one’s healing capacity.

Rev. Susi Roos, RN, has both spiritual and medical backgrounds and has helped many people improve their health and lives. Remember that, while many people seek physical relief, our true goal is peace of mind and heart, out of which often comes physical healing and/or more joyous, fulfilling and authentic living. Somewhere within each of us (in our body temple) is the blueprint of perfect physical health. If we can access and activate it, the body can respond to it. Thus, part of spiritual healing is remembering who we truly are, forgiving and loving ourselves enough to do so. The most powerful “healers” are those that can see that perfection in another and, in a sense, call it forth while holding space for the recipient to begin to resonate with their innate wholeness.

Chanting is a powerful way to align hearts with the Divine.