An investigation into the phenomena and practices of spiritual ...

of curing indicates a narrow focus on the efficiency of treatment and in some situationssuffering in human understanding can only end with the end of life, the process ofbereavement on which the literature was examined in Chapter Two.The understandings of suffering considered in this chapter show a need for healing from asense of rejection, as well as from disease, which is an indication of how suffering hasspiritual, emotional and social as well as physical aspects. In comparing this to the healingof a physical wound, healing by first intention is not applicable as there is no obviouswound or obvious operation except for bereavement or a situation such as loss ofemployment. Spiritual healing therefore is healing by second intention where the wound isopen or gaping (c.f. Waugh et al. 2006) and healing takes place from the deepertissues/psychological state, although this may not be recognized by the respondent or beseen by the healer.The contributors to Lucas (1997) list some situations which inevitably result in sufferingaddressed by Christian healing. Some of these are diseases or sicknesses of all kinds,especially long term incurable and painful conditions. A physical illness such as a gastriculcer or breast cancer can be treated with medication or possibly surgery. If the cause ofthe ulcer is due to lifestyle, personality or is genetic, medication and or surgery will treatthe effect and not the cause. Healing the underlying cause is something different and moreprofound.Holmes and Rahe (1967) go one step further to develop a social-psychologicalreadjustment scale which presents a table of ailments that can cause stress and probablydepression and ill health in an individual. They give each a score in order of intensity of187