Victorian mysticism is a group of myths that emerged during the Victorian era, when new areas of science were discovered or invented. They typically combined the area of new metaphysical science with ancient myths or stories from the bible, including stories about the pyramids or the power of the pentagon. Chromo therapy, known as an alternative medicine is also one of them. It combined theory about light waves and ancient experiences regarding colors. Advocates of chromo therapy believe that exposure to colors could cure psychological and physical problems. For instance, red can cure anxiety issues and circulatory problems. Facts about light wave, and qui are the basis of the therapy. Theoretically, cells in our body can absorb a certain range of light waves. Therefore, by providing colors which are light waves with specific frequency, cells can gain the energy from the color. Receiving the energy from the color, our body can heal itself. Moreover, chromo therapy adopted theories regarding color psychology which is about colors’ influence on the human mind, claiming its usage in psychological problems. It seems like a new area of medicine and there have been reports of successful cases of the therapy. However, chromo therapy is not a validated medical treatment, considering its exaggerated psychological effects, illogical aspects, and environmental factors.
First and foremost, overstated psychological effects of chromo therapy disapprove chromo therapy’s alleged medicinal influence. Practice of chromo therapy claims that by affecting human mind with color, one’s psychological problems can be solved. However feelings stimulated by specific color will fade away slowly after one has adjusted to the surroundings. A room painted blue might keep children with concentration issue calm for a while, but as they become familiar with their new room they will return to their
Mathews, Holly F. "Introduction: A Regional Approach and Multidisciplinary Persepctive." Herbal and Magical Medicine: Traditional Healing Today. Ed. James Kirkland, Holly F. Mathews, C. W. Sullivan, III, and Karen Baldwin. Durham: Duke UP, 1992. 1-13. Print.
Therapeutic touch was developed by Dolores Krieger and Dora Kunz in the 1970s as a non-invasive nursing intervention (Kelly et al. 2004). Jackson and Keegan (2009, p.614) defined therapeutic touch as “a specific technique of centring intention used while the practitioner moves the hands through a recipient’s energy field for the purpose of assessing and treating energy field imbalance.” The original theory of the technique proposed by nursing theorist Rogers (1970) is that individuals as a unified whole have their own permeable energy fields that extend from the skin surface and flow evenly when they are healthy. The energy field of the ill physical body is disrupted, misaligned, obstructed or “out of tune” (Huff et al. 2006). TT has the potential to re-pattern, reorganize and restore the individual’s imbalanced energy fields through the open system extending from the surface of the body interacting with the environment constantly (Krieger, 1979). The earliest studies of healing touch were carried out in the 1950s and 1960s: biochemist Bernard Grad (1965) collaborated with famous healer Oskar Estebany to demonstrate the significantly accelerated healing effects of therapeutic touch on wounded mice and damaged barley seeds. The central aim of healing therapies is to relax and calm patients in order to activate patients’ natural healing ability, and it does not include any religious activity (Lorenc et al. 2010).
Plants were believed to have magic powers and were used symbolically in healing practices. Seeds, twigs, and leaves coloured black, white and red were believed to possess healing properties. Traditional healers act as an intermediate between the physical and spiritual world to enable healing and restore balance. Drumming, dancing, and chanting are used to arouse spirits in healing
I would like to assert for this paper, as an overview of the whole course, that some kinds of alternative medicine and mental healing do indeed work. The question is, does it have a neurological basis of brain=behavior or is there something more at work like hope or other emotions that are so far intangible in the human brain? Certain things we may never be able to find in the brain, but either way, I would like to assert that even though brain=behavior does account for most behaviors and actions in the body, that there may at least be something more. I will review all the literature I found and let the decision be yours, but also add in my two cents on the total findings for this paper.
This natural "mood-enhancer", also known as hypericum, is now being displayed all over television, the radio, and the Internet. It can be found everywhere: in the local health food store, grocery stores, across the Internet, and in some countries, the doctor's office(1) (2). But what is it? Is it really safe? How much is actually known about the effects of this "wonder cure"? The answers to these questions are not as easily answered as one might think. Although the Internet is a strong source of information it is very cluttered with advertisement sites for this drug providing little or no information besides its benefits and praises (3). Also, this drug has not yet been approved by the FDA in the United States and therefore is not prescribed. Following FDA approval, more will be known about the drug and its effects.
The Web page suggests Aura Color Therapy can treat depression and chronic anger in a person. For instance, it states that orange color aura can be used to bring color balance in someone’s aura and decrease the amount of blue aura, that causes depression. This can be done by shining colored lights onto a client’s body or laying colored gemstones on their body while they rest on a table. You can also do this for the red aura, which causes anger.
Blackie analyzes Gilman’s take on the rest cure created by Weir Mitchel in this document and goes into depth to describe the regimen that is to be followed. He expresses his view that the rest cure may not have been as bad as it is portrayed in The Yellow Wallpaper. This document will allow me to provide the accounts of others, both good and bad, when it comes to the treatment known as the rest cure. This will be relevant to my research because the main character in The Yellow Wallpaper undergoes this treatment herself. I will be able to compare the experiences of the woman in the short story with that of women who had actually completed the regimen and get a good idea of any opposing views that may exist. Comparing and contrasting these two perspectives may give better insight on whether or not the cure worked
Alternative medicines have constructed many theories to determine the impact of vitalism on the body. A few of the best-known theories are bioenergetic fields and the subsets of this category. This means that humans are surrounded by a field of energy, as proposed by Mesmer in his theories. These are called the human “aura” (Patterson,1998). Each organ in the body has an electromagnetic frequency, a factor used by alternative healers to direct their specific treatment modality. When illness occurs, it is because of a struggle between positive and negative electromagnetic waves inside the body (Stenger, 1999). Alternative practitioners claim “that they can affect cures for many ills by ‘manipulating’ this field, thereby bringing the body’s ‘live energies’ into balance” (Stenger, 1999).
Shamanistic healing, one of the oldest spiritual healing powers, has recently become a topic of interest in modern medicine.
Reiki is a Japan based healing secret that is rapidly recognized worldwide. In early 1900s, Mikao Usui discovered the surreptitious of reiki while he was isolating himself at Mount Kurama in Japan. Afterwards, the healing art of reiki has been scattered over the world as the reiki practitioners are escalating abruptly. In fact, numerous cultures all over the world believe that there are concealed energy flows through all creatures that are connected to the quality of life ever since ancient times. Reiki utilizes specific technique for rejuvenating and balancing the natural life force energy within the body. Reiki symbols have specific frequency that specialize certain condition to sanction the flow of energy throughout the body. The colour and shape of each symbol signify the frequency and amplitude of the energy. The healing power of reiki can be verified by the existence of first degree of reiki and second degree of reiki as well as enhancing the results of medical therapy.
Throughout history, explanations for mental illness have been described as supernatural, psychological, and biological. Prior to the early Greek physicians, the supernatural model of mental illness prevailed. Early humans did not have science to explain natural events so magic, mysticism, and superstition were used as a substitution. They believed in animism, the idea that all of nature is alive, and anthropomorphism, the tendency to project human features onto nature. Reification was also a popular belief that assumed if you can think of something, it exists. Sympathetic magic was the idea that one can heal and individual by influencing an object that is similar or closely associated to them (Frazer, 1890/1963). Primitive healers would often imitate the patient's ailments and then model the recovery. Reification also lead to the bel...
The 1900s came with a new set of treatments and cause chaos in the psychiatric hospitals. The electroshock therapy was introduced in the 1950s, it was said that the reason for this was to control the brain waves and somehow help the patients recover much faster. The treatments had a constant cycle. Women were given the treatment on Mondays and Thursdays, and men on tuesdays and Fridays. The patients were woken up at the crack of dawn and were dragged “begging, pleading, crying, and resisting” to the treatment area(Quest for a Cure: Care).
There have been plenty of developments in the film industry throughout the years, each trying to bring something new every time. One innovation in the field of film post-production was Chroma Keying, an influential product that made adding special effects to movies considerably easier.
Art therapy is a relatively a young therapeutic discipline. Adrian Hill, a tuberculosis patient discovered the benefits of drawing while recovering. In 1942, Adrian Hill coined the term ‘’art therapy’’. In 1946, the first art therapy post was established in the National Health Service. However the profession was officially recognized by the Council of Professions Supplementary to Medicine after 35 years (1981) since the first art therapy was est...
...cal profession makes use of color in certain treatments. For instance, premature babies with jaundice are cured by a chemical reaction triggered by exposure to blue light for several days. The relation between blue light and jaundice is beginning to be well understood scientifically.