Knowing and Healing:
The Need for Objective Evidence

Perhaps you’ve seen it for yourself—someone with a terrible disease, just days away from dying, makes a spontaneous recovery and lives many healthy years, while baffled doctors are at a loss to explain what happened. Perhaps you’ve heard stories of “spontaneous remission” of cancer or autoimmune disease. Maybe you’ve simply known someone who never seems to get sick, even when surrounded by sick people. Maybe you have this rare gift yourself.

The scientific and medical communities have struggled for decades to uncover and understand the mechanisms behind the body’s natural ability to heal. Indeed, the mystery of healing—whether from disease, injury, trauma, or myriad other afflictions— has been at or near the heart of mysticism, philosophy, science, religion, and medicine since the beginning of human civilization. And yet, it seems the more we learn about the miracle, the less we understand.

This report will discuss the all-important role of the mind in the healing of the body, with special emphasis on the powerful role of knowledge gained through objective evidence in the healing process.