Chapter IV: Mental Healings In Ancient Times

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Source page 44. Chapter IV Mental Healings In Ancient Times Down through the ages men of all nations have somehow instinctively believed that somewhere there resided a healing power, which would restore to normal the functions and sensations of man's body. They believed that this strange power could be invoked under certain conditions and that the alleviation of human suffering would follow. The history of all nations presents testimony in support of this belief.

In the early history of the world the power of secretly influencing men for good or evil, including the healing of the sick, was said to be possessed by the priests and holy men of all nations. Healing of the sick was supposed to be a power derived directly by them from God and the procedures and processes of healing varied throughout the world. The healing processes took the form of supplications to God attended by various ceremonies such as the laying on of hands, incantations, the application of amulets, talismans, rings, relics and images.

For example, in the religions of antiquity, priests in the ancient temples gave drugs to the patient and practiced hypnotic suggestions prior to the patient's sleep, telling him that the gods would visit him in his sleep and heal him. Many healings followed. Obviously, all this was the work of potent suggestions to the subconscious mind.

After the performance of certain mysterious rites, the devotees of Hecate would see the goddess during sleep, provided that before going to sleep they had prayed to her according to weird and fantastic instructions. They were told to mix lizards with resin, frankincense and myrrh and pound all this together in the open air under the crescent moon. Healings were reported in many cases following this grotesque procedure.

It is obvious that these strange procedures, as mentioned in the illustrations given, favored suggestion and acceptance by the subconscious mind of these people by making a powerful appeal to their imagination. Actually, in all these healings, the subconscious mind of the subject was the healer.

In all ages, unofficial healers have obtained remarkable results in cases where authorized medical skill has failed. This gives cause for thought. How do these healers in all parts of the world effect their cures? The answer to all these healings is due to the blind belief of the sick person, which released the healing power resident in his subconscious mind. Many of the remedies and methods employed were rather strange and fantastic, which fared the imagination of the patients, causing an aroused emotional state. This state of mind facilitated the suggestion of health, and was ac-

Source page 45. cepted both by the conscious and subconscious mind of the sick. This will be elaborated on further in the next chapter.

Biblical Accounts Of The Use Of The Subconscious Powers What things soever ye desire, when ye pray believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Mark 11:24.

Note the difference in tenses. The inspired writers tells us to believe and accept as true the fact that our desire has already been accomplished and fulfilled, that it is already completed, and that is realization will follow as a thing in the future.

The success of this technique depends on the confident conviction that the thought, the idea, the picture is already a fact in mind. In order for anything to have substance in the realm of mind, it must be thought of as actually existing there.

Here in a few cryptic words is a concise and specific direction for making use of the creative power of thought by impressing upon the subconscious the particular thing which you desire. Your thought, idea, plan or purpose is as real on its own plane as your hand or your heart. In following the Biblical technique, you completely eliminate from your mind all consideration of conditions, circumstances or anything which might imply adverse contingencies. You are planting a seed (concept) in the mind, which, if you leave it undisturbed, will infallibly germinate into external fruition.

The prime condition, which Jesus insisted upon, was faith. Over and over again you read in the Bible, According to your faith is it done unto you. If you plant certain types of seeds in the ground, you have faith they will grow after their kind. This is the way of seeds, and trusting the laws of growth and agriculture, you know that the seeds will come forth after their kind. Faith as mentioned in the Bible is a way of thinking, an attitude of mind, an inner certitude, knowing that the idea you fully accept in your conscious mind will be embodied in your subconscious mind and made manifest. Faith is, in a sense, accepting as true what your reason and senses deny, i.e. a shutting out of the little, rational, analytical, conscious mind and embracing an attitude of complete reliance on the inner power of your subconscious mind.

A classical instance of Bible technique is recorded in Matthew 9:28-30. And when he was come into the house, the blind man came to him; and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, according to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes opened; and Jesus straightly charged them, saying, see that no man know it.

In the words according to your faith be it unto you, you can see that Je-

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Joseph Murphy presents spiritual and self-help ideas, not medical, financial, or mental-health treatment. Treat claims about healing or outcomes as the author’s historical claims, not guarantees or professional advice.

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