Prayer In Action

Healing Touch Spiritual Ministry (HTSM) is a fascinating type of bodywork.

Its roots are in Scripture and begin in the teachings of Christ, who admonishes us to use prayer, anointing, and laying on of hands to heal the sick (James 5:14–16). The roots of this work also go back to the Old Testament, when priests would anoint people for healing.

HTSM work is basically prayer in action, or prayer “with hands on it.” People of faith have used these healing techniques for thousands of years. Thankfully, we are now rediscovering the power and validity of these healing techniques.

The Power of Prayer

The power of prayer has been widely studied. An interesting study was published in the British Medical Journal in 2001. In this study, which took place in Israel, a stack of hospital charts of patients admitted for blood poisoning was divided into two random piles. Patients in one stack were prayed for; the others were not.

It was found that the group prayed for had lower fever rates, shorter hospital stays, and a lower death rate. These kinds of improved outcomes are typical in such studies involving prayer. What was interesting was that the patients had been discharged ten years earlier. Prayer seems to work regardless of time or space.

Prayer, Intention, and Health

In the book The Genie in Your Genes by Dawson Church, Ph.D., we find the following quote: “Larry Dossey, MD, in Prayer is Good Medicine, says that there are over 1,200 scientific studies demonstrating the link between prayer and intention, and health and longevity.”

These studies lead us to believe that prayer can be an important component for health. Prayer is an important component of HTSM work, which also often uses essential oils for anointing and hands-on work in the energy field. The goal of HTSM work is to achieve wholeness and health.

What Students Learn in HTSM Classes

In HTSM classes, students learn a variety of techniques to address issues in the energy field. One of my favorite techniques is called “Blessing of the Senses.” This is a brief, yet delightful, technique that we can do for health fairs or to end a massage or HTSM session.

In just a few minutes, we can demonstrate how briefly hovering over a person’s ears, eyes, neck area, heart, and hands can evoke a feeling of reduced stress and a feeling of calmness, according to client testimonies.

A Medically Documented Healing

There are several medically documented healings that I have encountered. One that comes to mind is a client who presented with bleeding ovaries and was scheduled for surgery the next week.

We were limited on time, so I offered a prayer. I stood beside her and placed one hand on her shoulder, allowing healing energy to flow into her as I offered a prayer for her healing. A few days later, after her follow-up doctor appointment, she reported that her bleeding had ceased and that she no longer required surgery. Her doctor was dumbfounded. She said she knew it was the result of the work we had done.

There are many such testimonies with HTSM work, involving prayer, the use of essential oils, and laying on of hands. There is also scientific research being done to better understand how the techniques work.