FAITH HEALING.

Hokitika Guardian, 13 July 1923, Page 1

FAITH HEALING.

.MEDICAL MAN’S \V\BNING. WELIJXGTi iN, July 10. A remarkable address on faith healing was given at the Rotary Club luncheon by |)r. Arnold Izard. He said that it had been known for a considerable time that all ailments of the human body that were caused by suggestion could be cured by suggestion. lr was essential first „[ all for the faith healer to create an atmosphere of

curing. That was done by newspaper propaganda, by his previous reputation, and by a. service, such ns suitable hymn', and addresses.

"People who suffered from neurasthenia or kindred diseases, and especially these who might he termed borderline cases, would be well advised io keep away front faith healers, as they were likely to do themselves a great deal more harm than good. Neurasthenia was a form of fatigability, if lie might use the term, and robbed men of all their essential vitality. During the war there was a, great wastage of manhood, as a result of shell shock, which was caused by n conflict of primitive instincts in tlie sub-conscious mind.

Human beings were governed by I three main instincts—sexual, self-pre-servation and nutrition. .Some held that there was a fourth instinct, the herd instinct, by which they were controlled. For instance a man who did not conform to the rule of the ■ mob and take his hat off to a lady in the street was treated by his fellows as an outcast. After giving instances where there had been conflict in the .sub-conscious mind which had resulted in great mental anguish, the speaker referred to the ease of a shell-shocked soldier. Shell-shock was brought about by a sharp conflict in the mind of the soldier. His training told him he luusl stand up to ihe stillest barrage without. flinching, but his instinct of selfpreservation told him that it would he wi-.r policy to run a.s last as he could. That vs- the conflict in the man’s mind, li was be Hot that the man j should be wounded for in no ease I where a limn was wounded did shell- ■ shock result. The reason of tins was ivcauso his mind was quite salislied.i J-io was satisfied in his own mind that j lie had ‘‘done his bit,” and lie was I also satisfied in his own mind that the! Red Cross men would come along short- j |y to look alter him. Roth instincts | were satisfied. The mind could not si aml mental anguish. Many returned soldiers re- j turned to their homes suffering hum' all kinds of fears, and the only way ; they could he cured was by tracing the I source of the foundation r.f the fears and eradicating them. The speaker went on to refer to the [ question of lorget!illness, and said that things largo and small which had been • put oil one side were always likely' to recur, as the sub-conscious mind was] dynamic, it never stopped working. Everything trivial was recorded in the I sub-conscious mind. It might he pns- j sjhle by means of laith-healing or stig- | gest ion to effect a cure, but there , could be no guarantee that there would j he a recurrence of the trouble. It was the sub-conscious mind that guided | whole hues and moulded our character. |