Background
Healing and complementary and alternative medicine
Qualitative research and healing
Methods
Participants
Participant | Age | Time with condition | Employment status* | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Participant/gender/condition | Age (mean) | Length of time with condition (yrs) | Length of time with diagnosis (yrs) | |
P1 M IBS
| 39 | 10 | 1.5 | NW |
P2 F IBS
| 18 | 1.1 | 0.5 | PT |
P3 F IBS
| 45 | 2.5 | 0 | NW |
P4 M UC
| 77 | 30 | 30 | R |
P5 F UC
| 71 | 13 | 13 | R |
P6 F IBS
| 43 | 15 | 15 | NW |
P7 F IBS
| 57 | 5 | 5 | NW |
P8 F IBS
| 45 | 20 | 12 | NW |
P9 F UC
| 22 | 1 | 0.3 | NW |
P10 M UC
| 28 | 13 | 13 | PT |
P11 F IBS
| 54 | 5 | 5 | NW |
P12 F UC
| 26 | 4 | 4 | NW |
P13 F IBS
| 67 | 2 | 0.25 | R |
P14 F CD
| 39 | 14 | 4 | NW |
P15 F IBS
| 51 | 1.5 | 1.5 | FT |
P16 M UC
| 67 | 30 | 30 | R |
P17 F CD
| 48 | 7 | 7 | PT |
P18 M IBS
| 53 | 0.5 | 0.1 | FT |
P19 F CD
| 48 | 25 | 25 | PT |
P20 F IBS
| 56 | 10 | 10 | PR |
P21 F IBS
| 69 | 15 | 2 | R |
P22 M IBS
| 22 | 5 | 5 | PT |
Mean
|
47.5
|
10.4
|
8.4
| |
(SD)
|
(17.0)
|
(9.1)
|
(9.4)
|
Eligibility criteria
Design and intervention
Healing and therapists
Interview
Analysis
Themes 1 | Themes 2 | Themes 3 | Themes 4 | Themes 5 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Descriptions of acute change after sessions | Understanding of illness and healing | Bio psychosocial impact and outcomes of healing | New Interview Schedule Generated (see Additional file 1) | Perception of Healing | Understanding and expectations of Healing |
Descriptions of acute change during sessions | Preparation for sessions | Bio psychosocial impact of illness on patient | Bio-psychosocial impact of illness on the patient | ||
Symptom changes | Immersing in the Healing environment | Preparation, experiences and reflection on healing | Experiences and reflection on healing | Experiences and reflection on Healing | |
Factors attributed to the illness | Transference | Impact and outcome of healing | Impact and outcome of Healing | ||
Cognitive changes | |||||
Searching | |||||
Perception of healing | |||||
Getting used to healing | |||||
Understanding the disease |
Ethics
Results
The understanding and expectations of healing
Theme | Sub-theme | Code | Examples from patients |
---|---|---|---|
Understanding of Healing
| Little understanding | “I didn’t really know what I was going into” P1 M IBS | |
“I don’t know [anything about healing]” P2 F IBS | |||
“No, the only thing was what I read in the mail [newspaper]” P16 M UC | |||
Awareness of healing | Recommendation | “I have worked with a girl that used to be a beautician and she suggested different things…when Dr [name] mentioned it, I thought I would like to try it” P12 F UC | |
Previous knowledge or experience | “I am in the industry myself and that helps” P10 M UC | ||
“I have done Reiki in the past” P18 M IBS | |||
“I have had Reiki once before” P20 F IBS | |||
Expectation of Healing
| Scepticism | “I must admit I was pretty much sceptical about it” P1 M IBS | |
“I didn’t think it could heal you or anything like that” P19 F UC | |||
“Being realistic I know that nothing is going to cure it” P17 F UC | |||
Unsure of what to expect | No idea | “I didn’t know what to expect” P2 F IBS | |
“I didn’t really know, know what to expect before” P6 F IBS | |||
“I didn’t know what to expect” P13 F IBS | |||
“I wasn’t hoping it would heal me because that would be a miracle” P14 F UC | |||
Openness | Open to it | “I came in with an open mind” P19 F CD | |
“I went into it with an open mind…because I just wanted to see what would happen” P20 F IBS | |||
Some benefit | Being more calm or relaxed | “It has been [being relaxed has been achieved]” P5 F UC | |
“I think my stress may be [helped]” P16 M UC | |||
Sleep better | “To sleep a bit better than I did” P13 F IBS | ||
Hope that it could help | “If there was a benefit then it would help to relieve the symptoms” P18 M IBS | ||
“What I really wanted was to come off the tablets” P21 F IBS | |||
Was told it would be beneficial | “She [a friend who was a therapist] said you need healing a lot” P15 F IBS |
Experiences and reflection of the healing sessions
Theme | Sub-theme | Code | Examples from patients |
---|---|---|---|
Interaction with the therapist
| Connection | Empathy, comfort and trust | “You need to get comfortable with the lady who is doing it” (P7 F IBS) |
“I had to feel comfortable with the person and that can take a couple of sessions” (P14 F UC) | |||
Special feeling | “The contact [connection] is a big part of it, a big part of the help and you wouldn’t get that with a psychologist” (P3 F IBS) | ||
“Made me realise that I am not alone in what I am feeling” (P3 F IBS) | |||
Communication | Transferring feelings | “The whole wording, what she’s [therapists] talking about” (P1 M IBS) | |
“As [therapist] is talking I am aware that she is holding her hands over me or touching parts of my body, reinforces what she is saying” (P11 F IBS). | |||
Procedure for undesired symptoms experiences | “I don’t know where it came from [the pain] but, they [therapist] did explain it was like a release” (P9 F UC). | ||
“She [therapist] did tell me that I should rest that evening. You know, not try to do too much…” (P20 F IBS) | |||
“The next week she [therapist] said ok, we won’t be so intense this time, and she still did some of the Reiki with me, but I sat up” (P20 F IBS) | |||
Experiences during sessions
| Vivid experiences | Relaxed | “You feel all relaxed and calm” (P4 M UC) |
“I can feel myself relaxing into it” (P7 F IBS) | |||
“It is its wonderfully relaxing” (P21 F UC) | |||
Calmer | “I am really a much calmer person” (P6 F UC) | ||
“It makes you really calm” (P8 F IBS) | |||
“I feel really calm” (P14 F UC) | |||
Heat/warmth | “Because the heat is strong” (P3 F IBS) | ||
“Today I could feel the heat” (P5 F UC) | |||
Uplifted | “Had a real spring in my step…uplifted…I feel happier” (P14 F UC) | ||
“I am like a spring chicken the next day, I am just running and racing around” (P15 F IBS) | |||
Light and energy | “In the day time you have these colours going on” (P1 M IBS) | ||
“Brighter, I know my eyes are closed and it would actually feel brighter” (P12 F UC) | |||
Visions | “You might have a vision of somebody in the past which I did…I have seen me mum…Odd things might happen like you might see things in your eyes… you will probably see little animals, like this jumping out at you, and around” (P9 F UC) | ||
Being pulled or sucked | “Strange experience to be held by the feet and have this kind of trip, it feels you are being pulled through a tunnel” (P1 M IBS) | ||
“You feel like you’re being hurtled” (P1 M IBS) | |||
Nervous sensations/reactions | “Feel a bit tingly in my hands and elbows” (P14 F UC) | ||
“When she touches me stomach their I jump…it’s a reflex action…she was worried about it…nowhere else” (P16 M UC) | |||
Wind | “You can feel the wind going round in your body…it was like she was chasing wind round my body” (P7 F IBS) | ||
Undesired experiences | Increased pain | “After the first one [session], it sort of brought all my wind, just under my back and it was quite painful” (P7 F IBS) | |
“The first session I was out of control, and the pain I felt and it was, I was just crying…” (P 9 F UC) | |||
Heat pain | “I had this burning pain which was saying to [therapist] about which was right in the back of my head, really really hot…I had to change my day at work the next day because I still felt really hot as well” (P20 F IBS) | ||
Crying | “Crying all the time [first session]” (P9 F UC) “when I left the [place of work] the first time [after the first session] I went into the loo and I picked up a, a nice text from my daughter and I just burst into floods of tears” (P20 F IBS) | ||
Engaging with the experience | Difficulty getting into the breathing | “It was quite difficult to get into with my breathing” (P12 F UC) | |
“For the initial session I found if really difficult to focus on me breathing” (P14 F UC) | |||
Experience following session
| Increased bowel related symptoms | “A good three days after I was continuously windy, I didn’t think anyone could burp or trump that much” (P7 F IBS) |
Impact and outcomes of healing
Physical impact
Theme | Sub-theme | Code | Examples from patients |
---|---|---|---|
Physical Impact
| Improvement No or limited change | More “Normal” Routine | “I am going to the toilet more regularly without any medication” (P7 F IBS) |
“I have been sleeping better…Swelling seems to have gone down” (P8 F IBS) | |||
“Interviewer: in terms of your bloating, had it stopped your bloating? P15 F IBS: I don’t get it as much as I used to” (P15 F IBS) | |||
Less Pain | “I haven’t had or haven’t been getting the stomach cramps or diarrhoea as much…it’s probably been better than what I expected” (P2 F IBS) | ||
“Last week [session 4] I felt so much better…I can actually go to the toilet without too much pain now” (P7 F IBS) | |||
“The pain is a lot easier you feel like doing more stuff and you are not in pain all the time…it [healing] has mainly helped the pain” (P8 F IBS) | |||
“I would say the pain is reduced, due to the relaxation it has taught me” (P 22 M IBS) | |||
Better Sleep | “The sleeping is a big benefit you know…you feel as though you have had a more satisfying sleep” (P5 F UC) “I actually sleep very well from it” (P3 F IBS) | ||
“[After the 4th session] I slept absolutely brilliantly that night” (P5 F UC) | |||
“I have noticed that since I have been doing the trial have been sleeping better” (P8 F IBS) | |||
Interviewer: would you tell me the best and worst part of the therapy? P15 F IBS:…going to sleep [at night]” (P15 F IBS) | |||
“I can’t see that anything has actually changed” (P1 M IBS) | |||
“I wouldn’t say it has helped the IBS…I was perhaps hoping, perhaps over time it might” (P11 F IBS) | |||
Unable to determine | “Interviewer: because you were feeling great you can’t say whether it has done anything at all? P12 F UC: No I can’t.” (P12 F UC) “When I started I was feeling great the best I have ever felt since starting the trial” (P12 F UC) | ||
“If you are going to ask me questions as to whether I am feeling better, the answer is I don’t know.” P16 M UC | |||
Other factors influencing change | Medication/Medical Reason | “The stomach cramps were stopped anyway, because of the tablets I have been put on” (P2 F IBS) | |
“Every time I plan something [going out, undertaking an activity] I have to have tablets as well” (P2 F IBS) | |||
Diet | “I haven’t had the swelling that I have been having…I don’t know whether it was because of healing of because I have changed my diet” (P13 F IBS) | ||
Other Therapy/Activity | “Tuesday which is like a therapy group for people who have panic attacks and anxiety” (P14 F UC) | ||
“Going to [teaching location] I think has been very positive” (P11 F IBS) “I have done CBT, I have been doing for a while which has been going through the same time” (P22 M IBS). | |||
Change in Lifestyle/Stress | “There is a slight problem in that I stopped work [extremely stressful position] and went through the healing at around about the same time…[also] I missed 1 [session]” (P18 M IBS) “Any kind of noise outside is a distraction” (P1 M IBS) | ||
Intensity of healing | “The next week she said ok, we won’t be so intense this time…So I hadn’t felt anything really once she turned the heat down” (P20 F IBS) | ||
Advice/therapy from healer | “She [therapist] is giving me things to think about different ways to think about” (P11 F IBS) | ||
“At night if I can’t sleep then I put on the tape [given by therapist] and just listen” (P13 F IBS) | |||
“So I have to say I am not sure about the Reiki but the counselling, that…has been positive” (P20 F IBS). | |||
Harder to carry the effects over | “Week 2 or 3 [of the sessions] I was kind of like losing the strategy of how to get back to that sort of zone” (P14 F UC) “a lot of my stress has been lifted after a session and I feel more confident as well, but after a few days I would go back to flat” (P14 F UC) | ||
Undesired symptoms | Adverse experience | “I wasn’t expecting to feel so bad…I haven’t found it a pleasant experience…I just felt so ill after it [the first session]” (P20 F IBS). | |
“The first week…I can’t say if it is connected with the healing I went to my brothers house…and I knew I was going to be sick and I was sick.” (P11 F IBS) “After the third one [session] I ended up in hospital [patient suffered a transient ischemic attack]” (P7 F IBS). | |||
Unusual experiences | “The first time…I was like totally zombified…my husband took me home and I slept all afternoon and half the evening” (P17 F UC) | ||
Tiredness | “Every other week it has left me tired, [I am] tired anyway” (P11 F IBS) | ||
“I quite often get tired, but I yawn, constantly the whole of the time [within the session] when I go home, in the car I am yawning, yawn” (P21 F UC) | |||
Psychosocial Impact
| Approach to symptoms | Control over condition | “When I feel myself going that way I will make myself relax” (P7 F IBS) |
“How you deal with things, your choices and your reactions are far more relaxed laid back than they would have been before” (P22 M IBS) | |||
Confident in their ability to cope | “I went to sleep with the cramps and thought, oh well, this happens doesn’t it? Whereas before I would literally be sweating bags” (P1 M IBS) | ||
“I think if you have a negative mind that is detrimental” (P1 M IBS) | |||
Less anxiety & thinking | “I am just trying to change my think patterns” (P6 F UC) “Try to think about things differently” (P11 F IBS) | ||
“It’s making me switch my mind off” (P14 F UC) | |||
Calm | “It’s made me more calmer inside” (P6 F UC) | ||
“It’s quite calming” (P12 F UC) | |||
Positive | “My perception towards my elements has shifted…I’m definitely positive about it…that it is all very positive” (P1 M IBS) | ||
“They [symptoms] don’t seem to get me down as much” (P1 M IBS) | |||
Rejuvenated and Alive | “Starting to get back on track” (P10 M UC) | ||
“I feel a bit cleansed” (P14 F UC) “It’s made me more alert” (P20 F IBS) |