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Prayer Healing:
An Experiential Description
of Iranian Prayer Healing
FATEMEH JAVAHERI
ABSTRACT: Although mainstream allopatic medicine is the dominant model in Iran, many other
kinds of healing are currently also being used. This paper aims to describe some aspects of prayer
healing in Iran. This study has been carried out using participatory observation and in-depth
interviews with fourteen healers who worked in Tehran. Also one hundred and seventy patients
who referred to healing centers were interviewed through random sampling.The findings are
summarized in terms of a description of some personal characteristic of healers, the methods of
healing, healer–patient communication patterns and, finally, some consequences of visiting a
prayer healer. The findings indicate that, despite the increasing growth in scientific medicine,
traditional healing is still alive. It is a cultural way of coping with health problems. This essay also
makes several suggestion for future research.
Introduction
The effect of religion on health is one of the most interesting subjects studied
by medical, sociological and psychological scientists, and prayer healing is one
example of the health–religion interrelationship. A study of this kind may help
to clarify some of the socio-cultural aspects of health issues. In spite of an
enduring tradition of prayer healing in Iran, little is known about the socio-
logical aspects of it and this paper is an attempt to describe various aspects of
prayer healing.
The findings are classified into four sections. First, healers are described
according to their demographic characteristics, training and multifunction-
ality. Next, the healing methods, including various means of healing patients
are explained. Then, the healer–patient relationship is described in terms of
the system and setting of the interaction and patient’s experiences. Finally
some possible consequences of visiting a healer are looked at.
Theoretical implications
addresses and schedules, the total number of healers is unknown. This situ-
ation limits the use of a probabilistic sampling method. Since there is no
formal listing of the prayer healers, this research was carried out on the basis
of information from people who know such healers. After one month of
searching, fourteen healers who were frequently mentioned by people were
found. The research took more than 100 hours of field work over a 3-month
period using participatory observation techniques and in-depth interviews
with healers. Patients’ impressions and experiences also have an important
role to play in understanding prayer healing. For this reason, one hundred
and seventy patients who referred themselves to healing centers were chosen
and interviewed through random sampling.
But, as was the case with healers, there were some barriers in finding pa-
tients randomly. Since some patients were suffering from serious psycholog-
ical or physical conditions, some were children (and thus too young to be
interviewed) and some came from villages and worried about being able to go
back soon, not all of the patients were equally able to talk. Accordingly, the
researcher had to see the patients one by one and the interviews were con-
ducted only if the subjects gave their acceptence.
Finally, 105 females and 65 males were interviewed. Thus the base of both
samplings was inevitability nonprobablistic. ‘‘The nonprobability sampling
method is used whenever the researcher has no desire to generalize the
finding beyond the sample’’ (Bailey, 1982, p. 97).
Findings
As has already been mentioned, the findings are described in terms of the
healers, the methods of healing and healer–patient relationships.
Description of healers
– Some of them had relatives, such as father or grandfather, who had already
been a healer.
– Some had learned from a spiritual director and at the end of their learning
period were given permission to act as healers.
– Some stated that they had an inner intuition.
– Some went through certain soul purification practices to prepare them-
selves for the ability.
The study of the healers’ backgrounds show that some followed only one
route while others had followed more than one route simultaneously to learn
this ability.
Healers’ roles
Healers perform various roles at the same time. First of all they heal patients
through prayer, but their role is not limited to healing. Sometimes, for
example, people go to healers who act as problem solvers. Their function is to
give advice and act as social workers to people who ask for it. While doctors
generally perform the role of treatment, it is possible that the multifunctional
role of healers makes them more reliable for their clients.
– The healer prays and blows the prayer out to the patient.
– The healer gives a written prayer that the patient has to read or keep with
him or her at all time.
– The healer prays and blows the prayer out onto a certain material such as
sugar or water and the patient has to eat it.
– The healer moves his/her hand on or over the patient’s head and shoulder
while praying. It seems that it is as if they are providing positive energy or
drawing out negative energy.
– Some healers prescribe herbal drugs and special diets.
– Some of them ask for some help from supernatural creatures such as an
angel or a genie.
The variable system of payment in prayer contrasts directly with the fixed
payment system of doctors. The healer payment system is more flexible and
allows patients to choose the one that is most compatible with their own
financial situation.
Setting of interaction
Healing takes place in public, semi public and private places. For example,
patients can submit their written problems and receive answers while they
are waiting outside on the street. Religious centers such as mosques are both
semi public and closed places. Some healers allocate a part of their houses to
healing tasks within their own private space. Regarding these three different
Fatemeh Javaheri 179
Reproduction system
Prayer healing—as an action system—is based on a reproduction system that
makes it endure over time. According to Iranian law, every kind of healing is
considered an intervention in medical matters. For this reason, formal
advertising for prayer healing is forbidden, but there are several informal
means of advertising.
– Some healers have no way to advertise, but happy clients are their
voluntary advertisements.
– Some healers have a business cards that are distributed.
– One healer has a listing of successful clients, including their names and
telephone numbers, that is available to other potential patients.
– Another healer has published a book containing his father’s biography that
is related to prayer healing.
– A film has been produced based on another healer’s biography and this has
been a great motivation for people who are in search of a shelter.
Patients’ experiences
Patients’ interpretations can be useful in gaining a better understanding of
prayer healing. During interaction with the healer, patients have some special
experiences. Patients’ experiences are described in terms of their emotional
feelings and their interpretations. When they are asked about the emotional
feelings during the visit, they refer to experiences such as hope, happiness,
lightness, tranquility, weeping and an unidentifiable feeling. How the visitors
interpret their feelings is the next question. Their responses to this question
include the sense of being in a sacred place, inner evolution or absorption in
the charismatic personality of the healer. Although most patients are opti-
mistic about the healer’s chance of success, there are some patients who are
doubtful. The results indicate that, in comparison with mainstream medicine,
prayer healing is associated with desirable, spiritual experiences for people.
This may be a significant factor in directing people towards prayer healing.
Possible consequences
and a relationship between the patient and the healer can result in various
outcomes. This additional relationship takes forms such as returning and
coming again for treatment purposes, for religious reasons, for problems other
than disease and, finally, refering others to the same healer. Further visits
take place for treatment purposes.
To investigate these consequences scientifically, the four questions were
asked of patients listed in Table 1.
Based on the data given in Table 1, the research preposition, is confirmed.
The client’s satisfaction results in trust in the healer and promotes the pa-
tient’s relationship with the healer. It is not just the client who benefits from
this relationship, but also the healer who is provided with social capital. That
is the secret that lies beneath the enduring tradition of prayer healing in Iran.
Prayer healing works within a closed system in Iran. Healers rarely tend to
transfer their skills and experiences to others, since they like to do their work
in secret. Healers prefer to work within a traditional framework. They don’t
benefit from any modern techniques such as special associations, journals,
home pages or web sites. A common theme of various categories of prayer
healing is an appeal to God to change a person’s physical or psychological
condition for the better.
In contrast with mainstream medicine, which is based on secularity,
objectivity and rationality, prayer healing is based on spirituality and flexi-
bility toward patients that gives them a feeling of support (Table 2).
TABLE 1
TABLE 2
Healers Doctors
Domain of work Various Problem Treatment
Base of action Value oriented Instrumental oriented
Setting Sacred Secular
Base of authority Healer personality Medical knowledge
Control agency Nonprofessional Professional
Approach to patient Holism Particularism
Training process Traditional medicine Scientific medicine
As noted by, ‘‘also western medicine tends to adhere to the positive view of
science reflected in the Cartesian mind–body dualism. Positive medical sci-
ence focuses its study on that part of individual that can be objectively ob-
served—the body—which it tends to view as a machine acted upon by
external, mechanical forces as it is subjected to the mechanistic, random laws
of an impartial nature’’ (McKee, 1988, p. 776).
As regards religious healing, Foskett and Jacobs have stated that ‘‘the
philosophy behind religious healing is based on the whole person as an indi-
vidual, as well as part of a family and social unit; and as a whole person, body,
mind, and spirit but with particular reference to the person’s psychological,
ethical, and theological frames of reference’’ (Foskett & Jacobs, 1997, p. 319).
Belief in the efficacy of faith healing is not limited to Muslims. ‘‘The majority
of Americans also believe in the healing power of prayer. A recent Time/CNN
poll found that 82% of American believe that prayer can cure serious illness.
Seventy-three percent of Americans in that poll also believe that praying for
others can cure illness and 64% want their physicians to pray with
them’’(Ameling, 2000, p. 41).
Although it is not possible to answer the question as to whether or not
religion can cure our troubles, peoples’ reference to prayer healing indicates
an important reality. Despite the increasing dominance of scientific medicine,
traditional healing is still alive. It is a cultural way of coping with health
problems. ‘‘Religion has exercised more direct control of bodies by itself pro-
mulgating moral norms controlling sexuality, reproduction, eating, drinking,
entertainments, modesty, cleanliness and purity’’ (McGuire, 1966, p. 105).
This reality shows that modern and traditional phenomena exist parallel to
each other. As Ronald Ingelhart stated, ‘‘economic development is associated
with pervasive, and to some extent predictable cultural changes. Empirical
evidence from 65 societies indicates that values can and do change, but also
that they continue to reflect a society’s cultural heritage’’ (Ingelhart, 2000,
p. 49). What lies behind the cause of people’s attitude toward religious healing,
182 Journal of Religion and Health
such as prayer healing, and its consequences is a considerable point for social
and medical scientists.
‘‘There are a few comparative studies about prayer healing in Christianity,
Judaism, Islam or other religious groups to show the similarities and differ-
ences of religious healing in various arena’’(Foskett & Jacobs, 1997, p. 327).
Such studies show that religion as well as medicine has its own influence on
people’s search for health and the regulation of the body.
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