Posted January 19, 2015 by Ian Benedict Mia

Last year, undergraduate students from Qualitative Research (QUALIRE) conducted a study on the lived experiences of "faith healers." These include people like the arbularyos, psychic healers, charismatics, espiritistas and manghihilot, among others.

The group concludes that faith healing can be considered a major part in Filipino culture. Not only does it help cure unusual illnesses for some Filipinos, but it also touches the emotional and social facets of a person's life. Given the spirituality involved among faith healers, the group also suggests that having a diwa or spirituality serves as a connection to a higher being, or God.

ABSTRACT

Filipino faith healers exist within a spectrum ranging from albularyos, charismatics, espiritistas, to manghihilot and psychic healers (Bulatao, 1992). Traditional faith healers play an important role in the Philippine society, since faith healing is deeply embedded in Philippine culture. Indigenous faith healing methods remains to be the main source of primary health care among Filipinos from rural and indigenous communities. The study mainly focused on the lived experience of being a manggagamot (Filipino faith healer) to further elaborate on how faith healers narrate their experiences, how they perceive themselves in society, and the process of becoming a faith healer. A 57-year old Filipina faith healer was the primary participant of the study. The findings of this paper give a better understanding about faith healing as a practice, the role of spirituality in faith healing, and how one embarks on the journey to becoming a faith healer.

The complete study can be accessed here: http://tinyurl.com/PsychStudies1