Healing Presence: A Science of Spirit

Dentist Shuch (Letters to a Young Healer) advocates for bringing faith into Western medicine in this disappointing treatise. Despairing the chasm between “objective” science and “subjective” faith, Shuch suggests synthesizing the two into an “art of healing” that addresses physiological as well as spiritual wounds. He points to high levels of burnout in the medical community as proof that Western medical practitioners recognize the limits of their blinkered focus on the corporeal. Shuch condemns what he sees as science’s hostility toward faith, contending that science’s need for rational explanation and focus on “materialism” blinds it to remedies like healing through prayer. He also refers to science as “like a religion that persecutes those who question its dogma” and accuses peer-reviewed journals of purposely avoiding medical research that supports the role of faith in healing. While the goal of establishing a more holistic understanding of healing is a laudable one, Shuch’s antagonism toward science and propensity to make bold claims without supporting evidence (“prayers have proven to be effective”) undermine this endeavor. Those looking for a thoughtful consideration of what faith can teach science would be better served elsewhere. (Apr.)