I HAD TO KNOW WHAT REALLY HEALS

I became interested in Christian Science, and took Primary class instruction because I had an uncontrolled appetite to find out what heals. At the time, I was not seeking any healing for myself, or a loved one. I was not a member of any Christian Science church, and I had no family or friends who were members either. In fact, I was a doctoral student studying to be a licensed psychotherapist.

As I began to study the wonders of the human mind in my doctoral program, and its effects on physical and mental health, I learned that the human mind can do so-called miracles, defy theories of medicine and physical science, and so I directed my scholarly pursuits to discover how the mind heals. However, in order to do this, I knew I had to look outside the proverbial box. Orthodox neurosciences and modern medical models were too physically deterministic.

Therefore, I pointed my thought into Eastern and Western mysticism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Hindu Tantra. I learned, and witnessed, remarkable things about the power of one's mind. But I also knew my search was not over. In the above philosophies, the human mind could be trained to do the incredible, but these approaches were still too limited for any real practical application to health. Eventually, my intellectual appetites brought me to an author who claimed to heal any sickness, physical or mental, through the power of divine Mind, or God. This completely piqued my interest, and, thus, I was introduced to Mary Baker Eddy.

I purchased Science and Health online from ebay and then secured a copy of her other writings. I was immediately impressed with Mrs. Eddy's writing style, and especially with her logic. From a scholarly point of view, I was utterly amazed at the philosophical arguments she posited. I remember thinking to myself, Here is a woman from the middle of the 19th century with no formal higher education, who has fluency in medicine, psychology, Biblical scholarship, and classical languages. Further, this common lady was using historical criticism and hermeneutics in highlighting Biblical texts.

Her writings presented to my conscious understanding, more clearly than any of the other philosophic avenues I'd traveled, that it was not the human mind but the divine Mind that heals. I learned I could have confidence that divine Love guides, guards, and rules every aspect of all life. I began to understand that I was not a mortal being of flesh and blood, but rather a reflection of God as His child. Mrs. Eddy taught me to trust this spiritual reality and the divine laws underlying it.

To learn as much about this Science of Mind as I could, I made an appointment with a local Christian Science teacher, shared my story, and asked about instruction. The teacher answered my questions, showed effortless kindness, and invited me to participate in the local Christian Science community. And I did—at least a little bit. There I learned more of the practical application of Christian Science. For example, I learned from others how they prayed and applied the rules of Christian Science to heal disease and disharmony in their lives, and the lives of their loved ones.

Time passed, and I tested this "Mind" science. I had a pet mandarin duck that was suffering from a severe infection, and the veterinarian said that he would not live. With prayer, the duck was healed within about a week, and returned to his little pool outside. Next, I was confronted with a situation where my semiannual TB test was showing positive. The night before I had to report for the actual reading, I contacted a Christian Science practitioner for prayer. In the morning, the evidence of the disease was completely reversed.

I entered Primary class seven months later. Since then, I've witnessed more of the extraordinary power of Christian Science to heal physical and mental illnesses through my own application of its laws. I still work in medical environments, but the medicine I bring to the table is Mind. As a psychotherapist, my primary therapeutic tool is talk therapy, and I always incorporate what I have learned in Christian Science when helping people manage their problems. I do this by "standing porter at the door of my thought" (see Science and Health, p. 392), and I mentally refuse to accept distress, anxiety, fear, or disease, no matter what my senses or clinical education throws at me. And I find that my patients respond. I discuss the truths of Christian Science, when I feel it is appropriate, and I get nothing but positive feedback when I do.

I am now a member of The Mother Church, and I participate weekly in my local Christian Science branch church. It has been less than a year since I completed Primary class, but I stand thoroughly convinced that what I began to search for is what I've been blessed to find in Christian Science. css