What is most compelling to me about John of God’s approach to healing is the community that he created surrounding his work.  His work draws 500-600 people per day from all around the world.  This creates an enormous opportunity for spiritual community that is deliberately sustained by his requests and requirements.

One is that visitors wear white, fostering a sense of preparation for healing and a communal unity.  He also requires that visitors meditate prior to healing.  He encourages people to reflect on the reasons for their visits and write them down, which is a time for introspection and also a type of prayer.  He also encourages them to make choices by allowing them to select the type of healing to pursue.  This allows visitors to instill trust in their own inner truths.  The community he created speaks of an atmosphere of love that is created by having a central place for people to gather, supported by a healer.  The environment itself provides an opportunity for spiritual community to develop.  I think this type of community can increase and amplify healing energy and also serve as a support for the person who is suffering.  Those who receive more support in their life are naturally able to sustain greater healing.  Within this community, reflection and attention to Spirit create the best conditions for healing to take place.

The qualities that John of God displays point to the similarities I have noticed in many healers.  One is to allow God to work through them—John of God claims that he himself has never healed anyone.  It is the power of God and what he calls “good spirits” that assist in his work.  He is only the vehicle that makes it happen.  This resonates with my own experience as a healer.  There is a feeling that something more is happening that is beyond my control.  When I am doing an intuitive reading, my ego has to get out of the way for the information to flow.  I am in a type of meditative state that is very light, enabling me to talk, but it is not the same as waking consciousness.  Many times I do not remember what was said, and have had the experience of “witnessing” myself saying things—aware that the thought process that my ego normally employs is not operative.  How can I take credit for that? It is as if another consciousness is either running the show, or feeding information to me which I then relay.   I have also felt the presence of a great deal of love, sometimes it is made known to me that it is coming from a deceased relative and also from what I would call “guides” of the person.  The only thing that I do is show up, and make sure that I am balanced enough emotionally and spiritually prepared to do the work.

I also noticed that John of God as a child was devoted to God and dedicated to religion, and had visions.  I have had similar experiences and have noted the similarity in my research regarding the development of intuitive ability.  I have also had a lifelong interest in religion, metaphysics and spirituality which seems to be common among healers, mediums, and mystics of all sorts.

I wonder if any research has been done regarding John of God’s healing work?  I would personally be interested in learning about his methods, particularly how he feels he can best prepare himself as a channel in his work.