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Dictionary of Metaphysical Healthcare
Unnaturalistic Methods: I
© 1997 Jack Raso, M.S., R.D.
- I-Chuan (Da
Cheng Chuan): Martial art modernized in the 1940s by Wang Xiang Zhai. Its
ancient central practice is Zhang Zhuang: standing like a tree and
meditating.
- idea therapy:
One of the main techniques of Imagineering. Idea therapy includes repeated
affirmation of a desired belief, such as "I am always healthy."
- IIP Consciousness Development Program: System developed by author Waldo Vierra, M.D., who founded
the International Institute of Projectiology (IIP) in 1988 in Brazil. IIP
defines "projectiology" as "the science that studies the
out-of-body experience as a tool for achieving self-awareness." The
program reportedly involves training in the management of "bioenergy."
Alleged potential benefits include: "access" to "other planes
of reality," amplification of the intellect, elimination of the fear
of death, increase of "psychic abilities," recall of "past
life experiences," and self-healing.
- image magick
(image magic, sympathetic magick): Ancient form of magic whose basic principle
is that "like produces like." Specifically, it is a form of homeopathic
magic (mimetic magic) that includes doll magic. Practitioners typically
use "image dolls" (e.g., "voodoo dolls"): small clay,
cloth, straw, waxen, or wooden representations of their targets. Apparently,
image magick extends from black magic to "love magick" and white
magic. For example, practitioners of white magic may use "image dolls"
to effect healing or to increase fertility.
- imagery (mental
imagery): Method expounded by general practitioner Martin L. Rossman, M.D.,
in Healing Yourself: A Step-by-Step Program for Better Health Through
Imagery (1987). Therein, Rossman recommended consulting "inner
advisors" or a "small voice within" regarding such matters
as attitude, emotions, environment, exercise, faith, illness, nutrition,
and posture. He stated that such "advisors" come in the form
of angels, animals, deceased relatives, fairies, gremlins, leprechauns,
long-lost friends, the ocean, Buddha, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi,
Jesus, John F. Kennedy, Moses, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the "Star Wars"
character Yoda. Moreover, Rossman distinguished between "inner advisors"
and "impostor advisors" ("inner figures" who are heavily
judgmental, punitive, and hostile).
- Imagineering:
Subject of Imagineering For Health: Self-Healing through the Use of
the Mind (1981), by Serge King, Ph.D. The source of King's doctorate
in psychology is California Western University, a nonaccredited correspondence
school whose name was changed in the 1980s to "California Coast University."
An alleged means of doing practically anything, Imagineering comprises
cooperative healing, emotivational therapy, idea therapy, verbal therapy,
and visual therapy. Its theory posits spiritual resources.
- Imperial Qi Gong:
Method taught by Dr. Warner Chen, a proponent of Human Resources Chi Gong,
Marrow Cleansing Chi Gong, and Quantum Leap Chi Gong therapy. Imperial
Chi Gong. Apparently, Imperial Qi Gong is a variation of Qigong therapy.
- implant removal:
Apparently, a purported means of breaking addictive behaviors. The apparent
postulate of implant removal is that "slave programming" has
been implanted in humans. One of its proponents is psychotherapist Dr.
Angela Brown-Miller, author of Embracing Death, Learning to Learn,
and Omega Point.
- Indirect "Bi-Digital O-Ring Test": Form of the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test Molecular Identification
Method that involves three individuals: (a) an examiner, the practitioner
who examines the empty hand of (b) an "intermediary,"
a surrogate who has placed the tip of a metal rod on (c) a patient
(adult, child, or animal). Either the "intermediary" or the patient
holds a slide with a tissue specimen. Allegedly, the metal rod transmits
the patient's "electro-magnetic field" to the "intermediary."
- indirect moxabustion:
Form of moxabustion that requires burning moxa (a dried herb) that
is not in contact with skin. Forms of indirect moxabustion include: burning
moxa cones on a slice of garlic or ginger, or on a layer of salt; manipulating
burning moxa sticks over the "affected" area; burning pieces
of moxa sticks on needles inserted into acupoints; and burning moxa on
a grill in a box over the "affected" area.
- infantile tuina therapy
(infantile tuina): Adaptation of Tuina to children under or around age
five.
- Initiation Healing:
Method promoted by author and "Reiki Master" Rev. Ojela Frank,
D.D., author of Life Quest: A Journey into Self. It reportedly involves
"energy activation."
- Inner Bonding:
Stepwise psychospiritual "process" that allegedly creates "a
powerful spiritually connected Inner Adult" capable of healing addictive
behavior and bringing "Love" and "Truth" from a "Higher
Power."
- Inner Child Cards:
"Divination system" created by Isha Lerner and "professional
as trologer" Mark Lerner, coauthors of Inner Child Cards: A Journey
into Fairy Tales, Myth, and Nature (1992). The system features this
book and a fairy-tale adaptation of the 78-card tarot. It purportedly "reawakens"
the "child within" by conducing to interaction of the user and
the most potent "archetypes" of the "inner world."
Its apparent postulate is that humans are divine and have "radiant
selves": "starchildren" who live in the heart.
- inner child work
(Inner Child, inner child therapy): Form of psychotherapy pioneered and
popularized by Texas-born theologian John Bradshaw, a former aspirant to
the Roman Catholic priesthood. Bradshaw is the author of: (a) Bradshaw
On: The Family; (b) Healing the Shame That Binds You;
(c) Homecoming: Reclaiming and Championing Your Inner Child;
and (d) Creating Love: The Next Stage of Growth. In Homecoming,
first published in 1990, Bradshaw states that all children of dysfunctional
families lose their "I AMness": their assurance that their parents
or guardians are healthy, able, and eager caregivers. He recommends that
victims of this loss or "spiritual wound" reclaim their "inner
child" by reliving their developmental stages and finishing "unfinished
business." He terms such recla mation a Zenlike experience. Toward
this end, he suggests having conversations with one's "inner infant,"
writing letters to it and reading them aloud, and writing letters to oneself
-- with the nondominant hand -- as if the infant were writing them. Through
such methods, the "wounded inner child" supposedly evolves into
a "wonder child," which Bradshaw describes as one's "Imago
Dei -- the part of you that bears a likeness to your creator."
In late 1996, Bradshaw hosted The Bradshaw Difference, a talk show
on UPN.
- Inner Garden:
Form of visual therapy wherein one imagines either a garden that one likes
or a garden that represents one's state of mind. The imaginary garden should
have a water supply.
- Inner Guide Work:
Purported conducer to contacting one's "true inner wisdom." Allegedly,
control of the "process" ultimately passes from the "hypnotherapist"
to "Inner Guides."
- inner healing:
Purported release of deep-rooted "energy blockage" through "Access
Energy Work" (see "ACCESS"), Emotional Release, guided imagery,
and hypnosis.
- inner peace facilitation
(inner peace counseling): Approach to spiritual counseling marked by the
goal of increasing clients' awareness of "inner spaciousness."
An "inner peace facilitator" is anyone committed to discovering
and "melting" obstacles to "the natural radiance and transforming
power of the spirit dwelling within."
- Inner Screen & Distance Healing: Apparently, a purported way to understand, "tune
into," and send "energy."
- inner self healing process: System developed by American-born clinical psychologist
and author Swami Ajaya, Ph.D. Its theory posits an "authentic"
("essential," "inner," "true") self and a
"false self." Supposedly, the "inner self" is an "active
inner presence,'' a "radiant essence," "core energy,"
the source of abundance, joy, unconditional love, vital ity, and wisdom.
The "false self" purportedly is a false image resulting from
the world's shabby treatment of everyone. The inner self healing process
allegedly enables one to "rediscover," "come home to,"
and "begin to live from" one's "true self." It involves
"experiential psychotherapy," "complete self attunement,"
and meditation. Through "attune ment" sessions, one supposedly
receives the "healing light" of one's "inner self."
- Inner Smile
(Inner Smile Meditation, "inner smile" technique): A foundational
component of the Healing Tao System. Inner Smile is a relaxation technique
that allegedly increases the flow of chi. Practitioners "smile
inwardly" at organs and glands.
- inner tuning:
Group of techniques whose purported design is "synchronization"
of: (a) the cerebral hemispheres and (b) solar and lunar
"rhythms." Its apparent postulate is that human vocal sounds
can release "blocked energy." Its theory posits chakras.
- integral counseling psychology: Form of psychotherapy taught at the California Institute
of Integral Studies, in San Francisco. It encompasses bioenergetics, Gestalt
therapy, holotropic therapy (see "Holotropic Breathwork"), Integral
Yoga, psychosynthesis, "spiritual mind healing," Taoism, and
"Theosophical Therapy." One of its major premises is that one
can help humans to contact and activate their "inner organizing center
for holistic living."
- Integral Yoga®
(Purna-Yoga): System founded by Sri Ghose Aurobindo (1872-1950) and promoted
by Rev. Sri Swami Satchidananda (Sri Gurudev). (The Sanskrit word sri,
or shri, is translatable as "majesty," "eminent one,"
or "venerable one." It is an honorific for both humans and deities.
The English equivalents of "Sri" as a title for humans are "Esquire"
and "Sir.") Integral Yoga includes hatha yoga, Raja Yoga (astanga
yoga), and other forms of yoga.
- Integrated Kinesiology:
Form of kinesiology (see below) promoted by Dr. Craig Rubenstein. It encompasses
"bioenergetic techniques," homeopathy, muscle testing (see below),
and the visceral meridian manipulation technique.
- integrative acupressure:
Form of acupressure whose chief distinction is a technique called "acupressure
lymphatic release."
- Integrative Manual Therapy: Combination of "modalities" developed by Sharon
Weiselfish, Ph.D., P.T., the originator of Developmental Manual Therapy.
Integrative Manual Therapy borrows from CranioSacral Therapy.
- Integrative Massage:
Apparently, a combination of "body reading," breathwork, Process
Work (process psychology), Swedish-Esalen, and other modes of massage.
- Integrative Therapy:
Apparently, a psychospiritual method based on Jungian psychology and psychosynthesis.
One of its "core values" is "body-mind-spirit integration."
- Integrative Yoga Therapy
(IYT): "Wellness program" developed by Joseph Le Page, M.A. It
encompasses guided imagery, pranayama, and "yoga psychology."
- Interactive Guided Imagery SM : Form of guided imagery based partly on psychosynthesis
and Jungian psychology.
- intercessory prayer:
1. Type of petitionary prayer wherein the petitioner is not the
object or intended beneficiary of the request. 2. In Roman Catholicism,
prayer in which one asks a saint or similar deceased person to intercede
with God.
- Intuitive Aura Reading:
Component of Psychic Magic that allegedly enables users to read "subtle
energy fields" surrounding people and places, and to intuit the "real"
emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual states of anyone they meet.
- intuitive diagnosis
(intuitive diagnostics): Form of clairvoyant diagnosis that purportedly
rests on "accurate intuition." The pseudodiagnostics of Edgar
Cayce (see "The Cayce Approach to Health and Healing") exemplifies
intuitive diagnosis. Its apparent postulate is that the conscious ignores
"signals" surrounding humans, but that such "information"
is obtainable if one's mind functions as a "super-receiver."
- intuitive energy healing:
Apparently, a variation of shiatsu practiced by Linda Belkin, who recommends
it especially for postpartum and postoperative conditions. It purportedly
balances and unblocks "energy blocks."
- intuitive nutritional counseling: Nutrition-centered form of clairvoyant diagnosis and
remote diagnosis offered by Robin Lee of New York City.
- Invitational Healing:
"Self-healing method" that involves Toning. Its theory posits
a "body-mind-spirit."
- invocative pranic healing (invocative healing): Form of Pranic Healing in which
"mighty invisible spiritual beings" or "healing angels"
supposedly control the "healing energy" and the "bioplasmic
body" of patients.
- iridology
(eye analysis, iridiagnosis, irido-diagnosis, iris diagnosis): Pseudodiagnostic
system whose postulate is that every bodily organ corresponds to a location
on the iris (the colored portion of the eye surrounding the pupil). According
to iridology theory, the iris serves as a map of the body and gives warning
signs of physical, mental, and spiritual problems. Proponents ascribe modern
iridology to Hungarian physician Ignatz von Peczely (1822-1911), author
of The Discovery in Natural History and Medical Science, a Guide to
the Study and Diagnosis from the Eye (1881). Supposedly, von Peczely
discovered the "iris-body" connec tion in his childhood, when
he broke the leg of an owl and a black stripe spontaneously appeared on
the owl's iris. Probably the leading proponent of iridology in the United
States is author and nutritionist J. Bernard Jensen, D.C., Ph.D.
- Iron Shirt Chi Kung
(Iron Shirt, Iron Shirt I, Iron Shirt Chi Kung I): A foundational component
of the Healing Tao. Iron Shirt is a system of breathwork, movements, and
postures, that, allegedly, develops the ability to draw "Earth energy"
and "packs" chi into the fasciae of vital organs.
- Iron Shirt II:
Method that purportedly fosters the (alleged) ability to absorb and discharge
"energy" through one's tendons. It is related to Iron Shirt Chi
Kung.
- Iroquois medical botany:
Traditional medical usage of herbs in the culture of the six Native American
peoples that constitute the Iroquois League. According to the Iroquois
theory of disease, symptoms are manifestations of a disturbance of the
"vital principle" ("life force") within an individual
and result from any of four acts: (1) violating a divine guideline, (2)
self-denial, (3) interacting with entities or events that give off "negative
power" or evil, and (4) offending someone who has access to "great
knowledge" regarding the manipulation of "spirit forces."
Iroquois herbal "medicines" include "antighost" plants,
"anti-witching remedies," and "cures" for "bad
luck" and even death.
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