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panchakarma
(Pancha Karma therapy, rejuvenation therapy): Ayurvedic group of five "purificatory
steps" or "elimination therapies." Panchakarma comprises:
(1) emesis therapy ("therapeutic vomiting"); (2) purgation therapy
-- evacuation of the bowels with a laxative; (3) errhine therapy (nasal
insufflation therapy) -- intranasal application of "decongestants"
such as medicated oils, powdered herbs, and ghee (fat derived from butter
of cow or buffalo origin); (4) oily enema therapy; and (5) decoction (watery)
enema therapy. Some Ayurvedists regard the two types of enema therapy as
one step and bloodletting therapy (Raktamoksha) as the fifth.
Pan-Eu-Rhythmia: "Dance-Yoga" that allegedly regulates
the "physical and nervous systems" and thus attunes one to the
"subtle energies" of the natural and spiritual "worlds."
Its purported design is to enable one to "channel" universal "energy
and inspiration."
Paneurhythmy: Purportedly sacred "circle dance" created
by Beinsa Douno, a Bulgarian mystic of the early twentieth century. It supposedly
has individual and universal "healing properties" and nourishes
the "auric field." According to proponents, the word "paneurhythmy"
is partially interpretable as "cosmic core" or "cosmic essence."
paranormal healing: Field of "metaphysical" health-related
practices. It apparently encompasses absent healing, Bach flower therapy,
Bioplasmic healing, channeling, faith healing, the laying on of hands, LeShan
psychic training, magnetic healing, psychic dentistry, psychic healing,
psychic surgery, psychosynthesis, remote diagnosis, Seicho-No-Ie, self-healing,
shamanism, the Simonton method, spirit healing, spirit surgery, spiritual
healing, and Therapeutic Touch.
Parts Therapy: Method taught by the American Society of Alternative
Therapists, in Rockport, Massachusetts. Its premise is that "identities"
(parts) compose each human and often do not harmonize with the "synergy"
(the self). Parts Therapy allegedly "accesses" these "identities."
Passion-for-Life Psychotherapy: Shamanistic method promoted by Batya
D. Winninger, M.A., C.S.W. Its theory posits "past lives."
Past-life Regression: Purported use of hypnosis or dreams to obtain
information about a person's alleged previous incarnations. Some proponents
claim that Past-life Regression can reveal information about the future.
Practitioners may be called "past-life regressionists."
past-life therapy (Past Life Regression Therapy, PLRT, past lives
therapy, regression therapy, transformational therapy): Form of psychotherapy
that emerged in the 1960s and usually involves hypnotism. Past-life "therapists"
purportedly trace physical and psychological problems to traumatic events
the patient experienced during previous incarnations.
Pathwork (The Pathwork): "Personal growth process" whose
purported design is to awaken one's "Greater Consciousness." It
encompasses core energetics. The teachings in 258 lectures purportedly delivered
by "the Guide," an alleged "spirit entity," through
Eva Pierrakos from 1957 until her death in 1979 constitute the basis of
The Pathwork. Its theory posits God, the soul, and "spiritual blocks."
Pealeism (Norman Vincent Pealeism): The Christian philosophy of Rev.
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale (d. 1993), author of the blockbuster The Power
of Positive Thinking, The Amazing Results of Positive Thinking,
and Positive Imaging. The core of Pealeism is that positive thinking,
avoidance of negativism, fervent praying to a personal God, and visualization
of goals together make for improvements in health and finances. Peale held
that "a positive thought properly used" is the most powerful force
in "this" universe, and that nothing is impossible.
P.E.E.R. (Primary Emotional Energy Recovery, P.E.E.R. counseling):
An alleged way to "access energy" by learning how to release "emotions
locked up in the body." It involves bodily movements and exercises.
According to P.E.E.R. theory, when one releases these "frozen, repressed"
emotions, the body "accesses and/or recovers" the "energy"
it was using to "hold down" the emotions. Dan Jones and John Lee
cofounded P.E.E.R. training. Practitioners are called "facilitators."
pendular diagnosis (radiesthetic diagnosis): Pseudodiagnostic form
of radiesthesia. It involves holding a pendulum over the patient. Its postulate
is that diseased organs emit radiation different from that of unaffected
organs. According to its theory, when the pendulum is above a diseased organ,
the organ repels it, and the more diseased the organ, the larger the loop
the pendulum makes.
periosteal acupuncture: Form of acupuncture in which the tip of the
needle contacts the periosteum (the membrane that covers bones).
personal prayer: Type of petitionary prayer wherein the petitioner
is the object or intended beneficiary of the request.
Personal Totem Pole Process: Form or variation of guided imagery.
One of the purported aims of the Personal Totem Pole Process is interaction
with imagery that arises from chakras ("body energy centers").
Pesso Boyden System/Psychomotor (Pesso System, psychomotor therapy):
Mode of body-centered psychotherapy founded by dancers Albert and Diane
Pesso in 1961, in the United States. It is primarily a form of group therapy
that involves role-playing. Psychomotor therapy allegedly "permits"
clients to discharge "energy held from past events"
petitionary prayer: Type of prayer that involves a request (general
or specific). The categories of petitionary prayer are personal prayer and
intercessory prayer.
Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy (Phoenix Rising): Derivative of Kripalu
Yoga. Phoenix Rising is a form of body-centered psychotherapy that encompasses
breathwork, energy balancing, visualization (see "creative visualization"),
and a variation of hatha yoga. Its postulate is that unresolved emotional
expe riences are "stored" in the body -- concealed from consciousness
-- and suppress the body's "natural freedom." The method supposedly
establishes "inner balance" by "awakening" the "healing
life force."
photonic infusion (photon infusion): Apparently, a purported way
to amplify, "multiply," "metabolize," store, heal, understand,
and use human "energy" with photons.
phrenology (head-reading): Study of human skulls with the purported
aim of learning personality traits and mental capacity. Phrenologic considerations
include the shape of the skull, the size and location of protrusions thereon,
and hair growth. Drs. F.J. Gall (1756-1828) and J.G. Spurzheim, coauthors
of The Physiognomical System, were notable pioneers in the field.
phreno-mesmerism (phreno-magnetism, phrenopathy): Form of phrenology
based on the principles of mesmerism. Its self-styled discoverers included
a Dr. Collyer and Rev. Laroy Sunderland. Phrenopathy theory posits "cerebral
organs": cephalic protrusions that correspond to mental traits.
Physical Medicine Path (the Medicine of the West): Mode of Cherokee
healing
physiognomy: Fortunetelling, and/or purported determination of human
character and disposition, by examination of (a) facial features or (b)
the form and lineaments of the entire body. Physiognomy whose object is
the face is also called "face-reading," while the "art"
of reading the lines of the forehead is called "metoposcopy."
(See "facial diagnosis.")
Physio-Spiritual Etheric Body healing (PSEB): One of several Reiki
Plus "healing modalities" allegedly co-created by God and Reverend
David G. Jarrell. It purportedly "balances" the "biomagnetic
energy" surrounding the "physical body."
phytoaromatherapy: Form of aromatherapy that uses essential oils
and purportedly acts simultaneously on four human "features":
physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.
pigeon remedy (pigeon therapy): "Unconventional medical therapy"
(segulah) for jaundice (a condition marked by yellowing of the skin
and other tissues) described in rabbinical literature. Pigeon remedy is
a form of transference treatment characterized by placing a pigeon on the
patient's navel.
Planetary Herbology (Planetary Herbalism): Integrative system of
herbalism forged by Michael Tierra, C.A., N.D., O.M.D., author of the bestseller
The Way of Herbs and Planetary Herbology. Tierra dedicated
the latter book to "all green, growing, flowering ones of this beautiful
planet, who embody the universal creative healing energy." In it, he
describes herbs partly in terms of "energetics" and which "acupuncture
meridian pathways" the herbs supposedly affect. "Energetics"
is based on the concepts of: (a) "energies" -- e.g., "heating,"
"cooling," "slightly warm," and neutral; and (b)
"flavors" ("tastes") -- e.g., bland (mildly sweet) and
salty. These concepts stem from TCM and Ayurveda (specifically, tridosha),
respectively.
plant alchemy (spagyrics): Form of herbalism based on astrologic
and alchemic ("parachemical") principles. One of the major goals
of alchemy, a mystical "art," was to find the "elixir of
life": a panacea that could make humans immortal or semidivine. Plant
alchemy holds that three "essentials" -- termed Sulfur, Mercury,
and Salt -- constitute the basis of all matter. Supposedly, "Sulfur"
is the masculine "world soul," "Mercury" the feminine
"vital power" (prana), and "Salt" the material
"vehicle." Spagyrists purportedly seek to extract these "essentials"
from plants for use as remedies.
Pleiadian Lightwork: A means of opening "ka channels,"
alleged pullers of "energy" from "multidimensional holographic
selves" into the "physical" body. According to Pleiadian
theory, alignment of one's "divine self" and one's "physical"
body increases one's "vibratory rate," restores youthfulness,
quickens "spiritual evolution," and stimulates "emotional
healing." A major promoter of the method is "psychic" Amorah
Quan Yin, author of The Pleiadian Workbook: Awakening Your Divine Ka
(Bear & Company, 1995) and Pleiadian Perspectives on Human Evolution
(Bear & Company, 1996). In the late 1970s, Yin reportedly experienced
"cellular awakening" ("the soul's remembrance of itself")
triggered by "light beings" from the Pleiades (a cluster of stars
in Taurus). "The Pleiadian Emissaries" purportedly work through
her. (The Egyptian expression "ka" means "astral body"
or "double.")
pointing therapy: Form of acupressure derived from Chinese martial
arts (see "Chinese Wushu"). Pointing therapy involves manually:
"pointing" (poking), pressing, pinching, patting, knocking, and
pounding acupoints.
Polarity bodywork: Part of Polarity Therapy. It purportedly assists
the flow of "healing energy" in the body.
Polarity dream counseling: Part of Polarity Therapy. Its theory posits
"dream telepathy" and "past life dreams."
Polarity energy balancing massage: System based on the work of Randolph
Stone (see "Polarity Therapy"). It has four branches: (1) energy
balancing bodywork technique, (2) Polarity Yoga, (3) diet, and (4) "body/mind/spiritual"
psychology.
Polarity evaluation: Part of Polarity Therapy. It includes "energetic
history taking."
Polarity nutrition: Part of Polarity Therapy that is an "energy
approach to nutrition." It includes "colon cleansing" and
involves application of "five element theory" (see "prakrtika
cikitsa") to foods.
Polarity reflexology: Part of Polarity Therapy. Its theory posits
"Polarity energy currents" and related "reflex points"
on the ears, hands, and feet usable to stimulate and "tonify"
glands and organs.
polarity testing: Means of determining treatment (e.g., homeopathic)
by Electro-Biomagnetics (magnet therapy).
Polarity Therapy (Polarity, polarity balancing, Polarity Energy Balancing,
Polarity Energy Balancing system, polarity energy healing, polarity healing,
polarity system, Polarity techniques, Polarity Wellness®): Eclectic
"natural health care system" originated by Austrian-born Randolph
Stone, D.C., D.O., N.D. (1890-1982), and based primarily on Ayurvedic principles.
It includes basic Polarity counseling, cranial balancing (see "CranioSacral
Therapy"), guided imagery, hydrotherapy, Polarity bodywork, Polarity
dream counseling, Polarity evaluation, Polarity nutrition, Polarity reflexology,
Polarity Yoga, and spinal balancing. Its postulate is that "balancing"
the flow of "energy" in the body is the foundation of health.
Its theory holds that the top and right side of the body have a positive
charge, and that the feet and the left side of the body have a negative
charge. Thus, practitioners place their right hand on "negatively charged"
parts of the client's body, and their left hand on "positively charged"
parts. Polarity theory also posits a cleanable "cellular memory."
Polarity Yoga (polarity exercise): Part of (a) Polarity Therapy and
(b) Polarity energy balancing massage. Its purported design is to balance
the "Five Elements" (mahabhutas; see "prakrtika
cikitsa").
Positive Confession (Christian Positive Confession movement, Word-Faith
movement, Faith Movement): An alleged means of commanding blessings from
God. It seems a variation of angelic healing.
Positive Imaging: Derivative of positive thinking expounded by Norman
Vincent Peale (see "Pealeism"). Positive Imaging is a group of
methods that involves prayer and intense visualization of one's goal.
Possibility Thinking: Televangelist Robert Schuller's mode of positive
thinking. It includes Possibility Thinking Meditation and emphasizes refraining
from verbalizing negative emotions.
Possibility Thinking Meditation (PTM): Component of Possibility Thinking.
Its theory holds that mantras with the "m" sound facilitate clearing
the mind.
postural integration: Form of bodywork that is an alleged access
to the past and a purported means of: (a) releasing and integrating "energy,"
and (b) finding a "light, joyful balance" with "mother earth."
Power Animal Imagery: Purported means of exploring "ways of
knowing." It involves the Personal Totem Pole Process developed by
E.S. Gallegos.
power animal retrieval (power retrieval): Part of Shamanic Counseling
and shamanic healing wherein the practitioner purportedly "retrieves"
the client's "guardian spirit" or "spirit helper" from
"non-ordinary reality."
power healing: Apparently, a purported means of concentrating "healing
energy" into "pain areas," balancing "whole energy systems,"
and protecting oneself from the "negative thoughts" of others.
power-pushing: Purported manual means of drawing out "negative
energy" ("stubborn blocked energy") and moving "positive
energy" into an affected area.
Power Yoga: Variation of astanga yoga. Power Yoga includes ujjayi
and a series of postures allegedly designed to effect "therapeutic"
bodily "alignment" and to "release" stress, tightness,
and toxins from the "body-mind."
Power Yoga Workout: Derivative of astanga yoga that purportedly allows
therapeutic alignment, purification, healing, and spiritual development
of the body.
PRAKASHA: Purported journey into the unconscious that allows access
to the "Light" of the soul. "Prakasha" is a Sanskrit
word whose literal meaning is "light" or "clarity."
prakrtika cikitsa (naturopathy): Ayurvedic variation of Nature
Cure. Its theory holds that five mahabhutas (literally, "great
elements") constitute the human body: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and
akasha ("Ether," which supposedly pervades the universe).
pranayama: Any yogic regulation of breathing purportedly designed
to control the prana ("cosmic energy," "life force,"
or "vital energy") inside one's body. The Sanskrit word yama
literally means "self-control." Characterizations of pranayama
include: "breath awareness," "deep scientific breathing exercises,"
and "psychic breathing exercise."
Pranic Healing (bioplasmic healing, radiatory healing): Purported
ancient science and art that supposedly uses ki, prana, or
"vital energy" to heal the "whole physical body." It
allegedly involves manipulation of ki and "bioplasmic matter."
Pranic Healing theory posits acupoints, chakras, meridians ("bioplasmic
channels"), and a three-layered "energy body."
pranic psychotherapy: "Subspecialty" of Pranic Healing.
It includes four "healing techniques" besides those of Pranic
Healing: (1) a "cleansing technique," purportedly for the removal
and disintegration of "traumatic psychic energy" and such; (2)
an "advanced form of energizing," supposedly for the disintegration
of "etheric parasites" and the repair of external "etheric
webs" that lie in a one-to-one relation behind chakras; (3) alleged
activation and inhibition of chakras; and (4) creation of a "positive
thought entity" for the patient.
Pranic Therapy: Purported means of developing one's potential as
a "Healing Channel."
prayer (metaphysical healing): Vocal or silent expression of sentiments
to a supernatural focus of worship or veneration. The general categories
of prayer are thanksgiving and petitionary prayer. Forms of Christian prayer
include: (a) private prayer, which is solitary and/or meditative;
(b) liturgical prayer, wherein a priest or leader prays ceremonially
for countless people, living and dead; (c) vocal prayer, characterized
by "holy" utterances; (d) mental prayer, the turning of
one's mind and "heart" to God; (e) mystical prayer, whose
goal is mystical union with God; and (f) prophetic prayer, which
is often public and extemporary.
Pre- and Perinatal Psychology: Method whose theory posits "cellular
imprints" created at conception and between conception and birth.
Pre-Cognitive Re-Education: "Process" that allegedly releases
"energetic thought forms" of "negativity." Its theory
posits a "HIGHER SELF": a "place" of infinite wisdom
and unconditional love.
Preventive Dianetics: Branch of dianetics whose basic principle is
that "engrams" (see "dianetics") -- the alleged single
source of aberrations and psychosomatic ills -- can be restrained or prevented
with gains favorable to mental health, "physical well-being,"
and social adjustment.
primal therapy (primal scream therapy): Psychotherapeutic method
developed by child psychologist Arthur Janov, author of The Primal Scream
(1970). Primal therapists dispense with analysis and purportedly attempt
to resolve neuroses through a process of painful catharsis. Janov maintained
that, to be effective, psychotherapy must uncover repressed "primal
pains" -- unpleasant events undergone not only during childhood and
infancy, but even in the fetal and embryonic stages. According to Janov,
patients can dispel "primal pains" only by re-experiencing them
and giving them physical expression (e.g., by screaming). The crux of primal
therapy is rebirthing.
Primordial Sound Meditation: Ancient form of "mantra (or sound)
meditation" revived by Deepak Chopra, M.D. It purportedly involves
selection of a mantra ("primordial sounds") based on the date,
time, and place of the prospective meditator's birth.
Process Acupressure (PA): Psychospiritual "modality" developed
by Aminah Raheem, Ph.D., author of Soul Return. It combines "traditional"
acupressure, process psychology, and Zero Balancing. Its theory posits bodily
"energy systems" of chakras and "meridians."
process psychology (process oriented psychology, Process-Oriented
Psychotherapy, Process Work): Spiritual form of psychology promoted by therapist
and author Arnold Mindell, Ph.D. Its theory posits a "dreambody."
Process psychology involves bodywork, dreamwork, and meditation.
Professional Kinesiology Practice (PKP, PKP approach): Offshoot of
applied kinesiology developed in the 1980s by Bruce Dewe, M.D., and his
wife, Joan, both of New Zealand. During a session, the client decides on
a goal, and the practitioner performs muscle testing (see above) on the
client, purportedly to determine if the goal is appropriate. PKP involves
the ancient Chinese theory of the Five Elements. Its supposed thrust is
to "balance the life energy forces."
progression/regression therapy: Variation of past-life therapy.
psionic medicine (psionics): Derivative of medical radiesthesia and
radionics developed by physician George Laurence. It is a variation of telediagnosis.
Its theory embraces the homeopathic concept of "miasms": three
hereditary sources of all diseases resistant to homeopathic "treatment."
Miasms supposedly hinder "vital energy flow" in the body. "Psionic
medical practitioners" place: a sample of blood from the patient on
one part of a chart below the pendulum; "samples" (in "homeopathic
potency") of tissues, organs, and "diseases" in another part;
and proposed homeopathic "remedies" in another. The way in which
the pendulum moves determines whether such a "remedy" is appropriate.
The word "psionics" also refers to radionics and to applied psi
(applied parapsychology), a field whose focus is the application of "psychic
abilities" to ordinary living.
psychic dentistry: Supposed healing of teeth or gums, production
of fillings in teeth, or generation of teeth by faith healing (prayer and
the laying on of hands) or psychic healing. Psychic dentistry may
also include alleged extraction of teeth (e.g., impacted molars) by psychokinesis.
psychic healing (psi healing, psychic therapy): "Therapeutic
technique" that allegedly involves the channeling of "psychic
energy" or "spiritual power" through the "healer"
and into the patient. Alleged sources of such "energy" include
oneself, God, and spirits. Common accompaniments to psychic healing include
aura analysis, the laying on of hands, prayer, and massage. The word "psi"
refers to: (a) the alleged ability to become directly (nonsensorially) aware
of past, present, and/or future events outside the body; (b) psychokinesis;
and (c) phenomena ascribed to such abilities.
psychic-intuitive healing: An alleged means of exploring the "multi
dimensional aspects" of oneself. It apparently embraces color therapy,
"dimensional energy healing," and "long distance healing."
Psychic Magic: Program of ten audiocassettes that allegedly fosters
clairvoyance, precognitive and telepathic abilities, and the capacity for
out-of-body experiences. It also purportedly increases one's "natural"
ability to heal oneself, others, pets, and plants. It includes Intuitive
Aura Reading.
Psychic Self-Defense: Five-cassette audiotape program whose postulate
is that "negative forces," "negative influences," or
"negative thought-forms" -- a usually imperceptible form of "subtle
energy" -- often are the source of addictions, "bad luck,"
depression, and other problems. It is a form of aura balancing.
Psychic Shield: Six-cassette purported complement to Psychic Self-Defense.
It is a form of chakra healing.
psychic surgery (etheric surgery): Alleged means of healing tissue,
or removing diseased tissue, with bare hands or common instruments, painlessly
and uninjuriously. Practitioners are called "psychic surgeons"
or "etheric surgeons." Some claim that they operate only on an
individual's "etheric body" or "perispirit."
Psychoenergetics: Subject of Psychoenergetics -- A Method of Self-Discovery
and Healing (Oceanview), by psychiatrist Jordan Weiss, M.D. Psychoenergetics
is a purported means of using the mind to move "emotional energy."
It includes psychofeedback, and its theory posits "negative energies"
that produce "blocks."
psychofeedback: A technique of Psychoenergetics. It encompasses imagery
and "feeling" one's thoughts.
Psychogenetics: Method founded by "psycho-spiritual consultant"
Gayatri Rein Reich, author of Psychogenetics. Psychogenetics allegedly:
(a) "cracks" and "reprograms" genetic codes related
to birth, aging, and death; and (b) dissolves "lineage chains."
Its theory posits a "powerful program" on one's "psychogenetic
computer" that determines: (a) when one is born, marries, and gives
birth; (b) the nature of one's relationships; (c) the state of one's career
and finances; and (d) the quality of one's physical and mental health.
Psychography: Purportedly, a unique, nonhypnotic, "altered-state"
technique. It is a form of regression therapy developed by Rev. Dr. Franklin
Loehr (deceased). Psychography supposedly "allows" one to "look
back" between one's lives and over one's past, present, and future
lives. One of its premises is that each human has an omniscient inner "part"
that can help to bring healing to souls.
Psycho-kinetic Health (PKH): Offshoot of applied kinesiology developed
in Britain. Its postulate is that practitioners can feel and see "energy
blocks" in clients and remove the "blocks" through "mental
effort." PKH theory posits "meridians" and "subtle body
energies."
psychological astrology (astro-psychology): Combination of horoscopic
astrology (see "astrologic medicine") and Jungian psychology.
psychology of evil: Nascent Christian form of quasi psychology, or
a psychological philosophy, endorsed by M. (Morgan) Scott Peck, M.D., author
of The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values
and Spiritual Growth (Simon & Schuster, 1979), People of the
Lie: The Hope for Healing Human Evil (Simon & Schuster, 1983), Further
Along The Road Less Traveled: The Unending Journey Toward Spiritual Growth
(Simon & Schuster, 1993), In Heaven as on Earth: A Vision of the
Afterlife, and The Road Less Traveled and Beyond: Spiritual Growth
in an Age of Anxiety (Simon & Schuster, 1997).
In The Road Less Traveled (p. 273), Peck equated laziness with original
sin, an alleged condition that Christianity ascribes to the first human's
act of disobedience to God. Peck stated that the "lazy part of the
selfmay actually be" the devil. In People of the Lie, which
he called a "dangerous book," Peck claimed that he had "met"
Satan. He stated: "As well as being the Father of Lies, Satan may be
said to be a spirit of mental illness." In Further Along The Road
Less Traveled, he asserts (pp. 186-187): "Spiritual/religious ideas
and concepts are necessary in the treatment of many people.I realized that
there was no way to treatpeople [with phobias] effectively without trying
to convert them to a more benign worldview: a view of the worldasat
leasta place in which they.had some kind of protection in the form of God's
grace."
Psychometric Analysis (P.A., P.A. method, P.A. system, Psychometric
Analysis of Human Character and Mentality): Variation of telediagnosis based
on the work of M. Bovis (a Frenchman) and Dr. Oscar Brunler (d. 1952).
psychometry (object reading, psychoscopy): Purported means of obtaining
information about people and events associated with an object merely by
touching, handling, or being near to the object. "Psychic researcher"
Dr. J. Rhodes Buchanan devised and named psychometry around the turn of
the century. He held that all objects and events leave perpetual impressions
in the "ether" or "astral light." Buchanan allegedly
discovered that when psychometry students simply held drugs, the students
often exhibited the symptoms that would have resulted had they ingested
the drugs. Moreover, he allegedly found that some psychometrists could diagnose
illness simply by holding the patient's hand. The word "psychometry"
literally means "measure of the soul." (In science-oriented healthcare,
the terms psychometry, psychometrics, and psychometric
testing refer to the use of tests to measure such psychological characteristics
as aptitude, intelligence, and personality traits.)
Psycho-Neuroaligning (PNA): System advanced by hypnotherapist and
"Kinesiologist" Anthony Cimino, N.D., Ph.D. Its basic "procedures"
include acu pressure, muscle testing (see above), "neuro-communion,"
"nutritional therapy," "past life investigation," and
reflexology.
Psycho-Neuro Integration (PNI, psychic healing): Method for "realigning"
alleged "subtle energy centers" through integration of "subtle"
and physical forms of energy.
Psychophysiological Integration (bliss technique; formerly called
the "Maharishi Ayurveda Psychophysiological Integration technique"):
Alleged access to pure joy. Apparently, its purported design is to reestablish
contact between the mind and "vibrations of bliss" that "subtly
pervade" all bodily cells. Its theory posits: (a) a "quantum
mechanical human body" ("quantum mechanical body"), the basis
of the self; and (b) "channels of inner intelli gence,"
through which bliss can flow.
Psycho-Pictography: Subject of the bestseller of the same name, written
by "self-help" guru Vernon Howard and published by Prentice Hall.
It is a purported means of using the "miracle power" of one's
mind, through mental images, to decipher spiritual and psychological truths.
Psycho-Regression: Subject of Psycho-Regression: A New System
for Healing & Personal Growth (Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1994), by "paramedical
researcher" and past-life therapist Dr. Francesca Rosetti. Psycho-Regression
is a purported means of using guided visualization (see "creative visualization"
and "guided imagery") to release the "stuff of the shadow."
Its theory apparently posits guardian angels.
psychospiritual holistic healing: Form of psychotherapy that includes
chakra healing, inner child therapy, meditation, and positive thinking.
psychospiritual therapy: "Educational" method that includes
aura balancing, guided imagery, meditation, and "philosophical discussion."
Its purported goal is integration of body, mind, and spirit, which supposedly
leads to "personal mastery."
psychosynthesis (psychosynthesis therapy): Form of spiritual psychotherapy
originated in 1910 by Italian psychiatrist Roberto Assagioli, M.D. (1888-1974),
and developed by Johannes Schultz. Its purported design is to effect the
"integration" and "growth" of the self and to release
and direct "psychic energies" allegedly generated thereby. Its
theory posits chakras ("energy centers").
Psycho-Therapeutic ReikiSM (Psycho-Therapeutic ReikiSM healing):
One of several Reiki Plus "healing modalities" allegedly co-created
by God and Reverend David G. Jarrell. Its purported design is to release
"the memories retained in the bodies and conscious and soul memory."
Its theory posits a collective unconscious.
pulse diagnosis: Purported detection or prediction of any "imbalance"
simply by feeling the pulse.
Pythagorian numerology: System of numerology originated by the Greek
philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras; the Western form of numerology.
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