By Chris Roberts By Joe Eskenazi By Albert Samaha By Mike
Billings By Rachel Swan By Erin Sherbert By Joe Eskenazi By
Albert Samaha Does distant healing actually work? If it works,
can scientists really study it? The jury is still out on both
questions. Critics of distant healing research question whether
a clinical trial should study spirituality, and whether it can
measure something so ephemeral and unexplainable. But scientists
like Targ say it is possible to use accepted methodologies and
"rigorous science" to determine the answers. "Rigorous science"
means subjecting a hypothesis to the Western "gold standard" of
clinical trials -- a randomized, controlled, and double-blinded
trial, commonly known as an "RCT." As an example, a simple RCT
might be used to test a new medicine. Participants would be
split randomly into two groups so external factors wouldn't skew
the data. One would be given the medicine and the other "control
group" would be given a "placebo" pill (something that looks,
smells, and tastes