The power of belief can help heal people. But it can also harm them. If a person believes strongly enough that something will hurt him, his own fear can make him sick. For example: Once I was called to see a woman who had just had a miscarriage and was still bleeding a little.
There was an orange tree near her house. So I suggested she drink a glass of orange juice. (Oranges have vitamin C which helps strengthen blood vessels.) She drank it—even though she was afraid it would harm her. Her fear was so great that soon she became very ill. I examined her, but could find nothing physically wrong. I tried to comfort her, telling her she was not in danger..
But she said she was going to die. At last I gave her an injection of distilled (completely pure) water. Distilled water has no medical effect. But since she had great faith in injections, she quickly got better. Actually, the juice did not harm her. What harmed her was her belief that it would make her sick. And what made her well was her faith in injections! In this same way, many persons go on believing false ideas about witchcraft, injections, diet, and many other things. Much needless suffering is the result. Perhaps, in a way, I had helped this woman.
But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I had also wronged her; I had led her to believe things that were not true. I wanted to set this right. So a few days later, when she was completely well, I went to her home and apologized for what I had done.
I tried to help her understand that not the orange juice, but her fear had made her so sick. And that not the injection of water, but her freedom from fear had helped her get well. By understanding the truth about the orange, the injection, and the tricks of her own mind, perhaps this woman and her family will become freer from fear and better able to care for their health in the future. For health is closely related to understanding and freedom from fear.