While there are no fees associated with the posting of institutional profiles or other forms of participation in the Preserving the Historical Collections of Parapsychology group, a financial contribution would be welcomed in recognition of the expenses related to hosting the PHCP site.
At this time, the costs associated with the PHCP site and technical aspects of its maintenance are being covered by a privately-owned Canadian corporation. The owner has requested that donations be made to help the University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections fund an archives intern to arrange and describe a research collection relating to scientific study of laying-on-of-hands healing.
Contributions from individual Canadian and American donors may be eligible for an official receipt for income tax purposes. Of course, donations from institutions, as well as individuals living in other countries, are also welcomed.
How to make a Financial ContributionStudy of Laying-on-of-Hands Healing
Within the field of parapsychology, study of how the mind impacts the health of the body has arguably the greatest potential for improving the human condition. While some studies suggest that therapeutic touch and laying-on-of-hands therapies promote healing, others point to the existence of a subtle energy field. To date, science has little understanding of the means by which paranormal healing might occur. Is it mind over matter, the power of prayer, or the transfer of some unmeasurable force to the subtle energy body of the healing recipient?
Research by Bernard Raymond Grad
Fortunately, a Canadian scientist who had the expertise to develop experiments decided to pursue those questions. Through his studies, Bernard Raymond (Bernie) Grad (1920-2010) became a pioneer in research relating to laying-on-of-hands healing. Among the many energy healers who have been influenced by Grad’s work are nursing instructor Dolores Krieger and sociologist Professor William Bengston.
After receiving his PhD in anatomy from McGill University in 1949, Bernie Grad studied with Wilhelm Reich at Rangeley, Maine. His thinking was profoundly affected by Reich’s controversial concept of Orgone as a life force energy. Within his formal field of study, Grad investigated the relationships between hormones, aging and cancer. From 1950, his passion was how healing through the laying-on-of-hands might function and the related fields of subtle energy and bio-electromagnetics.
Professor Grad’s study of a possible “healing energy” began with experiments with the Hungarian-born immigrant Oskar Estebany who claimed to be a healer. He studied wound healing in mice, meticulously documenting the healing rates of mice held by Estebany, and compared this with healing rates of similar wounds in mice not held by a human. His experiments also examined the growth rate of plants treated with water that had been held either by a healer, by a severely depressed patient, or not held at all.
Bernie Grad’s Research Archives
In 2017, Bernard Grad’s research legacy was deposited with the University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections. Though preliminary organization has begun, Dr. Grad’s manuscript materials cannot easily be made available until a detailed finding aid is prepared. The goal is to make his scientific studies broadly accessible for future generations of researchers. It is an enormous undertaking to archive almost 120 boxes of experimental notes, scientific papers and research material.
Your Financial Contribution would be Appreciated
Please consider a donation to the University of Manitoba Psychical Research Archives Endowment Fund (PRAEF) to help hire an archives intern to do the detailed arrangement and description of the Bernie Grad research archives.
The Psychical Research Archives Endowment Fund (PRAEF) was created to support the acquisition, preservation and use of archival materials relating to psychical research. The annual interest from the fund has already been used to supplement university funding in hiring archival studies interns to assist in processing new acquisitions.
United States Income Tax Receipts
To receive a receipt for United States income tax purposes, donations must be made via cheque, money order or bank draft payable to the University of Manitoba U.S.A. Foundation Inc. The attached PDF form provides details, including the required American mailing address.
Canadian Income Tax Receipts
If you would like a receipt for Canadian income tax purposes, donations may be made online at:
BEFORE YOU ADD ANY DATA: Below Amount, click on “Search funds, including memorial and tribute funds here.” Then type “psychic” in the Fund Description field. Click the Search button and a link for the “The Psychical Research Archives Endowment” will appear. Click on that link and a single screen will allow you to complete all the details relating to your donation.
Income Tax Receipt Not Required
If you are donating on behalf of an institution or you do not require an income tax receipt for Canadian tax purposes, donations may be made online at:
BEFORE YOU ADD ANY DATA: Below Amount, click on “Search funds, including memorial and tribute funds here.” Then type “psychic” in the Fund Description field. Click the Search button and a link for the “The Psychical Research Archives Endowment” will appear. Click on that link and a single screen will allow you to complete all the details relating to your donation.
Donations by Mail:
Financial contributions in most major currencies made via cheque, money order or bank draft are welcomed. Please make such instruments payable to the University of Manitoba; in the reference line, specify “Psychical Research Archives Endowment”. Please mail your contribution to Donor Relations, University of Manitoba, 200 – 137 Innovation Drive, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 6B6 Canada. The attached PDF form is provided for your convenience.
Download the Canadian donation form
Thank You for your Generous Support!
Your generous support of this important project could mean that a future generation will finally make the breakthrough that allows us to understand the nature of the healing process and how it works.