injury caused by emotional, mental, physical,
dietary, or chemical trauma. The relaxation response
of the patient carries the quick, painless process; no
recovery period is necessary, and enthusiasts say
there are no complications or risks involved. How-
ever, the psychic surgeon’s hands, acting as a
scalpel, are reported to create to observers a
straight line perforating the skin over the diseased
or injured area that causes little or no bleeding. It
is said a patient is conscious throughout the pro-
cedure and able to get off the healing table with-
out discomfort.
Psychic surgical procedures of approximately 15
to 30 minutes may include spinal adjustment,
removal of tumors or cancerous growths, align-
ment of bones, and adjustment of internal organs
such as uterus, ovaries, kidneys, liver, pancreas,
and heart. The patient may have a nearly invisible
mark at the area of psychic incision, which may
feel slightly tender for 24 hours, according to
reports of patients of Reverend Gregorio, a psychic
surgeon of the Philippines.
According to Dr. Donald McDowall, author of
Psychic Surgery—A guide to the Philippines Experience,
(self-published, 1992), “It is estimated that there
are more than 400 psychic surgeons in the Philip-
pines. There is one in every big hotel in Manila.
Reverend Tony Agpaoa was the most famous.
Warning:If you choose to undergo this type of
healing, determine the credentials of the surgeon
you are using, believe in his healing ability and
your soul’s willingness to be healed. Psychic
surgery is a modern expression of traditional Fil-
ipino shamanism, calling upon the Holy Spirit and
other cosmic energy to achieve the healing. Prac-
ticed also in North America by visiting Filipino
shamans, psychic surgery often involves the
extraction of ‘tumors’ from the body through a
bloody but painless and invisible ‘incision’ in the
patient’s abdomen. This is not a physically invasive
process, and the patient is able to leave the operat-
ing table without discomfort. A highly controver-
sial method, psychic surgery is an option for those
who have faith in God.”
See http://www/crystalinks.com/psychic_sur
gery.html.
In “Impression on observing psychic surgery and
healing in Brazil which appear to incorporate (+) qi
gong energy & the use of acupuncture points”
(Acupuncture & ElectroTherapeutics Research 1997;
22:17–33), Y. Omura writes: “Most patients
received injections of a dark-brown solution,
which, some of the visiting doctors speculated, may
be an iodine solution mixed with either alcohol or
a local anesthetic. In many patients, he injected
this solution near the pathological area or at an
acupuncture point near the pathological area.
When the needle of the syringe was in the
acupuncture point, he twirled it with his fingers
several times and then withdrew it. Minor surgery
was performed in about^1 ⁄ 5 of the patients with
whom the author observed. Most of the surgical
incisions were made on the midline of the tissue
over the spine near the pathological area. The
clamping of blood vessels and the closings of the
surgical wounds were performed by licensed sur-
geons or licensed nurses. The main treatment
appears to be the application of external Qi Gong
energy through the fingers of the right-hand, in
combination with Shiatsu Massage and a manual
procedure resembling chiropractic manipulation.”
The late Reverend Agpaoa, who operated an
international travel agency, was indicted for fraud
associated with psychic surgery in 1967. He for-
feited a $25,000 bond when he jumped bail and
returned to the Philippines. The controversy of
psychic surgery does not deter the surgeons, who
claim that the patient’s mind and willingness are
the components of the healing and that the drama
provided by the procedure gives patients greater
confidence.
In two articles published in Vancouver Magazine
(“No anesthetic, no knife; bail-jumping Reverend
Antonia Agpaoa will heal you with his bare hands,”
1978 July: 45–47, and “Trick or treatment?” 1978
July: 47), G. Marchant writes: “A recent Yukon
Medical Association report on psychic surgery notes
that some individuals with chronic, non-specific
disorders who had undergone psychic surgery
showed marked subjective improvement.” The
Philippine Medical Association (PMA) claims: “[The
surgeons] take advantage of the gullibility of peo-
ple. We know that they are fooling the people, but
it is hard to do anything about it. Patients won’t
complain. Either they are ashamed that they have
been made fools of, or they have died—so we usu-psychic surgery 129