Everybody wants to have a Jedi Power

In the last Star Wars film, I saw the heroine lay her hand on a wounded creature and heal it. It was an “aha” moment. “That’s what everybody wants to do. They want to have Jedi powers,” I said to my friend.

I often spend time with those in hands-on healing professions. I am also a licensed massage therapist, driven by a strong urge to lay hands on people who are suffering. When someone was hurting, I wanted to stop it, heal them, and make them feel better. My hands would ache—craving to touch the pain, eager to give what I imagined was “healing energy.”

Then I developed a chronic, “incurable” illness. For about a year, I suffered from debilitating symptoms. Fortunately, I am currently in remission. I also stopped offering unsolicited healing work to others suffering from chronic “incurable” conditions.

If you have a cluster headache, I know I can’t help you. I’m happy to give you a foot massage if it helps you relax—but I can’t heal a cluster headache.

Yet “healers” still offer to lay their hands on others, as if unable to accept their own powerlessness. It is difficult to be present in the face of pain and suffering without being able to change it.

During the period I experienced severe symptoms of Meniere’s disease, many people laid hands on me, hoping to heal. None eased my suffering. I simply had to endure until the Meniere’s attacks subsided. People who had never treated the disease offered various treatments. Others gave me unsolicited advice, as if I didn’t know how to use Google. When people offered energy healing, I felt obligated to pretend it made a difference. I didn’t feel better. Meniere’s is hell—only the sufferer knows how bad it can be.

I believe those people had good intentions. However, when I offer a “healing” touch, I’m not sure if it is truly for the sufferer or to fulfill my own Jedi fantasy.

So I pause and consider whether I truly know how to help someone feel better—even if only by witnessing their suffering—before offering to lay hands.

I don’t have Jedi powers—and I don’t need them to be compassionate.