Legal status of healers?

[Owledge]

I wondered whether there's still trouble for healers with the law. I mean... isn't it in many countries necessary to get an authorization for practicing healing? Many people's life was destroyed because interest groups didn't like what they were doing.

Or is this no problem as long as healers don't become too known/popular?

Do you officially state your profession as a healer and are authorized to practice?

And how - if applicable - do you deal with the matter of income tax?

[sunshine]

Hi,

 

each country has its own laws... sometimes in one country from place to place things can rang from being fully allowed to: two steps in prison.

 

Always best to consult a lawyer of you country who knows the particulars in your case.

 

In Germany even ghost healing is okay to do AS LONG as you don't claim to be healing. People can sell what they do as spiritual counselling or similar... as they earn money with that they have to be known to the finance beaurau... usually those people do a contract with you, in which they declare what they don'T do and that you know what you are getting as treatment.

 

 

in the US hands on healing and stuff like that: in most parts of the country you need some kind of licence.

 

You can do stuff as a massage therapist but again (as far as I know) can't talk about doing healing of illness. Another option would be to get a licence as a "priest" of whatever religious organization, in order to do it.

 

hope that helps

 

Harry

[Owledge]

OK, so probably the healing thing is the sore point in the establishment, just like food and healing claims in advertising. "Spiritual counseling" sounds good as an official profession. Although when the results of it can clearly be classified as healing, there might still be a problem.

 

Can 'spiritual counselors' maybe talk about past experiences of legal trouble in their profession?

 

 

P.S.: And there are still people who think we live in a free world.

[Erdrickgr]

Many claims of "healing" are fraudulant, so I wish the government would do more about it. Even "healers" like Peter Popoff, who have been publically debunked and exposed for the frauds that they are, are still around making money off people.

Edited August 17, 2009 by Erdrickgr

[Owledge]

The government doesn't do as much as you wish against fake healers because they're busy troubling the real ones.

Fake healers are just frauds and thus they and 'our rulers' are like-minded. They even serve well as propaganda against the real ones, and people with a bloated ego and trained in ignorance will gladly accept a debunked faker as proof of the non-existence of the original.

Edited August 17, 2009 by Hardyg

[Zhuo Ming-Dao]

In the United States it is a state by state issue. There are a couple of states that require you to have massage therapist license, but most do not. Many states are trying to push it in this direction though.

 

For instance, this is California:

 

In California, the Business and Professions Code regulates health care providers. This code includes the Medical Practices Act which pertains to the practice of medicine. Thanks to the work of the California Health Freedom Coalition, Senate bill SB577 was signed into law (and implemented on January 1, 2003). It allows alternative and complementary practitioners to practice without being in violation of the Medical Practice Act as long as they comply with certain requirements. The most significant of these is to provide clients which a Disclosure Statement which makes it clear that the service they are offering is not licensed by the State, that they are not a licensed physician, what the theory is behind their practice and how they were trained to provide this service. In order to practice legally, anyone practicing a holistic modality in California which is not a part of another practice which is licensed must comply with SB577.

 

Meanwhile, Florida and several other southern states do require a massage license (which will typically come from a program that could take 6-10 months and cost from $4,000-10,000 or sometimes more.) If you are practicing under a massage therapist license you will also need insurance (+$200 per year) and you will need to abide by certain very specific guidelines on when, how, and where you can practice (also determined by the state).

 

You are going to have to look into the laws of the state where you live. Some states are very flexible (and sometimes far too flexible). One of the interesting problems of this profession (both in massage and energy healing) is that many prostitutes hide under these job titles in order to evade the law. This makes life for legitimate healers very difficult.

 

Either way, you never want to claim that you are going to help save, heal, or cure someone. You are just a therapist offering treatments to clients and you are never a healer offering cures to patients. This slight change in wording is the difference between running a successful business and getting yourself slammed with a lawsuit when you are unable to instantly "cure" someone of cancer.

[Magitek]

Many claims of "healing" are fraudulant, so I wish the government would do more about it. Even "healers" like Peter Popoff, who have been publically debunked and exposed for the frauds that they are, are still around making money off people.

 

Why would you wanna ask the government? Like they would be able to discern between "good" healing and "bad" healing... They'd probably make all healing illegal and then you guys lose.

 

Well it doesn't matter to me because I don't go to healers. But if you ask something of the government they'll just give it yo back but in some shitty back-handed way, and then you wish you never asked.

 

"be well"

Edited August 18, 2009 by Magitek