I too am interested in what others have to say on this subject. At this point I lean towards thinking that are two factors to consider: a) the spirit(mind)-body connection; and/or b) the intervention of a spiritual being or presence.

 This is of course a classic question in the Psychology of Religion, which you might want to add to your search terms. There is a nice online article at http://www.baylorisr.org/wp-content/uploads/levin_faithheals.pdf from the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion.

There is some discussion of faith healing in Ray Paloutzian's Invitation to the Psychology of Religion, https://www.guilford.com/books/Invitation-to-the-Psychology-of-Religion/Raymond-Paloutzian/9781462527540/contents

Hood and Hill's The Psychology of Religion has a chapter on religion and health, and covers the research literature. See  https://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Religion-Fourth-Empirical-Approach/dp/1606233033/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1503534126&sr=8-2&keywords=%22Psychology+of+Religion%22

Ken Pargament's The Psychology of Religion and Coping is really looking at healing from various perspectives: see https://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Religion-Coping-Research-Practice/dp/1572306645/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1503534225&sr=8-6&keywords=%22Psychology+of+Religion%22

James Nelson's Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality has a lengthy chapter on healing. See  https://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Religion-Coping-Research-Practice/dp/1572306645/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1503534225&sr=8-6&keywords=%22Psychology+of+Religion%22

Paloutzian and Park's Handbook of the Psychology of Religion has a chapter on religion and healing; see https://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Psychology-Religion-Spirituality-Second/dp/1462520537/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1503534225&sr=8-12&keywords=%22Psychology+of+Religion%22

If you're interested more broadly in Psychology of Religion questions, you can find information on the following websites for organizations that have meetings and publish journals.

Division 36 of The American Psychological Association, the Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, at http://www.apa.org/about/division/div36.aspx

The Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, at http://www.sssrweb.org/

The American Academy of Religion, at https://www.aarweb.org/

The Religious Research Association, at http://www.rraweb.org/

Thanks so much, Kelvin and Hendrika, for your insights!

Hello,

Indubitably, the power of faith is very strong and in different religions has an esteemed position. The idea that beseeching divine intervention can play a pivotal role in curing ills. In point of fact, numerous instances of miraculous recoveries provide a substantial and incredible evidential basis supporting the effects of faith healing. Healing through faith has been a matter of great controversy; however, it has had a long history in various religions. Some believe that faith healing involves hypnotic powers and a strong technique of inculcation so much so it has become synonymous with any non-medically based cure. However, the reality of faith healing in all religious traditions cannot be overlooked.

Best regards,

R. Biria

I'm sorry dear Sir. I'm not specialized in religion or philosophy.

Liqaa

Out of my domain, so I can not post a scientific comment.

Thanks,

Emad

May be :

1. Builds mental stamina

2. Focus on something bigger

3. Trust in a superior power to heal

4. Realize of negative thinking so that you feel less burdened ...

Faith, together with prayer and meditation, bring consciousness and mind to a very high level of inner spirituality and self-knowledge. They regulate the functioning of the limbic system (part of the brain involved in emotions) and its cerebral cortical repercussion, to understand what is perceived through reasoning.

All this has the effect of providing peace and tranquility to anxious or fearful people. It also strengthens its defense mechanisms (immunity), which is why it acts as an adequate measure of prevention and sometimes of attenuation of the severity of many diseases derived from the daily worry and anguish for the rapid life of cities.

Healing by faith works on the rockmass of trust and hope.

This is not a subject I can a contribute to credibly, but what the heck, that never stopped me before. I can only suggest that "state of mind," in general, has consequences to healing, or just to one's state of health. There have been many scholarly studies that have concluded that there are beneficial effects to a good, positive, optimistic state of mind. And that conversely, depression, or just a general pessimistic attitude, is detrimental to health.

Maybe that's not so hard to comprehend, as part of an overarching evolutionary model based on survival of the fittest. Viewing nature as a complex, autonomous control system, nature would tend to preserve and promote those component parts best suited to preserve the species.

This is even manifested in a micro, mechanical sense, after all. A broken bone will heal more quickly if it is put to use, gradually of course, than if it sustains no stress at all, after having been damaged. The body senses that there's a need for quick recovery, and it will accelerate the process. No need for quick recovery, and the body will find other things to concentrate on, for the moment.

Perhaps it's not so hard to extrapolate this localized effect. People with optimistic, positive, hopeful outlooks are necessary for the preservation of the species. Those organisms will tend to thrive. (Mind you, causality would be difficult to prove. Could be that "nature" sees the positive attitude, and consequently tries harder to keep the organizm healthy, or it could be that evolution has made it so that the healthier organisms are those with a positive outlook.)

I'd say, without going too far out on a limb, that the "faith healing" we see on TV is mostly fraud. However, for me, it would not come as a big surprise if people with strong faith also do better than average medically. Not so much because they "believe in the correct religion," or any such supernatural reasons, but because they would tend to be optimistic, hopeful people.

Faith healing is the practice of prayer and gestures (such as laying on of hands) that are claimed to elicit divine intervention in spiritual and physical healing ....

Believers assert that the healing of disease and disability can be brought about by religious faith through prayer and/or other rituals that, according to adherents, stimulate a divine presence and power. Belief in such divine intervention is derived from religious belief.[2]

The American Cancer Society states "available scientific evidence does not support claims that faith healing can actually cure physical ailments".[4]

Source: wikipedia