Hubbry Logo
Psychic surgeryPsychic surgeryMain
Open search
Psychic surgery
Community hub
Psychic surgery
logo
8 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Psychic surgery
Psychic surgery
Psychic surgery
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia
An alleged psychic surgeon at work

Psychic surgery is a medical fraud in which practitioners create the illusion of performing surgery with their bare hands and use sleight of hand, fake blood, and animal parts to convince the patient that diseased lesions have been removed and that the incision has spontaneously healed.[1][2][3] The technique may fool the general public, but it can be observed by experienced stage magicians, who use the same sleight of hand techniques for entertainment.[1]

The US Federal Trade Commission described psychic surgery as a "total hoax".[2] It has also been described as fraud,[2] fakery,[2] deceitful,[4] irrational,[5] charlatanry,[6] and quackery.[6][7] Even supporters have been forced to admit that sleight-of-hand tricks were "widely used" and that charlatans were common and miracles unlikely.[4] Psychic surgery may cause needless death by keeping the ill away from life-saving medical care.[3] Medical professionals and skeptics classify it as sleight of hand and any positive results as a placebo effect.[8][9][10][11]

Psychic surgery first appeared in the spiritualist communities of the Philippines and Brazil in the middle of the 20th century; it has taken different paths in those two countries.[12]

Procedure

[edit]

Although psychic surgery varies by region and practitioner, it usually follows some common lines. Without the use of a surgical instrument, a practitioner will press the tips of their fingers against the patient's skin in the area to be treated. The practitioner's hands appear to penetrate into the patient's body painlessly and blood seems to flow. The practitioner will then show organic matter or foreign objects apparently removed from the patient's body, clean the area, and then end the procedure with the patient's skin showing no wounds or scars.[12]

Most cases do not involve actual surgery although some practitioners make real incisions.[13] The lack of pain upon incision has been attributed to a type of hypnosis.[14]

In regions of the world where belief in evil spirits is prevalent, practitioners will sometimes exhibit objects, such as glass, saying that the foreign bodies were placed in the patient's body by evil spirits.[3]

History

[edit]

Accounts of psychic surgery started to appear in the spiritualist communities of the Philippines and Brazil in the mid-1900s.[15] The 16th-century explorer Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca records an account, related to him by Native Americans, of a bearded figure known as "Mala Cosa" (Evil Thing), who would take hold of a person, cut into their abdomen with a flint knife, and remove a portion of their entrails, which he would then burn in a fire. When he was done the incision would close spontaneously.[16]

Philippines

[edit]

In the Philippines, the procedure was first noticed in the 1940s, when performed routinely by Eleuterio Terte. Terte and his pupil Tony Agpaoa, who was apparently associated with the Union Espiritista Christiana de Filipinas (The Christian Spiritist Union of the Philippines), trained others in this procedure.[3]

In 1959, the procedure came to the attention of the U.S. public after the publication of Into the Strange Unknown by Ron Ormond and Ormond McGill. The authors called the practice "fourth dimensional surgery", and wrote "[we] still don’t know what to think; but we have motion pictures to show it wasn’t the work of any normal magician, and could very well be just what the Filipinos said it was — a miracle of God performed by a fourth dimensional surgeon."[17]

In "...1973, a group of medical doctors, scientists, and parapsychologists visited the Philippine Islands to study a phenomenon that was causing increased furor amongst health professionals ... Filipino psychic surgeons, also known as spiritual/magnetic healers."[18]

Alex Orbito, who became well known in the United States through his association with actress Shirley MacLaine[19] was a practitioner of the procedure. On June 14, 2005, Orbito was arrested by Canadian authorities and indicted for fraud.[20][21] On January 20, 2006, the charges were dropped as it then seemed unlikely that Orbito would be convicted.[22]

Psychic surgery made U.S. tabloid headlines in March 1984 when entertainer Andy Kaufman, diagnosed with large cell carcinoma (a rare lung cancer), traveled to the Philippines for a six-week course of psychic surgery.[23] Practitioner Jun Labo claimed to have removed large cancerous tumors and Kaufman declared he believed this cancer had been removed.[24] Kaufman died from renal failure as consequence of a metastatic lung cancer, on May 16, 1984.[25]

Brazil

[edit]

The origins of the practice in Brazil are obscure, but by the late 1950s "spiritual healers" were practicing in the country. Many of them were associated with Kardecist spiritism, a major spiritualistic movement in Brazil, and claimed to be performing their operations merely as channels for spirits of deceased medical doctors.[26][27]

A known Brazilian psychic healer who routinely practiced psychic surgery was Zé Arigó, who claimed to be channeling a (fictional) medical doctor named Dr. Fritz. Unlike most other psychic healers, who work bare-handed, Arigó used a non-surgical blade.[28] Other psychic healers who claimed to channel Dr. Fritz were Edson Queiroz and Rubens Farias Jr.[29] Later, one João de Faria, also known as João de Deus, became popular while he operated in Abadiânia, state of Goiás.[30] Faria has since been arrested and found guilty of the rapes of several women.[31] Dozens of similar accusations are awaiting trial.[32]

According to the descriptions of Yoshiaki Omura, Brazilian psychic surgery appears to be different from that practiced in the Philippines. Omura calls attention to the fact that practitioners in Brazil use techniques resembling qigong, shiatsu massage, and chiropractic manipulation. Some patients are also injected with a brown liquid, and alleged minor surgery was performed in about 20% of the cases observed.[33] While Arigó performed his procedures using kitchen knives in improvised settings, Omura reports that the clamping of blood vessels and the closing of the surgical wounds were performed by licensed surgeons or licensed nurses.[27]

North America

[edit]

In the 1970s a specific form of surgery known as psychic dentistry emerged in America. Willard Fuller was the most well known proponent. It was alleged that Fuller could cause dental fillings to appear spontaneously, change silver into golden fillings, straighten crooked teeth or produce new teeth. However, magicians and skeptics have found these claims to be unsupported by solid evidence. One dentist examined some patients of Fuller. In one case miraculous gold fillings turned out to be tobacco stains. In another case a female patient who reported a miraculous new silver filling admitted she had forgotten that the filling was already there.[34][35]

[edit]

In 1975, the Federal Trade Commission declared that "'psychic surgery' is nothing but a total hoax".[2] Judge Daniel H. Hanscom, when granting the FTC an injunction against travel agencies promoting psychic surgery tours, declared: "Psychic surgery is pure and unmitigated fakery. The 'surgical operations' of psychic surgeons ... with their bare hands are simply phony."[36]

In 1975 the FTC stated:

It has been found that "psychic surgery" is pure fakery. The body is not opened, no "surgery" is performed with the bare hands or with anything else, and nothing is removed from the body. The entire "operation" is an egregious fraud perpetrated by sleight-of-hand and similar tricks and devices.[37]

In 1990, the American Cancer Society stated that it "found no evidence that 'psychic surgery' results in objective benefit in the treatment of any medical condition," and strongly urged individuals who are ill not to seek treatment by psychic surgery.[3]

The British Columbia Cancer Agency "strongly urges individuals who are ill not to seek treatment by psychic surgeon".[38]

While not directly hazardous to the patient, the belief in the alleged benefits of psychic surgery may carry considerable risk for individuals with diagnosed medical conditions, as they may delay or forgo conventional medical help, sometimes with fatal consequences.[3][39]

Replication by stage magicians

[edit]

Stage magician James Randi said psychic surgery is a sleight of hand confidence trick. He said that in personal observations of the procedure, and in movies showing the procedures, he could spot sleight-of-hand moves that are evident to experienced stage magicians, but might deceive a casual observer. Randi replicated the appearance of psychic surgery himself through the use of sleight-of-hand.[6][40][41] Professional magician Milbourne Christopher also investigated psychic surgeons at work, and observed sleight of hand.[42] On his A&E show Mindfreak in the episode "Sucker", illusionist Criss Angel performed "Psychic Surgery", showing first-hand how it may be done (fake blood, plastic bags and chicken livers were used).

Randi said the healer would slightly roll or pinch the skin over the area to be treated. When his flattened hand reaches under the roll of skin, it looks and feels as if the practitioner is actually entering into the patient's body. The healer would have prepared in advance small pellets or bags of animal entrails which would be palmed in his hand or hidden beneath the table within easy reach. This organic matter would simulate the "diseased" tissue that the healer would claim to be removing. If the healer wants to simulate bleeding, he might squeeze a bladder of animal blood or an impregnated sponge. If done properly, this procedure may deceive patients and observers. Some "psychic surgery" procedures do not rely solely on the "sleight of hand" described, as at least one Brazilian "surgeon" also cuts his victims' skin with an unsterilized scalpel to heighten the illusion.[40][43]

Accusations of fraud

[edit]

The physician William Nolen investigated psychic surgery and his book Healing: A Doctor in Search of a Miracle (1974) uncovered many cases of fraud.[44] Tony Agpaoa, a famous psychic surgeon, was detected several times using trickery.[45]

John Taylor has written there is no real case for psychic surgery as the explanation of fraud is highly likely in all the operations.[46] The practitioners use sleight of hand techniques to produce blood or blood-like fluids, animal tissue or substitutes, and/or various foreign objects from folds of skin of the patient as part of a confidence trick for financial benefit.[12]

Science writer Terence Hines has written:

The "operation" starts as the hand appears to enter the patient’s belly. This is accomplished by creating an impression in the belly by pushing down and flexing the fingers slowly into a fist—the fingers thus appear to be moving into the belly, but are really simply hidden behind the hand. The blood that further disguises the true movement of the fingers and adds drama to the proceedings can come from two sources. One is a fake thumb, worn over the real thumb and filled with a red liquid. Such a fake thumb is a common magician’s implement. Blood can also be passed to the surgeon in red balloons hidden in cotton the psychic surgeon is using, the cotton and its hidden contents being passed to him by an "assistant". The bits of "tumor" can also be passed to the psychic surgeon this way, or hidden in the false thumb... the "tumor" material turns out to be chicken intestines or similar animal remains. The blood is either animal blood or red dye.[12]

Two "psychic surgeons" provided testimony in a Federal Trade Commission trial that, to their knowledge, the organic matter supposedly removed from the patients usually consists of animal tissue and clotted blood.[3]

[edit]
James Randi using sleight of hand to duplicate "psychic surgery" on his Open Media series for ITV in 1991
  • In the 1967 novel by Gabriel García Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude, the character Fernanda maintains regular correspondence with so called "Invisible Doctors" who practice a form of psychic surgery on her.
  • In the 1989 film Penn & Teller Get Killed, comedic magicians Penn and Teller demonstrate how to perform the illusion of psychic surgery.
  • A 1989 episode of Unsolved Mysteries featured a police officer whose mother claimed to have been cured by psychic surgery, only to die shortly thereafter; her autopsy revealed several tumors. The policeman described himself going undercover to feign illness and pretended to desire psychic surgery, having the feeling of the practitioner using sleight of hand to supposedly dig into his tissue, as well as suspecting that the "cysts" and "tumors" being removed from his body were actually ready-made chicken parts.
  • "Milagro", a sixth-season episode from The X-Files, features a killer accused of using psychic surgery on his victims, killing them in the process.
  • In the BBC TV series Full Circle with Michael Palin, Michael Palin witnesses two separate instances of psychic surgery in the Baguio district of the Philippines. On raising his suspicion with the medic that it seemed a sleight of hand to him, the medic told him he was a westerner and could only understand the surgery if he had a third eye. Palin assists another medic in a surgery and was told that no contamination happens in this procedure because of the use of garlic.
  • In the 1993 novel by Ana Castillo, So Far from God, Filipino Dr. Tolentino performs psychic surgery on La Loca after diagnosing her with HIV.
  • In the 1998 Christmas Special of the BBC1 series Jonathan Creek, entitled "Black Canary", the husband of the illusionist known as Black Canary undergoes psychic surgery at the start of the episode and this form of surgery forms a plot device throughout the special.
  • In the 1999 movie Man on the Moon, based on the life of Andy Kaufman, Kaufman (Jim Carrey) receives psychic surgery and notices the "sleight of hand," laughing at the irony. He is next seen dead, with his funeral being conducted.
  • In the TV series Angel, Season 1 episode "I Fall to Pieces (Angel)" features a doctor who practices psychic surgery.
  • In the 2000 short story "Stalemate" by Ian Rankin, narrator Calumn Smylie attributes his scarred abdomen to a childhood cure by a Filipino psychic surgeon who supposedly extracted his "evil juices" bare-handed.
  • In the TV show Criss Angel Mindfreak, Season 2 Episode "Sucker", Criss explains psychic surgery as a deception.
  • In the television show 1000 Ways to Die, a con artist was using this to scam poor country people, only to lead to his death when he used it on a leper from whom he caught the disease.
  • In the 2012 movie Red Lights Simon Silver, an alleged psychic, performs a psychic surgery on stage.
  • In a deleted scene from the 2016 movie Deadpool, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) visits a psychic surgery clinic in an attempt to cure his cancer, but upon realizing the clinic is scamming innocent clients into spending their life savings on simple sleight of hand, he attacks and murders the head surgeon in front of the staff.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Psychic surgery

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Psychic surgery is a pseudoscientific in which practitioners create the illusion of performing invasive on patients using only their bare hands and purported spiritual or energies, without , scalpels, or other instruments, ostensibly to remove diseased tissues, tumors, or foreign objects. The practice emerged prominently in the during the mid-20th century, where it gained international attention through traveling healers who claimed miraculous cures for conditions including cancer, though it has also appeared in and other locations. Proponents assert instantaneous and the extraction of pathological matter, but empirical examinations consistently reveal no genuine surgical intervention or physiological changes beyond superficial wounds or none at all. Investigations since the have demonstrated that psychic surgery relies on sleight-of-hand deceptions, such as hidden blades for minor incisions, fake blood from animal bladders or capsules, and concealed animal organs or tissues presented as excised human material. The U.S. , in a 1975 ruling against promoters of Philippine psychic surgery tours, deemed the procedures "pure fakery" and an "egregious fraud" accomplished through tricks and misrepresentations, prohibiting of the practice as legitimate healing. Similarly, the reviewed available evidence and concluded there is no scientific validation for psychic surgery's efficacy in treating cancer or any disease, labeling it unproven and dangerous due to patients forgoing evidence-based medical care. Skeptical analyses, including those by illusionist , have replicated the techniques using standard stage magic, confirming their reliance on manual dexterity and props rather than abilities. Despite these exposures, psychic surgery persists in some alternative healing circles, often preying on desperate individuals seeking cures for terminal illnesses, with documented cases of patient harm from , unnecessary trauma, or delayed proper treatment leading to worsened outcomes or . No controlled studies or verifiable successes have withstood scrutiny, underscoring the practice's foundation in rather than causal mechanisms of .

Procedure and Techniques

Core Ritual and Observed Steps

Psychic surgery rituals typically commence with the patient positioned on a basic table or bed, with the exposed and surrounded by minimal coverings such as sheets or pillows to facilitate access. Practitioners often invoke spiritual guides or perform incantations to channel purported energies, framing the procedure within a context. The core observed steps involve the healer massaging the targeted body area with bare hands to simulate penetration, followed by a mimicking an incision—such as pressing a thumb firmly and drawing it across the skin—which produces visible without any implement. The practitioner's hand then appears to enter the intact , extracting small quantities of and alleged pathological tissue, often like bits of animal liver or fabricated tumors, presented as diseased material removed psychically. Patients report no pain, aligning with the absence of actual surgical trauma. Close investigations reveal these actions rely on sleight-of-hand techniques, where blood from concealed sources like animal parts or dye pouches and pre-palmed tissue are introduced during the hand movements, with no genuine incision or internal manipulation occurring. The ritual concludes with a closing over the site, claiming instantaneous healing, though post-procedure examinations by observers, including trained magicians like , confirm only superficial marks or none at all, underscoring the illusory nature of the performance.

Concealed Methods and Sleight-of-Hand Elements

Psychic surgery practitioners employ sleight-of-hand techniques to simulate invasive procedures without actual incisions, primarily using concealed instruments and prepared biological materials. Common methods include hiding razor blades or small scalpels under long fingernails or in the folds of the palms, allowing practitioners to make shallow, superficial cuts on the patient's that appear deeper under dim lighting and rapid movement. These cuts are then used to insert from animal sources, such as or , often concealed in plastic bags or capsules within the practitioner's hands, creating the illusion of extracting diseased tissue. Exposés have revealed the use of pre-prepared props, including bits of intestines, liver, or tumors sourced from butchers, which are palmed and "removed" from the body during the performance. In 1975, investigators from the Consumer's Union documented Filipino psychic surgeon Tony Agpaoa using a concealed to nick the skin and palm chicken blood, discarding fake tissue scraps afterward. Similarly, Brazilian practitioners like João de Deus were observed employing identical tactics, with hidden blades and blood packets, as confirmed by undercover footage in the showing no genuine surgical intervention. Skeptical demonstrations, such as those by in the 1980s and 1990s, replicated these techniques precisely, using everyday items like safety pins for minor pricks and animal parts for extraction, proving the feats required no ability. Randi's analyses, based on and close-up inspections, highlighted how practitioners distract patients with chants or touches while executing maneuvers, with failure rates increasing under scrutiny, as seen when healers refused controlled conditions. Medical examinations post-procedure consistently found no internal changes or incisions, only superficial abrasions matching the sleight-of-hand marks, as reported in a 2001 study by the Brazilian Federal Council of Medicine.

Historical Development

Origins in the Philippines (1950s–1970s)

Psychic surgery in the traces its modern origins to the post-World War II era, with Eleuterio Terte recognized as the pioneering practitioner who routinely performed bare-handed operations starting in the 1940s in . Terte, who initially used rudimentary tools before transitioning to incision-free methods purportedly guided by spiritual entities, trained successors including Tony Agpaoa, establishing a lineage of healers claiming to extract tumors and diseased tissue through psychic means. By the 1950s, these practices had spread among local espiritistas (spirit mediums) in rural areas, blending indigenous folk healing traditions with spiritist influences from Spanish colonial-era Catholicism and American spiritualism. The 1950s and 1960s saw the technique's popularization, particularly through Agpaoa, who established operations in Baguio City and introduced assembly-line sessions accommodating dozens of patients daily, often charging fees equivalent to $10–20 per procedure. Western exposure began around 1958 via accounts from American mentalist Ormond McGill and physician Justus J. Woodward, who observed Terte and described apparent extractions of without scars, sparking curiosity among spiritualist circles despite lacking medical validation. By the late 1960s, Agpaoa and affiliates like his nephew Alex Orbito organized international tours, attracting thousands of foreign visitors—primarily from the and —seeking alternatives for chronic illnesses, with promotional materials emphasizing "miraculous" outcomes unverified by controlled studies. Early scrutiny in the revealed systemic , with demonstrations by skeptics and medical observers documenting sleight-of-hand techniques involving concealed chicken entrails, blood capsules, and rubber tubing to simulate tissue removal and incisions. Tony Agpaoa faced U.S. indictment in 1971 for wire after promoting his abilities interstate, while the pursued actions against tour operators like Travel King for misrepresenting the procedures as genuine , resulting in cease-and-desist orders by 1975. Philippine authorities occasionally raided clinics but rarely prosecuted due to cultural tolerance and economic benefits from , though autopsies and biopsies on treated patients showed no evidence of intervention or lasting cures. Independent analyses, including those by the , classified the practice as unproven and hazardous, attributing any perceived benefits to effects or natural remission rather than causal mechanisms.

Expansion to Brazil and South America (1970s–Present)

In the 1970s, following the death of early practitioner in a car accident on July 11, 1971, psychic surgery practices expanded within 's Spiritist communities, where mediums claimed to channel deceased physicians for bloodless interventions. , known as , emerged as a leading figure, establishing the Casa de Dom Inácio de Loyola healing center in Abadiânia, , around 1973 after initial healings in the nearby town of Itapaci. Faria purported to incorporate over 30 entities, including historical doctors, to conduct up to 2,000 procedures daily, involving bare-handed "extractions" of tumors or parasites without or visible scars, drawing up to 3,000 visitors per day at peak, including international patients charged fees for consultations and treatments. These rituals often included preliminary "invisible surgeries" via spiritual incorporation, followed by physical manipulations producing blood and tissue-like material, which patients and supporters attributed to efficacy despite lack of empirical validation. Other Brazilian healers contributed to the spread, such as Rubens Farias Jr., a former turned medium observed in 1997 performing rapid incisions and extractions on multiple patients in quick succession, with claims of incorporating energy practices resembling qi gong and targeting points to minimize pain and bleeding. Centers proliferated in urban areas like , where Spiritist federations tolerated such activities under the umbrella of alternative healing, though formal medical oversight was absent. Investigations, including a 2000 analysis of 30 interventions by Faria, revealed consistent use of sleight-of-hand: concealed animal blood packets burst during manipulations, excised "tissues" identified as chicken or pig parts via microscopic and chemical examination, and no corresponding internal changes in patients via pre- and post-procedure ultrasounds or biopsies. Patient recoveries, when reported, aligned with responses or unrelated factors, as no controlled trials demonstrated physiological alterations beyond expectation effects. By the and , the phenomenon attracted global scrutiny, with Brazilian authorities occasionally raiding centers for unlicensed practice but rarely prosecuting due to cultural entrenchment in , which posits spirit-assisted healing as complementary to medicine. Faria's operation peaked in the , generating millions in before his 2018 arrest on charges of raping over 600 female patients under the guise of therapeutic rituals, resulting in a 63-year sentence in 2019 and the center's closure. Similar practices persist on a smaller scale in and sporadically in neighboring countries like and , often rebranded as "energetic" or Spiritist therapies to evade regulation, though exposés by investigators like have highlighted identical deceptive techniques involving pre-staged props. Despite anecdotal testimonies of cures, peer-reviewed evaluations attribute any benefits to psychological factors rather than causal mechanisms, underscoring the practices' reliance on over verifiable intervention.

Global Dissemination Including (1970s–1990s)

In the 1970s, psychic surgery from the attracted significant international interest following media reports and organized tours promoted by travel agencies targeting Western audiences. Tony Agpaoa, a prominent Filipino practitioner, expanded the practice into a commercial enterprise by the late , chartering flights to bring patients from the and to clinics in and . This led to groups such as 109 residents from traveling to the in 1967 for treatments, with numbers growing into thousands annually through the decade as word spread via testimonials and documentaries. Agencies like Phil-Am marketed "psychic surgery" tours emphasizing bare-handed operations and spiritual healing, drawing invalids and curious tourists despite emerging from investigators. By the 1980s, the practice had permeated North American culture, with endorsements from celebrities amplifying its visibility in the United States. Promotional efforts resulted in an influx of American visitors to Philippine healers, contributing to an estimated industry worth millions in revenue. In parallel, variants emerged domestically; psychic dentistry, a related bare-handed procedure claiming to extract diseased tissue from teeth without tools, gained followers under Willard Fuller, who treated patients across the U.S. starting in the 1970s. Underground networks facilitated occasional performances in America, though regulatory scrutiny, including actions against deceptive tour advertising in 1975, began curbing overt promotion. European dissemination occurred through similar channels, with British and other travelers joining transatlantic tours to the , fostering small-scale adoption in the UK by the 1980s. Skeptical exposés, such as those by magician in the and , further publicized the phenomenon globally via television, indirectly sustaining interest amid fraud allegations. By the , declining visitor numbers reflected heightened awareness of sleight-of-hand techniques, yet residual clinics persisted in attracting niche adherents from and .

Key Practitioners and Locations

Prominent Filipino Healers

Eleuterio Terte, operating in province during the 1940s, is recognized as the earliest documented practitioner of psychic surgery in the , incorporating sleight-of-hand elements into healing rituals that simulated tissue extraction without incisions. His techniques gained exposure to Western audiences in the mid-1950s through accounts by American adventurers, marking the initial dissemination of the practice beyond local spiritist traditions. Antonio "Tony" Agpaoa (1939–1982), a disciple of Terte, emerged as one of the most internationally renowned Filipino psychic surgeons, conducting sessions in that drew thousands of foreign patients annually by the and . Agpaoa purported to insert his bare hands into patients' bodies to remove diseased tissue without pain or bleeding, occasionally performing legitimate minor procedures like drainage alongside deceptive demonstrations. Skeptical analyses, including those by investigator , documented Agpaoa's use of concealed props such as animal organs and blood-filled devices to fabricate surgical outcomes, confirming the operations as illusions rather than feats. Ramon "Jun" Labo Jr. (born December 23, 1934), based in , practiced surgery starting around 1978 while pursuing a political career, including terms as mayor in 1988 and 1992. Labo claimed to diagnose and excise ailments like tumors using psychic visualization and bare-hand methods, attracting celebrities such as comedian in 1984. His international activities led to a 1998 arrest in on charges after treating a child, where authorities alleged deceptive techniques mimicking surgery to extract payment from desperate families. Other figures, such as Alex Orbito and Placido Palitayan, continued similar practices into later decades, often relocating abroad to evade local scrutiny, though empirical evaluations consistently attributed their apparent successes to placebo effects and prestidigitation rather than verifiable healing.

Brazilian Psychic Surgeons

Brazilian psychic surgeons, influenced by the country's spiritist traditions, gained prominence in the mid-20th century as an extension of similar practices originating in the . These practitioners claim to channel spirits to perform surgeries without conventional instruments or , often using bare hands, scrapers, or unsterilized tools to extract purported diseased tissues. Operations typically involve minimal , rapid procedures, and assertions of spiritual intervention, attracting thousands of patients annually to sites in rural . A foundational figure was José Pedro de Freitas (1922–1971), known as , who operated in Congonhas do Campo, , from the 1950s until his death in a car accident. Arigó claimed possession by the spirit of Dr. Adolf Fritz, enabling him to conduct over 10,000 surgeries using a single rusty , prescribing pharmaceuticals illegally under the guise of remedies. While anecdotal reports from visitors, including U.S. diplomat , described apparent successes without pain or infection, Arigó faced multiple arrests for unlicensed practice and was convicted in 1956, though later pardoned. Scientific analyses, including post-mortem examinations, found no evidence of genuine tissue removal beyond superficial incisions, with techniques mirroring documented sleight-of-hand deceptions involving animal blood and concealed props. João Teixeira de Faria (born 1942), popularly known as João de Deus, emerged in the 1970s in Abadiânia, Goiás, building a global following by performing up to 2,000 daily "interventions" on international pilgrims seeking cures for chronic illnesses. Faria asserted that entities like King Solomon or deceased physicians operated through him, employing methods such as eye scrapings, abdominal probes, or "invisible surgeries" via spiritual energy. A 2000 investigation of 30 cutting interventions by Faria revealed no pathological tissues excised, with "removed" materials consisting of blood clots or superficial scrapings inconsistent with therapeutic surgery, indicating manipulative illusions rather than invasive procedures. Further scrutiny, including a histopathological analysis of Faria's procedures, confirmed the absence of incision healing or responses in patient biopsies, underscoring reliance on effects and expectation rather than physical intervention. Brazilian psychic surgery lacks controlled trials demonstrating efficacy beyond rates, with exposures highlighting fraud via and serological tests identifying non-human sources. Faria's operation declined after his arrest for serial sexual assaults, revealing a pattern of exploitation intertwined with healing claims, though surgical deceptions predated these revelations.

Other International Figures

In , Bárbara Guerrero, known as Pachita (1900–1979), conducted psychic surgeries using a bush knife or to excise diseased tissue without anesthesia, purportedly channeling spirits including her deceased son or to perform operations on internal organs. Her sessions, observed in during the and 1970s, involved apparent instantaneous healings and materializations of organs, which parapsychologist documented in his 1974 book Uri as potentially genuine psychic phenomena after witnessing procedures on volunteers. However, no controlled medical verification confirmed tissue removal or cures, and skeptical analyses, including those by stage magicians, have replicated similar effects using misdirection and prepared props, aligning with broader exposures of psychic surgery as sleight-of-hand fraud. In the , historical practitioner William Herrmann demonstrated psychic surgery in the , claiming to extract tumors bare-handed without scars, attracting crowds in before police raids uncovered concealed animal organs and blood packets used in sleight-of-hand tricks. Modern UK-based figures, such as Stephen Turoff, have continued similar practices since the , asserting spirit-guided interventions to remove etheric blockages or physical ailments, with anecdotal patient reports of pain relief but no peer-reviewed of beyond effects. Investigations by skeptics, including comparisons to stage illusions, have highlighted the absence of verifiable surgical outcomes, consistent with empirical studies dismissing psychic surgery worldwide as deceptive. Practitioners like Chris Ratter, operating across , employ mediums for "invisible" operations, yet lack independent medical corroboration, with exposures emphasizing prestidigitation over claims.

Claimed Mechanisms and Cultural Context

Spiritual and Supernatural Explanations

Psychic surgeons claim that their abilities derive from supernatural intervention, often involving the channeling of spiritual entities or divine energies to manipulate the body's etheric or subtle layers beyond physical matter. Practitioners assert that incisions and extractions occur on a non-material plane, where the healer's hands are empowered to penetrate flesh painlessly and retrieve diseased tissues or energies without conventional tools or anesthesia. In the , where the practice originated in the mid-20th century, healers frequently attribute their powers to guidance from the , ancestral spirits, or divine forces, preparing patients through "spiritual injections" or prayers to align their energies for the procedure. Filipino espiritistas describe entering states of spiritual ecstasy, during which the facilitates the removal of illnesses by directly addressing spiritual causes of disease. Brazilian psychic surgeons, operating within the framework of —a doctrine emphasizing spirit communication and —claim to serve as mediums who incorporate the entities of deceased physicians, such as the German surgeon Dr. Fritz, to perform interventions. João Teixeira de Faria, known as , stated that his healing derives from -granted energy accessed in trance states, where spirits assist in and , asserting "I don’t heal. heals" through him. These explanations posit that illnesses stem from energetic misalignments or spiritual imbalances, correctable via the practitioner's attunement to higher vibrational frequencies, often involving , visualization, and hand manipulations to restore harmony and expel negative blockages.

Patient Beliefs and Testimonies

Patients seeking psychic surgery often hold beliefs rooted in spiritual or frameworks, viewing practitioners as conduits for divine or ethereal forces capable of excising pathological tissues without physical instruments or incisions. These convictions frequently stem from cultural traditions in regions like the and , where patients attribute illnesses to imbalances in spiritual or blockages removable only through such interventions. Testimonies commonly describe the procedure as painless, with healers allegedly parting flesh to extract blood, tumors, or foreign objects, which patients interpret as direct evidence of efficacy. Anecdotal accounts from patients emphasize subjective improvements, such as immediate relief from or enhanced vitality post-procedure. For example, individuals treated by Filipino healers have reported feeling "lighter" or experiencing resolved symptoms like abdominal discomfort after the apparent removal of "cysts" or "dark blood," reinforcing their faith in the process despite the absence of verifiable medical diagnostics. In Brazilian contexts, patients of figures like João Teixeira de Farias have testified to similar sensations during observed interventions, often linking outcomes to the healer's trance state or invoked spiritual entities. However, empirical evaluations reveal these testimonies as predominantly psychological in nature, with no documented objective physiological alterations, such as tumor reduction or infection resolution, attributable to the procedures. A study of patients under a Filipino psychic surgeon found the practice altered illness perceptions and management behaviors—potentially via effects or heightened suggestibility—but yielded uncertain effects on underlying diseases, with some participants delaying conventional treatments and facing worsened prognoses. Such patterns underscore how belief-driven testimonies persist amid unverified claims, occasionally compounded by septic conditions during sessions that patients report as non-infectious due to perceived spiritual protection.

Scientific Evaluation

Empirical Studies and Medical Investigations

![James Randi demonstrating psychic surgery][float-right] Medical investigations into psychic surgery, primarily conducted in the Philippines during the 1970s, involved direct observation of procedures and follow-up examinations of patients. Physician William Nolen observed multiple operations and subsequently evaluated 23 patients who claimed benefits; preoperative and postoperative assessments, including biopsies where applicable, revealed no evidence of tumor removal or physiological improvements attributable to the procedures. A serological analysis published in The Lancet in 1979 examined blood and tissues purportedly extracted during psychic surgery sessions. Researchers P. J. Lincoln and N. J. Wood found discrepancies in blood typing, with the removed blood not matching the patient's type, indicating the use of animal blood or other substitutes rather than genuine human material from the body.91883-X/fulltext) The American Cancer Society reviewed multiple cases and concluded there is no objective evidence that psychic surgery provides therapeutic benefits for any medical condition, including cancer, with investigations consistently identifying sleight-of-hand techniques involving hidden animal parts and fake blood. In , a 2000 investigation of 30 procedures by psychic surgeon João Teixeira de Farias documented real superficial incisions without infection and extraction of healthy tissues, but found no specific therapeutic effect or long-term efficacy, attributing any perceived benefits to responses. Skeptical analyses, such as those by , replicated psychic surgery techniques using standard stage magic methods, demonstrating that the apparent bare-handed extractions could be achieved through misdirection and concealed props without any intervention. U.S. proceedings in the 1970s against promoters of psychic surgery tours ruled the practice a "total " based on expert testimony and evidence of deceptive methods, resulting in injunctions against claims of medical efficacy. No controlled clinical trials have demonstrated statistically significant health outcomes beyond effects, and empirical data from follow-ups show persistence or worsening of underlying conditions when conventional treatment is foregone.

Absence of Controlled Evidence for Efficacy

Despite numerous claims of miraculous healings, no randomized controlled trials or double-blind studies have demonstrated the efficacy of psychic surgery in treating or curing medical conditions. The , reviewing case reports and investigations up to 1990, found no objective evidence that the practice results in verifiable health benefits for any ailment, including cancer. A 2000 investigation observed 30 cutting interventions by prominent Brazilian psychic surgeon João Teixeira de Farias (José Arigó's successor), documenting the procedures but concluding that no specific therapeutic effect was evident, as outcomes could not be distinguished from non-specific factors. Similarly, histopathological examinations of tissues purportedly removed during surgeries have revealed parts or planted materials, with no to patient disease pathology under controlled pathological review. Proponents' reliance on anecdotal testimonials and uncontrolled observations fails to meet scientific standards, as these do not account for responses, spontaneous remissions, or diagnostic errors. Peer-reviewed analyses emphasize that without blinded, prospective trials isolating variables like practitioner presence from expectation effects, claims of remain unsubstantiated, with reported improvements attributable to psychological rather than physical intervention.

Replication Attempts and Skeptical Analyses

Skeptical investigators, including professional magicians, have successfully replicated the visual effects of psychic surgery using sleight-of-hand techniques, such as concealing animal tissue and blood in palms or props to simulate extraction without incisions. , a prominent skeptic and magician, demonstrated these methods on television programs, including the ITV series James Randi, Psychic Investigator in 1991 and appearances on in the 1980s, showing how practitioners palm fraudulent materials to mimic tumor removal. These replications occurred under observable conditions, revealing no need for intervention and highlighting reliance on misdirection common in stage magic. Controlled scientific evaluations have failed to replicate claims of genuine healing or surgical intervention. A 2000 investigation of 30 procedures by Brazilian psychic surgeon João Teixeira de Farias observed actual cutting in some cases but documented no specific therapeutic effects, attributing outcomes to nonspecific factors rather than psychic ability. The reviewed available evidence in 1990 and concluded that psychic surgery provides no objective medical benefits for any condition, based on analyses showing simulated rather than real operations. No peer-reviewed studies have verified successful replication of verifiable tissue removal or cures under blinded, controlled protocols, with post-procedure examinations often revealing intact skin and no internal changes. Skeptical analyses emphasize the absence of empirical validation and the prevalence of deception. Investigations by groups like the have dissected procedures frame-by-frame from video evidence, identifying techniques like using softened animal parts and quick hand movements to evade detection. Randi's work, informed by his expertise in , underscored that psychic surgeons exploit patient expectations and limited oversight, with no instances of phenomena persisting under rigorous scrutiny such as pre- and post-procedure biopsies or monitoring. These findings align with broader critiques of medical claims, where replication failures indicate fraud over anomaly.

Fraud Allegations and Exposures

Documented Deception Techniques

![James Randi demonstrating psychic surgery][float-right] Psychic surgery practitioners have been exposed using sleight-of-hand techniques to simulate the extraction of diseased tissue without making incisions or employing surgical instruments. Investigators, including stage magician , have replicated these methods, demonstrating that practitioners palm small pieces of animal tissue, such as chicken intestines or livers, concealed in folds of skin or props like plastic thumbnails, and present them as removed tumors or organs. To mimic bleeding, performers squeeze bladders or sponges saturated with animal blood, or rupture pre-hidden capsules, creating the illusion of internal hemorrhage while the patient's skin remains intact, merely indented by finger pressure. In demonstrations, such as Randi's 1981 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring , he precisely duplicated the rapid hand movements and misdirection employed by Filipino psychic surgeons, revealing no supernatural intervention but standard conjuring tricks accessible to trained illusionists. Further exposures include the use of adulterated props; for instance, in Brazilian cases, investigators found healers employing concealed razors for superficial nicks to enhance realism, though core deceptions rely on non-invasive manipulation. The U.S. in 1987 characterized psychic surgery as a "total " following probes into promotional materials, confirming reliance on these fraudulent mechanics rather than abilities. Toronto police in 2002 charged practitioner Alex Orbito with after discovering similar and blood-simulation tactics during operations.

Specific Cases of Practitioner Convictions

In , José Pedro de Freitas, known as , a prominent psychic surgeon who claimed to channel the spirit of a German surgeon named Dr. Fritz, was convicted in 1956 of practicing without a and charlatanism for performing unauthorized operations, including psychic extractions of tumors and cataracts using unsterilized tools like penknives. The court sentenced him to 16 months in prison, of which he served three before release on appeal; a similar conviction followed in 1964 for continuing the practice, though he received a presidential . João Teixeira de Faria, widely known as , faced convictions tied to his psychic surgery and healing sessions in Abadiânia, , where he purported to remove diseased tissues and implant "spiritual energies" through invisible incisions. In 2018, he was charged with sexual violation through for exploiting patients' trust in his healing abilities to perpetrate assaults, leading to multiple convictions; by 2023, cumulative sentences exceeded 118 years for rapes of vulnerable individuals seeking cures, with the fraud element centered on deception via his claimed medical interventions. In the United States, Filipino psychic surgeon Jose Bugarin was convicted in the 1980s of running a psychic surgery , receiving a nine-month sentence for fraudulent practices that mimicked bare-handed extractions on patients, often using animal parts and sleight-of-hand. Such cases highlight rare successful prosecutions amid broader challenges in legally targeting psychic surgeons, frequently operating in jurisdictions tolerant of folk healing traditions.

Prosecutions and Regulatory Actions

In 1975, the U.S. (FTC) prohibited four West Coast travel agencies— King Inc., Phil-Am Agency Inc., Gem Service Inc., and Ramble and Tours Inc.—from promoting or selling tours to the for psychic surgery, after determining the practice constituted "pure fakery and a " reliant on sleight-of-hand techniques and animal tissue substitutions passed off as excised diseased material. These agencies had collectively sold approximately 2,000 such tours, generating over $2 million in revenue by targeting terminally ill individuals and misrepresenting the procedures as genuine bare-handed operations capable of removing pathological tissues without incisions or anesthesia. The FTC's unanimous decision, upholding an administrative law judge's findings, cited violations of Section 5 of the Act for deceptive practices that exploited vulnerable consumers, often leading them to forgo evidence-based medical care and resulting in documented health harms including deaths. The orders mandated immediate cessation of all psychic surgery promotions, required agencies to notify past tour participants and prospective customers that the practice is a "total ," and compelled warnings about the dangers of abandoning conventional treatments. Additionally, the FTC barred unsubstantiated claims of therapeutic for any disease treatments without competent scientific evidence. Prominent Filipino surgeon Tony Agpaoa, featured in many such tours, faced U.S. for connected to his demonstrations, including a 1968 charge for falsely claiming to mend a patient's fractured via means. In the Philippines, where psychic surgery originated and persists among a small number of practitioners, regulatory enforcement has remained minimal, with no widespread prosecutions of surgeons despite official condemnations. In 2010, Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral publicly stated that psychic surgery lacks recognition in the medical community and constitutes an "unmitigated ," urging avoidance, though no corresponding legal actions against operators were reported. Brazilian practitioner João Teixeira de Faria, who incorporated psychic surgery elements into his "healing" sessions, received a 63-year sentence in 2019 for rapes and sexual assaults perpetrated on patients seeking treatment, highlighting ethical abuses tied to such practices but not direct convictions for the surgeries themselves. Overall, legal responses have centered on promotional rather than practitioner , reflecting challenges in regulating culturally embedded pseudomedical activities absent verifiable harm thresholds.

Impacts on Patients and Ethical Concerns

Psychic surgery has been associated with significant risks primarily through the delay or avoidance of evidence-based treatments, allowing diseases to progress unchecked and potentially leading to fatal outcomes. The has stated that there is no evidence of objective benefits from psychic surgery for any medical condition, emphasizing that reliance on such practices can divert from effective interventions like or , exacerbating conditions such as cancer. In promotional tours to the , participants were led to believe in the procedure's efficacy, which worsened illnesses and hastened deaths in some cases by substituting it for conventional care. Investigations into practitioners like João Teixeira de Farias revealed real incisions made without or antiseptics, causing in at least one during a procedure, alongside scraping of corneas and extraction of mostly healthy tissues, though no infections were observed in the small follow-up sample of six cases. Financial exploitation is rampant, as patients often pay substantial fees—ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars—for illusory operations, draining resources that could fund legitimate healthcare. Ethically, the practice preys on vulnerable individuals desperate for cures, fostering false hope through sleight-of-hand deceptions that mimic surgery, thereby undermining and perpetuating under the guise of healing. This not only erodes public trust in verifiable but also raises concerns about the moral culpability of promoters who profit from unproven claims without accountability for adverse outcomes. While some patients report subjective relief, possibly via effects, the absence of controlled evidence for physiological improvements underscores the ethical imperative to prioritize empirical treatments over pseudoscientific alternatives that risk harm through inaction.

Persistence and Broader Implications

Factors Sustaining Belief Despite Debunking

in psychic surgery endures primarily due to the acute desperation of patients confronting terminal or chronic conditions, where conventional treatments offer limited or are inaccessible, prompting to embrace any perceived alternative despite documented . In regions like the and , where healthcare is often inadequate, practitioners attract thousands annually by promising painless, incision-free interventions, exploiting socioeconomic vulnerabilities that prioritize immediate spiritual solace over empirical scrutiny. The effect plays a central role, as patients frequently report subjective relief—such as reduced or emotional —attributable to expectation and ritual rather than physiological change, thereby reinforcing perceptions of efficacy even absent verifiable cures. Investigations attribute any transient benefits to this mechanism, akin to broader phenomena, where belief alone induces measurable psychosomatic improvements like altered or temporary immune modulation. Cultural and religious frameworks in the , merging Catholic invocations of Christ with pre-colonial animist traditions of spirit intermediaries (espiritistas), portray psychic surgery as divine intervention, embedding it deeply in communal identity and diminishing receptivity to external debunkings. This fosters a where agency supersedes materialist explanations, with healers claiming guidance from discarnate entities, appealing to those distrustful of Western . Cognitive and social dynamics further perpetuate adherence, including , whereby believers selectively recall "successful" anecdotes—often amplified through testimonials and word-of-mouth networks—while discounting exposures of sleight-of-hand techniques using animal tissues and fake blood. , driven by emotional investment and communal validation, leads audiences to overlook inconsistencies, such as the failure to produce verifiable tissue under controlled observation, prioritizing personal narratives over rigorous evidence.

Representations in Media and Culture

Psychic surgery has been prominently featured in skeptical media investigations that expose its mechanisms as sleight-of-hand deception rather than intervention. In a 1991 episode of the ITV series : Psychic Investigator, illusionist replicated the procedures of psychic surgeons before a live audience, illustrating how practitioners conceal and produce animal blood and tissue to mimic tissue extraction without incisions. Randi had earlier demonstrated similar techniques on Starring in the 1980s, using controlled conditions to highlight the absence of genuine surgical outcomes. Documentaries have scrutinized specific practitioners, often revealing criminal elements intertwined with the practice. The 2021 Netflix production John of God: The Crimes of a Spiritual Healer chronicles the rise and fall of , a Brazilian surgeon who attracted global followers claiming miraculous cures but was convicted in 2019 on charges including and bodily injury after investigations uncovered no verifiable healings and numerous victim testimonies of harm. Similarly, ethnographic films like Traditional Healers in : Darjo - Psychic Surgeon (2016) document practitioners in non-Western contexts, portraying psychic surgery as a culturally embedded folk healing tradition sustained by belief in spirit intervention despite lacking empirical validation. In broader culture, psychic surgery emerged as a phenomenon in the during the 1970s, drawing Western media attention and tourists seeking alternative therapies amid interest in spiritual healing. Philippine spiritism integrates such practices, viewing them as extensions of Catholic folk traditions channeled through mediums, though exposés in outlets like emphasize their reliance on misdirection over any causal efficacy. Fictional representations occasionally invoke psychic surgery as a motif for esoteric powers, but these diverge from documented cases where patient outcomes stem from effects or delayed conventional care rather than operative success.

References

  1. https://skepdic.com/psurgery.html
  2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24311050/
  3. https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/commission_decision_volumes/volume-86/ftc_volume_decision_86_july_-_december_1975pages_715-825.pdf
  4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2110023/
  5. https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.3322/canjclin.40.3.184
  6. https://skepticalinquirer.org/2021/12/secrets-of-psychic-surgery/
  7. https://time.com/archive/6712504/james-randi-fighting-against-flimflam/
  8. https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/46843/psychic-surgery-as-a-spiritual-practice/
  9. https://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?AuthorID=56980&id=33223
  10. https://garymjones.com/philippines-psychic-surgeons/
  11. https://dangerousminds.net/comments/the_rusty_knife_of_arigo_brazils_amazing_psychic_surgeon/
  12. https://longreads.com/2019/07/03/the-brazilian-healer-and-the-patron-saint-of-impossible-causes/
  13. https://www.deseret.com/2012/3/24/20402347/ill-flock-to-brazil-psychic-surgeon-john-of-god/
  14. https://journals.sfu.ca/seemj/index.php/seemj/article/download/181/146/299
  15. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9188913/
  16. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11070508/
  17. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0277953687900244
  18. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.3727/036012997816356815
  19. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-46585542
  20. https://www.reformedreflections.org/studies/psychic-surgery.html
  21. https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/psychic-surgery
  22. https://antiquatedantidotes.blog/2020/06/13/the-mystery-of-psychic-surgery/
  23. https://sk.sagepub.com/ency/edvol/download/the-sage-encyclopedia-of-filipinx-american-studies/chpt/faith-healers.pdf
  24. https://www.culteducation.com/group/1289-general-information/8327-sideshows-of-science.html
  25. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.3322/canjclin.40.3.184/pdf
  26. https://time.com/archive/6638548/therapy-psychic-surgery/
  27. https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/agpaoa-tony-1939-1982
  28. https://web.randi.org/a---encyclopedia-of-claims.html
  29. https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Filipino-faith-healer-faces-trial-in-Russia-3059203.php
  30. https://kaufmanconfidential.wordpress.com/tag/jun-labo/
  31. https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/arigo-jose-1918-1971
  32. https://www.espiritualidades.com.br/Artigos/M_autores/MOREIRA-ALMEIDA_Alexander_et_alii_tit_Study_of_the_Mediumistic_Surgery_of_John_of_God-A.pdf
  33. https://vocal.media/fyi/pachita-the-mexican-shaman-who-cured-only-with-a-knife
  34. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffnXIjExWfw
  35. https://wtfnow.uk/psychic-surgery-scam-shocks-1920s-britain
  36. https://moretolifemag.co.uk/stephen-turoff-psychic-surgeon/
  37. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280010722_Psychic_surgery_as_a_breaking_frame_Ethnographic_observations_of_a_London_based_psychic_surgeon
  38. https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/blogs/obooks/psychic-healing-in-a-world-of-disease-and-illness/
  39. https://www.ancientpurity.com/blog/psychic-surgery-mind-body--spirit/
  40. https://psychicbloggers.com/archives/15145
  41. https://psychicsurgery.net/the-practitioners
  42. https://www.vitalveda.com.au/learn/vedic-wisdom/psychic-surgery-conan/
  43. https://www.sfgate.com/world/article/Brazil-s-John-of-God-hoax-or-spiritual-healer-3466892.php
  44. https://www.dawn.com/news/711244/john-of-god-the-brazilian-psychic-surgeon
  45. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/027795369290307C
  46. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-07-15-vw-2337-story.html
  47. https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/touch-me-feel-me-heal-me/
  48. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/86926/
  49. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1643147/
  50. https://www.jstor.org/stable/649226
  51. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00029157.1988.10402769
  52. https://vhistory.wordpress.com/2014/08/07/james-randi-psychic-investigator-tape-1204/
  53. https://www.skepdic.com/psurgery.html
  54. https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/52438/is-seemingly-bare-hands-surgery-with-no-instruments-fake
  55. https://en.dharmapedia.net/wiki/Psychic_surgery
  56. https://www.sgutranscripts.org/wiki/5X5_Episode_82
  57. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjF1sUZEy2U
  58. https://ashleylpeterson.medium.com/is-psychic-surgery-a-real-thing-4669fedb65dc
  59. https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/brazil/2018/12/john-of-god-indicted-for-rape-by-deception.shtml
  60. https://www.newagebd.net/article/212361/brazil-faith-healer-jailed-for-118-years-for-rape
  61. https://www.nytimes.com/1975/10/25/archives/ftc-curtails-the-promotion-of-all-psychic-surgery-tours.html
  62. https://thefilipinopost.com/article/3833-psychic-surgery-%25E2%2580%259Cunmitigated-hoax%25E2%2580%259D.html
  63. https://quackwatch.org/ncahf/pp/faith/
  64. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-human-beast/201103/faith-healing-shouldnt-work-but-it-does
  65. https://psychicsurgery.net/the-practice
  66. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/002216787601600402
  67. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hot-thought/201904/should-you-believe-in-psychics
  68. https://mubi.com/en/us/films/james-randi-psychic-investigator-psychic-surgery
  69. https://www.reddit.com/r/ObscureMedia/comments/ji2tu0/james_randi_psychic_surgery_on_the_tonight_show/
  70. https://www.netflix.com/title/81103570
  71. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGArLj-ul4
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.