Raped nurse undergoes Japanese healing sessions

COTABATO CITY, Philippines  – Parents of Florence, the 21-year-old volunteer nurse who was gang-raped in South Upi, Maguindanao, have allowed her to undergo reiki sessions, convinced that the century-old Japanese-style “spiritual restoration” of emotional and physical stability will ease her trauma and heal her injuries fast.

A reiki healer, who wants to be identified only as Thelonnius, already facilitated four reiki spiritual healing sessions for Florence (not her real name) in her room at the Davao Medical Center in Davao City.

The so-called reiki healing, developed in the 1920s by a Japanese Buddhist named Mikao Usui, is focused on healing “emotional, physical and spiritual problems” through prayer, fasting and meditation.

“Florence was terrorized, in deep pain. But after our first reiki session, she had a deep rest. The atmosphere in the (hospital) room changed when the good energies came. Less tension, freer,” Thelonnius, the healer, told reporters.

Thelonnius said reiki healing is one premised on “universal life energy” that can be channeled from the healer to the patient.

The reiki healing sessions for Florence in her hospital room started Oct. 6, according to her relatives.

“It’s perfect for traumatized beings like Florence. Reiki healing addresses physical, emotional, and spiritual needs,” Thelonnius said.

The parents and superiors of Florence in the Maguindanao provincial health office, among them the top health officer in the province, physician Tahir Sulaik Al-Haj, are not opposed to her undergoing reiki healing since it does not, in any way, affect the conventional medication being administered to her by the hospital where she is now confined.

The head injuries Florence sustained when she was molested left half of her body paralyzed.

“But she has been recuperating well enough. Thanks to Allah. Slowly, she will heal soon,” said Sulaik, who has jurisdiction over government health workers in all of Maguindanao’s 36 municipalities.           

Meantime, women’s group Gabriela vowed yesterday to further its awareness campaign and self-defense training activities that seek to equip communities with tools needed in empowering women.

It expressed rage and deep alarm over the increasing incidents of gang rapes in the country especially the sexual abuse committed against Florence.

“We believe it is reflective of the prevailing low opinion afforded women in a society dominated by machismo; the perverse thinking that women are mere sex objects and could be used forcefully for sexual gratification. The persistence of this decadent culture gives way to escalated, more frightening forms of violence directed towards women,” Gabriela said in a statement.

Nurses pulled out

A report on GMANews.TV on Saturday said nine volunteer nurses have also been pulled out from South Upi in Maguindanao after the gang-rape of Florence.

Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) president Dr. Teresita Barcelo said in the GMA News report that the volunteer nurses have left for safety reasons.

Barcelo likewise expressed dismay that the health of the town’s residents would be compromised due to the pullout of the volunteer nurses.

Earlier, the provincial health officer of Maguindanao warned of the possible massive pullout of the 138 government nurses in the province following the gang-rape of their colleague last week. – With Michael Punongbayan