International Journal of
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Case Series Volume 19 Issue 3
Case series: are practitioners overlooking side effects of remote healing? observations from a series of cases
PJ Goldschmidt
Received: May 04, 2026 | Published: June 5, 2026
Citation: Goldschmidt PJ. Case series: are practitioners overlooking side effects of remote healing? observations from a series of cases. Int J Complement Alt Med. 2026;19(3):150-151. DOI: 10.15406/ijcam.2026.19.00778
Abstract
Remote healing, also known as distant or energy-based healing, is increasingly utilized across complementary and integrative medicine, yet its potential adverse effects remain poorly studied. This case series evaluated both beneficial and negative outcomes in eight blinded participants receiving two remote healing interventions. While some participants reported modest improvements in stress, anxiety, depression, and pain, results were inconsistent. Notably, three participants (37.5%) experienced adverse effects, including symptom exacerbation, fatigue, depersonalization, and widespread pain. These effects were transient but lasted from several days up to ten days in one case. Findings challenge the common assumption that remote healing is inherently harmless and this case series highlights the need to systematically assess risks alongside benefits, emphasizing ethical obligations such as informed consent and monitoring, as well as the need for further trials to rigorously evaluate safety.
Keywords: remote healing, distant healing, adverse effects, energy medicine, patient safety, healing outcomes, nonlocal healing
©2026 Goldschmidt. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially.