Ils imposent leurs mains, soufflent le «froid», manipulent les corps, soignent par les plantes ou murmurent des formules secrètes. Ces thérapeutes aux pratiques mystérieuses suscitent à la fois méfiance et curiosité. 

Pourtant, de plus en plus de médecins ont recours aujourd'hui aux guérisseurs pour aider leurs patients à mieux faire face à la maladie. Des scientifiques affirment même que la médecine technologique de demain fera de plus en plus appel à ces savoirs ancestraux. 

Une médecine dite «intégrative», plus efficace, plus holistique, plus respectueuse de l'être humain.. Guérisseurs, rebouteux, magnétiseurs, barreurs de feu, faiseurs de secrets... 

In this groundbreaking volume, David Schenck and Larry Churchill present the results of fifty interviews with practitioners identified by their peers as "healers," exploring in depth the things that the best clinicians do. They focus on specific actions that exceptional healers perform to improve their relationships with their patients and, subsequently, improve their patients' overall health. The authors analyze the ritual structure and spiritual meaning of these healing skills, as well as their scientific basis, and offer a new, more holistic interpretation of the "placebo effect." Recognizing that the best healers are also people who know how to care for themselves, the authors describe activities that these clinicians have chosen to promote wellness, wholeness and healing in their own lives. The final chapter explores the deep connections between the mastery of healing skills and the mastery of what the authors call the "skills of ethics." They argue that ethics should be considered a healing art, alongside the art of medicine.