TLC
TLC’s ‘The Healer’ Might Be the Real Deal — He Has Science to Back Him Up!
If you’ve watched TLC’s The Healer, you’ve probably had a couple of reactions. One, who is this handsome Australian? And two, there’s no way he can be the real deal, right?
Charlie Goldsmith is the focus of The Learning Channel’s newest reality series, which follows the energy healer on his mission to validate his skills and Energy Healing on a whole. Of course, Charlie and his practice have been met with a fair amount of skepticism through the years — ever since he discovered his purported gift at the age of 18. However, he claims that it can all be proven to be legitimate through the wonders of science.
The Aussie has participated in two scientific studies already. The first took place in 2015 and was published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. In that study, Charlie treated 50 people suffering from pain at a reported 76 percent success rate. The trial also included him treating 29 cases of non-pain problems, which had a reported 79 percent success rate. The second study is still ongoing, and another double-blind study is planned for 2018.
Scientific backing is the reason why The Healer exists as a show — Charlie’s first study, which was conducted at NYU’s Lutheran Hospital, brought him to the attention of production company Bunim/Murray. They were convinced by the medical backing he’d received, including that of Dr. Ramsey Joudeh, who has praised the healer after seeing the results firsthand. “Most of our narcotics decrease a patient’s pain by three to five points. If you go from a 10, meaning the worst pain you can imagine, to five, that’s significant. In some cases, Charlie reduced a patient’s pain from 10 to zero,” he states. “I can’t quantify it, but I would say Charlie cuts off patients’ hospital stays. Watching him work has been humbling in the most extreme way.”
The way Charlie does his work, he explains, is by focusing his energy on the person’s issue, which can range from chronic pain to infections and autoimmune disorders. This process often takes 60 seconds or less, and he maintains it’s similar to meditating and “moving your awareness around the body” — just for someone else’s body.
He sees this as “a gift,” though not one he profits from himself. “The gift is something I have to give as opposed to something I get to benefit from. Not one moment in my life do I wonder what my purpose is,” he continues. Actually, he doesn’t even charge for his work! Instead, he makes ends meet with day jobs at creative communications agency Cassette, and sugar-free chocolate brand Pumpy Jackson — two companies he founded himself.
If you’re still unconvinced of Charlie’s abilities, he won’t hold it against you. He’s aware of healing’s divisive history, and that he has many years of misconceptions to undo. He reasons, “I don’t have a clean slate … I’ve just discovered healing and everyone’s going, ‘Well, that’s been proven to be fraudulent.’”
That said, he promises that it’s “not a fraud” and that he can change your opinion with one chance. “Just give me a second of your time and I’ll show you it’s not,” he insists. It might take a little more than one second — each episode is an hour long. Still, you’ll probably want to give it a look, even if just to see him work with celebrity clients like Real Housewives of Beverly Hills‘ Kyle Richards and Dirty Dancing actress Jennifer Grey!
