In a remote part of Brazil, a man known as 'John of God' is apparently changing people's lives in astonishing ways.

I found out about this movement on SBS as part of Shaun Micallef's Stairway To Heaven documentary this week.

Oprah Winfrey has also personally visited John of God. You can read her story at: http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Oprahs-Experience-with-John-of-God-Oprah-on-Lifes-Journey

So can things here like supernatural miracles, crystals, energy and spiritual therapy cure illness and heal elements of your life? Is freedom of choice part of the spectrum? Or is this system simply taking advantage of others?

"When people stop believing in God, they don’t believe in nothing — they believe in anything."

G K Chesterton (sort of).

Hi there NATHANJ...

I guess in times of immense crisis or prolonged (terminal)illnesses, many people reach out for help, either from their religious beliefs, Christianity, in fact anything at all, and if it gives them a measure of peace, why not ?

The Republic of the Philippines have many of these so called psychic surgeons, who perform all manner of miracles in their shabby little huts, in mountainous Baguio City. People come from all over the world to 'consult' these charlatan surgeons, all of whom seem to have a similar modi operandi to this bloke, in Brazil ?

Please forgive me, I don't mean to be impertinent, but personally I think it's all just bunkum, a fraud. Many of whom are simply hoaxers, deceivers and swindlers, tend only to prey upon and wilfully torture those poor souls who place all their hopes in something. Anything that may either dramatically ease their pain, or cure them altogether.

Practitioners (perpetrators) of these sorts of crimes, should be immediately rounded up, and punished severely for the hurt they inflict upon others.

There's two factors here.
1. The placebo effect. People will feel better (maybe actually get better, for some conditions) if they believe the person or the treatment is helping them.
2. Successes are better remembered than failures. With these kinds of treatments, individuals can say to themselves (or be told), oh I didn't have enough faith/put enough effort in/have my head in the right place.
And that's without outright fraud and fakery.

Dear Cossomby,

One more to the list:

3) Time heals, doctors kill: by having faith in the alternatives, people escape the conventional and eventually time does its thing uninterruptedly.

NathanJ,

No, I will not be taking up any form of Spiritism until some reliable evidence surfaces for any of it.

<<So can things here like supernatural miracles, crystals, energy and spiritual therapy cure illness and heal elements of your life?>>

Through a placebo effect, yes. As Cossomby also notes, confirmation bias is a factor which exaggerates the success rates of spiritual healing.

<<… is this system simply taking advantage of others?>>

The itself system is, but I think most people pedalling such nonsense genuinely believe in it. One less-sinister exception to this would be the members of the clergy who stop believing but see no way out because it’s their employment and it’s all they have ever known.

--

mhaze,

G K Chesterton was an idiot, not an authority on what theists-turned-atheist will believe. There is no evidence for Chesterton’s claim at all. In fact, on the contrary, the evidence suggests that people who are indoctrinated into a religion from an early age are less able to distinguish fantasy from reality (http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-28537149). No surprises there. I was living proof of that.

A quote’s catchiness is not indicative of the truth of its claim.

... or, "the system itself", even.

Anyone care to comment on the supposed miracles of Lourdes?

Yes, Is Mise. I'd note that the same number of amputees cured by the springs is identical to the number of amputees cured by placebos.

You don't actually believe any miracles occur there, do you? You weren't brought up in a religious household by any chance, we're you?

Spiritism is nothing short of playing with demons. People who reject Jesus Christ and His teachings often turn to false religion. Secularism is just as demonic as spiritism as its High Priests are generally pathetically flawed human beings who hide behind pseudo science to approve abhorent lifestyles.

When I was still at high school, just before the age of the USB, classes still involved the use of hard disks.

One time I had not finished an assignment, and my teacher (for a class I didn't like) wanted to see my work. They then sat beside myself and asked me to open a project file.

Immediately, I went into a stress mode, with my face very moist and in complete shock. It was unbelievable, and a feeling I would normally see in a cartoon, not part of reality.

Then suddenly, on the computer screen something like the following came up: "This file is corrupt" and the file wouldn't open. I was asked again to open the file, and the same words came to a front.

My teacher asked if I had done anything to my disk and I honestly said I hadn't, which was true.

Looking back, has always been interesting. I was at a Christian school and I can't see how there was no element of a miracle, regardless of a person's view or perception of what a miracle may or may not be or if miracles even exist.

//Then suddenly, on the computer screen something like the following came up: "This file is corrupt" and the file wouldn't open. I was asked again to open the file, and the same words came to a front.

My teacher asked if I had done anything to my disk and I honestly said I hadn't, which was true.

Looking back, has always been interesting. I was at a Christian school and I can't see how there was no element of a miracle//

Good grief... a computer fails to read a file properly and hallelujah, it's a frigging miracle. Spare me.

Spiritualism is crap. I'm not so sure about spiritism: I assume that's something do with drinking far too much strong alcohol, and I stick to beer and wine.

Hume's arguments against miracles still hold sound, crystals are just solids with highly regular microscopic structure, energy is a quantity used by physicists and not in any way vaguely related to what you imagine it to be, and spiritual therapy is a fancy name for quackery.

There is one word to describe people who believe in that shite, and that word is gullible.

Hi IS MISE...

No, but I've visited Fatima in Portugal which has similar significance to that of Lourdes. I was particularly struck with the deep devotion exhibited by the many believers who attended there, with many of them choosing to remain on their bare knees for over an hour, as well as progressing awkwardly (still on their knees) toward the holy grotto. With many of them showing abrasions, with bleeding kneecaps etc. as they literally crawl around the holy grotto.

I guess to a 'born again atheist' like me, it represents an amusing sight watching these poorly educated Portuguese folk, pray so very hard for their salvation, and a cure for all manner of ailments. Nevertheless, even a hard bitten old atheist like me, would never ever contemplate taunting or abusing these poor souls, as they pray so hard, to precisely empty space ?

My junk E mail file gathers at least 20 e mails a week from various people trying to make a quid out of selling spiritualism to the needy & the unwary.

Then there are the next group bordering on spiritualism, selling their seminars, "just believe you will succeed, become a millionaire, or what ever", again for a price.

I'll take the Trump kind of spiritualism, applied with a smart kick up the butt any time, thanks.

Good to see that A.J. Phillips has now admitted he is no longer able to distinguish fact from fantasy as he was indoctrinated from childhood. Perhaps a sense of logic in his argument is missing.

He states, "the evidence suggests that people who are indoctrinated into a religion from an early age are less able to distinguish fantasy from reality. No surprises there. I was living proof of that.

I present myself a a Christian realist, so have second thoughts on the original claims of the topic.

AJ,

Until someone can prove that miracles have not taken place at Lourdes then I shall believe that they have so done.

I am open to convincing otherwise however and if you can give a reference to some disproof of a verifiable scientific or medical nature then I shall be most appreciative.

My upbringing was in a home that was Catholic and Irish and I was educated by teachers of the Marist Order who taught us to think for ourselves and to question everything.

O sung wu,

That must have been very interesting, the story of Fatima poses some interesting questions, particularly relating to the Three Secrets.

Is Mise,

Do you believe everything you hear until someone proves it wrong?

<<Until someone can prove that miracles have not taken place at Lourdes then I shall believe that they have so done.>>

This is the Argument from Ignorance fallacy. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument_from_ignorance)

Do you believe in Russell’s teapot because no one has disproven it yet? What about unicorns?

Sounds like you have it arse-about there.

<<I am open to convincing otherwise however and if you can give a reference to some disproof of a verifiable scientific or medical nature then I shall be most appreciative.>>

That is a fallacious shifting of the burden of proof. It is not up to me to disprove those claims. It is up to those making them to provide evidence for them. Such a confused expectation, that others do the impossible by proving a negative, is only held by those who want to protect a cherished belief. It is not an expectation held by any rational, thinking person.

<<My upbringing was in a home that was Catholic and Irish and I was educated by teachers of the Marist Order who taught us to think for ourselves and to question everything.>>

Apparently you weren’t how to do any of that, though. So it was all for nothing.

Now, perhaps you can tell me why no amputees have ever been miraculously cured?

AJ,

"<<My upbringing was in a home that was Catholic and Irish and I was educated by teachers of the Marist Order who taught us to think for ourselves and to question everything.>>

Apparently you weren’t how to do any of that, though. So it was all for nothing.

Huh?

Hi IS MISE...

Yes indeed the three secrets. I 'think' it was young Lucia (I stand to be corrected) who had been given the secrets? Apparently she lived in seclusion, until her late eighties in a cloistered Catholic Convent at the edge of the holy area in the town of Fatima ? Apparently her two siblings died very early on, in their teens (or maybe younger), as was prophesied by ('Our Lady') during one of her appearances at that time c. 1913 ?

I'm sorry, maybe it was 'Marie' not 'Lucia' who survived to old age. Nevertheless legends abound as to what those three secrets contain. Nobody other than the Pope knows what they are, but he won't reveal them to the world ? There are two main streams of opinions as to what they are?

(i) The first, was an utter refutation or invalidation of much of the important doctrines that are taught and observed in Roman Catholicism;

(ii) The other, the complete annihilation of mankind, as a result of Nuclear Holocaust that will radiate from the Middle East.

I was there shortly after my discharge from the Military in 1969 so my memory's not that good.

Is Mise,

What I meant is that despite being taught to think for yourself and question everything, you apparently weren’t taught HOW TO think for yourself or question everything. I’m not sure how I could have said that much clearer.

Anyone who plods their way through life determining what they will and will not believe based on the Argument from Ignorance fallacy, and whose method of inquiry is to fallaciously shift the burden of proof by expecting others to prove negatives, hasn’t a clue how to ‘think for themselves’ or ‘question everything’ in a way that is ever going to produce reliable results. In most cases you will be wrong, and anytime you are right, you will only ever have been so by pure fluke.

Now, about those amputees…

Would I take up Spiritism?

No. I have my beliefs.
I'm not looking for new ones.
Yet many people apparently are as reflected in
the extraordinary range of contemporary faiths -
from long-established denominations to ephemeral cults, from
groups that demand self-denial to those that offer
self-indulgence, from those that search for a way back to
those that offer a way out. This variety is hardly
surprising, it arises out of a wide range of lifestyles
and wants. Many people use religion as a means forward
toward self-fulfillment and the establishment of their
identities. People seem to be increasingly apt to pick
and choose among religious organiosations rather like
customers looking for a particular product that best suits
their own needs.

Those who want mystical transcendence may join one group,
those who want strict, unambiguous guidelines for
behaviour may choose another. Many of the new religions
don't appeal, to the economically deprived, Scientology
comes to mind, Spiritism may cater to the psychologically
deprived - to people looking for meaning they cannot find
elsewhere.

I guess only time will tell whether some of these religions
like others before them will grow into denominations of
the future - or whether they will totally disappear.
Spiritism though appears to have been around for quite some time.

Toni,

<<Good grief... a computer fails to read a file properly and hallelujah, it's a frigging miracle. Spare me.>>

Firstly you fail to recognise how I was feeling and the views I had, being a teenager. These can be totally different to that of an adult. Yes the feelings were real and... "Immediately, I went into a stress mode, with my face very moist and in complete shock. It was unbelievable, and a feeling I would normally see in a cartoon, not part of reality."

Also on top of this was the fact of not having an assignment finished on time and the teacher not happy that I was failing the subject in question.

So when the computer file did not open and also being at a Christian school, I have felt there was an element of a miracle to it, simply because the teacher in question, could not accuse me of something (at all, as they had nothing they could use as evidence to prove any claim). I was at the same time offered relief and some basic protection from further pressure or claims.

The teacher had to walk away having no evidence to back up any claims or thoughts they may have had or any aims to get details re myself failing further in the subject in question.

Finally, I have never had a computer file not open since this incident, so it was very rare in that context.

o sung wu,

The sesrets have been long revealed, they're on Google.

Aj,

"That is a fallacious shifting of the burden of proof. It is not up to me to disprove those claims.
[no one asked you to do so]
It is up to those making them to provide evidence for them.
[this they do, to the best of their ability, by subjecting such claims to rigorous examination by medical experts]
Such a confused expectation, that others do the impossible by proving a negative, is only held by those who want to protect a cherished belief.
[I didn't ask for a negative to be proved, only that you give a reference to some reliable refutation]
It is not an expectation held by any rational, thinking person.
[yes it is, surely when a claim is made then someone can examine the evidence and disprove the claim, especially if a group of medicos claims that they cannot explain a cure then others versed in the science of medicine could come forward and disprove them.]

So far it seems that none of the miraculous claims have been disproved.

The opinions of doctors are often challenged in our courts, why cannot the opinions of the 40 or so medical people who make up the committee on claimed Lourdes cures be challenged?

Reliably challenged that is, see:
https://www.google.com.au/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1CAFB_enAU718AU718&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=lourdes+miracles+debunked

AJ,

I was having a gentle dig,
the sentence "Apparently you weren’t(?)* how to do any of that, though. So it was all for nothing." is meaningless

* taught or perhaps encouraged, allowed, expected.

"Anyone who plods their way through life determining what they will and will not believe based on the Argument from Ignorance fallacy....

Now, about those amputees"

Hoist on thine own petard?

I know, Is Mise.

<<no one asked you to [provide evidence]>>

I was simply explaining why your thinking was fallacious.

<<… they do [provide evidence for their miraculous healing], to the best of their ability, by subjecting such claims to rigorous examination by medical experts>>

Miracles, by their very definition, cannot be empirically verified.

<<I didn't ask for a negative to be proved …>>

You expect evidence to the contrary without first having evidence in the affirmative. Same thing.

<<… only that you give a reference to some reliable refutation>>

What part of the burden of proof do you not understand? Nevertheless, I have provided a rational explanation - the placebo effect - and cited the lack of amputees being miraculously healed as an observation that is consistent with this. Another common explanation is the supposedly-healed person not actually having suffered from what they thought they were suffering from.

<<… surely when a claim is made then someone can examine the evidence and disprove the claim …>>

They can. But if the person making the claim believes it only because no one can disprove it, then their thinking is fallacious. I don’t understand why this is so difficult for you.

<<… especially if a group of medicos claims that they cannot explain a cure then others versed in the science of medicine could come forward and disprove them.>>

No, the absence of an explanation is not evidence of a miracle. You are committing the Argument from Ignorance fallacy again.

<<So far it seems that none of the miraculous claims have been disproved.>>

And how would one do that, pray tell?

<<The opinions of doctors are often challenged in our courts, why cannot the opinions of the 40 or so medical people who make up the committee on claimed Lourdes cures be challenged?>>

It’s not that they can’t be challenged, it’s that they don’t have to be until evidence in the affirmative is produced. The default position for any given claim is always disbelief. I suggest you read up on what the burden of proof is.

". In fact, on the contrary, the evidence suggests that people who are indoctrinated into a religion from an early age are less able to distinguish fantasy from reality"

Jews are renowned as musicians, comedians and scientists , possibly due to fantasy / abstract thought and spiritual elements. " You may call me an agnostic, but I do not share the crusading spirit of the professional atheist. … I prefer an attitude of humility corresponding to the weakness of our intellectual understanding of nature and of our own being,” the scientist (Einstein) wrote, AP reported.

Abraham Darby in UK was the father of steel technology and a Quaker.
Isaac Newton scribbled with numbers and wrote about the maths of the trinity doctrine as a believer.
Some Yanks believe and invent stuff.

Well IS MISE I was wrong again, I didn't even get the names of the right kids right.

It goes to show, if I we to act like a good little police-person, I would've first consulted the Worlds greatest known Illuminati, one ever to likely grace us with his earthly presence, and the current lightweight boring champion of sunny Queensland - the ubiquitous...A.J.PHILIPS - Don't tell us your vast knowledge extends beyond that of Roman Catholicism as well, surely not ? Old Pope 'whats his name' won't be very pleased, I'm sure ? Well bugger me !

Aj,

"....Another common explanation is the supposedly-healed person not actually having suffered from what they thought they were suffering from...."

Then one would think that, from the evidence presented to the Committee it would be easy to prove that the contention, above, is correct.
Surely some medical expert or three could easily disprove the claims.

Take the case of "John Traynor (b. 1883 – d. 1943) was a Royal Marine severely wounded during the First World War. He lived as an invalid until 1923, when he joined with fellow Catholics from the Liverpool area and journeyed to the Catholic shrines at Lourdes."....He was wounded near Bruges on 8 October 1914, but recovered. He was hit by machine gun fire on May 8, 1915 while participating in a bayonet charge in the Gallipoli Campaign, losing the use of his right arm and beginning to suffer from epilepsy, and was discharged with an 80% pension.
In April 1920, a surgeon in Liverpool attempted to cure the epilepsy by trepanning, an operation that was reported to have resulted in the partial paralysis of both legs.
In 1923 he traveled to Lourdes with a group of pilgrims from Liverpool, dipping in the baths nine times. While there he is said to have been cured.

To cut a long story short Jack Traynor was completely cured and led a vigorous life, including having a few more children.
http://www.faithandfamily.org.uk/publications/jack_traynor.htm

His case is not considered to be a miracle by the Church, nor was it considered to be one by the British Government which continued to pay him a 100% Diability pension even though he could and did heft sacks of coal in his business as a coal merchant; still being paid the pension is the real miracle, it wouldn't happen under Centerlink!!

AJ claims not to believe in miracles and yet holds to the idiotic unscientific fantasy of the big bang. Quite hilarous really. Can't see the irony of his own delusion.

nicknamenick,

LSD has also given us some of the greatest music over the last 50 years. That doesn't mean it's good for you.

--

o sung wu,

Do you have anything relevant to say in response to anything I’ve written on this thread, or are you just trolling again? Your obsession with me is unhealthy. You need to seek help for that Borderline Personality Disorder of yours.

http://www.helpguide.org/articles/personality-disorders/borderline-personality-disorder.htm

Beyondblue support service 24 hours: 1300 22 4636

--

Is Mise,

You’re assuming that it hasn’t been.

<<Then one would think that, from the evidence presented to the Committee it would be easy to prove that the contention, above, is correct.>>

How many of these delusional people submit themselves to be subjects of a controlled experiment? None, I bet. Funny that.

<<Surely some medical expert or three could easily disprove the claims.>>

Provided there was a controlled experiment, yes, sometimes. But why would they bother? The burden of proof still rests with those making the fantastical claims.

<<Take the case of "John Traynor …>>

As far as I know, this guy was a classic example of precisely what I was saying. We have no access to any records verifying the truth of his story. It should come as no surprise that we never see any of these supposed miracles firsthand too, and that even those who supposedly witness trivial miracle healings see the less-significant miracle healings. They’ve only ever been told about the the more amazing healings.

--

And runner,

My angry little friend. Perhaps you could tell us why your god never heals amputees? Or why he insists on playing silly buggers with trivial supposed healings that only ever seem to happen in evangelical churches instead of - oh, I don’t know - feeding millions of starving people?

*Crickets chirping*

If allowing you to spew your hatred AJ does not convince you that God is merciful and good then I doubt whether the raising of the dead would convince you also.

AJ
". In fact, on the contrary, the evidence suggests that people who are indoctrinated into a religion from an early age are less able to distinguish fantasy from reality"
"LSD isn't good for you"
OK but the chemistry of the drug is correct , in biological effect and the industrial manufacture of it. Are you able to distinguish a rational response from a fantastic illogical altered thought?

A.J.PHILIPS...

Well you've surprised me with this one ? I didn't think even you, with your immeasurably out of control hubris would stoop so low as to frivolously refer to a facility, that's given so much emotional support and succor, as a first 'port of call' for those poor souls suffering from acute episodes of severe mental illness.

When I was still working I, together with several other squads willingly attended a two day seminar specifically run by 'Beyond Blue' and in collaboration with 'LifeLine' specially as a service for NSW operational police to appraise us of the various benefits that are available to us, in defusing potential suicides, and/or grief counselling for the NOK's of alleged murder/suicide victims. As well as providing a confidential stress counselling referral for coppers themselves.

And for you, to make 'light' of such a facility really illustrates to me, that you're indeed, one sick puppy to refer to Beyond Blue in an attempt to make some inane point at me ? I said at the very outset, I've never liked you. I'll certainly need to review that sentiment forthwith. My problem is we're on a public forum, what a pity ? And you claim you know all about police work, you're a very sick individual A.J. PHILIPS.

o sung wu,

You wanting to hijack yet another discussion with your unprovoked personal attacks, are you?

<<I didn't think even you, with your immeasurably out of control hubris would stoop so low as to frivolously refer to a facility, that's given so much emotional support and succor, as a first 'port of call' for those poor souls suffering from acute episodes of severe mental illness.>>

I didn’t. I was serious. You can cut the feigned outrage too, because even if I weren’t serious, it would not adversely affect the organisation in any way, nor would it be making light of mental health issues.

<<… you're a very sick individual A.J. PHILIPS.>>

You haven’t demonstrated this yet. The only mental health issues apparent here are yours with your trolling and unjustified attacks that come from nowhere.

Get help. You're sick.

Phuck's sake, man...

Don't feed the bloody troll!

http://allydelmonte.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/388554_828866265134_193305984_37095493_1647424391_n.jpg

AJ,

John Traynor's case (which is not considered to be a miracle by the Church) is well documented and undoubtedly buried in the records in Britain is the reason why they continued to pay a hale and hearty veteran a 100% disability pension while he was humping sacks of coal.

A J PHILIPS I'm sick - sick of you ! Every topic where you place your effeminate epithet you're forever demanding facts; where are the facts is your continuous snivel - you really are a poisonous little man aren't you, with your derisive and snide remarks concerning 'Beyond Blue' and their work. I guess you can't be blamed given your sheltered vocational environment, if you have work,that is.

And pray tell us all, your explanation of 'the Burden of Proof'. You throw around these inefficacious words, that essentially come from the Miscellany of Monotony, all baseless theory with little or no substance or relevancy - fallacy, invalid arguments, lacks logic, fallacious nonsense. Yup, your word of the day has gotta be 'fallacy' and it's several derivatives eh PHILIPS the Criminologist ?

You claim, the miracles that apparently occurred at Lourdes and Fatima are, here it comes AJP...'fallacious' ? How do you know, were you there ? If so where's your evidence ? Of course you can't prove it. Conversely nor can you prove they have occurred. But being the arrogant egotistical girl's blouse you are, you like to listen to the rhythm of your own commentary.

It's no wonder street coppers can't abide the sheer uselessness of your futile and ineffectual trade. Now please enlighten us all, the 'Burden of Proof' has now shifted to you; you prove miracles didn't occur in Lourdes and/or Fatima ? Or, as its been suggested, you're full of hot air ?

Toni Lavis,

I know, I know. I have a habit of getting sucked into these childish little back-and-forths with petulant nutters.

--

o sung wu,

“Effeminate”? Now that’s a new one for me.

<<Every topic where you place your effeminate epithet you're forever demanding facts;>>

You mean ‘evidence’. And yes, who wouldn’t? Yourself, apparently.

Rest assured, though, I will be posting here on OLO for the rest of your life. No matter how much you try to bully me away.

<<And pray tell us all, your explanation of 'the Burden of Proof'.>>

It’s the same as everyone else’s. How about you Google it?

http://bfy.tw/5pP

<<You claim, the miracles that apparently occurred at Lourdes and Fatima are, here it comes AJP...'fallacious'>>

No, I’ve said, wait for it, here it comes, that there is no reliable evidence for them.

<<If so where's your evidence ? Of course you can't prove it.>>

Looks like you too could benefit from learning what the burden of proof is.

<<Or, as its been suggested, you're full of hot air ?>>

Where was that suggested?

Anyway, there’s no point in me communicating with someone who is apparently incapable of feeling any shame for how they behave, and you’ve disrupted this discussion enough without me continuing to encourage your trolling.

Just see a psychologist. ‘Borderline Personality Disorder’. Remember that. A qualified psychologist should be able to confirm, within the first session, if you do indeed suffer from this. But even if you don’t, they’ll be able to help you with your inability to control your emotions, and overcome your vacillating sense of self-worth, extreme emotional swings, chronic feeling of emptiness, and your explosive anger.

I’m confident that after a few sessions, you should be able to see me discredit the arguments of one of your fellow conservatives (whom you seem to seek so much solace from the political allegiance you share with them) without interpreting it as a slight on yourself. In the meantime, read up on Borderline Personality Disorder. I think a lot about your life will start to make sense once you do.

( where's all that smoke coming from..cof cof..)

The body does odd things , sometimes it blocks pain from catastrophic injury such as war wounds or car accidents . Yet it can feel minor pain in another part of the body. Or extreme strength in emergency comes without thinking.
"Charlotte Heffelmire's father can't believe what his 19-year-old daughter was able to do to save his life. Trapped under a burning car, she was able to lift it enough for him to escape.". USA TODAY

People can lose the will to live or force themselves to survive critical trauma by will-power.