Came to Believe...

A sponsee was having trouble believing in a power greater than himself. I told him he wasn't unique in this respect. Many newcomers to the program have difficulty accepting that anything or anyone is more powerful they are.   

For those who have trouble with the spiritual aspect I've used as an example scientific proof of the power of belief established in university studies. I tell those with computer access to look up studies online that illustrate the power of belief.

One of these was performed by a Harvard University professor in 2008 and involved two groups of hotel maids. One group was told their housekeeping work was the equivalent of a workout routine. The other was told nothing about how their workload affected their health. After a month the group that was told their jobs were aiding their fitness underwent amazing improvements in weight loss and blood pressure reduction.

An even more astounding example of the so-called “placebo effect” is quoted in this 2002 Baylor University study:

“Patients with osteoarthritis of the knee who underwent placebo arthroscopic surgery were just as likely to report pain relief as those who received the real procedure, according to a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Baylor College of Medicine study published in the July 11 New England Journal of Medicine.

“In the study, 180 patients with knee pain were randomized into three groups. One group received debridement, in which worn, torn, or loose cartilage is cut away and removed with the aid of a pencil-thin viewing tube called an arthroscope. The second group underwent arthroscopic lavage, in which the bad cartilage is flushed out. The third group underwent simulated arthroscopic surgery; small incisions were made, but no instruments were inserted and no cartilage removed.”

In other words, the power of belief healed patients who had no surgery performed on them at all.

Anyone who has a problem with a "power greater" than themselves might take a look at these studies.