During a visit to Dollywood, I met more than a few Dolly Parton fans who claimed to have been healed of physical afflictions, such as depression and high blood pressure, by the singer.
Towards the end of my chat with Dolly, I said, "People think that they've been healed by you."
She laughed and squealed. "Ha, Ha! They do? Well, you know what? I think that, if they do, it's like, people love to respond to love and to energy. That's all about faith anyway, you know. I don't think anybody has the gift of healing unless you have such a gift of love that people can claim enough of that to heal themselves. Certainly I don't claim to be no healer. But I'm a very 'up' person, and I kid and joke, and sometimes I'll say and do crazy stuff almost like a witch doctor that can take people's minds off themselves. And they say, the body will heal itself if it's not dwelling on itself. If you can distract the mind, the body will heal itself ... I look so weird, it's like they're trying to examine me. 'Oh, God, are they real?' Or, 'how's she walking?' Or, 'Look at them nails.' By the time they get me analyzed they've forgot about themselves and maybe they have time to do a little healing then ... Maybe, if there's any healing done, it's because I'm so bizarre and out there that they'll forget themselves for a minute, and while they're gone, their body heals."
She laughed some more, before repeating herself. The message bears repeating: "It has nothing to do with me. I'm distracting them, while they heal themselves."
Copyright © 2004/2005 Michael Joseph Gross. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication or distribution is prohibited.