THERE'S a growing interest in New Age self-help therapies in urban centres here and overseas. As complementary medicine takes baby steps towards mainstream acceptance, we are being inundated with all manner of healers and healing therapies that promise everything from self-actualisation to being able to heal others. Some of the more well known methods include Reiki, water healing, psychic surgery, crystal healing and aura balancing.

Then there is prayer. IRAH's Book of Healing (which is not specific to any faith) takes prayer very seriously, using it as the basis for a Root Fear Matrix Removal programme, as explained in this slim volume.

This book takes a spiritual view of mankind's bond with the Creator and the concept of universal love. It explains that there are only two states of being, which are FEAR (negatively based emotions) and LOVE (positively based emotions). To quote the book: "When we exhibit Love, we are in a state of union with the Creator, and therefore in a state of oneness in co-creating all things peaceful, blissful and joyful ... Here the mind merely functions as a slave and a tool of the heart and spirit...

"Fear manifests when we perceive ourselves as a separate entity from the Creator. The Mind takes complete charge of the personality that you have created for yourself and is devoid of any Love for yourself and your surroundings." The book goes on to explain that when fear exceeds its physical capacity, the signs are manifested as symptoms such as pain, itchiness, numbness, swelling, etc. ­ the beginnings of a disease. By removing the root fear, consequently we can also be healed, be it physically or emotionally.

IRAH's Book of Healing goes on to talk about what root fear is and how it affects us in our daily lives.

We then get to the fear removal methodology. The interesting thing about IRAH is that faith is not a prerequisite to do fear removal, but it does help to maintain fear removal as a way of life.

Before embarking on a particular fear removal exercise, there are some do's and don'ts (absolutely no alcohol, for instance). Then we get to a list of diseases and symptoms (such as leg pain, migraine, erectile dysfunction, vomiting, etc.), as well as the respective fear removal prayers. The wordings may seem a little convoluted, but it's still easy to get used to.

As with all self-healing methods, the proof, as they say, is in the pudding. The prayers ­ which the user tailors according to his or her own religious beliefs ­ take only minutes to say, and, from my personal experience, appear to be effective. But in some cases, the symptoms come back, mainly because it is so easy for our minds to recreate the fear pattern. In these cases, it's best for the root fear to be removed; a process which is most effectively done by a healer. For more details, go to www.irah-healing.com.