Fabíola de
Fátima Zanetti
de Lima:
“There is
growing interest
in the science
world and the
wider society
about the role
of spirituality
in the relation
between health
and illness”
The president of
the Medical
Spiritist
Association of
the Federal
District (AME-DF)
in Brazil talks
about the
current stage of
research linking
medicine and
spirituality
 |
Fabíola de
Fátima Zanetti
de Lima
(photo),
from the city of
Nova Friburgo,
in Rio de
Janeiro state,
lives in
Brasília, where
she began
working as a
volunteer at the
Comunhão
Espírita 26
years ago. She
is a doctor and
president of the
Medical
Spiritist
Association of
the Federal
District.
|
|
What led to the
creation of AME-DF
and where is it
based? |
It was founded
on March 19th
2007, after an
invitation and
lots of
encouragement of
the late doctor,
Marlene Nobre,
former president
of the Brazilian
Medical
Spiritist
Association. AME-DF
is based in a
room of the
Comunhão
Espírita, one of
Brasília’s
best-known
Spiritist
Centres. Its
website is
www.amedf.com.br.
Our email is
ame.distritofederal@gmail.com/facebook.
What are the
main goals of
the organisation
and its
members?
We follow the
guidance and
overall mission
of the Medical
Spiritist
associations
across the
country, which
is to bring the
soul to
medicine, in
every sense of
the word,
through study
and research. We
also highlight
the importance
of human warmth
and solidarity
when we give
support to
patients. Many
doctors and
health workers,
as well as
professionals
from other areas
who have an
interest in the
link between
health and
spirituality
take part in our
weekly meetings.
We are members
of AME-Brasil,
the nationwide
umbrella
organisation,
which
coordinates the
medical
Spiritist
movement in the
country. We
respect its
norms and work
together for the
same ideal.
What is your
assessment of
the quality of
the study and
research in the
field at this
particular
moment?
There is growing
interest in the
science world
and the wider
society about
the role of
spirituality in
the relation
between health
and illness.
Many centres
across the world
are carrying out
specific
research in that
field, looking
for answers that
cannot be found
in the
materialistic
model of
science. The
medical
Spiritist
associations
share the goal
of helping
establish a new
paradigm of
health, which
takes into
consideration
human beings as
a whole
(body-mind-spirit).
Through the
science
department of
AME-Brasil,
important
articles have
been published
in science
magazines
proving, from a
scientific
perspective,
points made by
Spiritism. One
of them, for
example,
concerns the
importance of
the pineal
gland, which was
revealed by
André Luiz
through the
mediumship of
Francisco
Cândido Xavier
in the1950s.
More information
about those
issues can be
obtained on the
AME-Brasil
website:
www.amebrasil.org.br.
What are the
main challenges
you are facing?
I believe the
main obstacle is
scepticism from
health
professionals,
who refuse to
review what they
learned in
university even
when faced with
bigger and
bigger demands
in their area.
The
technological
advancements of
the past
decades, as
relevant as they
are, have not
been able to
tackle all the
problems
regarding human
suffering.
What role do the
AMEs play? What
is their
importance?
They have an
important role
in encouraging
doctors and
other health
professionals to
study and
research,
reviewing their
knowledge in the
light a new
paradigm
provided to us
by Spiritism. We
have set up a
joint unit in
health units to
look into
spiritual
healing, opening
the door for
future
cooperation on
issues like
mediumship and
immortality
(focusing in
near death
experiences).
What can be
improved in the
organisation of
the medical
Spiritist
associations?
I think we can
do more on
disseminating
the scientific
arm of Spiritism
and all its
implications.
Also, we can
look for better
explanations for
the illness
process but,
most of all, we
should promote
better overall
health for all
of us both by
changing bad
habits, as
recommended by
traditional
medicine, and by
understanding
the importance
of our thoughts
and of keeping
our emotions in
balance. The big
challenge for us
now is to
improve our
knowledge in
this are,
encouraging a
debate among
health
professionals
and also in the
wider society.
What is your
final message to
our readers?
I would like for
the opportunity
to show our work
and say that my
professional
experience along
these years and
the new vision
Spiritism has
given me make me
believe more and
more in the
potential human
beings have to
overcome their
problems when
they understand,
accept and
decide to follow
the principles
of God.
