Spiritists practice in Spiritist Centers
Spiritism organizations, known as Spiritist Centers, may be found all over the world, mainly in Europe, North and South America. Because Kardec never established specific rituals or theological praxis, Spiritist customs and practices can vary.
Spiritists gather in spiritist centers to study the works of Kardec and other spiritists, hone their mediumship talents (though not all spiritists are mediums), and do humanitarian deeds. Spiritists offer outpatient clinics, dental services, psychiatric hospitals, orphanages, pharmacies (some of which are homeopathic), and a variety of other free services for the needy in Brazil.
Spiritist facilities also provide spiritual healing, which usually consists of "passes" (roughly, the laying on of hands) and a sort of exorcism known as "disobsession". Spiritists believe that affliction from earthbound spirits, which attach themselves to individuals and bring them mental pain and physical illness, is one source of illness.
Some mediums have also been accused of performing "psychic" or "spirit surgery". One form involves pantomime - like operations over the patient's body; Spiritists operate on the spiritual body without really touching the patient. Another method includes cutting into the skin with a knife or other instrument, typically to remove small tumors such as lipomas.
The latter is particularly contentious, and the practice has been banned by an organisation of spiritists who are also practicing medical professionals. They prefer traditional "passes" and "disobsession" as well as alternative psychotherapies such as "past - lives" therapy and neurolinguistic programming.
