Sceptics put challenge to psychic sex healer

Amanda Cropp - 1 August 1988

The Dominion Sunday Times, 4 October 1987

The Sceptics Society has challenged a Christchurch psychic to substantiate claims that he can cure habitual sex offenders with his healing touch.

Professionals in the mental health field are also concerned about the claims.

In a large pamphlet delivered to areas of Christchurch last week, Wim Mentink — who describes himself as a professional psychic healer and therapist — refers to the murders of six-year-old Louisa Damodran and Napier schoolgirl Theresa Cormack.

He claims psychiatrists failed Peter Holdem, the man convicted of the Damodran murder, whereas he has successfully treated dozens of le suffering from so-called incurable physical and psychological disorders by simply scanning his hands around their bodies.

Mr Mentink declined to be photographed or interviewed in person. However, in a telephone interview with The Dominion Sunday Times, he said he regarded psychiatrists as criminals. He said drugs, electric shock treatment and self-esteem courses were rather futile, if not downright destructive.

“They say Holdem is not curable. They say that about a lot of people. I say they are curable, if they only find out the truth about the make-up of the human being.”

Dr Denis Dutton is chairman of the Sceptics Society, known officially as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. He said he was very disturbed by the leaflet. ‘I think it’s most remarkable that he would claim he might have successfully treated someone such as Peter Joseph Holdem. This to me is about as modest as the fact that he has chosen to announce his amazing discoveries through a mail-box circular which features a full-page picture of himself on the cover.

“I feel in society today there is a great concern and even fear of sex offenders. The recent cases have been disturbing for all of us and ‘m bothered by someone appealing to this kind of case in order to gain public attention.”

Dr Dutton said he would like evidence that Mr Mentink’s therapies were as successful as he claimed, and pointed out that some drugs have proven to be a godsend for some psychiatric patients.

“It’s our view that anybody who is claiming to be able to heal, treat or cure an affliction, physical or psychological, ought. to be able to offer reasonable evidence that their treatments have benefit beyond the mere placebo effect or psychological effect of the laying on of hands,” he said.

Mr Mentink said he would welcome a serious investigation of his work. It was based on the theory that humans have within them a highly sensitive organism he cal “energy ty”, which cannot be detected or measured by scientists.

When a person became overloaded by pain this could distort the mind or the body. A child that became overloaded was frozen in its tracks emotionally and this was how child molesters were made.

The psychology department at Canterbury University said it could set up trials, but if Mr Mentink was purporting to have an effect on people who were ill, tests would take time.

Mr Mentink said he was not interested in laboratory tests. He just wanted doctors and psychologists to “observe” the change in his patients.

Dr Dutton said it was difficult to know how the claims were supposed to be investigated when the “energy body” could not be detected or measured and he thought the theory was a “mish mash of incomprehensible psychic mumbo jumbo”.

Dutch-born Mr Mentink said he discovered his psychic healing powers during a trip to Europe in 1978 and had treated several hundred people during the last eight years.

“I know where people have problems. I only have to scan my hands over people, it hits me like a thunderbolt,” he said.

He said the aim of his pamphlet was to put across his theories. It was not touting for business because he was already quite busy enough.