# Case II explained — The Varieties of Religious Experience > Chapter companion for The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James. ## What happens A personal account of healing and transformation through Christian Science, leading to inner peace, tolerance, and a practical realization of God's immanence. ## Themes in this chapter ### Healthy-Mindedness and the Sick Soul The case illustrates a shift from nervousness and irritability to serenity and confidence, embodying the healthy-minded perspective. ### Conversion and Transformation The gradual inner change and elimination of selfishness reflect a transformative process akin to religious conversion. ### The Role of Feeling and Emotion The emotional shift from fear and dread to calm and confidence is central to the healing experience. ## Character check-ins ### William James Narrator of the case, presenting the account as part of his empirical study. ## Key lines > At the urgent request of friends, and with no faith and hardly any hope (possibly owing to a previous unsuccessful experience with a Christian Scientist), our little daughter was placed under the care of a healer, and cured of a trouble about which the physician had been very discouraging in his diagnosis. Despite skepticism and a prior failed attempt, the daughter was healed by a Christian Science practitioner after doctors had given little hope. _This sets the stage for the narrator's interest in the healing method._ > Gradually an inner peace and tranquillity came to me in so positive a way that my manner changed greatly. A deep sense of calm gradually enveloped the narrator, noticeably altering their demeanor. _The transformation begins with an inner emotional shift._ > I had been bigoted, aggressive, and intolerant in discussion, both in public and private. I grew broadly tolerant and receptive toward the views of others. Previously dogmatic and combative in debates, the narrator became open-minded and accepting of differing opinions. _The change extends to social and intellectual attitudes._ > I had been nervous and irritable, coming home two or three times a week with a sick headache induced, as I then supposed, by dyspepsia and catarrh. I grew serene and gentle, and the physical troubles entirely disappeared. Frequent headaches and irritability vanished, replaced by a gentle serenity, with physical symptoms completely gone. _Physical health improves alongside emotional well-being._ > I had been in the habit of approaching every business interview with an almost morbid dread. I now meet everyone with confidence and inner calm. Business meetings that once caused intense anxiety are now faced with confidence and composure. _The healing impacts professional life._ > I may say that the growth has all been toward the elimination of selfishness. I do not mean simply the grosser, more sensual forms, but those subtler and generally unrecognized kinds, such as express themselves in sorrow, grief, regret, envy, etc. The personal growth has been about shedding selfishness in all its forms, including subtle ones like grief and envy. _The transformation is moral and spiritual, not just emotional._ > It has been in the direction of a practical, working realization of the immanence of God and the Divinity of man’s true, inner self. The change has led to a practical, lived awareness of God's presence within and the divine nature of the inner self. _The experience culminates in a spiritual realization._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_varieties_of_religious_experience_se/chapters/case-ii - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_varieties_of_religious_experience_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_varieties_of_religious_experience_se/chapters