Mind healing has long been overlooked: as a component of the training of healers, as a type of healing available to those who need it, even as a field in need of research. For hundreds of years, it has been seen as shameful to admit to a difficulty within the mind. It was often advanced that the mere influence of magic upon the bloodline prevented such diseases of the mind as were often seen in Muggles--never mind that not only were they present in witches and wizards, but that witches and wizards have a set of mental illnesses unique to those affected by magic. What spells and potions were available in the service of the field were passed down from ancient times without update, refinement, or development.

However, Wizarding Britain has been the site of a revolution in mind healing. After the Battle of Hogwarts and the fall of the Dark Lord, a higher proportion of the population than ever before was affected by mental illnesses and spells affecting the behavior of the mind. An entire new wing of St. Mungo's Hospital was opened to cope with the pressure. It was clear that the situation was untenable. Neville Longbottom, a survivor of the Battle of Hogwarts and the child of parents afflicted by mental illness, was awarded a large cash sum in thanks from the Ministry of Magic for his service. Instead of using the money for his own personal gain, he provided a grant for ten students of Healing to attend courses in Muggle psychology, biology, and counseling in London. Without that grant and the hard work of those ten students, the field would be as stagnant today as it was a century ago.

Today, as this book is being written, private mind-healing practices are being established across Wizarding Britain, and wizards and witches from across the world are journeying to London to exchange knowledge and develop more advanced techniques. Perhaps in less than a decade this text will be considered out of date! Still, even today, the old stereotypes of mind healing are common in the minds of wizards and witches across Britain, and the need for fresh information is more important than ever.

While reading this book, please keep in mind the following points:

• The current advances in mind healing simply would not be possible without information gleaned entirely without magical assistance by the work of countless Muggles.
• Many conditions that were long thought impossible to treat are now treatable, with many wizards and witches previously confined to St. Mungo's able to live with minimal assistance with relatives at home.
• There is no shame in developing an illness in the mind, and having a mental illness does not make one any less of a witch or wizard.