Johanna “Joke” Wilhelmina Petronella Damman, known under her nickname Jomanda (born May 5, 1948), is a controversial
Dutch
Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
** Dutch people as an ethnic group ()
** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship ()
** Dutch language ()
* In specific terms, i ...
healing medium who refers to herself as the ''Lady of the Light.''
Background
Born Johanna Wilhelmina Petronella Damman in
Deventer
Deventer (; Sallaans dialect, Sallands: ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Salland historical region of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Overijssel, ...
, Jomanda is a Dutch
spiritualist
Spiritualism may refer to:
* Spiritual church movement, a group of Spiritualist churches and denominations historically based in the African-American community
* Spiritualism (beliefs), a metaphysical belief that the world is made up of at least ...
who described herself as being "a healing
medium
Medium may refer to:
Aircraft
*Medium bomber, a class of warplane
* Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''The Medium'' (1921 film), a German silent film
* ''The Medium'' (1951 film), a film vers ...
." She claims to have psychic powers of
clairvoyance
Clairvoyance (; ) is the claimed ability to acquire information that would be considered impossible to get through scientifically proven sensations, thus classified as extrasensory perception, or "sixth sense". Any person who is claimed to h ...
,
empathy
Empathy is generally described as the ability to take on another person's perspective, to understand, feel, and possibly share and respond to their experience. There are more (sometimes conflicting) definitions of empathy that include but are ...
and
prescience, aided by her late father and other powers from the "world divine". She is known to be a devoted fan of paranormal author
Jozef Rulof.
Career
In 1991, she gained national fame after making an appearance on a popular
talk show
A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (201 ...
. In the next decade, she held public gatherings in
Tiel
Tiel () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a town in the middle of the Netherlands. The town is enclosed by the Waal (river), Waal river and the Linge river to the South and the North, and the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal to the Eas ...
where she announced that she would be performing healings, which drew large groups of people. During these sessions she would 'infuse' bottles of
tap water
Tap water (also known as running water, piped water or municipal water) is water supplied through a Tap (valve), tap, a water dispenser valve. In many countries, tap water usually has the quality of drinking water. Tap water is commonly used f ...
, which she claimed would make them gain healing properties. She also appeared on radio shows, where people were asked to put a bottle of water in front of their radio in order to have it remotely 'infused'.
Controversy
In 2001 Jomanda gave medical and spiritual advice to the popular Dutch actress
Sylvia Millecam
Sylvia Maria Millecam (23 February 1956 – 20 August 2001) was a Dutch actress and comedian. She was featured regularly on Dutch television where she hosted several shows. Millecam also appeared in several Dutch movies and released two albu ...
, who later died of
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...
. In 2004 the Dutch Health Inspectorate filed suit against Jomanda claiming that she and three
alternative
Alternative or alternate may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Alternative (Kamen Rider), Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki''
* Alternative comics, or independent comics are an altern ...
therapists misled Millecam by claiming that the actress was merely suffering from an inflammation. In October 2006, the investigation was dropped, but in April 2008 an Amsterdam court ruled that Jomanda and two doctors who practise alternative therapies should be prosecuted for their roles in Millecam's death.
The trial started at 30 October 2008. On 12 May 2009 Ronald ter Heegde, Jomanda's former assistant, admitted on television in the Dutch newsmagazine ''Nova'' that Jomanda had used other persons to gather information about Sylvia Millecam. She then told Millecam she had gathered this information as a medium. On 12 June 2009 the court found Jomanda not guilty as a party to Millecam's death. The court criticised her actions, but stated that she could not be held fully responsible for Millecam's fate.
The Dutch Federation Against Quacks (Nederlandse
Vereniging tegen de Kwakzalverij
The Vereniging tegen de Kwakzalverij or VtdK (English language, English: ''Association Against Quackery'' or ''Society Against Quackery'') is a Dutch organisation that investigates the claims of alternative medicine and opposes quackery.
Beginni ...
) listed Jomanda as #15 on their top 20 list of
quacks.
In October 2004 Jomanda drew publicity again by stating, in accordance with the ideas of Jozef Rulof, 'Cremation hurts'.
See also
*
Arthur Ford
*
Char Margolis
Char Margolis is an American psychic medium and author. She has appeared on several television programs in the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands. In the U.S., Margolis has been featured on shows such as ''Dr. Phil'">"> /nowiki> ''Th ...
*
Clever Hans">/nowiki> ''Th ...
*Clever Hans
*Cold reading
*Forer effect">Clever Hans
*Cold reading">Clever Hans">/nowiki> ''Th ...