Grandparents John and Frances Bundock say they are enjoying a new lease of life thanks to their treatment by a psychic surgeon.

John, 53, from Queen's Park, Brighton, suffered from excruciating stomach pains for two years but tests and examinations by doctors could find nothing wrong.

He underwent an exploratory operation at Brighton General Hospital but the pain persisted. He found it difficult to eat and lost weight.

John, who works in the building trade, said: "By this time the pain had spread to my chest, down my arms and down my legs.

"Just to touch me was agony. It was so bad I could not give my wife a hug.

"I was irritable, worried and I got so desperate I did not want to live."

As a last resort John turned to healer Ray Brown, a former bricklayer who claims to be possessed by the ghost of a 2,000-year-old surgeon called Paul.

Ray - who works under the name of Paul - told John he was suffering from spasms in the colon which would not show up on an X-ray or scan.

After five "operations" in which Ray laid his hands on John's stomach the pain went and John was left with an ache which gradually receded.

Frances, 52, also consulted Ray, who works at a clinic in Wimbledon, and says she was successfully treated for a hernia and trapped nerve.

Now the couple have arranged for the spiritualist surgeon, who claims to have helped people suffering from rheumatism, back, neck and shoulder pain and worked with celebrities, to visit Brighton.

Ray will be holding an Evening of Spiritual Surgery and Healing at Moulsecoomb Hall, opposite The Avenue, in Lewes Road, Brighton, on Friday at 7.30pm.

The event is being organised by the Brighton Healing Centre, to which John and Frances both belong.

Frances said: "We were very sceptical. The last person you think of going to is a psychic surgeon but John was ready to try anything, he was so desperate.

"I would not believe anybody who said they weren't sceptical about trying it.

"It really does sound stupid but it is one of those things, you have either got to see it or experience it to really believe it."

But while Frances and John are convinced Ray has cured their ailments, experts are more cautious and say the 'cures' of healers such as Ray Brown are more likely to result from the Placebo effect - the psychological benefit of being given a prescription.

Edzard Ernst, who is a professor of complementary medicine who carries out research into its ethics and safety, said: "I don't doubt that these people feel better but our own studies into spiritual healing have shown it is usually the result of the Placebo effect."

Tickets for Friday's event are available from the Brighton Healing Centre on 01273 600601.