Mending through the Force, also known as Force healing, represented an uncommon Force ability that allowed a user to mend their own wounds or those of another individual by channeling the Force.
This rare Force power, known as Force healing, was a talent possessed by a select few who were Force-sensitives. A practitioner of Force healing would typically place their hand directly over an injury, or perhaps gesture towards the injured party, and then channel their own vital energy into the wound. This process would mend the damage, but it also came at the cost of the healer's own vitality. They could later replenish this lost energy through rest or meditation. Furthermore, the Force could empower an individual to overcome extreme fatigue. This ability could also be used to rid a person of poisoning. The manifestation of this power could be subtle, with no visible signs beyond the healing itself. However, in other instances, it would manifest as a pulsing blue-white light or a golden glow indicative of the healing process.
Notably, in the unique instance of a Force dyad, the user had the capacity to impart a substantial portion of their Force energy to revive their target—the other part of their bond—bringing them back from death, although this came at the expense of their own life. Through entering a meditative state, a Force user trained in the healing arts could accelerate their recovery. Despite the Force's potency as a healing tool, conventional technological methods sometimes offered a swifter and more effective means of treating injuries.
A different application of Force healing was detailed within the sacred Jedi texts, specifically within the Chronicles of Brus-bu. This particular method described the capacity to mend a damaged kyber crystal by using Force healing. Rey employed this technique to repair the crystal found within Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber, which had sustained damage during the Battle of Crait in 34 ABY. Additionally, there existed talismans, such as necklaces, that were imbued with the Force, designed to enhance the healing process for their wearers.
Many alchemists who explored the healing arts ultimately succumbed to the dark side. The ability to both heal and inflict harm through the Force held particular significance for the Sith Lords. As demonstrated when Darth Sidious forcibly drew power from a Force dyad to heal himself, certain Sith-aligned abilities, such as Force Drain, mirrored Force healing by allowing a Sith to forcefully absorb the energies of another to heal themselves. This act restored his vision, rejuvenated his withered body, corrected his twisted hands, and enabled him to stand unaided by cybernetics for the first time in decades. Conversely, Jedi-aligned Force healing involved the Jedi willingly sacrificing a portion of their own life force to aid those in need. The Nightsisters, who aligned with the dark side, employed Force magick for healing purposes. Their unique approach could also be used to alleviate mental afflictions. Furthermore, they could harness the dark side to create potions capable of healing the wounded and reviving those who had recently died.
During the High Republic Era, Jedi Master Char-Ryl-Roy and his Padawan, Enya Keen, lacked the ability to use Force healing. Upon encountering Goi Ganok, who was secretly a member of the radical anti-Jedi Path of the Open Hand and believed that the Force should not be used by any living being, Ganok reacted negatively to the suggestion that the Jedi would heal him. Keen then revealed that neither she nor her master possessed Force healing abilities, and instead offered him medicine. Ganok's response helped the Jedi to realize his true affiliations. During the Fall of the Republic, Jedi Master Stass Allie was a well-known practitioner of Force healing. She was a member of the Circle of Jedi Healers and served as the overseer of the Medical Corps. Even while serving as a Jedi General during the Clone Wars, Allie continued to refine her healing skills.
Rig Nema was well-versed in Jedi healing techniques, particularly a dangerous meditation designed to open the mind. Padawan Barriss Offee also possessed this ability and was credited with the swift recovery of all Jedi injured during the First Battle of Geonosis. Knight Iskat Akaris demonstrated a limited capacity for self-healing. Anakin Skywalker utilized a variation of this ability on Mortis, with assistance from the mortally wounded Force-wielder known as the Daughter, and drained her Force energy to resurrect Ahsoka Tano. Grandmaster Yoda was exceptionally skilled in this power, capable of healing himself or those nearby with a simple gesture. By the end of his life, Obi-Wan Kenobi had also acquired the skill of Force healing.
In 9 ABY, the Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin and his allies journeyed to Nevarro with the intention of ending the bounty placed on the Force-sensitive infant Grogu. In preparation for a Clash on Nevarro, Djarin and his companions established a camp in an isolated area of the planet. During the night, they were attacked by several native reptavians. Although they successfully fought off the creatures, Greef Karga suffered a venomous wound to his right arm. Grogu responded by using the Force to heal Karga's injury, an effort that significantly taxed the infant's strength. Luke Skywalker studied the methods of Force healing, along with other Force powers. Rey sought to use the Force to recover from a slash wound inflicted by a guard while she and Kylo Ren fought for their lives against Snoke's protectors, intent on avenging their master.
In 35 ABY, the Jedi Padawan Rey and her comrades from the Resistance encountered a vexis on Pasaana after descending into an underground tunnel system via the Shifting Mires. Rey's companions, C-3PO and Poe Dameron, expressed fear towards the creature, believing it to be hostile and insurmountable. However, Rey sensed that the vexis was injured and approached it. Using the Force, Rey healed the vexis' wound and calmed its mind. Consequently, the creature moved aside, revealing a passageway back to the surface that it had been obstructing.
Later, during a Mission to Kef Bir, Rey engaged in a duel with Supreme Leader Kylo Ren amidst the ruins of the second Death Star. Despite Ren's initial dominance, he was caught off guard by the sensation of his mother Leia Organa's death, which allowed Rey to impale him with his own lightsaber. Realizing that she had attempted to kill Ren in a moment of anger, Rey immediately regretted her actions. She then used the Force to heal Kylo Ren's wound before fleeing the planet in Ren's TIE whisper.
Shortly after the Mission to Kef Bir, Rey lost her life in a battle against the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious (who had healed his own body by stealing life force from the Jedi) during the Battle of Exegol. Ben Solo, having abandoned his Kylo Ren persona and joining Rey in opposing Sidious, shared a dyad in the Force with Rey. As such, he was able to use Force healing to restore Rey's life. However, the immense vitality required for her resurrection completely depleted Solo, leading to his disappearance into the Force. Similarly, as demonstrated by Rey's grandfather, the power of Force drain could be used to repair flesh, restore eyesight, and more by stealing life energy from others.
Force healing made its debut in Star Wars canon in "Altar of Mortis," the sixteenth episode of the third season of the animated television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which was broadcast on February 4, 2011. This power was originally introduced within the Star Wars Legends continuity in the novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye. The role-playing game rulebook Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game provided game rules for Force Healing and retroactively established its usage in the 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.
In a manner akin to the method described in the Chronicles of Brus-bu, it is possible to restore a corrupted, red-colored kyber crystal. Ahsoka Tano purified two such crystals that she recovered from the fallen Sixth Brother's lightsaber following their duel on Raada. With the removal of the dark side's influence, the healed crystals turned white, after which the former Jedi incorporated them into her new lightsabers. The concept of purifying dark side crystals was initially introduced to Star Wars in the Legends novel Riptide.
The intended explanation of how Rey acquired Force healing was planned to be featured in a cancelled episode of Star Wars Resistance, which was written for the second season but was cut due to budgetary constraints imposed by Disney. The episode would have involved Maz Kanata enlisting the assistance of both Mika Grey and Kazuda Xiono to retrieve an ancient Jedi text for Rey.