Munich – September 09, 2026 -- A new two-part investigative docuseries, "Seelenfänger: Der falsche Heiler," premieres October 13, 2026 in the ARD Mediathek and airs October 19, 2026 at 11:30 p.m. on BR Fernsehen, documenting families who lost loved ones after they trusted the pseudo-medical theory known as "Germanische Neue Medizin" (Germanic New Medicine).
The theory rejects evidence-based cancer treatment
Germanic New Medicine frames cancer not as a disease but as the physical manifestation of an unresolved psychological conflict. Followers of the theory are encouraged to reject conventional, evidence-based medical treatment -- a choice the docuseries links directly to preventable deaths.
Its founder died in 2017, but his ideas keep spreading online
Ryke Geerd Hamer, the originator of Germanic New Medicine, died in 2017. Despite his death, the series shows how his teachings continue to circulate widely on the internet, reaching new followers who are often in personal crisis and vulnerable to false promises of healing.
The series uses emotional interviews and reenacted scenes
Through interviews with grieving family members and dramatized reenactments, the two episodes trace how relatives died after refusing medical treatment in favor of Hamer's teachings. The series also examines the psychological mechanisms that make people susceptible to such claims during moments of personal crisis.
It builds on a podcast season released in March 2025
"Seelenfänger: Der falsche Heiler" grew out of research conducted for the fifth season of the BR podcast "Seelenfänger: Diagnose Tod," published March 14, 2025, which had already explored the consequences of Germanic New Medicine. Podcast hosts Emeli Glaser and Dennis Müller present both episodes of the new docuseries. The series was written and directed by Juliane Rummel and Rebekka Markthaler, with editorial oversight from Sabine Winter and Christian Wölfel.