Healing Holistically – What does this mean?
Mind + Body + Spirit = YOU
So another blog about healing…why not! 🙂
I’m captivated about stories of old where spiritual advisers were also physical healers and psychologists – it was all one science, one approach, and one way to be ‘whole and healthy’.
In my own meandering way, I have made that idea my life’s work.
The definition of ‘Holistic’ according to the Miriam Webster dictionary is:
“relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts; holistic medicine attempts to treat both the mind and the body”
It’s a word and a concept that is much bandied about these days, however I feel that this definition has been lost in the practice a little. To me (and to Miriam it seems) addressing the whole is treating mind and body together – rather than simply using an ‘holistic approach’ that is by and large, still reductionist in application, but using something other than pharmaceuticals. So often these days we hear or see of ‘this one thing’ that will fix all that ails us. One exercise, one herb, one oil, one vitamin, one practice. Self compassion is a wonderful tool, but we can’t self-compassion our way out of everything. Sometimes it takes a different strategy.
So for me, ‘healing holistically’ speaks to the ability, the potential, the skills and the knowledge to take it all on, and by that I mean, being as the healers of old, and willing to improve the functioning of the mind (through mental alchemy), as well as the body. And going further still – I believe the spiritual self also needs to be activated and part of the process! This may mean working with the energetic body, or it could also mean activating the soul mind and spirit to assist in the healing process.
This holistic (or whole-istic) approach is so important. The further we go with the science of brain and body, in addition to mind and vibration – we can truly start to see that we sell ourselves short if we try to look for one cause or one remedy. Give yourself some credit – you are far more complex than this reductionist view.
Everything impacts everything else…
Mind is the light, the builder, and the bridge between spirit and body… Edgar Cayce
To address the physical self we must also approach the mind, as every thought we have causes a cascade of chemistry to be released in the body (yep, you have your own little pharmacy going on up top there). So the mind interfaces with this beautiful world through an organic structure – the brain. This is exciting, as it means that through intention, thought and will, we can use mind to release particular chemistry that can help us to be balanced, strengthened, relaxed and restored! This is how mind can aid in the recovery of the body, as well as in recovery from brain states such as anxiety, depression and other unhelpful psychological experiences.
The physical body though, is of the Earth, and so often needs physical remedies (in addition to assistance from our mind). In his over 9,000 psychic readings on physical health conditions, Edgar Cayce would often direct people to passages in the Bible to assist with healing, stating (and I’m paraphrasing) – ‘you have to get your head in the right place first’. These passages often spoke of love, acceptance, forgiveness etc. So, before getting deep into the physiology of the body, he went to mind.
In my own practice, I also find this so helpful, because now we are reaching out to the higher parts of ourselves, we are reaching out to our soul – our spiritual self to give us the strength of heart and direction of mind to send the right kind of chemistry flooding through our system. Mind yes, but we working through the brain to impact the physical.
And what of the spirit? That which imbues every aspect of our existence…
When we truly learn to open up to this energy – it becomes impossible to deny. It goes from being a nice idea, or something we better take account of because we’re just not sure what is coming next – to that which causes us to tingle, takes our breath away, makes us giddy and moves our heart to sing.
That universal force or creative energy or vibration – moving through every cell, every colour, every sound, every emotion, every thought…. every experience… every moment.
So we employ practices and strategies to heal and attune our whole mind-body-spirit complex. This doesn’t need to be overwhelming or over-complicated.
Is it ambitious though? Absolutely. But how can it be otherwise? How can we do it any other way and have real and lasting change. Real and lasting growth.
More and more therapists are coming online with multiple modalities in their tool kit, and this is fabulous. For me, my gathering of skills has included (from physical to energetic) nursing, herbalism, psychology, spiritual mentorship and dowsing of energies. I love science and I love mysticism. Even my practice of Psychology is now more openly spiritual or mystical, particularly as I lean more into the study of Hermeticism. I have always had a touch of the Alchemist about me though – which is why I love my herbs. And there again, I have always loved to add the practice of dowsing or divining to the development of my herbal formulas.
It is all one science at the end of the day – the science of life, the science of energy. We are spirit, we are mind, and we are body. Let’s embrace that and start acting like ‘it’s a thing’.
If you’re interested to learn more about my ‘holistic’ therapeutic’ offerings – here’s a link to my Signature Therapies page.
#soulutiontherapy #signitureprograms #integrative therapy