The main principle in holistic medicine is the intent to treat the whole person by achieving balance between mind, body and spirit. This concept differs from the traditional view of Western medicine, which focuses on treating the physical symptoms of illness and disease and their organic causes (if identifiable). Until recently, this particular approach had little or no regard for the emotional and spiritual well being of the individual.
Derivation of Holistic Concepts
The complimentary therapies used in holistic medicine come from a variety of cultures, some thousands of years old. They include, but are not limited to, the use of herbs, and a diverse field of therapies which work with the concept of “subtle energy” such as yoga, meditation, various traditions of massage, homeopathy, flower remedies, crystals, sound and color. For a more in-depth understanding of these concepts, a growing number of studies have and are being conducted on these topics and are well documented in several books listed in Recommended Reading.
How then, does the nature of illness and disease differ in holistic medicine and complimentary therapies from the traditional medical model? In order to understand the holistic approach to illness and healing, an appreciation for a different “way of knowing” which occurs through direct access to introspective levels of consciousness, is necessary.
This different way of knowing or philosophy, from which a majority of complimentary therapies have evolved, views the individual as being composed of a multi-dimensional anatomy.
There are many subtle variations on this model, but the basic concept holds that each of us possesses a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual body, with corresponding levels of consciousness and energy fields.
When one or both of the emotional or spiritual bodies are in disharmony and out of balance, they are in need of healing before the physical body can permanently heal and become whole. The relationship of imbalances between these bodies varies according to the philosophy of the specific therapies, but they all assert that illness and disease are signposts that conflict exists. If this conflict remains unresolved, it will foster a breakdown in the immune system, resulting in illness and disease. Thus, the primary purpose of holistic medicine and its therapies is to restore balance and well-being to all of these levels.
Background: Gentian (Gentiana amarella),
one of Dr. Bach’s original Twelve Healers and Soul Types