HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELLNESS
The word holistic seems to be showing up everywhere these days and I often wonder if the general public knows what the word means. In essence, being holistic means that one sees the interconnectedness of everything in the universe and at the same time, unconditionally accepts the current states of being of everything. A holistic practitioner, be they health care provider, electrician, teacher, etc., understands that we are all part of a collective whole and that there is no such thing as “separate.” Being holistic is not something one practices, it is how one views creation. Working with a holistic provider involves establishing a mutually beneficial partnership with that provider, as it is understood that as the client heals, so does the provider. Holistic care is all-inclusive—a person consciously chooses to craft their own healing and/or health supporting regimen based on their perception of what works for him or her. It means being open to all possibilities, as well as all healing modalities. Healing modalities are tools and include but are not limited to eastern medicine, massage therapy, acupuncture/acupressure, reflexology, Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, Aromatherapy, Integrative Imagery and Guided Imagery, and yes, even some of western medicine. It is important to point out that how a modality is practiced defines whether or not it is holistic. Think of a carpenter’s hammer—in the right hands, it can be a wonderful tool, but in the hands of a three year old, it can be a tool of destruction. A holistic care provider uses their tools to help the person to bring unconscious patterns up to a higher level of consciousness and may use one or a combination of modalities. Usually, in the process of bringing patterns into the light, that pattern can transform and shift. This is one of the ways that healing takes place: the client sees that a long-held belief no longer serves them and they are then able to liberate that belief. This sets in motion an opening to new possibilities for healthier beliefs to take hold and the holistic provider helps the client to choose beliefs that are in alignment with the client’s desires.
Oftentimes, people believe that if they choose holistic care, it means they will have to clean out their medicine cabinet. Not so—remember, this is about being all-inclusive. Holistic care does involve certain shifts: from “doing to” to “being with” and from treating symptoms to searching for the underlying cause of a health challenge. In fact, many people instinctively search out holistic care because they get tired of taking (and paying for) medications. They do not like the medication’s side effects, maybe they forget to take their pills or they merely yearn for a simpler way to take care of themselves. They are ready for a change and are willing to consciously co-create their healing with a health care provider that embraces a different world view, a different paradigm. They also are ready to take more responsibility for their own health and wellness, thereby retaining their power instead of handing it over to someone else. Besides, who knows you better than you do? Then it stands to reason that YOU will know what sort of healing regimen will best suit your needs.
Other reasons to choose holistic care include being ready to learn more about how our bodies work from an energetic viewpoint and how we can replenish our energy in much the same way that we replenish our physical body. This replenishment needs to happen on a daily and sometimes moment to moment basis. Learning how to care for ourselves and how to tap into one’s own deep reservoir of healing energy is crucial to our health, for we are genetically programmed to heal and be whole. People want to leave the crisis management mindset behind and begin to preventatively care for themselves. They are choosing to pay attention to their body’s warning signals early on so as to avoid full-blown disease. This necessitates being more present in one’s body, which leads to a higher level of awareness of what does and does not belong to you. In addition to our body’s immune system, we also possess an energetic immune system, and learning how to work with both systems will help one to more effectively maintain their health and wellness.
Energetically speaking, where disease manifests in one’s physical body offers a wealth of information about unresolved trauma and unrealized dreams. To be willing to look beneath the surface signifies a readiness to live life differently and to take a good look at how we embrace or deny our power. This can be done gently and with great compassion with the assistance of holistic practitioner. I will be covering this in greater detail in a future column.
I hope that this gives the reader a general overview of what it means to be holistic and what holistic care entails. Please feel free to e-mail questions or suggestions of future topics to wonderfuljudy@sbcglobal.net.
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