Holism in the New Age

Everywhere you turn for alternative health, whether products or practitioners, the word Holistic comes up.

Holistic Treatments, Holistic Diets, Holistic products, Holistic Practitioners all seemingly promise better, more inclusive treatments by simply using this illusive power word. But what does Holistic really mean and are these Holistic things really Holistic?

As a Holistic Health Educator, I have explored the Holistic approach to addressing health and understand it to be about relationships. In order to be Holistic, the practitioner, treatment or product, at the very least, needs to address the relationship we have with ourselves on a Mind, Body, Spirit level.

What is the Mind, Body, Spirit relationship? There isn't an easy answer here since Holism is a proverbial can of worms and can include anything and everything that affects you from what you consume and what you think about what you consume, to what others are consuming and how that affects the environment that we all share. Even the way you feel about the treatment, product, drug, practitioner, etc. can deeply affect your progress in healing.

Obviously, the Mind, Body, Spirit approach should go beyond treating physical symptoms of illness and respect our beliefs and feelings. If you are getting sick because you are feeling stressed out, just taking an oral medication is not going to address the cause of your illness. To address the stress directly, you may need to start a practice in Meditation, but a change of environment may also be necessary to really heal. Including the Spirit in the Holistic approach is usually very personal and has a lot to do with your personal beliefs around health and your life in general.

Anytime you participate in your healing process you are entering into a Holistic Healing relationship. You cannot separate yourself from the healing process. In fact, the more you participate in your health, the more Holistic you are being. Our participation is key to obtaining good health and a key component of Holistic Health.

Ask yourself as a participant in your own health if you are receiving healing that addresses your illness from a Holistic - Mind, Body, Spirit approach. Often you will see that without your participation you aren't truly getting a Holistic Treatment.

Well, that is all for now.

Blessings,

Charity