What is Healing?
QUOTE: "The cure of the part should not be attempted without treatment
of the whole. No attempt should be made to cure the body without the soul. Let
no one persuade you to cure the head until he has first given you his soul to
be cured, for this is the great error of our day, that physicians first separate
the soul from the body." PLATO
"Complementary" means to "complete". Patients are helped
back to "wholeness" using physical, mental, emotional, vital force
and spiritual dimensions of treatment. This approach remains generally in line
with the thinking of Plato.
"Wholeness" means that the physical, mental, emotional and vital force
are all in balance between themselves and with the spiritual consciousness known
as the Soul.. The body is, or should be, an expression of the Soul. Healing
is the natural way in which all imbalances are rectified so that the symptoms
of the stress or illness can be controlled. Sometimes our own natural ability
to heal ourselves cannot cope so we need the help of others. Drugs may help
in the short term but healing happens separately and this is why it is important
to understand the process so that patients can help themselves back to health.
Healing is the act of getting rid of all the imbalances and creating harmony
with the Soul. Consequently, Complementary Medicine is patient centred.
"I AM NOT MY BODY - I LIVE IN MY BODY."
Plato's quote (above) still embodies the best explanation of why the split has
occurred between current orthodox medicine and the traditional or complementary
approaches. But this does not explain the reality and, if you would like to
reason out the problem, the following examples may help.
This is another way of expressing Plato's vision. The physical body is ultimately
controlled by the mind and Soul consciousness. During our lifetime on Earth,
our computer like brain is programmed by every experience we have so that we
react to external forces like threats, anger, danger or beauty, compassion and
love. Each reaction of the mind has a direct influence on the physical body
which responds in the way it has been programmed. Sometimes that programming
is wrong which prevents the body's defence mechanism from functioning correctly
This allows illness and disease to get a foothold.
Perhaps the best example to explain this is to compare the motor car and driver
with the human body.
A car has a framework which includes all the working parts plus seats for the
passenger and a place for baggage. The driver decides what route, speed and
direction is going to be taken. A car needs petrol for the engine, sparking
plugs to ignite the fuel and a battery to spark the plugs. It is the driver
who acts to avoid accidents and decides when the car needs servicing. It is
the driver who must decide what fuel to use since putting ordinary fuel in a
car which is programmed for unleaded will cause breakdown. Without any or all
of these working parts the car will not go. Thus the driver has the overall
responsibility of seeing the car is maintained and driven both safely and correctly.
The ancients viewed humans as being constructed in much the same way. The physical
part of us is represented by the car while the driver is considered as the vital
force (car battery) and the spirit (Soul consciousness which decides motivation,
direction and ethics). The old traditional systems of medicine accepted the
vital force and spirit and treatments were for the healing energies which touched
both the vitality and Soul to bring them back into harmony with the physical
body.
Again, using the example of the car, we can begin to see the importance of correct
thinking, motivation and nourishment as being means to maintaining health in
the fullest sense. Healing is the equivalent of "jump starting" the
vital force similar to coping with a flat battery. But healing also helps the
patient to recognise past problems and re-programme themselves towards health
and well-being.
The Healing Process
Complementary Medicine is a system of medicine which treats the physical, mental,
emotional and vitality of the patient together with the spirit. This central
view runs through a variety of disciplines which traditionally work towards
the same goal where harmony between all levels of consciousness including the
vital force and spirit must be achieved if true healing is to happen..
Healing the whole person has traditionally been seen as part of a co-ordinated
programme of treatment. However, the scientific approach has tended to separate
the treatment of the symptoms from treatment of the cause. Science does not
recognise the common factor which unites all traditional medical approaches
i.e. the vitality or spirit of the patient. Vital force and spirit can be equated
with Chi in Chinese Medicine, Shakti in Indian Medicine, Vital Force in Homoeopathy,
etc.
The Healing Mechanism
This is difficult to evaluate. Healers channel this energy to the patient. The
process begins with a sense of compassion felt by the healer for the one in
distress. Mothers feel this sense for their children and "kiss the hurt
better" or gently "stroke" the pain away. Every aspects of the
mother's thought, physical. mental, emotional and spiritual energy is concentrated
on helping her child to over come the pain. In terms of healing energy, the
mother's vital force and spiritual senses are focused on helping the child to
regain its balance and overcome distress.
Does the healer try to heal the symptom or seek to help the patient come to
terms with the cause of the problem ? It is not always easy to establish the
primary need. In an ideal world both conditions need help and this is why the
healers prayer is usually on the following lines - "May this patient receive
the healing that they need." In this way, the appropriate energies are
drawn from the healer in such a way as to begin the process of regaining the
overall balance between all levels of consciousness. The process is not usually
very fast and the healer will need to help the patient to realise that as it
probably took a considerable time for the illness to develop so it will take
time for the body to remove it.
The Attitude of the Patient
The way the patient views their problem is crucial and every attempt must be
made to ensure that a balance between accepting the nature of the problem is
balanced with expecting healing to occur.
This is especially important if the condition is life threatening. There is
a need to remain quietly confident that the healing processes will stimulate
both the body's immune response and the determination to change, remain uppermost
in the patient's mind. Recognising the possible cause of the illness is useful
where it is possible to change but it must be recognised that dwelling on past
mistakes can inhibit the healing. It is better to look at today as the first
one of the rest of your life. By living in the present, it is possible to focus
on a programme of healing which will build for the future and automatically
remove problems from the past at a pace which the patient can manage without
adding additional trauma.
Working with Healers
There is a tendency for the public to think of healers as ordinary folk who
have a natural gift. This gift can be from God, Nature or the Universe according
to the individual belief and they give their services by the laying on of hands
or prayer. Healing is certainly a gift which can be used by everyone but it
is also a central part of all the ancient traditional medical treatments.
Healing energy is central to all those practitioners in Complementary Medicine.
Homoeopathy, osteopathy, chiropractic, herbal medicine, aromatherapy, acupuncture
and the other systems listed by the Institute for Complementary Medicine, the
practitioner to diagnoses and heals at all levels of consciousness. However,
it is a fact that many have tried to remove the concept of healing energy from
the training and focus on a more simple and symptomatic approach.
Osteopathy is an example where a partially qualified practitioner may only be
concerned with the structure of the body and pay little attention to the mental,
emotional and spiritual health of the person. In these cases, a complete removal
of the symptoms may not be easy to achieve. Joints may be realigned but the
change is often not permanent because the cause has not been treated. The patient
is always required to play a crucial part in their treatment but some cannot
find the strength of purpose to make necessary changes in their life style
and belief systems to allow healing to reach its full potential.