What’s Holistic Healing?
I think you will likely agree that we live in a world full of challenges. Even when we are young and healthy, we are challenged to do what is expected of us, to live up to expectations, to maintain good grades, etc.
Then as we grow older and into adulthood, we begin to experience the added pressure of getting out on our own, maintaining a job or career that will help pay the bills and maintain a relationship. And for some of us, we eventually reach a point of being responsible for little people who are dependent upon us, and the cycle starts all over again.
The Struggle for Balance in Life:
What happens throughout these stages of our lives is that we begin to struggle to balance everything. When years ago, one person in the family could work a 40 hour work week to make ends meet, that is often no longer the case. These days it often takes at least two people being employed to pay the bills, and often one or both of them are working more than 40 hours a week.
The result of this is that life begins to get out of balance and we start to look for ways to cope with the stress of it all. Some of us handle stress better than others and some of us handle it on certain days better than other days. Some of us turn to recreational drugs, alcohol or other addictions and others find different, more adaptive ways of coping.
When Imbalance Leads to Illness or Disease:
But the end result of all of this is that when our lives get out of balance and especially when they stay out of balance for years on end, this often leads to illness and disease. In the Western World, the solution for many 
years has been conventional medicine. We go to the doctor, he prescribes a pharmaceutical or recommends surgery and we go from there, hoping for the best.
There is only so much that the medical community can do to help people who are suffering from illnesses or disease. They will even tell you that themselves! In other words, the medical community has its limitations. I have several close friends in the medical community who care very much about their patients, so I personally feel strongly that they have an important role in this world and have helped a lot of people. But it is not a perfect system.
Why People Seek Other Alternatives:
Because of this, many people are seeking alternatives to healing. Different people have different reasons for this. Some people worry about the long term or addictive effects of pharmaceuticals, some people wish to avoid surgery or other invasive treatments.
Some people have been told that there is nothing else the medical industry can do for them and that they have a chronic condition and will just have to “learn to live with it.” Many, many people simply cannot afford conventional medicine, whether they have insurance or not. Whatever your reason for seeking out alternative treatment, you will eventually stumble across the term, “Holistic Health.”
So, What is Holistic Health Exactly?
Well, Holistic Health is the idea that we need to look at the whole person, instead of just the physical body. There are many, many, many ways of doing this and we are not going to cover them all in this article. We are only going to cover some of the main points.
For one thing, I personally believe that everyone should have a say-so in their own health. If you don’t want to put yourself through treatment that you see as invasive or miserable in some way, you should have the right to look at other choices. At the same time, I am not against Conventional Medicine, either.
The Differences Between Conventional, Alternative and Complementary Medicine:
When the two treatment modalities work together and a person takes advantage of Conventional Medicine but also supplements that treatment with other Holistic Approaches, this is called “Complementary Medicine.” For the person who abandons Conventional Medicine altogether and seeks out only other approaches, that is called “Alternative Medicine.”
Taking A Look at the Whole Person:
Holistic Healing takes the approach that we should consider the “Whole Person” for healing which would include their mental well-being, emotional well-being, physical well-being, spiritual well-being, financial, family, career, etc. In other words, we look at the “Whole Person.”
But just like Holistic Healing looks at the “Whole Person,” if we take this one step further and look at it from the viewpoint of all of “Humanity,” then we must look at ALL of humanity and not just some parts of it. What I mean by that is that it might be a good idea to investigate and consider conventional medicine before debunking it all together. But an even better idea is to consider other options as well, either as an alternative or as a complementary counterpart.
But That Works Both Ways:
Those who are in conventional medicine would do best to consider with an open mind the importance of not eliminating other important aspects of a person’s health besides just their physical body. The good news is that more and more doctors are recognizing this and taking it into consideration. In other words, alternative healing and conventional healing are beginning to merge and the result is “Complementary Healing.”
The Merging Together of Mind, Emotions, and Healing:
I am no doctor, so this site is not about conventional healing. It is about the effect of our mind and emotions on healing. But it all goes together. If a massage, a meditation, water therapy, herbs or (whatever) makes you feel better, then this is going to affect the immune system and hormonal systems of your body and healing will begin.
By the same token, if a pharmaceutical drug makes you feel better, this can help your mental and emotional state as well. In other words, anything that strengthens your body’s own ability to heal itself is worthy of investigation.
At Some Point, You Have to Make a Choice:
That choice should include whatever feels best for you. Some of the options available are chiropractic, meditation, acupuncture, massage therapy, homeopathy, hydrotherapy (water therapy), naturopathy (herbs, acupuncture, etc.)
But the whole idea of Holistic Healing is to figure out a way that will balance whatever in your life is out of balance (or has been for years.) Holistic healing looks at your diet, your sleep schedules, your stress levels, your personal problems, your relationship problems, your spiritual practices, your level of exercise, and anything else you can think of that is a part of your life.
What Works Best For You:
So, here at Transform Emotions, we will talk about a lot of these topics so that you can think about what feels best for you and your overall well-being. To learn more about how the mind, emotions and body go together for the purpose of healing, you may want to click here to read my review on this intensive and progressive workshop that can change your life!
I hope this article has helped you in some way! What are some Holistic Healing Methods that you prefer? Please feel free to share your ideas below. All comments are very much appreciated!
