Health/Natural: The Holistic Model of Health and Wellness

Several friends around me are greatly challenged now with illness and are embarking on various pathways for treatment and wellness, from conventional medical treatment through the whole range of alternative and complimentary therapies. In contemplation and support for them, and for all those challenged with illness no matter how minor, I would like to offer my thoughts on the philosophy of healing and the nature of wellness.

Just as the turning of the seasons signal cyclic change, so too do we as humans experience movement from one cycle to another. Life contains many phases; childhood, adolescence, early adulthood and on. These and more phases are what we recall as “our life,” a whole and complete experience which defines who we are at this very moment in the present and will continue to define who we become in the future. We also shift from phases of health to phases of imbalance, or illness, and back again to health.

The balance of wellness is literally known in natural medicine to be much, much more than just health of the body alone, but rather an incredible dance of the physical body combined with the deeper, unseen layers of consciousness. This “holistic model” is an entire energetic image which I can sense in my mind as I write, and it is extremely difficult to describe in words because feelings play such a huge role in definition of it. I will try to paint a picture of it for you, and hopefully you will be able to take this picture and blend it with your personal story of health to get a feeling for yourself of what this means to you.

Visualize the physical body, all parts from the smallest cellular level to tissues and organs to the overall mass of the body itself. From where does its inner life come? What drives it inside and keeps it going? What parts of the self come into the body with life and leave at passing? There resides an inner symphony, a song, sung together at a certain pitch or resonance, unique to each individual, which has been called many things since the beginning of humanity. Chi, lifeforce, vital force, soul, spirit, vital essence, prana, these are all labels for the same thing: the magnificient vibration of all levels of life working together in harmony inside us. This is the core of the holistic model of wellness.

We can see the physical body easily. The next level, hidden beyond the physical, is the emotional self. This is the place of our emotions: happy, sad, angry, impatient, anxious. Our emotions are not visual, but felt by us internally. We act on them physically, and they can have a great influence on our physical health. How do you feel physically when you are stressed out or angry or fearful? Now think about how you feel physically when you are happy and content? There is a big difference, right?

The next layer of who we are is the mental self, which is even more hidden than the physical and emotional layers. The mental self can be described as your unique personality, what makes you tick, your overall nature. The mind is much more than the brain. It is that part of you which processes through each and every thing that happens to you and shapes you from the inside out. It governs and decides how you respond to events in daily life. It molds and forms you, like a sculptor creates a sculpture. The mind shapes your image of yourself, how you view yourself as an individual and as a part of the world. The workings of the mind can direct all other layers of the self, can effect emotions powerfully, can effect the physical body to a cellular level. How we resonate through our mind can literally set us upon the path of imbalance or the path of healing. We have the choice to change, to rejuvenate, to breathe a new pattern into ourself, and the vehicle is the mind.

The deepest, most hidden essence of us is the spirit, the spark that joins us to the Creator. Volumes can and have been written about the spiritual self. This is an incredibly personal area, which only you can connect with and stay in-tune with through prayer and meditation. In the holistic model, it completes the picture of who we are to the depth of our being, and feeling in-tune with the Spirit, connecting with that deepest spark, can bring amazing healing on all other levels of the self. The light of the most profound healing and consciousness comes from this core, it can wash through and permeate every fiber of our being with new breath and vibrancy.

All levels of who we are can effect each other. The mind can effect the emotions, the emotions can play on the body and the mind, the physical body (pain, for example) can affect how we feel emotionally and mentally. It is a fluid expression, a blending, an integration and a song. There is no separation, then, from one level to another, but all becomes one pulsating resonance, and it is finally through the heart that we can begin to understand. It is through the heart, through love for ourself and love for others, unconditionally, that it all begins to connect and make sense. Love yourselves, my friends, and love each other – it will be the gateway, the threshold, which will carry you on to real wholeness.

©Copyright 2002 by AlternativeApproaches.com

Susie Cooper, ND earned her Doctor of Naturopathy degree at the Southern College of Naturopathic Medicine, and is Board Licensed and Certified. She has continued most of her study in Classical Homeopathy with the New England School of Homeopathy. Dr. Susie has taught workshops in homeopathy, herbal medicine and nutrition in North Carolina for many years. She now teaches all her workshops in her shop, Blue Mountain Herbs & Supplements, in beautiful Pilot Mountain, NC, where she also takes private appointments for herbal, nutritional and homeopathic assessments. (336) 368-5955.

Important note: The information contained in this column is not meant to diagnose or prescribe for specific ailments, but is intended for educational support only. Please seek the advise of a licensed health practitioner for specific illnesses and emergency situations.