What therapies can assist my holistic healing process?
On this page you will find a brief description of a variety of holsitic healing therapies that are based on balancing the body, mind and soul. The aim of these therapies is to assist you in feeling more integrated, balanced, lighter, relieved, or relaxed after a session. The therapies can be used in isolation but are often most effective when used in conjunction with each other. You will notice that each of the holistic healing therapies work by facilitating our self-healing power, rather than being an external source of healing.
With each holistic healing therapy, you have a choice between seeking help from an expert or pursuing the self-help option:
- Go With An Expert
Find a holistic practitioner or teacher and have a class or session to find out whether the approach suits you;or - Do-It-Yourself
Access resources – courses, books, DVD’s, CD’s – so your can teach yourself at home.
A combination of both usually works best!
Therapies – How do I choose which holistic healing therapy?
How you experience holistic healing therapies is very personal. In other words, people can seek the same therapy, even the same practitioner and experience very different results.
The best way to choose a therapy is to go with your gut feeling, or what you are drawn to, if you honour it, you’re likely to choose the right therapy for you at the right time. Once you are familiar with the different holistic healing therapies, it is best to try a variety of appraoches until you find one or more that meets your needs at this time.
Remember, you can always change your mind and pursue something different. You can often have one session or do one class before you make a long-term commitment so have an open mind and don’t be afraid to try something that’s out of your comfort zone – you might be pleasantly surprised by the results!
Practitioners – How do I choose a holistic healing practitioner?
Choosing a practitioner is also very personal. One way is to go by referral – it may put your mind at rest to be referred to a practitioner by someone you trust. If you have the opportunity, try to build a rapport with the practitioner first so you can ascertain whether you will work well together. Also, ensure that the practitioner you choose is appropriately qualified in the area of expertise.
Often the practitioner as a person is of more significance than the techniques he or she uses. Make sure you choose someone who has the right approach to their work. Choose someone who is open, loving and caring towards you. This approach will facilitate your healing and is likely to rub off on you!
1 – Psychosomatic Therapy
Psychosomatic therapy is an alternative healing practise that uses the science of body-mind communication to balance the body, mind and soul. It is designed to increase self-awareness and facilitate emotional release through analysis of the face and body. For more information, go to Psychosomatic Healing Techniques.
2 – Hypnotherapy & Neuro-Linguistic Programming
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a powerful approach to mind mastery that uses scientifically based methods to rewire the brain and consequently effect lasting changes in behaviour. It is based on the concept that there is no objective reality so our perceptions can change our lives in positive or negative ways. Seeing an NLP practitioner really is an educational experience as you can learn simple, highly effective techniques that you can easily apply in your daily life.
3 – Yoga
Yoga is the ancient practise of uniting the mind, body and soul through physical postures or poses. It combines breathing techniques and meditation with slow, low-impact movements which is designed to stretch the body and calm the mind. Yoga has many dimensions and it is very relaxing for the mind and therapeutic for the body. As a holistic healing therapy, it has had proven effects on many health conditions due to its applicability to all people, no matter what their physical skill level.
4 – Tai Chi & Qi Gong
Qi Gong (pronounced Chi Kung) is the ancient Chinese practise of consciously moving life force energy (qi) throughout the body for the purpose of promoting health and longevity. It trains us to intentionally adjust and regulate the body posture, breath and consciousness and through various movements conducts life force energy through the body’s meridians. When practised consistently, it can have a profound effect on healing the body, mind and soul.
Tai Chi is an extension of Qi Gong as it integrates a series of flowing movements with the principles of Qi Gong. Both Tai Chi and Qi Gong have proven substantial affects on numerous health problems including diabetes, obesity, cancer and depression.
5 – Acupuncture
Acupuncture is an ancient Asian practise that opens the energy channels of the body through stimulation of certain areas of the body. Typically, it involves inserting fine needles into the surface of the skin at particular “acupoints” throughout the body. It aims to increase the life force energy and blood flow through these channels to accelerate healing. When applied by a skilled acupuncturist, it is a safe procedure without side-effects that can enhance health and wellbeing.
6 – Spiritual Healing
Spiritual healing is a generic term for the type of energy healing that heals at the soul level. A spiritual healing practitioner works energetically with the client’s soul in order to invoke their self-healing process. It is especially useful for people who have had long-standing emotional blockages or issues relating to spirituality in general.
7 – Chakra Balancing
Chakra balancing is a form of energy healing that is based on opening the energy intake points of the body in order to facilitate energy flow throughout the body. Balancing the chakras is an approach to healing with energy. It requires a person who is gifted in sensing and manipulating energy so that the healing practitioner trained in chakra balancing will firstly evaluate the health of your chakras by determining their size and shape (chakras have particular dimensions which are considered to be healthy). Then, each chakra is ‘balanced’ or restored to its healthy state. When repeated over a course of treatments and combined with spiritual or other healing methods, it can be a very effective way of balancing the body and mind.
8 – Reiki Healing
Reiki is an ancient Japanese healing practise that channels life force energy into the body to promote relaxation and facilitate its healing. A Reiki practitioner will lay his/her hands on the area requiring healing and will consciously flow life force energy through that area which is often experienced by the recipient as heat. It is a simple yet powerful technique that is often used in conjunction with other health treatments to accelerate the healing process.
9 – Meditation & Relaxation
Meditation, the practise of quieting the mind, has been used in holistic healing for centuries. It has a profound impact on the body and mind and it has been proven to have tangible effects on the healing process. The purpose of meditation is to transcend the physical, emotional and mental stressors and become ‘centred’. It brings awareness to the peace that exists at our core, amongst the chaos of daily life.
10 – Emotional Release & Bodywork
Bodywork is a holistic healing therapy that differs from remedial massage as it uses particular pressure points throughout the body that are prone to storing repressed emotion. It is especially useful in the healing process because it can ‘unlock’ cellular memories from the past which would otherwise remain buried. For more information, go to Psychosomatic Healing Techniques.
11 – Kinesiology
Kinesiology is an alternative healing practise that uses muscle testing to determine the body’s healing needs. It tests the flow of energy throughout the body and identifies and corrects energy blockages. It can be used to identify blockages in physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of life as it is based on body-mind communication. Its major advantage is that it is always tailored to the needs of the individual so each body is treated differently and treatments can be more effective.
12 – Naturopathy
Naturopathy is an approach to holistic healing that aims to support and stimulate the body’s natural healing mechanisms. It combines various modalities including Western herbal medicine, nutrition and homeopathy and uses non-conventional methods to diagnose and treat physical imbalances. Naturopathy is considered a safer option to conventional Western medicine as it uses natural, non-toxic medicines and supplements rather than manufactured pharmaceuticals.
13 – Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy uses the oils of natural ingredients – primarily plant essences – to balance the body and mind. These oils are applied to the body (in diluted form) and inhaled to treat many physical ailments and promote relaxation. An aromatherapist is trained in the different properties of essential oils and combining them to meet individual needs.
14 – Nature Therapy
Nature therapy is all about getting in touch with the natural rhythms, animals, elements and beauty of nature. It can have a profound impact on the body, mind and spirit by gently harmonising the body simply through being immersed its natural environment. Nature therapy may include understanding the healing qualities of animals and plants, ‘living off the land’ activities (such as manual fire starting, bush tucker, slow cooking, sleeping under the stars, attuning with lunar and solar cycles), earth-based rituals, and bushwalking and animal spotting. Nature therapy usually involves short or long periods in remote places, away from phones, internet, traffic and large numbers of people.
To find out more go to The Mind-Body Glossary.
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