Alternative und integrative Medizin

Only You Can Do It, And You Cannot Do It Alone: A Review of the Literature on the Holistic Process of Healing

Abstract

Søren Ventegodt

A large body of literature describes the healing process used by the traditional medicines of the world, with a substantial contribution from the Hippocratic doctors about 2500 years ago.

Holistic healing-more accurately the holistic process of healing-has always three steps, independent on the healing system and the continent where it was developed:

1. Meet the feelings.

2. Understand that your problem is about and where it comes from (=what happened to you in the past).

3. Find the precise beliefs that makes you sick, which came from the negative learning you had-and let go of them.

This simple formula for healing: “Feel, understand, and let go” seems to be a universal formula, reflecting the nature of man, as it is present in all native systems of healing.

The challenge of the doctor is to take a constructive role where he is involving his patient in the process of his own healing, and where he is giving the full responsibility for the healing to the patient. This is done by letting the patient understand that the project to be well again is his project-and his alone! The doctor first needs to step back from the role as an authority (the doctor role) to empower his patient. The he ideally reenters the process from below, as a wise friend and supporter. Because nobody can do this alone, you need a close person to help you meet your feeling, mind, and past. This is traditionally done by touch therapy. The integration process is then supported by talk therapy. Finally, is the letting go of negative beliefs supported by talks and exercises facilitating a renewing of the patient’s philosophy of life.