Good Health / Well-being Start Here

Holistic Health targets the whole self, not just symptoms

As a hypnotist, my role is to guide clients to improved states of well-being. Should a client be suffering from insomnia, for me to address solely the sleeping conditions and habits of the client would most likely prove to be futile. Insomnia is a symptom of an underlying cause. Just as obesity is a symptom, as is smoking, as is nail-biting, as is pain, as is depression and anxiety, as is mental fog and more. It is imperative for me to go deeper into the health and well-being conditions of the client and help change the cause. Therefore, as a hypnotist and life transformation coach, I take a HOLISTIC APPROACH to well-being.

The Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine defines holistic medicine as "the art and science of healing that addresses the whole person – body, mind and spirit." In other words, it doesn't just focus on your physical health / well-being.

According to the practice, our health and well-being is the result of the interaction between physical, environmental, emotional and psychological aspects of the person's life. Therefore, what makes holistic medicine different is its integrative approach to health. It uses alternative as well as conventional medicine and studies all aspects of a person's way of life.

The goal is to achieve holistic health — an "unlimited and unimpeded free flow of life force energy through body, mind and spirit." A natural rhythm of well-being is possible. Our highly intelligent bodies contain trillions of cells, seeking and finding alignment and balance at all times.

WebMD describes the four key principles of holistic.

1. The patient's innate healing powers

Holistic medicine teaches that the body has an innate capacity to heal itself. For this reason, it wants to promote and encourage this naturally occurring healing by using different treatments and methods.

In addition, it believes that the best way to maintaining good health is by preventing illnesses or dis-ease in the first place. This is not just better for the body, but it is also cost-effective. Adopting good habits to improve wellness and prevent illness and unwanted conditions is less taxing on the body than overcoming an illness.

To nurture the body's capacity to heal itself, holistic medicine seeks to promote overall health instead of just treating a set of symptoms. In this case, good health goes beyond the absence of illness. It aims at achieving the best possible quality of life in the physical, emotional, mental and social aspects.

2. There is more to the patient than dis-ease

For holistic medicine, illness and dis-ease are the result of an imbalance or dysfunction of the individual. In addition, one way to treat this imbalance is to change the effects of negative emotions, experiences, habits and memories. In other words, a holistic practitioner / physician encourages patients to explore the effects of emotions and experiences on their health and to unburden themselves of harmful emotions and thoughts. [Our bodies respond, primarily, to the content of our thoughts; it is imperative to your well-being that self-talk and habits of thought are supportive, uplifting, loving rather than qualities of a negative kind. Our subconscious minds are listening - always. Speak well to and think well of yourself].

Consequently, positive emotions and feelings like love, enthusiasm and hope may help to restore the balance and bring the patient closer to well-being.

Therefore, in this case, an unwanted condition or disease is an opportunity for patients to learn more about and improve themselves. Moreover, for practitioners / physicians, each patient is a new opportunity to practice unconditional love and guide a person in their unique path towards wellness.

3. Healing takes a team approach

An important part of the practitioner’s job is to educate and empower each patient so that they can make informed decisions about their health and treatments.

Education is an important task for the practitioner. To promote wellness, the patient needs to incorporate healthful habits under the guidance and encouragement from the practitioner. For example, the practitioner may guide the patient towards adopting a healthier diet, incorporating exercise, or seeking counseling.

Patient and practitioner work as a team to restore well-being. So evidently, the relationship between patient and practitioner is supportive and collaborative. In this ideal relationship, the practitioner listens and respects the patients' needs, opinions and insights. And the patient is not a passive agent in her own health. Instead, she is encouraged to make her own decisions. Her well-being will be her choice.

Another important aspect of a positive practitioner-patient relationship in holistic medicine is the use of different treatments.

For some people, holistic medicine is not different from homeopathy or naturopathy. However, there is a difference.

Holistic medicine may use natural treatments if the patient may benefit from them (such as clean diet, hypnosis, EMDR (eye movement desensitization reprocessing), EFT (emotional freedom technique), massage, acupressure, acupuncture, meditation, chiropractic), but it also uses conventional medicine and treatments. The inclusion of a broader range of evidence-based therapies that offer different benefits helps the patient get more comprehensive care.

4. Fixing the causes of disease and not just the symptoms

The integral approach of holistic medicine to well-being allows it to go deeper into the health and well-being conditions of the patient, well beyond the physical symptoms of just one dis-ease / illness.

Getting to the root of the issue also ensures the patient may find long-term health and prevents more episodes of the condition(s) in the future.

Take advantage of me! Allow me to answer any questions or concerns about your well-being you may have — habits of thought, habits of behavior — what isn’t serving you for your utmost well-being?

BELOW are my top recommendation(s) on the topic of holistic health and well-being.