QUOTE:
"The cure of the part should not be attempted without treatment of the whole. No attempt should be made to cure the body without the soul. Let no one persuade you to cure the head until he has first given you his soul to be cured, for this is the great error of our day, that physicians first separate the soul from the body." -------------PLATO
"Complementary" means to "complete". Patients are helped back to "wholeness" using physical, mental, emotional, vital force and spiritual dimensions of treatment. This approach remains generally in line with the thinking of Plato.
"Wholeness" means that the physical, mental, emotional and vital force are all in balance between themselves and with the spiritual consciousness known as the Soul.. The body is, or should be, an expression of the Soul. Healing is the natural way in which all imbalances are rectified so that the symptoms of the stress or illness can be controlled. Sometimes our own natural ability to heal ourselves cannot cope so we need the help of others. Drugs may help in the short term but healing happens separately and this is why it is important to understand the process so that patients can help themselves back to health.
Healing is the act of getting rid of all the imbalances and creating harmony with the Soul. Consequently, Complementary Medicine is patient centred.
"I AM NOT MY BODY - I LIVE IN MY BODY."
Plato's quote (above) still embodies the best explanation of why the split has occurred between current orthodox medicine and the traditional or complementary approaches. But this does not explain the reality and, if you would like to reason out the problem, the following examples may help.
This is another way of expressing Plato's vision. The physical body is ultimately controlled by the mind and Soul consciousness. During our lifetime on Earth, our computer like brain is programmed by every experience we have so that we react to external forces like threats, anger, danger or beauty, compassion and love. Each reaction of the mind has a direct influence on the physical body which responds in the way it has been programmed. Sometimes that programming is wrong which prevents the body's defence mechanism from functioning correctly This allows illness and disease to get a foothold.
Perhaps the best example to explain this is to compare the motor car and driver with the human body.
A car has a framework which includes all the working parts plus seats for the passenger and a place for baggage. The driver decides what route, speed and direction is going to be taken. A car needs petrol for the engine, sparking plugs to ignite the fuel and a battery to spark the plugs. It is the driver who acts to avoid accidents and decides when the car needs servicing. It is the driver who must decide what fuel to use since putting ordinary fuel in a car which is programmed for unleaded will cause breakdown. Without any or all of these working parts the car will not go. Thus the driver has the overall responsibility of seeing the car is maintained and driven both safely and correctly
The ancients viewed humans as being constructed in much the same way. The physical part of us is represented by the car while the driver is considered as the vital force (car battery) and the spirit (Soul consciousness which decides motivation, direction and ethics). The old traditional systems of medicine accepted the vital force and spirit and treatments were for the healing energies which touched both the vitality and Soul to bring them back into harmony with the physical body.
Again, using the example of the car, we can begin to see the importance of correct thinking, motivation and nourishment as being means to maintaining health in the fullest sense. Healing is the equivalent of "jump starting" the vital force similar to coping with a flat battery. But healing also helps the patient to recognise past problems and re-programme themselves towards health and well-being.
The Healing Process
Complementary Medicine is a system of medicine which treats the physical, mental, emotional and vitality of the patient together with the spirit. This central view runs through a variety of disciplines which traditionally work towards the same goal where harmony between all levels of consciousness including the vital force and spirit must be achieved if true healing is to happen..
Healing the whole person has traditionally been seen as part of a co-ordinated programme of treatment. However, the scientific approach has tended to separate the treatment of the symptoms from treatment of the cause. Science does not recognise the common factor which unites all traditional medical approaches i.e. the vitality or spirit of the patient. Vital force and spirit can be equated with Chi in Chinese Medicine, Shakti in Indian Medicine, Vital Force in Homoeopathy, etc.
The Healing Mechanism
This is difficult to evaluate. Healers channel this energy to the patient. The process begins with a sense of compassion felt by the healer for the one in distress. Mothers feel this sense for their children and "kiss the hurt better" or gently "stroke" the pain away. Every aspects of the mother's thought, physical. mental, emotional and spiritual energy is concentrated on helping her child to over come the pain. In terms of healing energy, the mother's vital force and spiritual senses are focused on helping the child to regain its balance and overcome distress.
Does the healer try to heal the symptom or seek to help the patient come to terms with the cause of the problem ? It is not always easy to establish the primary need. In an ideal world both conditions need help and this is why the healers prayer is usually on the following lines - "May this patient receive the healing that they need." In this way, the appropriate energies are drawn from the healer in such a way as to begin the process of regaining the overall balance between all levels of consciousness. The process is not usually very fast and the healer will need to help the patient to realise that as it probably took a considerable time for the illness to develop so it will take time for the body to remove it.
The Attitude of the Patient
The way the patient views their problem is crucial and every attempt must be made to ensure that a balance between accepting the nature of the problem is balanced with expecting healing to occur.
This is especially important if the condition is life threatening. There is a need to remain quietly confident that the healing processes will stimulate both the body's immune response and the determination to change, remain uppermost in the patient's mind. Recognising the possible cause of the illness is useful where it is possible to change but it must be recognised that dwelling on past mistakes can inhibit the healing. It is better to look at today as the first one of the rest of your life. By living in the present, it is possible to focus on a programme of healing which will build for the future and automatically remove problems from the past at a pace which the patient can manage without adding additional trauma.
Working with Healers
There is a tendency for the public to think of healers as ordinary folk who have a natural gift. This gift can be from God, Nature or the Universe according to the individual belief and they give their services by the laying on of hands or prayer. Healing is certainly a gift which can be used by everyone but it is also a central part of all the ancient traditional medical treatments.
Healing energy is central to all those practitioners in Complementary Medicine. Homoeopathy, osteopathy, chiropractic, herbal medicine, aromatherapy, acupuncture and the other systems listed by the Institute for Complementary Medicine, the practitioner to diagnoses and heals at all levels of consciousness. However, it is a fact that many have tried to remove the concept of healing energy from the training and focus on a more simple and symptomatic approach. Osteopathy is an example where a partially qualified practitioner may only be concerned with the structure of the body and pay little attention to the mental, emotional and spiritual health of the person. In these cases, a complete removal of the symptoms may not be easy to achieve. Joints may be realigned but the change is often not permanent because the cause has not been treated. The patient is always required to play a crucial part in their treatment but some cannot find the strength of purpose to make necessary changes in their life style and belief systems to allow healing to reach its full potential.
