What Is Holistic Therapy?
Also known as holistic psychotherapy, holistic therapy attempts to treat a person as a whole, rather than centering on a single pain point. While other treatments focus on different components – either physical and psychological – holistic therapy focuses on both elements of a person to help them feel better in their body, mind and spirit.
How It Works
Holistic therapy works on the basis that there is no single area of the body or mind that is more important than another. Instead, a person’s health is made up equally through their physical body, mind, feelings and spirit.
Those attempting holistic therapy aim to give an individual more aware of what connects the mind-body and spirit, so they can have a much deeper understanding of themself. The result is often higher self-awareness and improved self-esteem.
One technique used in holistic therapy is the concept of mindfulness. In this, a therapist will work with the patient to help them accept their present: where they are in life, what’s happening at the moment and who they are. The idea is that when a person is able to accept themselves more deeply, they will then be able to let go of issues that are distressing them. Visual imagery, bodywork and relaxation techniques are also used to help.
Holistic therapy bodywork
Bodywork is all about using the body for self-improvement, and it’s part of the personal development techniques holistic therapists use.
Types of bodywork include breathing classes, yoga, massage and Reiki. The goal is to improve connectivity between energy levels in the body and mind. Some bodywork techniques have been proven to have benefits however, Reiki is considered to be pseudoscientific and, therefore, not effective.
These techniques are often complementary treatments or additional options to improve the outcomes of more traditional treatments for both psychological and physical conditions.
The holistic therapy approach
Traditional western medicine typically uses medicines and other interventions in order to treat or cure a single ailment or illness. For example, a patient with arthritis may be given anti-inflammatories and physio.
In holistic medicine, the approach to treatment is much different. Instead, an arthritic patient would be monitored and consulted about their feelings, attitudes and relationships, and how these are impacted by the condition. All these concerns and emotions would then be addressed in the treatment plan.
Holistic treatment providers tend to prefer to treat patients with techniques like acupuncture, massage and natural therapy despite these not having strong empirical evidence to suggest they are effective for different diseases and conditions. Psychotherapist Canberra provides a safe, nonjudgmental environment in which people can work through their problems.
Benefits and criticisms
As with anything that moves away from the norm, there are plenty of mixed views on holistic therapy. However, if it’s something that you think could be of interest to you, check out the treatments available from a massage therapist in potters bar.
Holistic massage is said to have a beneficial impact on those suffering from psychological issues such as anxiety, depression, stress and PTSD. However, the major downside to the holistic approach is that it is incredibly difficult to reach an individual’s ‘spirit’ or to know their body, feelings and spirit well.
Despite this, there are plenty of people who think holistic therapy is the way to go. Definitely investigate and see if it’s something that could help you.
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