Rani Venkat offers a quick rundown on holistic healing

To understand holistic health or healing, one has to look into the history of medicines evolved from the beginning of the scientific age. Though modern medicine tends to deny the effect of mind and soul on any illness, recently, great physicists have proved that even sub-atomic particles have mental properties. The mind is inherent in every electron, and hence, matter is becoming indistinguishable from the mind.

There is consciousness and meaning in the whole universe - a meaning behind everything.This meaning makes the difference between 'disease' and 'illness'. Illness is about what happens to a person on the whole; while disease is what happens on an organ level. This therapy (or therapies) of working on the 'beingness' of a human is what is known as holistic healing.

The Process

Holistic healing works on the trion level of a life, ie body, mind and soul. A conscious synergisation between these three is holistic health. To remain in a state of holistic health, one must heal the body, mind and the soul continuously. Healing, as one understands it, is only a curing process, curing of a disease on the body level. This manifestation on the body is the final stage of the malfunction of the being, which has already been sown, seeded, rooted and grown through the auric levels of the mind and the soul. If holistic healing is achieved, many manifestations on the body level can be rooted out from the causal stage and further manifestations are also stopped. However, for this, one needs to study and experience life beyond anatomy. This involves incorporation of medications (of different therapies, if needed), surgery, ultrasonics, irradiation, lifestyle, work style, relationships (with self and with others), expectations, stress (physical, mental, emotional), financial stability, hobbies, relaxation, study, openness for accepting and adhering to situations in life, etc - in fact, every little and big thing that goes into shaping a life.

The Techniques

Holistic healing is a science of including everything that is needed for the healee at that point of time in her life. In addition to incorporating modern medicine, holistic healing also leans on 'spirituality'. Health, holistically (wholesome or completely), is life itself. Hence, how can we call one system as the only one important for life? The history and evolution of man show that other ancient healing techniques have existed since time immemorial and have been practised by people ever since. Holistic health, in its endeavour to consciously synchronise body-mind-soul, involves therapies on all levels. It can easily be said to be putting to good use the knowledge of all the eras in the evolution of medical science.

The Therapies

These include aura diagnosis, Reiki, Pranayam, meditation, diet (including water therapy), stress release, emotional release, relationship healing, stress release, emotional release, relationship healing, childhood trauma healing, past life trauma healing, therapeutic massage, sound therapy, vibrational therapy, aura sweeping and cleaning, healing mantras from the 'Vedas' and 'Upanishads', meridian treatment and massage, dowsing, tools for self-empowerment, crystal therapy, reflexology, colour therapy, magnet therapy, acupressure, visualisation, exercises including 'yogasanas', visualisation, personality development, pyramids and Sai Sanjeevini.

Selection of one or more therapies will be decided by the practitioner on a case-to-case basis. To achieve holistic health, one needs to work with a consortium, rather than as an individual identity/personality (doctor, 'vaid', yoga teacher, naturopath, homoeopath, etc) who is only looking out to add numbers to his list of patients. Persons from different fields of life must come together to pool in their knowledge/experience and then support the patient to heal (and not merely cure).

The Place Of Holistic Healing

Every single individual is in search of techniques to heal themselves and not just cure their symptoms. Hence, we find more and more people turning to spirituality, meditation, exercise, Nature, Vedanta, the Karma theory, etc, to lead a contented life. This only goes to show that techniques and means to give solace beyond the body are extremely essential for a qualitative life.

Rani Venkat spoke to Sameera Moledina