Integral Medicine & Integral Herbalism
Holistic medicine emphasises putting separate parts together to form a whole;
Integral medicine sees nothing as separate, everything is already connected as one vast wholeness.
Integral medicine sees nothing as separate, everything is already connected as one vast wholeness.
The principle of wholeness is part of an integral approach to medicine. It allows me to bring all of me to my work and acknowledge the impact of my work on all of me. It also reminds me that doctor and patient interact within the context of a larger system. ' Maria Christodoulou, MD and Programme Coordinator for Integrative Medicine at Stellenbosch University in South Africa
Life wants to happen in all of us, is unstoppable and moves towards wholeness even during times of crisis. Partnering with life, working with its cohering motions, requires that as a health professional I am able to sense and respond from a space of wholeness and support patients to reach a higher level of balance and coherence. In fact I consider it an ethical imperative to make myself irrelevant.
There are four lenses through which we can experience different aspects of better health and the challenges to reach it. Integral health is a way to care for our wellbeing which takes into account all what we can see through these four lenses.
In the words of Dr.Marylin Schlitz: "Integral Medicine is a dynamic, holistic and lifelong process that exists in widening and deepening relationships with self, culture and nature."
Integral Medicine offers a comprehensive way to address the needs of patients, families and even society at large.
Introduction to the four quadrants (see diagram on the left) by Dr.Gary Huffaker.
Integral medicine includes both conventional and complementary approaches but also considers the relationships between patient, society and culture AND recognises the wholeness of the provider.
What does it mean to be an Integral Herbalist?
If we are ever to have anything resembling a comprehensive, inclusive, integral view and practice of herbal medicine, we know one thing for sure, it will include and transcend all existing schools of thought and practice in this art of healing.
It will be a theoretical framework that can account for the important if partial truths of all schools of herbal practice and philosophy.
As an integral herbalist I listen deeply and compassionately, ask comprehensive and illuminating questions to reveal physiological, emotional and spiritual challenges, and consider the needs and preferences of patients when I recommend a treatment. I see the purpose of my work as helping patients to unleash their health and reach their potential.
Asking the right questions is an essential component of being an Integral Herbalist as it is of any integrally informed health practitioner. Questions rather than making statements of assertion can lead to emotional release and healing in that very moment or can point the way toward additional therapies that target the underlying problem.
As an integral herbalist I have a comprehensive understanding of a clients' physical and emotional health. I become a source of information and education for the patient and together we create a plan, incorporating herbal, nutritional and lifestyle factors to meet individual needs.
I respect science and nature in everything I do and offer a personal service and quality assurance. I am interested in cutting edge work and liaise with medical and other healthcare professionals to help advance integrated and integral healthcare. I also provide information to the public and practitioners on important health issues. The integral approach also focuses on preventative measures that will enhance well-being while decreasing risk-factors for the illnesses that are so prevalent in our modern civilisation i.e fatigue and low-energy, stress, anxiety and depression, insomnia, diabetes and obesity, general health and environmental health.
Life wants to happen in all of us, is unstoppable and moves towards wholeness even during times of crisis. Partnering with life, working with its cohering motions, requires that as a health professional I am able to sense and respond from a space of wholeness and support patients to reach a higher level of balance and coherence. In fact I consider it an ethical imperative to make myself irrelevant.
There are four lenses through which we can experience different aspects of better health and the challenges to reach it. Integral health is a way to care for our wellbeing which takes into account all what we can see through these four lenses.
In the words of Dr.Marylin Schlitz: "Integral Medicine is a dynamic, holistic and lifelong process that exists in widening and deepening relationships with self, culture and nature."
Integral Medicine offers a comprehensive way to address the needs of patients, families and even society at large.
Introduction to the four quadrants (see diagram on the left) by Dr.Gary Huffaker.
Integral medicine includes both conventional and complementary approaches but also considers the relationships between patient, society and culture AND recognises the wholeness of the provider.
What does it mean to be an Integral Herbalist?
If we are ever to have anything resembling a comprehensive, inclusive, integral view and practice of herbal medicine, we know one thing for sure, it will include and transcend all existing schools of thought and practice in this art of healing.
It will be a theoretical framework that can account for the important if partial truths of all schools of herbal practice and philosophy.
As an integral herbalist I listen deeply and compassionately, ask comprehensive and illuminating questions to reveal physiological, emotional and spiritual challenges, and consider the needs and preferences of patients when I recommend a treatment. I see the purpose of my work as helping patients to unleash their health and reach their potential.
Asking the right questions is an essential component of being an Integral Herbalist as it is of any integrally informed health practitioner. Questions rather than making statements of assertion can lead to emotional release and healing in that very moment or can point the way toward additional therapies that target the underlying problem.
As an integral herbalist I have a comprehensive understanding of a clients' physical and emotional health. I become a source of information and education for the patient and together we create a plan, incorporating herbal, nutritional and lifestyle factors to meet individual needs.
I respect science and nature in everything I do and offer a personal service and quality assurance. I am interested in cutting edge work and liaise with medical and other healthcare professionals to help advance integrated and integral healthcare. I also provide information to the public and practitioners on important health issues. The integral approach also focuses on preventative measures that will enhance well-being while decreasing risk-factors for the illnesses that are so prevalent in our modern civilisation i.e fatigue and low-energy, stress, anxiety and depression, insomnia, diabetes and obesity, general health and environmental health.
An integral perspective:
Becoming wellbeings A system’s view of health, wholeness and transformation (beta 1.0)
Becoming wellbeings A system’s view of health, wholeness and transformation (beta 1.0)