Different Levels of Healing Example

Before I started learning about homeopathy and natural healing I had the idea that there was only two things to do in health care: fix a problem or develop healthier habits. There are more possibilities, however. In my quest to better explain this, I’ve divided the continuum of methods into four groups, in a somewhat arbitrary but hopefully useful way. Conventional methods focus on fixing something, whereas natural methods focus on the natural healing abilities of the organism.

Take the example of someone who develops very high blood pressure, seemingly because of some work related stress. What kinds of things can you do for such a person? Here are some of my ideas.

1. Intervention

Give pharmaceuticals to get the blood pressure down.

2. Environmental

Perhaps a poor diet is contributing to the problem? (High salt, lots of stimulants, etc.)

Change jobs.

3. Supportive

Mind-body techniques to help the person relax, such as yoga, meditation, visualization.

Therapy to help the person work out stress and develop techniques for dealing with stress.

4. Root

Addressing the root imbalance which has lead this person to be susceptible to stress and high blood pressure in the first place. For example, therapy might uncover some deeper issue. So called energetic healing modalities like homeopathy can also bring about a deeper shift which results in a change of sensitivities and susceptibilities.

Our conventional methods are physical, external, and focus on a single thing. At the other end are methods which are non-physical, based on the individual’s susceptibility rather than the external cause, and are holistic.

Note that so-called scientific methods of research favor #1 because of their desire to focus on a single variable. I say “so-called scientific” because I believe science is broader than that, although reductionistic experiments are very useful in many ways.

These levels of health care are not mutually exclusive. #1 is best suited for short term survival and #4 for long term healing, but they all have their place, in my opinion.
Most people who claim to be scientific say that what I’ve called level #4 doesn’t really exist. They believe that it’s only our belief. I say that’s okay as long as those of us who value this kind of healing have the liberty to pursue it.

I want to make one last point: I don’t practice homeopathy based on my belief in level #4. Rather I recognize the existence of healing at the #4 level because of observations and experiments. It’s not just a matter of scientific vs. unscientific or woo-woo, but rather a matter of addressing different levels. I believe that I can operate on any of the levels in a scientific manner (or not), although different methodologies and questions are required.