What does it mean to be holistic and who defines the boundaries of the whole?

To be honest, this is the only topic I really want to talk about but within this topic is EVERYTHING because holism is a dynamic evolution that contracts and expands in whatever direction best suits the context of the discussion. I’ve written about this on instagram but the character limit is a direct assault on the nature of holism and holistic discussion. So I’m grateful to have the space to express this.

I’m particularly interested in the word “holistic” when it comes to health and healing. These days you can see all kinds of practitioners and doctors referring to themselves as “holistic” but what does that even mean?

Some self proclaimed holistic practitioners ignore nearly every organ system in the body and believe that focusing on nervous system regulation makes them “holistic”. Others think that adding a vitamin D level or functional lab testing to your annual physical is “holistic”. I even see mental health professionals who are solely focused on mental and emotional wellbeing define themselves as “holistic” when the body isn’t even included in their work. If we’re going to use the word holistic we must first define the boundaries of the whole.

Think of it like this, if the boundaries of the whole are the boundaries of your body, a primary care provider, GP or internist (as opposed to a specialist) is holistic. But when was the last time you went to see your primary care provider and felt like they tended to the WHOLE of you … in 15 mins or less …?

I’m not going to spend these pages discussing how the conventional medical system is an obstacle to holistic care because I felt that tension for a decade of my career and it deserves it’s own discussion. But I am going to spend the rest of these pages sharing how I define the whole and how the boundaries of the whole shape how I practice holistic medicine. 

When it comes to health, the whole is dynamic because two contradictory things are true at the same time- we are separate individuals AND we are ONE/intimately connected with each other and the environments in which we exist. We have to keep this in mind when we are working holistically.

In my practice I always start with the individual- the separate self. And in that context, I see the whole as inclusive of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual quadrants of the Self. This means that I believe that sustainable healing and transformation requires the engagement of all 4 of these quadrants. In my experience, this is true in EVERY SINGLE health condition or dis-ease state. So whether we are working on your autoimmune disease, your anxiety, your life purpose or your broken heart, we are looking at how the DIS-EASE is expressing itself in each of these 4 quadrants. I’ll go into this in more depth in an upcoming series of articles for paid subscribers soon.

Understanding these four distinct quadrants is important because we relate to ourselves and the world around us differently through each of them. For example, the language of the physical body is sensation (touch, sound, sight, smell, taste), whereas the language of the mental experience is thought or belief. The emotional quadrant speaks in a felt state that is created when a chemical messenger binds to a receptor (dopamine, serotonin, etc.) and the spiritual quadrant is quantum- it speaks through energy, intuition and symbol. When we have access to all four of these modes of communication, health “problems” don’t exist. Every complaint is a doorway to self understanding and becoming more whole.

For me, as a holistic provider, this is just where I begin.

If you’re familiar with my work you already know I like using the chakra system as a framework of self understanding. So the separate self is represented by the lower 4 chakras. Let me be clear, the chakras are not anatomical structures but each one is associated with large plexuses of nerves and endocrine glands, suggesting that the chakras refer to areas around the body where our sensitivity is heightened- and perhaps we have access to extrasensory information. The chakras are symbolic of windows that can be opened for the exchange of information between the seen and unseen realms of self. 

So from the perspective of the root chakra, the boundaries of the whole are the boundaries of the body. This is why every organ system is critical to the discussion of holistic health. They are all connected.

From the perspective of the sacral chakra, the boundaries include the body and the emotional field (very important for empaths). So as a holistic doctor, how someone feels about their condition, their body and the treatment plan is integral to the results. We must always look at the ways in which emotion impacts biochemistry and the effects of that on the body (and vice versa of course).

At the level of the solar plexus chakra, the whole is inclusive of the body, the emotional field and the mind (our thoughts and beliefs). This is why the placebo effect matters in medicine.

And at the heart chakra, the boundaries begin to expand beyond the separate self into other. This is why our relationships, communities and environments are integral to any discussion of holistic health. This is where health becomes spiritual. This is where our own heart rates can sync up with others.

However, the whole does not end here- it continues on, and the boundaries of Self expand as we climb the ladder toward unity consciousness. Once our awareness enters the heart chakra, the Self becomes intimately connected to other- so much so that health is not longer an individual matter. This isn’t a woo woo concept, as I believe that any public health official would agree with me for their own reasons. 

The electromagnetic field of the heart can be measured 3 ft from the body so at the level of the heart chakra, this space must be included in the boundaries of the whole. This means that everyone within 3 feet of you is part of the whole of you, and vice versa.

At the level of the throat chakra, the whole includes your vibration (aka sound), in addition to the body, emotional field, mind, and presence in a 3 ft radius around you. This goes way beyond 3 feet and means that everyone and thing that is close enough to you to hear you is part of the whole (and vice versa). This is where language becomes essential to health outcomes. If you practice “functional” medicine, your medicine will result in a functionality. Abracadabra! With my word I create. Appropriate language choice is integral to holistic health at this level.

At the third eye chakra the boundaries expand exponentially beyond time and space. This is where intergenerational wounding (and healing), inner child work and epigenetics becomes integral to holistic medicine because even our ancestors are part of the whole of self. This is where the phrase “as above so below” becomes so applicable to health and why Hippocrates said “a physician without knowledge of astrology has no right to call himself a physician”. More on this in a future post.

And at the level of the crown chakra, we are all one, inclusive of the mystery. I cannot stress how important this concept is in holistic medicine. Evidence based medicine, data and accurate prognoses make us feel safe. But if we do not embrace the mystery, we shut ourselves down to the miracle of life. This is where radical remissions, unexplainable recoveries and quantum leaps take place. And in my opinion, if we do not zoom out to this perspective regularly, we cannot truly tend to any version of the whole.

So whether you are a “holistic” practitioner or you’re seeking holistic care, I encourage you to strongly consider how you define the boundaries of the whole. What whole are you tending to and how can your work staying in integrity with your definition of the whole.