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 wholeheartedly agree, and I am excited to read more of your work and learn from this. I have been a holistic therapist for a decade now working with complex trauma and I have always believed in a treatment team. I don't for a moment think that my work is the magic pill, and I am baffled when aligned practitioners don't have this approach and think it's all either/or. I always talk to my clients about the importance of attending to all parts. I remember many years back when one of my most challenging cases finally took my advice to see a naturopath and once he had some bloodwork done and got on some supplemetns (don't quote me but I think it was htp-5), said that his mood/brain fog lifted enough that for the first time (after 2 months of working together) he felt our (more top-down) work was able to 'take' and integrate and make sense. The weird thing is that there can be so many egos involved that other practitioners don't want to share clients as they really believe that their modality is the magic bullet. I love it when I can discuss cases across disciplines and support each other to support the client/patient. Amongst other benefits (the health and wellbeing of the client for one), this puts the empowerment exactly where it belongs, with the holistic system of the individual doing the healing, instead of any one doctor/carer/practitioner (who all too often in our culture is treated as God, a power dynamic which has many drawbacks as you know!)
Thank you for the work you do and your collaborative spirit. Your patients haven’t chosen wisely and they are lucky to have you. I’m honored to have you hear 🥰
"Abracadabra! With my word I create. Appropriate language choice is integral to holistic health at this level"
On a slightly frivolous note, I suggest 'which appears from the air' is a more appropriate meaning of abracadabra — on the principle that 'ab aura quod apparet' is a likely (pre-classical) latin origin of the term.
I come at this from a very different angle – and think in terms of four interwoven matrices, rather than quadrants – but I have reservations about applying the word 'spiritual' to that fourth quadrant/matrix (which I associate with the Will). To me, the spiritual dimension lies more in the whole being greater than the sum of its parts, i.e. in that part of it which has no independent existence.
That quibble apart, thank you for a very interesting post. I'm generally put off by mention of the chakras but I found your description of them very helpful.
Hi Malcolm. Thank you so much for this thoughtful and informative note. The origin of language is definitely NOT my area of expertise but my understanding about the word "Abracadabra" has always come from the belief that it was derived from the ancient Aramaic phrase "avra kedabra" which translates to "I create as I speak", but I have no idea if that's true! I love the way you describe the spiritual dimension, and I agree with your statement "the spiritual dimension lies more in the whole being greater than the sum of its parts". In some ways, my greatest challenge is putting something into language that cannot be reduced into language. I try to make "spiritual" matters practical so that people dealing with health struggles can find peace in that which we'll never understand. I have a feeling you and I could talk for hours about this brief note. I really appreciate your feedback on the chakra piece- I often struggle with whether or not I want to mention them and use that language. It is very off putting to some and really magnetic for others. For me, it's all self and I try to find language to simplify what I want to communicate. Thanks again for reading and for the message.
I wholeheartedly agree, and I am excited to read more of your work and learn from this. I have been a holistic therapist for a decade now working with complex trauma and I have always believed in a treatment team. I don't for a moment think that my work is the magic pill, and I am baffled when aligned practitioners don't have this approach and think it's all either/or. I always talk to my clients about the importance of attending to all parts. I remember many years back when one of my most challenging cases finally took my advice to see a naturopath and once he had some bloodwork done and got on some supplemetns (don't quote me but I think it was htp-5), said that his mood/brain fog lifted enough that for the first time (after 2 months of working together) he felt our (more top-down) work was able to 'take' and integrate and make sense. The weird thing is that there can be so many egos involved that other practitioners don't want to share clients as they really believe that their modality is the magic bullet. I love it when I can discuss cases across disciplines and support each other to support the client/patient. Amongst other benefits (the health and wellbeing of the client for one), this puts the empowerment exactly where it belongs, with the holistic system of the individual doing the healing, instead of any one doctor/carer/practitioner (who all too often in our culture is treated as God, a power dynamic which has many drawbacks as you know!)
Thank you for the work you do and your collaborative spirit. Your patients haven’t chosen wisely and they are lucky to have you. I’m honored to have you hear 🥰
"Abracadabra! With my word I create. Appropriate language choice is integral to holistic health at this level"
On a slightly frivolous note, I suggest 'which appears from the air' is a more appropriate meaning of abracadabra — on the principle that 'ab aura quod apparet' is a likely (pre-classical) latin origin of the term.
I come at this from a very different angle – and think in terms of four interwoven matrices, rather than quadrants – but I have reservations about applying the word 'spiritual' to that fourth quadrant/matrix (which I associate with the Will). To me, the spiritual dimension lies more in the whole being greater than the sum of its parts, i.e. in that part of it which has no independent existence.
That quibble apart, thank you for a very interesting post. I'm generally put off by mention of the chakras but I found your description of them very helpful.
Hi Malcolm. Thank you so much for this thoughtful and informative note. The origin of language is definitely NOT my area of expertise but my understanding about the word "Abracadabra" has always come from the belief that it was derived from the ancient Aramaic phrase "avra kedabra" which translates to "I create as I speak", but I have no idea if that's true! I love the way you describe the spiritual dimension, and I agree with your statement "the spiritual dimension lies more in the whole being greater than the sum of its parts". In some ways, my greatest challenge is putting something into language that cannot be reduced into language. I try to make "spiritual" matters practical so that people dealing with health struggles can find peace in that which we'll never understand. I have a feeling you and I could talk for hours about this brief note. I really appreciate your feedback on the chakra piece- I often struggle with whether or not I want to mention them and use that language. It is very off putting to some and really magnetic for others. For me, it's all self and I try to find language to simplify what I want to communicate. Thanks again for reading and for the message.