Bringing It All Together "Holistically”

By Joel P. Bowman, Ph.D., and Rev. Debra Basham, CHTP

In the martial arts, the syndrome is known as, “My Sensei is better than your Sensei,” or “My style is better than your style.” Advanced practitioners of the martial arts, however, recognize that the similarities among styles are more numerous “and more important” than their differences.

The same is true when it comes to energy-based healing modalities. Some practitioners of Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, Healing Touch, QiGong, LaHo Chi, and other forms of energy-based healing with established training programs, may be so focused on what makes their style “special” that they overlook the commonalities. Their focus may be on the idiosyncrasies of a style rather than on the larger purpose, the “whole” in holistic health.

In fact, one of the greatest impediments to the acceptance of holistic health has been the exclusionary tendency of many practitioners. Too many practitioners of holistic health think of themselves as offering the “alternative” to “allopathic” Western medicine, when “holistic” actually includes Western medicine. Surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy, can be a necessary step in helping individuals regain their sense of health and well-being. Well-rounded holistic therapists see themselves as part of a healing team and know when to recommend a different practitioner, whether massage therapist, chiropractor, acupuncturist, or physician.

In addition to knowing the strengths of different modalities and practitioners, well-rounded holistic therapists also know how to use language to facilitate their clients’ sense of health and well-being. In The Listening Hand, Ilana Rubenfeld describes how she developed the Rubenfeld Synergy System after having spent three years with a massage therapist who couldn’t talk and a talk therapist who couldn’t touch.

Most training programs, including medical school,do not teach the integration of touch and talk, and yet those who practice holistic health typically subscribe to the belief that the mind and body are part of the same system. If the whole person consists of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual elements, what influences one part, influences the whole.

Every bodyworker knows that “The Body Remembers”, as Babette Rothschild notes in her book by that name. Our childhood traumas are stored in our bodies as well as in our minds. Our memories are more than ideas, they are cellular memories. Most bodyworkers are, however, not taught what to say when massage triggers deep-seated childhood trauma.

Even those trained in “talk therapy” may say the wrong things, because they have not been taught that language is a form of energy, that the words and the way they are said convey an “energetic truth.” What happens, for example, when you read the words, ‘Don’t think of elephants.’ Did you think of elephants?

That construction is known as a negative command. Negative commands are understood by the conscious mind one way and by the unconscious mind another. Have you ever told a client, ‘Don’t forget to make your next appointment on the way out,’ only to have the client forget? You may have noticed that many of the antismoking ads sponsored by the tobacco companies emphasize the words, “Don’t smoke.” Do you suppose those who developed the ads understood the effect of negative commands?

A variety of language patterns influence the unconscious mind in similar ways. What happens when therapists ask clients, “How has your depression been this past week?” Do the clients search through their memories of the week to find all those times they were ecstatically happy? The natural tendency is to look for the times of depression.

What do you say when you have clients who require surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or other serious interventions? Does the language you use support the desired outcome? The following are two case histories presented in the training manual for Pre-and Post surgical Support with SCS.

Jerry was struggling with Crohn’s Disease and was trying desperately to avoid surgery. He had his first surgery when still in his teens and overseas with the military, and was alone, afraid, and without support. Debra had him focus on the love and support of his family and friends for the current surgery, which went well. He recovered nicely and also developed a new sense of confidence and community.

Another client, James, was fearful when he learned that his leaky heart valve required surgery. He said, “I’m looking forward to having the problem corrected, but I’m not looking forward to the surgery.” Debra used a language technique called the “Magic But” to change the focus of the sentence from negative to positive. She replied, “So, you're not looking forward to the surgery, but you’re looking forward to having the problem corrected.”

Learning these linguistic techniques will help make your practice more holistic by bringing all the requisite skills together.

Reverend Debra Basham, a Certified Healing Touch Practitioner and Joel Bowman, Ph.D., a Reiki Master, are Licensed Master Practitioners and Trainers of Neurolinguistic Programming and are trained in hypnosis and a variety of energy-based modalities. They are the founders of Subtle Communication Systems: www.scs-enterprises.com