Natural and holistic healing modalities date back to the beginning of civilization. Many modern-day treatments are based on these earlier methods, and these methods work well with modern treatments. Let’s take a closer look at these healing processes.
The body is continually repairing itself, but sometimes, it needs help. Many ancient healing practices assist in healing, but modern science has yet to find out how these natural healing gifts work.
Spiritual Healing Modalities
When you mention the word healing, most people think about the physical body or mental health. However, there is one more aspect to our humanity, and that is spiritual. Spiritual practices consider the whole person, including the body, mind, and spirit.
Holistic medicine is one term used to describe an approach to healing. It is one of the oldest and most widely practiced types of medicine worldwide. It can be traced back to Chinese medicine practices, which are over 6,000 years old. (1) These methods consider the “whole person” when applying remedies.
Spiritual healing modalities are backed by scientific research. Years of research show how this “whole person” approach affects our health and healing processes. It proves the link between mind and body. The history of “whole person” treatment has roots in Ayurvedic, folk medicine, and superstition. Early medicine was part of cultural and spiritual practice, so they used spiritual terms to describe their processes.
Most of these systems involve manipulating and realigning the body’s energy system. These techniques have been used for centuries to treat the body, mind, and spirit. They address illness caused by disturbance of the energy flow. Curing the energy flow stimulates these natural healing gifts.
You can use these natural healing methods along with modern medical treatments. Most spiritual healing methods complement current medical care methods. Combining traditional and modern techniques can achieve better outcomes. As with any form of treatment, finding the right combination to avoid conflicts is essential.
The best practice is to communicate your proposed treatment plans with all parties. Ensure your modern medical provider knows what you intend to use to augment your treatment. Also, make sure the alternative treatment provider is aware of the treatments provided by your physicians.
Natural Healing Methods
Holistic healing modalities have a different approach than Western medicine. Western medicine focuses on treating symptoms. So, treatments ease symptoms but often do not address the underlying cause. So, the problem worsens, and symptoms escalate. The body is trying to communicate that something is out of balance, injured, or diseased.
And in some cases, the Western medical approach causes more problems than it fixes. A good example of this is the use of radiation treatments for acne in the 1970s. If you had these treatments, it improved the acne, but ten years later, you develop multiple skin cancers.
Western medicine effectively treats severe trauma, infectious diseases, and life-threatening conditions. It provides a range of life-saving treatments, from vaccines to organ transplants. New medical technologies have changed medicine. An EKG measures electrical activity in the body even if we don’t yet understand exactly where the electrical energy comes from or how it works. Scientifically based medicine is new, only a few hundred years old.
Activating Our Natural Healing Gifts
Natural healing methods are a subset of holistic healing modalities. It has three main categories;
1) self-directed and
2) techniques a healer applies with touch, or
3) healing without touch. Healing without touch or distant healing has gained popularity since the advent of virtual training. This trend has increased exponentially since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
These methods aim to regain proper balance and health in the system. Sometimes, this means removing roadblocks, realigning, or increasing the energy flow. These traditional techniques come from eons of practice and experimentation. In some cases, the effects are immediate, while others take time to manifest healing. Some techniques require multiple treatments to achieve the desired outcome. So, they need several treatments to achieve the best results.
1) Spiritual Healing Modalities Initiated By Touch
Massage Therapy is one of the most common natural healing methods. There are methods from Japan like Shiatsu or Indonesia like Pejut. The latter also incorporates the energy healing component found in Reiki.
Pejut is an Indonesian healing method involving mental healing energy and trigger point massage. Trigger point massage is not comfortable. However, it is very effective in realigning muscles and bones, and it does so without the violent movements associated with chiropractic manipulations. Its energy is generated by techniques associated with Qigong rather than Sigils, as with Reiki.
Massage is one of the natural healing modalities that does not require training. However, training in body mechanics and massage techniques increases effectiveness.
The type of massage that’s right for you depends upon the goal. If the goal is to relax, calm, and destress, then a gentle Swedish might be right. If you have a sports injury, then Pejut is good therapy. It’s not claiming and gentle, but if you need to realign any joint in the back or extremities, this therapy will bring things back in alignment.
It is common for massage therapists to use heating pads, rocks, towels, or even sticks to target specific areas. Other tools, like aromatherapy and music, are also strategies for preparing the client for massage.
This modality also includes a broad spectrum of Chinese medicine. It includes acupuncture, acupressure, and medicinal herbs to treat systemic health problems. The theories behind these medicines date back thousands of years. Although modern medicine cannot verify why or how they work, they help treat many chronic ailments.
Reflexology is a form of hand, foot, and ear massage. It’s a relaxing technique that some believe can also be used as a diagnostic tool. Your hands, feet, and ears are energy junctions or concentration points. The therapists who use these techniques improve energy circulation by stimulating these points. This therapy is taken directly from Chinese medicine but is Westernized and sanitized.
2) Touchless Natural Healing Methods
Sound and Vibration are the cornerstones of many spiritual practices. Singing bowls, drums, and rattles are among the traditional instruments. So, they are also a part of healing technologies either directly or as a backdrop to set the mood. The drum, rattle, and singing bowl are integral in the Shamanic journey. They start the practice, regulate the heart rate, and end it. Sound is the key to the use of many natural healing gifts.
Quantum healing therapy is a sound and vibrational therapy based on the Nada Brahma Schumann Resonances theory. It is the idea that listening to this frequency, 7.83 Hz, will align you with the frequency of planet Earth. While listening to the “grounding” frequency, they use breathing and visualization techniques.
Music is a tool used for healing in many cultures. It can be encoded with lyrics that facilitate memory, making it a mnemonic memory tool that can aid in remembering and learning. These qualities are helpful in many healing practices. All mantras and sutras are vibrational energy tools, a type of music for consciousness.
There is clinical evidence to support the positive effects of this resonance treatment. Studies show it lowers blood pressure when it is done regularly. (2)
Reiki is a Japanese touchless energy healing method, a scaled-down version of the Indonesian healing method Pejut. Reiki uses touchless energy focused around symbols, making it a form of Sigil Magik. Reiki is one of the most popular holistic healing methods because it is not invasive and is open for everyone to learn.
Aroma Therapy is a therapy used in conjunction with other healing methods. The traditional method is burning incense, but essential oil defusers are popular today.
Body Scan Meditation can be an effective way to get in touch with what’s going on with your body. Strange as it seems, our modern culture teaches us to ignore the minor discomforts of our bodies.
We are taught to “work” through discomfort for productivity. But, by ignoring the minor signs, we miss the opportunity to intervene when simple remedies could correct the problem. We ignore the symptoms until the condition becomes unbearable. Then, the treatment required is often more significant in scope and cost.
A regular body scan meditation is simple and only takes a few minutes. It’s also pleasant and relaxing. Lay down comfortably and bring your attention to the body. Scan starting with your toes and feet, and work up the body to the crown of the head. Along the way, you relax tight muscles and discover places where you need attention.
3) Self-Directed Natural Healing Methods
Tai Chi, Tai Ka and Qigong. These three methods have roots in Chinese and Indonesian culture. Many people learn them as a method of self-defense only to find the health benefits. It’s a holistic healing method that increases the personal value the more you use it.
These natural healing modalities align energy through coordinated breathing and movement. Tai Thi, Tai Ka, and Qigong also have self-defense applications, but one need not study these to get the exercise’s health benefits.
You are better off learning the original form rather than the Westernized version. Westernized versions often remove the technique from its cultural context, thus deleting the method and its results. Traditional methods are much less expensive and achieve better outcomes.
One of the newest configurations of Chinese healing is pranic healing. Prana comes from the Sanskrit term for “life force.” In Chinese systems, it is “chi.” Japanese systems refer to this force as “ki.”
Pranic healing is the practice of Qigong, Tai Chi, or Tai Ka repackaged to make it more marketable. The Delhi High Court in India ruled that the expression ‘pranic healing’ cannot be trademarked. No one can copyright the term over pranic healing asanas and other yoga techniques, as they are not original terms.
The use of affirmations. Positive thinking and attitudes help you cope even if the treatment doesn’t work. A positive attitude is one thing that researchers have found that does make a difference in your health. People with a positive attitude about their future have better treatment outcomes than those who do not. (3)
Unverifiable Treatments
Some “remedies” have zero evidence for effectiveness. Most of these are treatments that revolve around religious mythology and superstition.
Crystal Healing is an example of a superstition being used as a treatment. For example, selenite is a crystallized form of gypsum. It is believed to have the ability to draw out toxins. It is widely used as a means of spiritual cleansing. But as beautiful as they are, there isn’t any way to measure this effect.
Similarly, Himalayan salt lamps also produce a warm, inviting glow when lit from behind. The ambiance of this defused light helps to provide a calm, inviting environment, which encourages healing. These lamps are a staple in many healing centers.
It’s worth noting that many people attest to these lamps’ effectiveness in changing the environment’s ambiance and mood. Changes in the immediate environment will affect our attitude.
The Safest Holistic Healing Modalities
You can use four strategies that won’t interfere with your treatment plan.
1) Engage in forms of self-care and energy healing methods
Focus on those that reduce stress, like meditation, breathing exercises, and light Yoga
2) Eating the proper diet
Know which foods to avoid that may aggravate any underlying conditions
3) Keep a health journal
Keep track of your diet and activities so that you can spot anything that exacerbates your health condition
4) Identify and remove all toxic substances
Eliminating toxins may also mean removing people who are the source of negativity or false information.
In Conclusion
The topics of natural healing methods and holistic healing modalities are ever-changing. Researchers are conducting tests and surveying people to compile up-to-date data. People will continue to rebrand and rename them to make them more marketable to Western consumers.
We recommend starting with the four safe, holistic methods. Do your research. We each possess our natural healing gifts. If we can help, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
We find value in many of the techniques mentioned in this article. Our organization has Reiki Masters and experienced Pejut healers in its membership.
References
(1) The History of Holistic Healing Modalities.
(2) The Physiological Effects of Schumann Resonance.
(3) How Positive Thinking Affects Health.