Different forms of healing - Essay Example

Healing Healing refers to the restoration of well being after a state of dysfunction of the mind and body. This may occur spontaneously or over time and is subject to many different factors. These factors help to create a difference of perspective and approach to different kinds of healing. People, therefore, tend to adopt the form of healing that works best for them. This may make all them skeptical of all the other forms, but that belittling is unnecessary. One thing that all do agree in the concept of healing is the occurrence of a state of dysfunction and the subsequent attempt to remedy it. Forms of Healing Different forms of healing have been devised and exercised throughout history. Their acceptance into different cultures has been subject to how fulfilling each method is and to the satisfaction of the clients. Most forms of healing are extremely broad and encompass a lot. Medical Healing This is the newest form of healing. It involves the evaluation of a disease state of the body, and this process occurs under the watchful eye a trained physician. The physician makes an attempt of examining the signs and symptoms presented by the ailing individual. An intelligent guess follows, and a series of tests has to be done to rule out most of the possibilities. This aims at increasing the chances of a correct diagnosis. Since most disease conditions are elaborate from extensive study, the remedy or relevant management for a correctly diagnosed condition is always at hand. This is the mainstream form of healing that now renders all the other forms alternative. Energy/Alternative Healing This is the broadest form of healing. Energy healing is a form of an alternative process of restoration to full function. Those who prefer this form of healing are rather conservative and not ready to embrace contemporary medicine. Individuals for this form of healing argue that physical pain is only a symptom of a complex or a greater imbalance. These may or may not have its causative origin within the physical body (Sternberg, 2009). Modalities of Energy Healing Energy healing has found vast application today as a form of complementary or alternative form of healing. The few forms described above give a basic concept that energy-healing modalities only differ in scope and method of delivery, whether hands-on, hands-off or even distant. The most common of these methods include Acupuncture, Reiki, Aromatherapy, Yoga, Applied Kinesiology and Hypnotherapy. However, they all tend to agree that in all these methods, an individual has to be viewed in totality and not just as a sum of his or her body parts as seen in contemporary medicine. Energy healing comes in many forms. The four principal forms can be elucidated. Pranic Healing Pranic healing is one of the highly evolved forms of energy healing. It was developed by Master Choa Kok Sui. It is a relatively cheap yet effective method of energy healing. This has a fundamental basis that is, the conviction that the body is a self-repairing living unit. This argument gives the body the ability to heal itself using the readily available prana. Prana, as explained by Master Choa, is an invisible life force or bioenergy that keeps the body alive. This bioenergy is available from the sun, air and even the ground. This form of healing is popular among people who are skeptical to contact healing. This is because it involves no contact whatsoever between the practitioner and the ailing individual or client. It suggests that the practitioner works on the bio-plasmic body and not directly on the physical body. The bio-plasmic body is the aura that as argued, tends to surround and interpenetrate the physical body. It sustains the physical body and affects emotions, how people cope with stress, affairs and even finances. Pranic healing views ailments as energetic disruptions in the aura that later manifest as physical problems and, therefore, can be reversed by manipulating the said aura (Sternberg, 2009). Divine Healing This form of healing gives credence to the existence of supernatural forces that affect all forms of life. This, therefore, bases itself on faith as satisfaction relies on pure belief. Individuals that practice this form of healing often tend to reach out to a “higher power” in trying to remedy their ailments or ill health. Divine healing may also involve certain deeds that aim at establishing one’s faith to facilitate the attainment of a state of recovery. This is the description of rituals and sacrifices, which aims at stimulating divine presence. A practitioner of this form of healing is a spiritual healer, and they may serve as the bridge between the individual and the supernatural world. This form of healing aims at lifting a person above themselves and giving them the ability to perceive things differently. This is an intimate pursuit and does not involve psychic intervention. This is the view of those who support this form of healing. In the end, the individual is to have a clearer vision of God and the resulting spiritual awakening brings about a state of recovery. Through a combination of talking and contacting supernatural powers (God or otherwise), an individual comes from a state of malady to one of more balance. Shamanic Healing Those who observe this form of healing say it is not to be based on beliefs or faith. Instead, it aims at using a person's state of mind or consciousness as a tool to bring them to state of fullness from that of imbalance. This, however, needs the services of a shaman. This is a person who learns to heal out of the experience. He reaches into an individual’s distorted state of perception with the aim of helping them recover. It, therefore, implies that shamanism considers physical or even emotional pain as having been caused by a person’s state of mind and thus rendering it reversible. This is an old type of healing dating back to the 16th century (Sternberg, 2009). Holistic Healing This form of healing takes into account more than just the mind-body connections. Its practice is more of a lifestyle approach that encompasses an individual’s life that is, physical healing, psychological health and wellness, emotional health and spiritual values. This suggests that whenever aberrations arise to bring pain, recovery is subject to striking a balance between all these factors, and this serves to bring one to satisfaction. This alleviates physical pain. Reference Sternberg, E.M (2009). Healing Spaces: The Science of Place and Well-Being. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Read More