Healing and the Western Mind
As westerners we are trained to think in a rational, linear and dualistic manner. If something cannot be proven scientifically, it does not exist. Many view the existence of other realms of reality and interconnecting energy bodies as primitive thinking that exists in societies that are not as evolved as our own. Currently we experience a giant disconnect within our culture. Intellectually we adhere to rational scientific thought, yet our most popular television shows and movies deal with magic, the supernatural and other realms of reality. The popularity of Harry Potter and Avatar speaks to our longing for and identification with realms that are larger than the materially defined reality in which our minds and souls are supposed to be contained.
When we have a health crisis, many of us rush to our doctors for tests to unearth what is wrong while also consulting with alternative practitioners. We are left to bridge the information that we receive from these two worlds and often have to choose which path to follow in order to heal. As western medicine becomes more specialized, we are left to wonder the long term effects of one type of procedure or medication for one problem on the other parts of our body. As we are sent from one specialist to the next and are subjected to many tests, procedures and medications, it seems almost impossible for any given doctor to hold the whole gestalt of our overall health. Our health care system has both a financial crisis and one in which our linear approach to healing erects blinders that prevent us from seeing the various levels that comprise our health and well being. In the following blogs, I will explore this issue as well as the ways in which our beliefs impact our bodies ability to heal and be healthy. It is possible to meld the technological advances of allopathic medicine with the wisdom of healing practices from ages past if we allow our minds and hearts to hold both the rational and the intuitive aspect of our being.
