What Is Holistic Therapy?

Integrative health, complementary medicine, alternative medicine and holistic medicine all describe similar services.

Holistic therapy refers to the treatment of a person’s health with regards to their mind, body, spirit, and emotional state. Holistic therapy may include non-medicinal treatment methods. It often aims to deliver optimal health by using natural or culturally sanctioned remedies.

Physical, spiritual, or emotional imbalances can cause disruptions in a person’s overall health. Holistic remedies seek to achieve or restore balance. Holistic approaches can help restore that balance. Even therapies that do not have a strong evidence basis can help promote wellness in an individual suffering from an addiction, so long as that therapy does not actively cause harm.

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 Principles of Holistic Medicine

Holistic medicine is a practice centered around the belief that wellness depends upon the whole person. Practitioners of holistic medicine believe that positive changes require high self-esteem and that people have the power to heal themselves. Holistic approaches integrate them into conventional treatment. Holistic medicine asks participants to become self-sufficient, but also to know when to ask for help. This help should use a team approach that involves active listening from a therapist or practitioner. Staying connected to others is important and helps create a sense of grounding. The practice also asks people to be forgiving of themselves and not expect perfection. One of the most critical principles of holistic medicine is this: Holistic practice asks participants to live life consciously rather than on autopilot.