I always found it to be curious that the official WHO definition for health is a perfectly holistic one: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.

Each human being is represented by several layers. There is the gross physical body with all it’s structures, organs and functions. There is the mental level which is seat of thought, intelligence and cognition. Then there is the emotional level, home to feelings and sensations. The energetic level is no longer confined to the physical body but stretches beyond it. It contains information that runs through channels and meridians, and is connected to the physical body through chakras and acupuncture points. And of course there is also the level of soul, with it’s distinct vibration and information, that make out spiritual characteristic, so to speak.

So it is easy to see that in case of a disturbance, all these layers have to be taken into consideration and a holistic approach to health and healing does allow for a broader perspective, than conventional medicine which is mostly concerned with the cure of bothersome symptoms.

But there is a difference between a cure and a healing.

A cure is a method, or a course of medical treatments to restore health. A cure may be a course of antibiotics to treat bronchitis, or surgery to remove an inflamed appendix. A cure is taking an aspirin against headache, or anti-depressants to stabilize mood. A cure is what allopathic medicine is all about – tell me the symptom and I will find a remedy to fix it. And many times we expect the same of the more holistic methods of homeopathic medicine. But any cure, either allopathic or homeopathic, or a combination of both, may or may not work…

Conventional medicine has many advantages. I would not like to live a day without the life saving qualities of antibiotics, surgery, hormones, pain killers and other substances that can help the body to fight a disease and reach stability. But without the intrinsic ability of a human being to heal, no cure would be worth the money and the effort.

Healing is the process of repair, recovery and restoration. It is the inherent impulse of the human being to rebalance and return to wholeness and this is precisely what we have to understand about healing – it is a property of all sentient being, a drive, an impulse, an instinct. If we allow it to happen.

And to bring the two together is the job of medicine. Already by definition it is becoming clear that it takes both, the intent of the physician and the patient, to restore the balance that allows a healing to happen. We also begin to understand that even the healing of a relatively small affliction will not only occur on one level – it always affects the whole. And this is in particular true for any chronic disease, as they tend to have many factors that contribute to their origin and development.

Unfortunately we often see a confusion between choosing a cure – which is the means to heal and the expectation to heal, which means to restore heath. In reality, people often times may just look for a cure,but are not ready for a healing. Picking a cure is about trust and compliance and it may – or may not work. But a healing is about faith and change and a healing may occur, even tough on a physical level the cure may not be successful.

Over the years I have come to the conclusion that virtually everything can be healed. Our body – with all the different levels – does have the capability and there is nothing it cannot restore, provided it can assume the appropriate vibration. As we are energetic beings, vibrating at different frequencies, we are affected at all times by the environment, but also by our own inherent capability to affect our own vibrational pattern. If I act from a foundation of trust, it will raise my vibrational frequency to allow certain reactions to happen. If however, I act from a basis of faith, then this readiness to change, this willingness to allow even for a miracle, will increase the energetic condition even higher and allow for a reset in no time.

This is how Jesus healed the sick. It only required someone with the frequency pattern of absolute faith and that allowed for the miracle to happen in them. The thing is – we all can do that – if we can allow it and give our utmost attention, focus, willingness and readiness to change.

Not everyone is ready for that. I often work with people who are suffering and even tough I can intuitively pin-point the causes for their condition – and also the origin of their disease – I more often than not encounter just a relatively modest readiness to do some steps towards improvement of the physical or mental suffering. More often than not I see a reluctance to really take on a chronic disease as what it is – a spiritual crisis that has to be addressed at the level of soul, as much as one has to go deal with the energetic, emotional, mental and physical imbalances of that condition.

Healing is a “I am ready to give it all” – it is a complete letting go in terms of the outcome, any expectations and the resolve to do anything that is necessary. There may be a “cure” available in  terms of effective medication, but more importantly this may include a radical change in diet, exercise routine,  life style habits and even social interactions. It requires to be brutally honest with oneself, to learn how to pray and how to work with the divine. It takes stamina and strength – and it takes the will to let go and let god.

Healing is a process that requires to take on responsibility for oneself. A physician, therapist, dietician, acupuncturist, spiritual healer may act as guide and help with certain interventions or methods, but it is the person who is in need of healing – of getting whole again – who is calling the shots. A true healing is not a half measure approach – it is a transformation.

And this is how we heal.