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Holistic Practitioners
Phonies or True Blue Professionals

Holistic therapists, holistic practitioners, holistic doctors, and holistic professionals, all mean the same thing. Some skeptics even have their own term for such people – quacks. But even if they are called various names, those who practice holistic techniques all work to achieve the same goals.

When one speaks about a holistic practitioner, it is like referring to a medical doctor. Like most doctors, there are also holistic practitioners that deal with many areas of practice. However, there are those that handle specific specializations.

Generally, a holistic practitioner is defined as the holistic professional who is endowed with the ability in one or several subjects of healing. There have been doubts raised regarding the reliability of these holistic professionals specially in terms of providing treatment for serious illnesses. Some people who are nonbelievers of this alternative medical practice simply call them quacks. The holistic modalities are sometimes viewed as the techniques that stemmed from witchcraft or from forms of discipline or religion. This outlook on holism is probably due to the fact that this alternative approach is in touch with the patient’s spiritual and emotional aspects, rather than just the physical side.

But holistic medicine advocates has grown in number. More people understand that the holistic approach complements, and sometimes outshines, the efficacy of the conventional methods.

Finding a holistic professional can be overwhelming. The choice does not only depend on how much the practitioner charges his patients, but is greatly dependent on what particular technique or therapy one wishes to adopt. If you know what type of holistic approach you want to have, you may go about finding the right holistic professional through these tips:

Referrals from family and friends

Who is a more reliable source of information than the people closest to us? Our family and friends may know of good holistic practitioners. This will make our search easier since the names we acquire from them are those they have tried for themselves.

Referrals from healthcare providers

Sometimes, your doctor may refer you to holistic professionals not because he can’t figure out what’s wrong with you or how best to treat your condition, but probably because he thinks we can achieve general well-being if we adopt one or two holistic practices. But in case your doctor is not so into holism, you may ask other health care professionals for their recommendations. Chances are, you will find that there are a lot of medical people who can give you names of holistic practitioners.

Referrals from health establishments

Your local health shop may have just the right holistic professional for you. These health stores or natural food shop are the best places to look for holistic therapists. If the proprietor or sales person cannot give you any names, some of their customers most likely can.

Local colleges as a source

Colleges offering courses on alternative medicine are undoubtedly a good source of referrals. Some holistic practitioners also teach part time at local colleges. They can also provide you with names of former students who have been schooled and have been practicing the holistic approach.

Search the net

The internet contains the sites of professional associations of the holistic practice. There are websites that offer a particular holistic therapy with the names of the corresponding holistic therapists. Some even allows you to find holistic practitioners in your particular area just by keying-in your city and/or zip code.

Referrals from insurer

While there are ongoing arguments regarding insurance coverage on holistic practices, several insurance companies have extended their coverage to some types of holistic therapies such as chiropractic. Most likely, these insurance companies have their own list of accredited holistic practitioners.

There are a lot of holistic professionals who are capable of dealing with more than one type of holistic modality. To better understand the type of holistic practitioner you want to look for, you have to know what type of therapy you wish to go through. Furthermore, your condition may not necessarily be limited to a single treatment therapy, but may be addressed to using other means than the one you know of. The various holistic practitioners are divided into these major areas of specialization:

Body-Centered Therapists

There are more than 50 types of body-centered therapists. The list includes the most common practitioners belonging to this group, such as bodyworkers, yoga and pilates therapists, various massage therapists, acupressure therapists, watsu practitioners, Alexander and feldenkrais professionals, and rolfers professionals, among others.

Each of the types of body-centered therapists employs its own unique technique of “healing” the client . However, most of them are concerned with the breathing patterns, physical pressure such as massage, and movements as a way to release tension from the body. This process allows the mind to achieve a relaxed state, which is either the goal of the therapy, or its mere starting point.

Energy-Centered Therapists

This group of holistic practitioners is also called energy therapists or energy workers. Some practices belonging to this category are healing touch therapists, reiki therapists, shin jytsu practitioners, applied kinesiologists, breathwork practitioners, orgone therapists, matrix practitioners, qi gong or tai chi masters, and many more.

Energy workers involve the use of energy maps of the human body. These therapists study the areas where the body’s energy is trapped or exhausted. They then work with the patient in order to let the body achieve energy system equilibrium.

This type of therapy prevents the emotional energy from being blocked. In simple terms, energy therapy is a technique used to relieve us from stress. A person with blocked, damaged, and exhausted energy system and energy flow is prohibited from reaching his full potential. Thus, this type of technique should expel past emotional energy, fix the whole energy system, and organize mental states.

Mind-Centered Therapists

Hypnotherapists, regression therapists, integrative release therapists (IRT), metaphysicians, and neuro-linguistic programming practitioners (NLP) are some of the most common techniques used by the mind-centered therapists.

This type of holistic professionals are highly trained and skilled people who let you utilize your own mind in order to alter behavioral patterns and enhancing motivation. Mind centered therapists can also be professionals in the mental health field. They do not perform the therapy alone, but necessitates the complete cooperation of the client.

This therapy will find the ultimate cause of the client’s problem through the association of a certain emotional feeling with a present problem. Mind therapists simply help their patients resolve current issues.

A lot of people believe that several physical illnesses are psychosomatic – meaning – stemming from the mind. Through these techniques, we will be made to face all those that caused the problem and work by letting us control our minds.

Spirit and Soul-Centered Therapists

Professionals who fall under this category are the angelic masters, intuitive guides, psychic mediums, spiritual counselors, and shamans.

Among the various groups, these therapists are probably the ones who have earned the most number of skeptics. Psychic mediums for example are also known as spirit messengers. And moreover, there are several people who pretend to be true blue psychics.

The different therapists in this group work in various ways. An intuitive guide may help a client communicate with a loved one who is deceased. A shaman may do soul retrieval in order to bring back a part of the client’s soul that was lost during a trauma. Or a psychic may offer information to a client regarding his future. Whatever the technique, these therapists involves the client’s spiritual side in order to achieve their goals.

Emotional Release Therapists

Therapists under this group work with the various emotional patterns that are clogged up in the patient’s mind or body. Emotional release therapists also help their clients make their way through these blocks to obtain emotional freedom and satisfaction.

Some of the most common therapists belonging to this category include somato-emotional therapists, amanae therapists, integrative release therapists, and psych-k therapists.

There are also techniques that may be classified into this group as well. Shamanic methods, yoga, energy work, and neuro-linguistic programming also make use of emotional release techniques.

Emotional Release Therapy (ERT) was conceived due to the strong belief that most of the physical diseases are results of emotional pains. This form of therapy is found to be effective in ease painful conditions and help in the speedy recovery from ailments. Emotional release therapists are said to employ two methods of healing – faith and energy.

Holistic Counselors

Almost all holistic professionals are holistic counselors or coaches themselves. They work to assist in basically every aspect of their clients’ lives.

Holistic counselor and coaches helps in setting client goals, his belief systems, and works extensively with the client in order to provide the needed support so that he may be able to carry on with his life in the manner that he truly desires.

Life coaches, nutritional counselors, empowerment coaches, holistic psychologists, and spiritual counselors are some of those considered as holistic counselors. All these professionals use varied methods of coaching, such as altered awareness state, in order to offer guidance to their clients.

A deep style of healing technique is being done on the patient, while simultaneously teaching him how to manage all of the unwanted symptoms. Through this, an accelerated personal progress is attained by the patient.
Holistic, holy, holly, holey, or holy cow I’ve been tricked?

Try searching the internet about holism and you will be overwhelmed with the number of articles on this topic. Perhaps there are more reasons than personal health that drove you to read up on it. But regardless of your reasons, you are not alone in your quest.

Since the holistic approach in medicine is a highly debated topic, people are wary to go and see holistic professionals to help them address their conditions. Of course, no one can blame them. Science haven’t truly accepted the conventional medicine’s counterpart. But should we hold on to our reluctance? Isn’t it about time that we make use of our options? If all these alternative means are nothing but bogus theories, why are they becoming popular among medical professionals as well? And why do we have Holistic M.D.’s in our midst?

A healthcare plan is a personal choice. We may not have our own techniques on how to go about treating ours conditions, but we are left with more than one option. If we base our decisions on the arguments thrown back and forth, we would never obtain the right system of health care for ourselves. The important thing is, we are comfortable with our choice, and it has shown to be an effective tool.

There is probably no such thing as perfect doctor or perfect holistic professional. But there is such thing as willing and open patients. If we work hand in hand with any medical or holistic professional, we are more likely going to be able to grasp the goals we have in mind.

Someone once said “If there are too many answers to a question, all of those are probably wrong.” So make your own choice and take it from there.

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