What is meant by the term ‘Holistic Approach’ when it comes to psychotherapy and psychiatry?

In recent years and throughout my practice, I continuously hear my patients ask me about holistic approaches to health and particularly to mental health. It seems that, unsurprisingly as the term and general interest in this practice has only recently resurfaced, most individuals are unclear about what a holistic approach to mental health treatments means and how it can benefit them.
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In this article I will outline some of the basics around a holistic approach to treatment and try to give you as much insight into the way I and other practitioners are using this for treatment.
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What does the term actually mean?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines the term holistic medicine to be a “treatment that deals with the whole person, not just the injury or disease.” This means that practitioners in holistic fields of medicine view patients as whole individuals made up of many interdependent parts, as opposed to a disease or condition. Their approach therefore aims to provide comprehensive support which explores the person as a whole, not just their symptoms or conditions.
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Factors which are likely to be taken into account when exploring a holistic treatment plan include a patient’s:

• Physical condition
• Emotional condition
• Social situations
• Preferred spiritual practices
• Stress
• Dietary habits
• Sleeping habits
• Pre-existing health conditions (if known)
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Where has holistic approach come from?

Holistic medicine may seem like a relatively new term due to its growth in attention and popularity over recent years, however these medicinal approaches have deeper roots in history compared to western medicine. For example, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a form of holistic care, can be traced back to 4,000 to 5,000 years ago.

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Philosophers such as Socrates and Hippocrates have also been known to recognise the significance of the whole person, acknowledging that many parts contribute to an individuals’ health and the potential risks of treating just one part.

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What are the philosophies of holistic practitioners?

• One is able to achieve optimal health through regaining proper balance in life
• An individual is ultimately responsible for their own health and wellbeing
• Unconditional love and support are the most powerful healers
• All people have within themselves innate healing powers
• Treatment involves fixing the cause of the condition, not just alleviation of the symptoms
• The healing process addresses all aspects of life through a team approach involving both patient and practitioner
• Illness is not an isolated event but rather understood as a symptom of dysfunction within the whole person
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What might a holistic treatment approach look like?

One of the core differences between allopathic medicine and holistic medicine regards the way in which practitioners work with patients and their symptoms. Allopathic medicine works to alleviate symptoms, whereas holistic medicine will use the symptoms as a ‘compass’ to navigate to the root causes, instigate a healing journey and thus achieve an optimised state of wellbeing. This means that the approaches taken by holistic practitioners are vastly different and more comprehensive. Once all factors of a patients’ life have been considered, a practitioner will work with the patient to encourage and support the attainment of their optimal health. This may be achieved through a variety of techniques, depending upon the practitioners’ training and a patients’ unique needs. Examples include:

• Patient education on lifestyle changes and self-care such as diet and exercise
• Psychotherapy
• Naturopathy
• Homeopathy
• Acupuncture
• Massage therapy
• Herbal medicine
• Biomolecular therapies
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A significant determining factor of healing outcomes regards the quality of the relationship established between practitioner and patient, in which patient autonomy is encouraged. One of the aims, therefore, is to encourage a patient to actively participate in health decisions and the healing process whilst working together to balance and integrate all aspects of emotional, physical, mental and spiritual attributes.
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An ideal practitioner-patient relationship will consider the needs, desires, awareness and insight of the patient alongside those of the physician. Treatments are carefully selected to support the body’s own natural healing process. Holistic practitioners will work with their patients to release the toxic results of shame, hostility, greed, anger, grief, anxiety and depression by encouraging individuals to evoke the healing powers of hope, love, humour and enthusiasm.
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When might a holistic approach be more applicable or beneficial?

Some individuals may find that their experience with traditional, mainstream medicinal approaches have been less than satisfactory. They may have felt dehumanised, misunderstood or simply not ‘fixed’. Some may feel that the pursuit of a deeper, more humanistic approach to the treatment of symptoms and conditions is more appropriate for their lifestyle. Others may be more inclined to search for more natural pathways to a better state of health and wellbeing as opposed to prescribed medicines. These are just some examples of when a person may find that a holistic approach to their health, wellbeing and/ or conditions is more suitable for them.

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More interestingly still, if an individual seeks holistic treatment for a particular illness or condition, there is often a mutual improvement of other conditions without direct treatment due to the improvement of their overall health, wellbeing and immune system. This supports holistic claims of the necessity for overall total balance and wellness.

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It is therefore important to highlight the fact that a balance is achieved by addressing not only the physical aspects of a disease but also the psychological and the spiritual ones.

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Every condition, therefore, should benefit from this approach, whether psychological or physical. The term psychosomatic disease refers to a disorder which is recognised to be the result of the psychology and the physical; however, it only delineated some disorders whereas in an holistic approach the principle is that every disorder is the result of the influences of the physical and the psychological and the spiritual.

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In my work, I address every disorder from this perspective: what is the contribution of the physical, the psychological and the spiritual elements resulting in what is observable – the disorder – such as anxiety, depression, ADHD or any other so called “psychiatric” condition.

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Conditions which may benefit from Holistic approaches through my practice:

• ADHD
• Anxiety disorders
• Depressive disorders
• Eating disorders
• Personality disorder
• PTSD
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These are just some examples of conditions that may benefit from the aforementioned approaches, it is not an exhaustive list encompassing all. It is also not necessary to have a formally diagnosed condition to benefit from the healing powers of holistic management. If you feel you may relate to the approaches or issues further explored in this article, please do not hesitate to get in touch to find out more.