Defining Holistic

The word holistic is often used to describe health care practices that are also known as "complementary and alternative," such as acupuncture, massage therapy, naturopathy, and homeopathy. These methods often attempt to bring harmony to the physical, energetic, and emotional states of individuals.

In a similar manner, holistic psychotherapy seeks to bring balance between mind, body, and spirit. As with other approaches to psychotherapy, its primary focus is the treatment of psychopathology, that is psychological symptoms that manifest in depression, anxiety, trauma, and related disorders. It is the manner in which holistic psychotherapy approaches and treats these disorders that marks its departure from conventional psychotherapy and denotes its singular effectiveness.

Traditional psychotherapy tends to focus on problematic thoughts, behavior, and symptoms, and then interprets the underlining meaning. Rather than focusing on the problem, holistic psychotherapy fosters growth and healing by capitalizing on the synergistic relationship between all the ways we experience ourselves and the world. Additionally, a holistic psychotherapist may use a different therapies in order to create a synergistic effect.

In holistic psychotherapy, the belief is that you are whole at the outset of the work. Holistic therapists don't try to "fix what's broken" because they don't believe the person is broken. The goal instead is to help the client rediscover the natural vitality that have been covered over from years of distress. To do this, the therapist draws on a variety of techniques that are appropriate both to the moment and to the client's goals. These include a balance of talk, dream and Gestalt therapy, Jungian shadow work, inner child work, guided visualization, bioenergetic exercises, meditation, breathing exercises, and spiritual practice development. Additionally, holistic therapists may bring in other modes of therapy, such as naturopathy or hypnotherapy.

Holistic psychotherapy works well with naturopathy because both focus on a natural, drug-free approach that builds on a person's inherent ability to heal themselves. With a holistic psychotherapist, there are no artificially imposed limits on how the client is perceived. The holistic psychotherapist is as comfortable talking about the spirit as behavior, thoughts, or feelings. A holistic psychotherapist sees both problems and potential solutions residing within the person. Resolution is a matter of tapping into those answers rather than imposing standardized solutions.

Transpersonal Psychology

Transpersonal psychology is the main approach to psychology that concerns itself with the integration of mind, body and spirit. Because of this, a holistic psychotherapist will always have some education and training in transpersonal psychology. While other degrees and certifications can be useful for a holistic psychotherapist, their education in psychology should be grounded in transpersonal theory.

There are a few schools that specialize in transpersonal psychology, so if seeing a holistic psychotherapist is important to you, look for someone who has attended one of these institutions. Some schools have a Holistic Studies program as well as a regular psychology program, so you need to ask about specifics. For example, at John F. Kennedy University in California, they have a Holistic Studies Counseling Psychology program as well as a regular Counseling Psychology program. The later focuses on just traditional psychology, whereas the Holistic Studies program focuses on traditional psychology as well as transpersonal psychology. Because the Holistic Studies Program also contains the study of Transpersonal Psychology, it is a considerably longer program.

For those who want a psychotherapist who has a holistic approach, you will need to ask where they went to school and what other trainings they have. By asking these specific questions, you can easily determine the level if education and training someone has in holistic studies and transpersonal psychology. Examples of schools that teach transpersonal psychology include:

• John F. Kennedy University, Pleasant Hill and Campbell, CA. Program: Counseling Psychology, Holistic Studies Program
• Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Palo Alto, CA
• Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center, San Francisco, CA
• California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, CA
• Pacifica Graduate Institute, Santa Barbara, CA
• Naropa University, Boulder, CO

References
(To view, roll mouse over the "References" heading; to hide, click on the heading)