The Spiritual Nature of Health and Healing: A Revolutionary Approach to Understanding Body Mind Spirit

by Dr. Carol Winkfield

Abstract

The field of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is emerging. The term body mind spirit, which refers to the three-fold nature of human beings, is popularly used. However, there is mostly only intuitive understanding of what that means and how spirit works, and intuitive understandings do not lend themselves well to scientific investigation. Thus, wide disparity exists in trying to interpret the efficacy of some CAM practices. What is needed is a model of the spirit aspect of the body mind spirit concept that everyone can relate to. This study presents a theoretical model of body mind spirit, and proposes that there is a spiritual nature of health and healing that when understood, could provide significantly more comprehensive interventions for healing outcomes.

In developing a body mind spirit model, certain concepts, usually seen as mental qualities, are reframed and shown to be innately spiritual. Twelve concepts: love, will, wisdom, faith, understanding, zeal, imagination, order, life, power, strength, and elimination, are described as innate spiritual energies, also called spiritual laws or spiritual principles.

The background and theoretical data for this study come mainly from the philosophy of New Thought. Also, contributing data come from the disciplines of natural health, psychology, medicine, philosophy, and social science. Using the model of the spiritual nature of human beings, the major role spirit plays in the manifestation of sickness, healing, and health is presented. A relationship of spirit to mind and body is clearly established, and ways to harness spirit’s power for healing are delineated.

Some of the benefits for adopting this model into traditional western medical thinking, particularly in the United States of America, are: more definitive description and understanding of the spiritual nature, better-designed research in future body mind spirit studies, more uniform interpretation of the results of the research, and most importantly, more confidence and enthusiasm for including complementary and alternative disciplines (CAAD), that make use of spiritual energy and biofield energy healing, in mainstream medical and health practices. Integrating healing energy modalities into mainstream western medical practice would provide the huge benefit of creating optimal wellness for its citizens.

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