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Article by Michael Finn
Copyright Michael Finn

We are at a primal level, communal beings; our essential natures are influenced greatly by association. Indeed, many of our 'pathological' tendencies - commonly, the likes of : symptoms, addictions, chronic afflictions, etc., are engendered and sustained by various forces of interaction.

Through the conceptual framework of 'Heaven, Earth and Human' the Taoists ascertained a way to divine one's place in the scheme of events which transpire daily. This triune model gives human beings a notion of relationship to events and forces which both sustain and challenge them.

Connectedness is central to authentic healing and living.

Communications are intrinsic to every aspect of our daily existence, including the clinical setting.

These two processes constantly merge and their synthesis, in a healing context, is considered, the 'therapeutic relationship'.

This is basically a vessel within which 'signals' abound, moods pervade, information flows and the inner and outer realities of both practitioner and client, carry great substance.

Allopathic (Western), medicine fastidiously embraces treatments with chemotherapeutic emphasis and is notably very attached to desiring almost unquestionable scientific proof of the nature of things, before credibility is even vaguely tolerated.

As a consequence, focus is laid upon disease recognition and there are only faint vestiges remaining, of an authentic 'clinical-relating' process happening between doctor and patient, i.e., the afore-mentioned 'therapeutic relationship'.

Traditional medicines practiced too far out of their core context - 'deep inquiry' style- suffer a similar fate.

Without engaging this potential therapeutic 'mesh' encompassing both practitioner and client, the healing process demeans itself, becoming overly superficial and formulaic in both diagnostics and treatment approaches.

The clinical setting is thus both a rich source of information in various 'channels', e.g., verbal and non-verbal and also reflective of the greater field, the world outside, the global canvas within which similar relationship dynamics are played out.

This is a perfect example of the Indian model of the 'microcosm- macrocosm' concept.

Also, the client's levels of experience are not ascertained at a depth which would reveal how he or she is actually colluding with 'pathological processes', and thus only symptom amelioration is achieved by the practitioner and dependence on therapy is assured.

We need to be courageous enough to deepen and consolidate out interpersonal connectedness, if we wish to do healing justice, not to mention wider processes, such as peace and useful communications, engendering respect and understanding, amidst diversity.

Along these lines, if interest is whetted, move on to the page featuring the following essay: 'Symptoms, Dreaming and Society: Process-Oriented Symptom Work as a New Approach to Illness and Disease'

This article is supplied, courtesy of :
Pierre Morin, M.D., who trained as a medical doctor and process work therapist in Switzerland. In his position as assistant medical director and head of the department of brain injury at the rehabilitation clinic REHAB in Basel, Switzerland, he implemented process work concepts and skills in the therapeutic program. He is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program in medical anthropology with Union Graduate School, Cincinnati, Ohio and works as a therapist in Portland, Oregon.

Healing Metaphysics Home > Archive> Connectedness And Communications