Recently someone asked me if I thought they could heal themselves of a troublesome condition. This question led me to reflect on our innate human capacity for self-healing, one of the guiding principles of holistic health. As physician, medical anthropologist, and epidemiologist Marc S. Micozzi claims, “self-healing is the basis of all healing. External manipulations simply mobilize the body’s inner healing resources” (from Fundamentals of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 4th Edition).
When we are open and willing to take actions that align with whatever interventions we have chosen to pursue, we are engaging in self-healing. Surgery, medication, therapy, energy healing and other modalities each have something useful to offer, depending on one’s unique needs, circumstances, and level of receptivity. From a holistic perspective, they serve as catalysts for inner healing resources to kick in, placing one’s body, mind, spirit or energy system into a state where the natural process of healing can occur. Self-healing naturally happens on some level as we go through our lives, whether we are aware of it or not. Many people have experienced this physically through wounds that heal and cells that regenerate, or emotionally when an inner calmness comes after working through anger or fear.
Self-healing is a complex yet simple phenomenon. Complex in that there are many underlying questions, simple in that you already know the answers somewhere inside you. With gentle, open-hearted curiosity, I invite you to ask yourself: What does healing mean to you? What are your beliefs about healing? What could you do or change in your life to support healing? Are there people, tools, information or experiences that align with your healing intentions? And how would you like to integrate them into your own healing process? How can your resilience, wisdom, and self-compassion help you to heal?
Your answers may surprise you, or they may be something you’ve known all along. You don’t need to force anything, or to go it alone. Consider connecting with others who can offer a caring spirit and hold space for you. Relax into what feels right as you honor your inherent ability to heal.