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Articles
Integration, Integrity, Groundedness, And Authenticity
by Rusty Stewart, Ph.D.
This article comes from my heart and intuition based on my experience. There will be no books to quote. In some ways I feel I have straddled the middle ground between "New Age" spirituality and alternative methods of healing, on one side of the fence, and more traditional academic research and complementary medicine, on the other side. There is no right or wrong here, just food for thought based upon my experience, and yes, judgments and opinions. I feel this is a pertinent topic to discuss at this time as I'm bombarded with dialogue skirting around these issues continuously in every aspect of my life. So here it goes, my opinions and judgments based on countless experiences I have witnessed.
Firstly, given the nature and definition of holistic healing, I don't see how anyone can claim to be involved in comprehensive or source based healing (the real cause of the malady) without practicing integration. In other words there is no one way to heal our issues. This goes for the entire whole-istic spectrum, mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual. They are all tied together in a tangled web of relatedness. Put another way, everything is connected in some way or another. What works for one person may not work for somebody else even if it looks like the same problem and circumstances that were treated seemingly successfully with somebody else. There are always other factors at play on many different levels. So, become as knowledgeable as you can and then turn it over to your intuition and surrender your ego to Spirit. True healing never takes place on an ego level.
Secondly, look for integrity within the integration. Integrity has several meanings: soundness, adherence to a code of values, utter sincerity, honesty, and candor, and completeness. I suggest integrating all of these into a guiding beacon of healthy discrimination when seeking holistic healing. Once again, trust your intuition with these signposts and ask your Higher Self to assist you in making healthy decisions. Remember, when you really tap into your intuitive Higher Self, the information provided is always right!
I find the third characteristic, groundedness, to be one of the more frequently looked over aspects of holistic health. Especially when it comes to spirituality and "New Age" healing. Groundedness means that we have to be able to be present here on the earth with all our humanness, emotions and feelings. In other words, spiritual bypass will keep us stuck in our patterns and Karma. Once again there are no quick fixes. We think, visualize, feel, and experience our past pain and trauma thus anchoring it into our attraction and manifestation patterns. Guess how we change the pattern? We think, visualize, feel, and experience our past pain and trauma to unlearn, release, and to re-learn and re-anchor new healthier attraction and manifestation patterns. If you have a better method, let me know because I have never experienced anyone truly changing and healing without going through this process. Feeling is the key to manifestation and feeling is the key to reversing the process. The neurotransmitters get rewired over time and we change the energy we attract. As above, so below. This applies to our chakras too!
Lastly, always look for authenticity. This means being real and vulnerable. I also see it as being humble and connected. Connected to what you may ask? Connected to you and everything else I have described thus far. And, connected to a power greater than ourselves. Another way of metaphorically describing authentic would be being mask less. This is me no holds barred. No chameleon false self, but a healthier ego authentic self committed to extending Love and releasing fear. It's a process, but the only real and authentic process.
In closing, I invite you to implement these principles when investigating any processes in the whole-istic healing realm, whether it be mental, emotional, physical, or spiritual. Use the above bench marks, (integration, integrity, groundedness, and authenticity) as a litmus test. Ask questions. Sit back and observe the response you get. Then ask your Higher Self and intuition to act as a radar screen to filter out the false and highlight the true. Then please remember this: the results of your litmus test may be very different from someone else's, there is no right or wrong. Release any judgment and stay focused on you and what you need for yourself. Believe me when I say, that will be all that you will be able to handle anyway. Good luck and happy healing!
Yoga Living, March/April 2007
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