Glossary of Alternative Healing Modalities

Vitruvian Man - The Proportions of the Human Figure
by Leonardo Da Vinci

ACUPRESSURE:  Based on the principles of acupuncture, this ancient Chinese technique involves the use of finger pressure on specific points to help move energy through tight areas of the body, thus treat ailments such as tension and stress, aches and pains, cramps or arthritis.

ACUPUNCTURE:  Fine needles are inserted at specific points to stimulate, disperse and regulate the flow of chi, or vital energy, and restore a healthy energy balance.

AIKIDO:  A Japanese martial art, Aikido is both a method of self-defense and a spiritual discipline.  The goal is to harmonize one's chi (life force) with that of one's opponent, so that the opponent's strength and weight are used against him or her.

ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE:  Developed by F. Matthias Alexander, this method was created after concluding that bad posture was responsible for his own chronic voice loss. Practitioners use gentle hands-on guidance and verbal instruction, teach simple, efficient

AMMA THERAPY:  This system of bodywork therapy uses traditional oriental medical principles for assessing and evaluating imbalances in the energetic system. It aims to restore, promote and maintain optimum health through the treatment of the physical body, the bio-energy and the emotions, and is used for a wide range of medical conditions.

AROMATHERAPY:   Essential oils are used to treat emotional disorders such as stress and anxiety as well as a wide range of other ailments. Oils are massaged into the skin in diluted form, inhaled or placed in baths. It is often used in conjunction with massage therapy, acupuncture, reflexology, herbology, chiropractic and other holistic healing.

ASTROLOGY:  Is the study of the positions of the planets in the solar system and their influence on human affairs.  Based on  this information, a counselor can work with a client to provide individualized insights into spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, relationship, or professional matters.    

BIOFEEDBACK:  A technique used especially for stress-related conditions such as asthma, migraines, insomnia and high blood pressure. Biofeedback is a way of monitoring minute metabolic changes in one's body with the aid of sensitive machines.

BODY-MIND CENTERING:  This is a movement-reeducation approach that explores how the body's systems contribute to movement and self-awareness. The approach also emphasizes movement patterns that develop during infancy and childhood.  It incorporates guided movement, exercise, imagery and hands-on work.

BODY-ORIENTED PSYCHOTHERAPY:  Seeks to enhance the psychotherapeutic process by incorporating a range of massage, bodywork and movement techniques.  Acknowledging the mind-body link, practitioners may use light touch, soft or deep-tissue manipulation, breathing techniques, movement, exercise or body awareness techniques to help address emotional issues.

BREATHWORK:  This is a general term for a variety of techniques that use patterned breathing to promote physical, mental and/or spiritual  well-being.  Some techniques use the breath in a calm, peaceful way to induce relaxation or manage pain, while others use stronger breathing to stimulate emotions and emotional release.

CHELATION THERAPY:  Typically administered in an osteopathic or medical doctor's office, chelation therapy is a series of intravenous injections of the synthetic amino acid EDTA, designed to detoxify the body. It is also often used to treat arteriosclerosis.

CHI-KUNG (Qi Gong): An ancient Chinese exercise system that aims to stimulate and balance the flow of "Qi/Chi", or vital energy, along the acupuncture meridians, or energy pathways. Chi-Kung is used to reduce stress, improve blood circulation, enhance immune function and treat a variety of health conditions.

CHIROPRACTIC:  The chiropractic system is based on the premise that the spine is literally the backbone of human health. Misalignments of the vertebrae caused by poor posture or trauma result in pressure on the spinal nerve roots, which may lead to diminished function and illness. The chiropractor seeks to analyze and correct these misalignments  through  spinal manipulation or adjustment.

COLON THERAPY:  It involves the cleansing of the large intestine with warm purified water.   A single colonic treatment is said to be equivalent to several enemas in removing toxic debris from the colon.

CRANIO-SACRAL THERAPY:  This therapy is a manual therapeutic procedure for remedying distortions in the structure and function  of  the cranio-sacral mechanism - the brain and the spinal cord, the bones of the skull, the sacrum, and interconnected membranes. It is used to treat chronic pain, migraine headaches, TMJ, and a range of other conditions.

DEEP TISSUE BODYWORK:  This is a general term for a range of therapies that seek to improve the function of the body's connective tissues and/or muscles. Among the conditions deep tissue body-work treats are whiplash, low back and neck pain, and degenerative diseases, such as multiple sclerosis.

DENTISTRY, HOLISTIC:  Holistic dentists are licensed dentists who bring an inter-disciplinary approach to their practice, often incorporating such methods as homeopathy, nutrition and acupuncture into their treatment plans.  Most holistic dentists emphasize wellness and preventive care while avoiding silver-mercury fillings.

EAR CANDLING:  Also called "Ear Coning". It involves placing the narrow end of a specially designed hollow candle at the entry of the ear canal, while the opposite end is lit. Primarily used for wax build up and related hearing problems, ear candling is also used for ear infections and sinus infections.

EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique):  A  form of psychological acupressure, based on the same energy meridians used in traditional acupuncture but without the invasiveness of needles.  This combines positive voice affirmations with tapping with the fingertips to input kinetic energy onto specific meridians on the head and chest while the client thinks about a specific problem - whether it is a traumatic event, an addiction, pain, etc.  This clears the emotional block from the body's bio-energy system.

EMOTIONAL RELEASE THERAPY:  Holds that repressed emotions and desires affect the body and psyche by creating chronic muscular tension and diminished vitality and energy. Through  movement, breathing  techniques, verbal psychotherapy, or other forms of emotional-release work, the therapist attempts to loosen this "character armor" and restore the flow of Chi (life force) for greater  well-being.

ENERGY-FIELD  WORK:  Practitioners in this therapy look for weaknesses in the energy field in and around the client's body and seek to restore its proper circulation and  balance.  Energy channeled through the practitioner is directed to strengthen the body's natural defenses and help the client's physical, mental, emotional and/or spiritual state.

EXPRESSIVE  THERAPIES:  These therapies use the arts to promote   physical   health, mental health and/or personal growth.  Examples of expressive therapies include art therapy, dance therapy, drama therapy, music therapy, poetry and psychodrama.

FELDENKRAIS METHOD: Originated by Russian-Israeli physicist and engineer. Repeated muscle patterns cause parts of the brain to stay in a fixed pattern. Through body awareness and re-evaluating movement, this methodology re-educates the neuromuscular system, improves motor ability, reduces physical pain and stress, and assists better coordination, breathing, digestion, sleep, mood, mental alertness, energy, and range of motion.

FENG SHUI:  (pronounced fung shway') Is the ancient Chinese practice of configuring home or work environments to promote health, happiness and prosperity based on the energetics of fabric, color, placement, direction, element and other factors. Feng Shui consultants may advise clients to make adjustments in their surroundings in order to promote a healthy flow of vital energy in their life and environment.

FLOWER ESSENCES:  Polarized in the '30's, flower essences are intended to alleviate negative emotional states that may contribute to illness or hinder personal growth. Drops of a solution infused with the captured "essence" of a flower are placed under the tongue or in a beverage. The practitioner helps the client choose appropriate essences, focusing on the client's emotional state rather than on a particular physical condition.

FOCUSING:  This self-help tool is based on the premise that information about one's life issues can be accessed through so-called felt senses in the body. This skill can be used either alone or in partnership with someone else for resolving day-to-day issues, negotiating profound changes and fostering spiritual development.

GESTALT THERAPY:  This psychotherapy aims to help the client achieve wholeness by becoming fully aware of his or her feelings, perceptions and behavior. The emphasis is on the "here and now" of immediate experience rather than on the past.  Gestalt therapy is often conducted in group settings, such as weekend workshops.

GUIDED IMAGERY:  Involves using mental images to promote physical healing or changes in attitudes or  behavior. Practitioners may lead clients through  specific  visualization exercises or offer instruction in using imagery as a self-help tool. It is often used to alleviate stress and to  treat stress-related conditions such as insomnia and high blood pressure.

HEALING TOUCH:  Is practiced by registered nurses and others to accelerate wound healing, relieve pain, promote relaxation, prevent illness and ease the dying process. The practitioner uses light touch or works with his or her hands near the client's body in an effort to restore balance to the client's energy system.

HERBALISM:  An ancient form of healing still widely used in much of the world, herbalism uses natural plants or plant-based substances to treat a range of illnesses and to enhance the functioning of the body's  systems.  Though herbalism is not a licensed professional modality in the U.S., herbs are 'prescribed' by a range of practitioners, from holistic M.D.'s  to  acupuncturists  to naturopaths.

HIV THERAPIES:  The practitioners offer a range of therapies that aim to treat the human immune-deficiency virus, AIDS, or their symptoms. Due to the life-threatening nature of these diseases, these therapies are often used  as complements  to conventional approaches to H1V.

HOMEOPATHY:  A medical system that uses infinitesimal doses of natural substances - called remedies - to stimulate a person's immune and defense system.  A remedy is individually chosen for the patient's illness.

HYPNOTHERAPY:  A range of techniques that allow practitioners to bypass the conscious mind and access the subconscious, where   suppressed   memories, repressed emotions, and forgotten events may remain recorded. Hypnosis may facilitate behavioral, emotional or attitudinal change. Often used to help people lose weight or stop smoking, it's also used in the treatment of phobias, stress and as an adjunct in the treatment of illnesses.

INTERACTIVE GUIDED IMAGERY:   Interactive Guided Imagery is a mind-body modality in which the practitioner helps clients explore their  own unconscious imagery for therapeutic purposes, rather than merely having clients listen to predetermined imagery scripts. It is used for a variety of illnesses, stress management, addiction recovery and as part of brief psychotherapy and marital counseling.

INTUITIVE ARTS:  A general term for various methods of divination, such as psychic awareness, tarot cards, coffee grounds, shells, and others.  Individuals may consult practitioners to seek information about the future or insights into personal concerns or the personality.   

IRIDOLOGY:  A diagnostic system based on the premise that every organ has a corresponding location within the iris of the eye, which can serve as an indicator of the individual's organ's health or disease. Iridology is used by naturopaths and other practitioners, particularly when diagnosis  achieved  through standard methods is unclear.

JIN   SHIN   DO   (BODY/MIND ACUPRESSURE):  Developed by a psychotherapist, Jin Shin Do combines  acupressure,  Taoist yogic breathing methods and Reichian segmental theory (which addresses how emotional tension affects the physical body) with the goal of releasing physical and emotional tension and "armoring." It aims to promote a pleasant trance state in which the participant can address the emotional factors that may underlie various physical conditions.

KINESIOLOGY/APPLIED KINESIOLOGY:  The study of muscles and their movements.   A system that uses muscle-testing procedures to gain information about a patient's overall state of health, such as  nutritional deficiencies and food sensitivities, with weakness in certain muscles being associated with imbalances in the body.  Practitioners also analyze muscle function, posture, gait and other structural factors in addition to inquiring about lifestyle factors that may be contributing to a health-related problem.

KRIPAUJ YOGA:  Kripalu Yoga uses classical hatha yoga postures and breathing techniques to help students  enter  a  state  of "meditation in motion." Besides offering guidance in these yoga techniques, Kripalu Yoga teachers provide an atmosphere where sensations,  thoughts and emotions can be experienced in safety and relaxation.

MAGNETIC THERAPY:  Also known as magnetic Held therapy or bio-magnetic therapy, involves the use of magnets, magnetic devices or magnetic fields to treat a variety of physical and emotional conditions, including circulatory problems, certain forms of arthritis, chronic pain, sleep disorders, and stress.

MASSAGE THERAPY:  A general term used for a range of therapeutic approaches with roots in both Eastern and Western cultures.  It involves the practice of kneading or otherwise manipulating a person's muscles and other soft tissue with the intent of improving a person's well-being or health.

MEDICINE, HOLISTIC:   Holistic medicine is a broadly descriptive term for a healing philosophy that views a patient as a whole person, not as just a disease or a collection of symptoms. In the course of treatment, holistic medical practitioners may address a client's emotional and spiritual dimensions as well as the nutritional, environmental and lifestyle factors that may contribute to an illness. Many holistic medical practitioners combine conventional forms of treatment  with  natural or alternative treatments.

MEDITATION:  A general term for a wide range of practices that involve training one's attention or awareness so that body and mind can be brought into greater harmony. While some meditators may seek a mystical sense of oneness with a higher power or with the universe, others may seek to reduce stress or alleviate stress-related ailments such as anxiety or high blood pressure.

MIDWIFERY:  Midwives provide education and support during pregnancy, assist the mother during labor and delivery and provide follow-up care. Practitioners of childbirth support include' childbirth educators, childbirth assistants and women labor coaches who also provide post-partum home care.

MYOFASCIAL  RELEASE:  This hands-on technique seeks to free the body from the grip of tight fascia, or connective tissue, thus restoring normal alignment and function and reducing pain. Using their hands, therapists apply mild, sustained pressure in order to gently stretch and soften the fascia. This treatment is used to treat neck and back pain, headaches, recurring sports injuries, and scoliosis, and other conditions.

NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE:  Is a primary health-care system emphasizing the curative power of nature, treats both acute and chronic illnesses in all age groups. Naturopathic physicians work to restore and support the body's own healing ability using a variety of modalities  including  nutrition, herbal medicine,  homeopathic medicine and oriental medicine.

NETWORK CHIROPRACTIC:  Refers to a network of independent chiropractic  offices  that  use Network Spinal Analysis, a method characterized by the sequential application of a number of gentle, specific   chiropractic adjusting techniques. Care progresses through a series of levels that parallel spinal and quality-of-life changes.

NEURO-LINQUISTIC PROGRAMMING:  Techniques which alter limiting or detrimental patterns of thought, behavior, and language.  In conversation, practitioners observe the client's language, eye   movements, posture, breathing and gestures in order to detect and then help change unconscious patterns linked to the client's emotional state.

NEUROMUSCULAR THERAPY:  Emphasizes the role of the brain, spine, and nerves in muscular pain. One goal of the therapy is to relieve tender congested spots in muscle tissue and compressed nerves that may radiate pain to other areas of the body.

PAST-LIFE/REGRESSION THERAPY:  This is based on the premise that many physical, mental and emotional problems are rooted in the past whether from  childhood traumas or from experiences in previous lifetimes.  The practitioner uses hypnosis (or a relaxation technique  (reaching an altered state of consciousness) in order to access the source of these unresolved problems and helps clients to analyze, integrate and release past traumas that exist in their current lives.

PATHWORK:  A personal growth process incorporating spirituality and psychology, encourages the individual to face and transform his or her 'dark side' with the goal of promoting integration, inner peace and activation of the soul's greater consciousness.   Through verbal dialogue, the practitioner assists the individual in the process of removing  physical, emotional, mental and spiritual blocks often related to past traumas.

POLARITY  THERAPY:  This asserts that balancing the low of energy in the body is the underlying foundation of health. Practitioners use gentle touch and guidance in diet, exercise and self-awareness to help clients balance their energy flow, thus supporting a return to health.

REBIRTHING (see breathwork):  Also known as conscious-connected breathing or vivation. Rebirthing is a technique in which the therapist guides clients through breathing exercises to help them re-experience past memories - including birth - and let go of emotional tensions long stored in the body.

RECONSTRUCTIVE THERAPY/ PROLOTHERAPY:  Uses injections of natural substances such as dextrose, glycerin and phenol in order to stimulate the growth of connective   tissue  and   thus strengthen weak or damaged joints, cartilage, ligaments and tendons. This therapy is used to treat  degenerative  arthritis, lower back pain, torn ligaments, cartilage, carpal tunnel syndrome and other conditions.

REFLEXOLOGY:  It is based on the idea that specific points on the feet and hands correspond with organs and tissues throughout the body.   With fingers and thumbs, the practitioner applies pressure to these points to treat a wide range of stress-related illnesses and ailments.

REIKI:  Practitioners of this ancient Tibetan healing system use light hand placements to channel healing energies to the recipient.   While practitioners may vary widely in technique and philosophy, Reiki is commonly used to treat emotional and mental distress as well as chronic and acute physical problems, and to assist the recipient in achieving spiritual focus and clarity.

ROLFING:  This technique uses deep manipulation of the fascia to restore the body's natural alignment, which may have become rigid through injury, emotional trauma, and inefficient movement habits. The process, developed by biochemist Ida P. Rolf, involves ten sessions, each focusing on a different part of the body.

RUBENFELD SYNERGY METHOD:  It uses gentle touch, movement, verbal exchange, memories and emotions locked in the body. The approach integrates elements of  the Alexander Technique, the Feldenkrais Method, gestalt and hypnotherapy. Because it combines bodywork and psychotherapy, it may be used for specific physical or emotional problems or for personal growth.

SHIATSU:  The most widely known form of acupressure, shiatsu has been used in Japan for more than 1,000 years to treat pain and illness and for general health maintenance. Using a series of techniques, practitioners apply rhythmic finger pressure at specific points on the body in order to stimulate chi, or vital energy.

SPIRIT RELEASEMENT THERAPY:   It is a form of psychotherapy in which the practitioner seeks to release any non-physical entities that are "attached to" and interfering with the client. After using a variation of hypnotic induction to help the client attain an altered state of conscious-ness, the practitioner attempts to engage the entities in dialogue.  Since some "attachments" are believed to be related to past-life events, the practitioner may also use the techniques of past-life therapy.

SPIRITUAL/SHAMANIC HEALING:  Practitioners of both spiritual healing and shamanic healing often regard themselves as conductors of healing energy or sources from the spiritual realm. Both may call upon spiritual "helpers" such as power animals,

TAI CH1/MARTIAL ARTS:   The martial arts are perhaps best known as means of self-defense, but they are also used to improve physical fitness and promote mental and spiritual development.  The  highly disciplined  movements and forms are thought to unite body and mind and bring balance to the individual's life. "External" methods (such as karate and judo) stress endurance and muscular strength, while "internal" methods (such as tai chi and aikido) stress relaxation and control. Tai Chi has been used as part of treatment for back problems, ulcers and stress.

TRAGER BODYWORK:  This movement-education approach seeks to address the mental roots of muscle tension.  By gently rocking, cradling, and moving the client's body, the practitioner encourages the

VIBRATIONAL  HEALING:  Practitioners use a variety of modalities that seek to promote healing by balancing the client's energy field. Such modalities may include homeopathy,  flower essences, acupuncture and energy-based bodywork practices such as Therapeutic Touch and Polarity Therapy.

WATSU MASSAGE (Water Shiatsu):  In chest-high warm water, and supported by the practitioner, the client is freed from the pull of gravity and is massaged while moving in a series of free-flowing, dance-like movements, which allows the the spine flexibility and the release of long-held physical and emotional tensions.

YOGA THERAPY:  An emerging field of practices that use yoga to address mental and physical problems while integrating body and mind. Practitioners work one-on-one or in a group settings, assisting clients with yoga postures, sometimes combined with therapeutic verbal dialogue.

ZERO BALANCING:  This is a method for aligning body structure and body energy.  Through touch akin to acupressure, the practitioner seeks to overcome imbalances in the body's "structure/energetic interface," which exists beneath the level of conscious awareness.