‘What is holistic therapy and what do I do as a holistic therapist? are questions I receive regularly. That's why I want to share with you what the general understanding of this form of therapy is, and more importantly, what my approach is.

Let's start with the word itself. Holistic comes from the word 'holism', which is derived from the Greek word 'holos' meaning 'whole'.

Holistic therapy sees people as one whole that has been formed on five levels that influence health and well-being: physical, mental, emotional, energetic and spiritual.

When one or more of these levels become out of balance, it affects other levels. 

Everything is connected and is seen as one whole and experienced as such by our body. From the beginning of our existence, our body cells store all experiences and emotions, which affects us as a 'whole', i.e. at all five levels of our health. This can cause complaints and discomfort. 

 A few examples of discomfort that can manifest in the five levels:

Physical level: all types of pain (head, back, knee, abdomen, tooth), digestive problems, inflammation in the body (bladder, joints, eye, ear), skin problems (acne, eczema, psoriasis), accidents (concussion, broken leg, sprained ankle) .

Emotional level: sadness, fear, anger, irritation, disappointment, shame, guilt, panic, not being able to feel and recognize emotions, being overwhelmed by emotions. 

Mental level: becoming negative or having negative thoughts, limiting beliefs, perfectionism, procrastination, addictions.

Energetic level: low energy level, fatigue without apparent cause, taking on negative energy from others or 'draining' on it.

Spiritual level: getting 'stuck' in life due to unclear causes, having everything right in your life and yet having the feeling that you are missing something. Life questions: who am I, what do I want, am I good enough, can I be there.

A holistic approach does not only apply to illness, discomfort or condition. The approach can also be applied to create a healthy lifestyle by making changes in all five levels.

I often hear from people that they want to experience more relaxation, balance and harmony in their lives, but they are unable to do so. What I see is that they are focused on others, to change the environment and they create the circumstances themselves to get certain results. That's hard work! And that work focuses on 'outside' rather than 'inside'.

In my opinion it is it is important to first bring about change, peace, harmony and balance within yourself by working on all five levels, and then that will automatically translate into your relationships, your work and your environment.

I believe we cannot live happy and meaningful lives if we are disconnected and fragmented. If we only work on the physical body with diets and sports and forget the rest. That's why it's so important to look at all elements of health at the same time.

As a holistic therapist, I am never guided by the name of the diagnosis of a disease or condition. Together with my client I investigate what he/she experiences on a physical, emotional, mental, energetic and spiritual level. We look for underlying causes that cause the complaints. 

Because everything is connected, someone may have back pain, but also be worried about a financial situation and at the same time have no social support. If I were to only focus on reducing back pain, I would miss the (underlying) cause that may lie in that person's thoughts or beliefs.

In my work I always rely on the self-healing capacity of the human body. My role is to activate and support that ability in my clients, and then step out so that the body can do its work. 

I combine the work in my practice with an advocate of a practical approach by empowering people so that they can nurture their health on all five levels outside my practice and between treatments.

If she take responsibility for their own lives and dare to look at what concerns them, what beliefs and patterns they have and what 'triggers' them, they can get closer to their authentic core and make decisions from that place.

If they really learn to feel and recognize the signals from their body, they can look at their ailments and conditions in a different way and gain more confidence in recovery and the healing process.

Holistic therapies are non-invasive, so they are suitable for all ages and conditions. Some types of therapy can be administered remotely, which is very useful if someone cannot find a holistic therapist in the area, or is staying in a hospital or other institution, or simply cannot travel.

It's important to remember that holistic therapy does not deny or ignore western medicine. It can work independently or in a complementary way to conventional medicine and psychology.

You can also work with a holistic therapist if you are looking for advice on how to make healthy changes to your lifestyle and diet and restore balance in your life.

There are many different types of holistic therapy. I am qualified in several disciplines and use different techniques to help my clients.

These are the types of holistic therapies I use in my practice: Reiki, Chakra balance, EDEN energy healing, energetic massage therapy, acupressure, essential oils, The Root Cause Practice.

If after reading this article you feel like you If you are ready to start holistic therapy, I recommend that you contact me for a no-obligation intake interview. 

You can of course also make an appointment immediately for a consultation or session via An online planner.

Lots of love!

Monika