Eastern Healing Philosophies

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Many people today, disillusioned with the perceived spiritual and moral bankruptcy of contemporary western society, are turning to more ancient cultures for inspiration and enlightenment. Eastern religions and-philosophies, such as Buddhism, seem to embody the New Age tenets of personal development and psychic attunement, while offering a more appealingly mystical alternative to traditional western forms of organized religion.

These philosophies encourage new ways of viewing oneself and others, creating a deeper level of insight and self-understanding in daily life. Their emphasis on relating to others more positively through increased self-awareness provides a welcome antidote to our increasingly competitive and self-centred society in which people are fuelled by personal ambition and materialism.

Most eastern cultures embrace the concept of karma, a system of belief whereby everything that an individual does and says has a 'karmic value' that will be repaid to that person in the future. Good actions will therefore be rewarded by good fortune, and wrong actions will eventually have bad consequences on the original perpetrator.

This belief is similar to the Christian doctrine of 'love your neighbour as you love yourself, and is illustrated in the true, if slightly twee, adage 'The smile you send out will come back to you'.

The influence of the East on western culture is already perceptible and will continue to gain ground for as long as people continue to question the existing value system and to welcome positive change.

For those in search of healing, incorporating elements of eastern philosophy into daily life can be highly beneficial. The new perspective on life and the teaching of awareness and acceptance can help to ease inner tension and induce wellbeing. This, combined with the effects of stress-reducing techniques such as meditation, can provide effective treatment for many problems, such as depression, anxiety and phobias.

Such a state of mental, physical and spiritual attunement can also be beneficial in the treatment of more organic illnesses, as it eliminates conflict within the system, creating a state of harmony and receptivity. This, in turn, can boost the immune system, increase tolerance to pain and improve responsiveness to medication, all of which will help the healing process.

It is important, however, to emphasize that embracing these philosophies should not mean rejecting orthodox medicine. As with other alternative healing therapies, the watchword is 'complementary', and any treatment should be combined with medical consultations.

It is also important to stress that these kinds of philosophies, which focus on self-enlightenment, are not forms of psychotherapy and cannot provide easy relief from mental or emotional turmoil. In fact, the level of self-confrontation involved would make these techniques unsuitable for anyone with real psychological problems.