Thoughts please

What are your thoughts about holistic therapy from a Christian point of view?

I'm specifically thinking about reflexology. If you're not aware it is the manipulation of reflex points on the hands and feet which correspond to different parts of the body. It is based on the belief that we have energy flowing through our bodies which can become blocked or unbalanced creating poor health so through massage of the reflex points, energy balance is restored and healing occurs.

Some people can get drawn into what in my opinion is a dangerous side to this, it often gets linked into darker new age activities and other religions. I already try very hard to keep what I do very separate from that.

My own belief is that all healing comes from God and that the energy that is there is because we are created in God's image. God is a trine - Father, Son and holy Spirit and in a similar way, we are also a trine, mind, body and spirit. When I am doing a treatment, I privately ask that the holy Spirit will work through me and provide healing.

I am not at present able to share this with clients and I would like to change that. I am considering setting up my own mobile business in aromatherapy, massage and reflexology and would like to market this more from a Christian perspective so that I could rightly put Jesus more at the center of what I do.

One difference would be openly praying at the beginning of every treatment if the client is comfortable with that. I believe that it would be extremely powerful to be acknowledging Jesus as the origin of healing and that my clients would benefit greatly from this.

I am obviously praying about it but I was also wondering what people's thoughts are and how this would be received by Christians and non Christians alike?

Penny · 46-50, F

Jesus came to save us, not to limit our positive thinking. He did used to like wash some of the peoples feet that he healed too i think so theres that in relation to reflexology. But really, if you do your healing in Jesus' name then great. I think its really disrepectful to not honor where that knowledge came from though even if its from people who practice a different religion. I really dont think it should matter and honestly if you delve into Hinduism you will learn that you can be Hindu and choose Jesus as your deity and be like Christian in a Hindu way. Im not sure if the Chinese healing modalities were around before Jesus or not but Im thinking they might have been. Soo, its like stuff that was around before Jesus. Itd be dumb to not do it just because it wasnt Jesus' "idea" or method. And I also dont find anything wrong with having a Christian based treatment like ancient techniques delivered with a modern edge. Though itmight be a good idea to keep the praying to yourself. The clients dont need to know what is going through your head while you do the service though some may appreciate it, some may not. That being said I think the term new age christian is a welcome term and not anything to be afraid of personally. I mean sure there are some questionable things out there like channeling and stuff but in general i think accepting practices of different religions into christian thought or actions is generally more holistic in itself as an inclusion with christianity making it more not lesser of a religion.

DIMaverick4 · 41-45, M

I would think healing and religion have no intersection points. Healing is physiological. And yes it has a psycho somatic aspect to it. But religion has nothing to do with spirituality and certainly nothing with biology. So don't let anyone stop you from praying. Don't bother about Christianizing something. Just be a good Christian yourself and rest shall follow in my humble opinion. Indeed if balancing energies is concerned, I agree with your comment that the original thought comes from Hinduism. Indeed it is related to Chakras and their balancing and something that I understand Jesus learnt from Buddhists while in India (tertiary Knowledge.. don't kill the messenger here!). All the reason why the basic teaching of love and doing everything with love from Jesus should be adhered to by one and all irrespective of their faiths. Practises of healing should be left to be faith agnostic. Trying to blend the two might be more disappointing than uplifting. Where it matters your own connection with Jesus, I strongly believe you should do everything that brings you closer to him or him to the center of everything that you do! If that means you want to pray, go for it! Pray at the start, in the middle, through the practise.. anything that helps you channel that love and energy should be welcome... Don't bother about what others think. By "Christianizing" something, you might be antagonizing some clientele unnecessarily. You want to heal them or convert them? christianizing should matter only when you want to convert them. If it's for your own religious beliefs and spirituality, the practise can remain agnostic with you in deeply religious mode and closer to Jesus.
Just my 2 cents. I don't mean to hurt anyone's sentiments by my comments. In case I have, I apologise 🤷🏽‍♂

PatientlyWaiting25 · 46-50, F

@jshm2 I'm not confused, I'm a reflexologist and an aromatherapist. Those are complimentary therapies yes but the term 'holistic' means treating the person as a whole, mind body and spirit which is better fitting my ethos so that is the term I prefer to use.

I don't need a lawyer, things are simpler for me here in the UK. I just need insurance for things like treatment malpractice and product liability, there are lots of options and I will look into that of course.

I don't feel like it's blasphemy but could be on shaky ground if getting involved with the ideas around chakras which I think come from Hinduism. I want to steer well clear of that and focus only on Jesus at the center of healing.