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When Healing Becomes Educating, Vol. 2 - Waldorf Research Institute

When Healing Becomes Educating, Vol. 2 - Waldorf Research Institute

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Doch darf nicht Leuchtekraft ergreifen Schweremacht<br />

Und auch nicht Schweremacht durchdringen Leuchtekraft<br />

Denn fasset Leuchtekraft die Schweremacht<br />

Und dringet Schweremacht in Leuchtekraft,<br />

So binden in Welten-Irre<br />

Seele und Körper in Verderbnis sich.<br />

– Rudolf Steiner<br />

The individual spirit of the human being remains untouched; it<br />

cannot be ill. It can, however, be prevented from intervening in physical<br />

or psychological processes or it can intervene and bring order and form to<br />

soul or body and restore health, or help in the mastering of a karmic illness.<br />

What can be done, and in what sphere, to take account equally of both<br />

the somatic aspect and the psychological aspect in a psychosomatic approach<br />

to health, sickness and healing in anthroposophic medicine?<br />

For the psychosomatic approach to be extended in the anthroposophic<br />

sense the physician must, in my opinion, investigate, know and take account<br />

of the following spheres or “organs.”<br />

The sphere of the physical body<br />

Here the localization of the disease, symptoms or pain have to be<br />

considered. The morphology of the diseased organ or organic system<br />

must be known and understood. The relationship of the diseased organ<br />

to the threefold organization of the body must be taken into account. The<br />

importance of the affected organ for the patient and in relation to the other<br />

spheres (to be discussed below) must be considered as well as the subjective<br />

and individual consequences for the patient.<br />

The sphere of life<br />

Here the physician must pay attention to the physiology of organs, the<br />

vital functions, the changes and pathological limitations, the disorders of<br />

vital processes and the way the patient experiences these. The subjective<br />

state of health of the patient and how this changes daily and in the course<br />

of the seasons of the year must also be taken into account.<br />

The sphere of the soul<br />

This requires a trained eye for the psychological life of the patient.<br />

Account is taken of the patient’s psychological condition, temperament,<br />

moods and the way they change, experience and are able to handle sympathy<br />

and antipathy. How observant is the patient, what are his thought processes,<br />

powers of concentration and memory? What feelings does he have, how<br />

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