3 Levels of Healing: Why We Need to Peel the Onion

The Life-Is-Art™ model of equine-assisted learning is based on the philosophy that true healing occurs on three levels: the physical body, the emotional body, and the spiritual body.

The idea of the three bodies is nothing new — we can see its expression in ancient healing systems like Ayurveda and Chinese traditional medicine. The three bodies also form the basis of modern integrative medicine, especially in the tradition of the Rudolph Steiner school of anthroposophical medicine, where the individual is seen as a unique biography of body, soul, and spirit.

Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, and integrative medicine all approach the individual holistically and stress the importance of healing the body through emotional cleansing and spiritual connection to the Higher Self.

The three bodies are also key to Buddhist teachings. The idea behind Buddhist meditation and mantra practice — especially in the Tibetan tradition — is that of liberating karmic seeds on the three levels of existence. In this process, the cobwebs of our emotional lives are slowly cleared out of the closet, which generally results in greater clarity of mind and positive releases within the physical body.

Buddhism also recognizes that our emotional afflictions are collected in our physical bodies, so most authentic practices are focused on liberating toxic emotions accumulated in the body — especially through the use of sound (mantras). Christian mysticism also integrated meditation and chants into the quest of achieving oneness with God.

Peeling the Onion

These processes take work and a dedicated intention to heal and become whole. From my own personal experience, the process of healing has felt like the process of "peeling the onion." There are so many layers to peel away and it isn't always comfortable when we're in the middle of it. Sometimes you need to store the knife in a drawer for a while and come back to it when you're ready.

"Through the zig-zags of this path, there is always the reward when we look in the mirror and see a more authentic version of ourselves as we make progress. This is Beauty!"

How Do We Begin?

The first step is awareness — without which change is not possible. Awareness is as simple as a gnawing feeling that something needs to change.

Then we need a safe container: a program that supports us in a consistent way, where we learn tools for emotional fitness and self-care, where we can have meaningful conversations, and where our efforts are validated.