The 'Inside-Out' Approach to Therapeutic Care

Vijayaraghavan Padmanabhan

Abstract: Practice of modern medicine has transitioned from being mainly body medicine, to inclusion of mind-body medicine, to the recent recognition of mind-body-spirit medicine. Understanding the problem afflicting one's body, before trying to understand the mind-body or mind-body-spirit aspects of the problem, helps the physician to quickly connect with the patient while the disease process is being understood. It is increasingly known that the source of many diseases lies in failure of the individual to cope with the stress of day-to-day life at the mental and spiritual level. Either the patient lacks positivity of mind or feels a lack of inner joy. It makes therapeutic sense when the problem occurring in the thought and feeling of the patient is first understood and set right. The 'inner being' focused approach tackles the root of the disease, making rest of the therapy simpler and more effective.

Keywords: body medicine, mind-body medicine, mind-body-spirit medicine, root of disease, inner being focused approach