Radical Healing

This title to a book by Rudolph Ballentine deserves more thought than we might give it. The book deserves more thought than I will give it too. It might be of interest to note that Dr. Ballentine is a Duke graduate and likely was affected by the people I speak about in the so-called paranormal sciences. Why is it ‘radical’ to integrate and think or become an informed consumer in the field of medicine or health care? Here is part of the dustcover commentary.

“This extraordinary book offers nothing less than a new vision of medical care. Rudolph Ballentine, M. D., has created a unique, integrative blending of the primary holistic schools of healing that is far more potent than any one alone.

Like Deepak Chopra and Andrew Weil, Rudolph Ballentine is a medical doctor who became intrigued by the workings of mind-body medicine and looked beyond the West in his search for understanding. Drawing on thirty years of medical study and practice, Dr. Ballentine has accomplished a singular feat: integrating the wisdom of the great traditional healing systems—especially Ayurveda, homeopathy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, European and Native American herbology, nutrition, psychotherapy, and bodywork. Melded together, the profound principles buried in these systems become clearer and stronger, and a new level of effectiveness becomes possible. Healing and reorganization are accelerated and deepened—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The result is transformation. The result is radical healing.” (3)

Sounds like common sense and makes one wonder how we ever got so enmeshed in ‘expert’ ego-driven medical care doesn’t it? I highly recommend Ivan Illich’s Limits to Medicine wherein he more fully describes the over-professionalization and iatrogenesis (doctor-inflicted death) that is inherent in Western medicine today. The British Medical Journal Lancet termed that book from 1976 ‘a grapeshot across their bow’.

“Tennis was known as ‘the game of kings.’ As the royal player, you are faced with constant decisions and make repeated moves within the context of your ‘court.’ When I was learning and exploring tennis, I worked with a friend who held a Ph. D. in linguistics. Ricardo Melo analyzed body language in terms of what he called the ‘syntax of the court.’ The net represents the ‘other’ to whom you must respond. The space surrounding you is divided into front and back. That part behind you corresponds to your unconscious; you reach back into it for the depth of feeling that impels you forward. Players who make short stabs at the ball, without a deep backstroke, fail to dip into this well of inspiration. The space before you is your conscious mind and world.

I played tennis once with a young meditation teacher from India. Sincere and guileless, he stood squarely facing the net. He could not remember to put his left shoulder forward so that his right arm could reach deeply into the backcourt. That would have allowed him to extend the racquet back into the realm of the unconscious, where his personal power was hidden, and bring some of that out to propel the ball forward.

There’s also a right/left division of the court. The right side is dealt with logically and linearly, while the left, where the backhand takes place for most people, is a reflection of your intuition. When you reach into the space on the left with your backhand stroke, you are showing how you use your intuitive faculties. The very hard-nosed, super-rational businessman will often have a lot of trouble with his backhand. Unusually artistic and intuitive types may find it easier, and may instead have a weak forehand. In contrast to these ground strokes, which demonstrate your ability to respond, the serve is about initiating an action or interchange with another person…

I learned lots more from tennis, too. My reluctance to bend my knees told me I was too aloof. I didn’t get down to other people’s level. On the basis of this insight, I took the flower essence Water Violet, which is for aloofness and condescension, and gradually my stiff knees softened. I started listening more to the viewpoints of those who were doing the practical work, and my effectiveness as a leader improved. I am convinced that this sort of work is preventive medicine and that without it I might well have ended up with seriously disabled, arthritic knees. ”