Healing with the Hands: The Art of Nursing

What does healing with the hands and nursing have in common?  Actually, quite a bit.  They are so similar that, in the right context, may even be considered one and the same.  They serve the same purpose, and abide by the same ideals.  As a nurse, that connection with nursing is what make therapeutic bodywork so much fun.  It is all about helping people.

There are several definitions of nursing.  As a healthcare profession, nursing is the focused care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from birth to death.  To nurse is to care for the sick, injured, or infirm; to take special care of, especially to promote development or well-being.  More simply, to nurse is to nourish.

In a study published in the Annals of Family Medicine,  healing was defined as "the process of bringing together aspects of one's self, body-mind-spirit, at deeper levels of inner knowing, leading toward integration and balance with each aspect having equal importance and value.  This is what also makes nursing so much fun.  To support the health of the person in front of you, and all aspects of that person, can be very rewarding.

In this same study, it went on to say that "to be whole is to be whole amongst others....and that wholeness of personhood involves physical, emotional, intellectual, social and spiritual aspects of human experience.  Our connection with others is a strong component in our journey of health."

When we experience pain, it is very difficult to have a positive sense of welll-being.  Sometimes the pain takes all our concentration and focus - it can certainly also take our good humor!  When working with the aches and pains that people have in their bodies, it is wonderful to see the look of relief and the openness that people have when they feel better. 

As we have a more comfortable and relaxed body, our spirit feels lighter.  We smile more, we have more fun.  We are more available to others.  Sometimes, before we can connect with others, we must first connect with our self.  And as we come to know our self and the different aspects of our self through our own body, we have more resources to reach out to others.  And that is the art of nursing in a nutshell.