The Vertical Healing System: 5 Levels of
Healing
Dietrich Klinghardt MD, PhD Seattle, Aug.2nd, 1998
When you carefully study the pyramidal order of the 5 bodies
(see drawing), much is self
evident and does not require further explanation. This healing
system has evolved from interpreting the yoga sutras of Patanjali
(which are believed to be over 10 000 years old) and from
trying to express this ancient knowledge with contemporary
language.
A few additional remarks may be helpful:
The lowest level is the physical body. It is at the bottom
not because it is less valuable. Instead, the physical body
is the foundation upon which everything else rests. It is
our connection to the earth and the source of our physical
energy. The physical body is identical with what we see, feel,
hear (i.e.: when we scratch it), smell and taste (if we lick
it). It ends at the skin.
The 2nd level is the electromagnetic-body or "body-electric".
It is the summation of all electric and magnetic events caused
by the neuronal activity of the nervous system. Since most
somatic and autonomic nerves in the body travel in the longitudinal
axis of the body and the nerve currents spread as electric
fields along these nerves, the magnetic fields created by
these forces travel perpendicular to this axis into space.
Even though their strength decreases with distance from the
body, they extend into space beyond the skin. Theoretically
these bio-magnetic fields extend into infinity.The next higher
body which I call "mental body" extends to infinity
squared and the higher two levels extend beyond that. Only
mathematics is able to conceive the expansive size of the
higher levels.
Over the 25 years that I have been in practice certain orders
and rules have emerged and become obvious that appear to govern
the relationship between these 5 levels of healing. In turn,
each level has it’s own laws and it’s own order which needs
to be acknowledged and understood. I will try to summarize
those observations, so that they may be helpful to others.
Each phenomenon that we observe in the physical realm seems
to occur simultaneously also on the other 4 levels. In fact,
the physical body is designed like a computer-screen which
makes that visible and tangible which happens in the soul
(the 5th level). However, you can have problems in the higher
levels, which have not yet penetrated down to the lower levels.
This is most known in acupuncture, where disturbances on the
2nd level are picked up by the practitioner (using pulse and
tongue diagnosis and understanding early warning signs) before
symptoms occur. The traditional Chinese medicine doctor was
only paid when the patient’s physical body remained healthy.
He/she had to pick up the disturbance on the 2nd level long
before it penetrated down to the 1st!
The highest level, at which an interaction between physician
and client is possible, is the 4th level. I call this level
"dream-body". The 5th level is the plane of self-healing.
I call this level the "spirit-body". The only relationship
that exists here is the relationship between the individual
and god. A physician, psychologist or guru who claims that
he can be helpful on the 5th level is being arrogant, misleading,
dangerous and simply wrong. Anyone, who truly has experienced
this level will have an attitude of deep respect and understands,
that it cannot be explained using language. People, that talk
often about "god", "angels" and other
spiritual experiences are suspicious to me and usually phony.
Especially if they are from California, New Mexico or Sedona……*
"New age" followers usually have significant unresolved
family issues or guilt (that is either taken on from another
family member or "earned" through one’s own mistakes).
The pain and necessary healing work is often avoided by involving
oneself in extensive spiritual practices, that never seem
to resolve the real issues.
True healing requires simultaneous work on all 5 levels.
I will give an example:
The first level, the physical body, is the home of orthomolecular
and conventional medicine . Let’s assume a young female patient
has the clinical diagnosis of "anorexia nervosa".
We know that approximately 85% of these patients have a clinical
zinc deficiency. Therefore the true diagnosis on the 1st level
would be "zinc-deficiency". The laws that govern
this level are the laws of biochemistry and mechanics.If you
keep her on a life time of zinc supplements, she would probably
stay reasonably well.
However, looking at this patient at the 2nd and next higher
level, the electromagnetic body, we may find that she has
a hidden malabsorbtion syndrome caused by overactivity of
the sympathetic celiac plexus (which leads to vasoconstriction
of the absorbing lymphatics and blood vessels in the gut).
This condition may respond well to periodic treatment with
acupuncture or neural therapy. The patient would start absorbing
zinc from the food again and would improve without zinc-supplements.
The 2nd level has an organizing effect on the 1st! The laws
that operate on this level are the natural laws of neuro-physiology
(or the practical stepped down rules of acupuncture or autonomic
response testing -ART).
Now lets look at the 3rd level, the "mental body":
this young woman may have an unresolved conflict with her
father, who was very oppressive during her childhood - stern,
punishing, critical and at times violent. The unresolved memory
held in her limbic system is responsible for stimulating the
hypothalamus and sending sympathetic stress messages to the
celiac ganglion, which is now in a pathological state of chronic
arousal. Finding and resolving this conflict with a targeted
and specific approach such as Applied Psycho-Neurobiology
("PK") eliminates the focal area in the limbic system.
The celiac ganglion cools permanently off and the patient
starts to absorb zinc again - and gets well! The 3rd level
has an organizing effect on the 2nd and also on the 1st level!
Vice versa, without the absorption of food (1st level) and
a functioning autonomic nervous system(2nd level) the patient
would not have the energy and functioning mind required to
remember the past and work with it in a healing way. The energy
however to do the necessary healing-work comes from the lower
levels! Therefore it is best for the patient, to treat all
levels simultaneously - take zinc during the initial treatment
period and have some neural therapy at the beginning of treatment.
The laws that govern the 3rd level are the simple natural
rules that are being gradually rediscovered by modern psychotherapy:
nurture and love a child, provide it with opportunity to learn,
keep it safe, nourished and warm. Each violation of these
natural needs has consequences, leading to fairly predictable
distortions of the mind, nervous- and immune system. Other
"laws" and natural orders have been outlined by
the leading psychologists of this century.
Now let us go to the 4th level, the "dream body".
The typical family-constellation in a young woman with anorexia
looks like this:
invisible to anyone on the outside, including the children
in the family, the patient’s father was deeply rejected by
the mother- his wife - and subtly pushed her out of the family.
The patient in turn is unconsciously loyal to the rejected
father and holds the "magical belief" that if she
disappears, the father would stay. "I leave for you"
is the operative sentence and a sign of a deep and strong
love and loyalty for the father. Anorexia is a way for the
client to disappear. The fathers oppressive behaviour (behaviour
belongs to the 3rd level) was his way of responding to the
wife’s rejection of him (which in turn triggered and restimulated
his unresolved childhood issues). If the therapist can facilitate
healing in this situation, which may culminate in the child
saying in the therapeutic session to the father (who does
not need to be present):
"Dear daddy! What happened between mom and you is none
of my business. I am only your child. You are the grown-up
and I am only your child. I trust that you can handle the
issue with mom yourself! Look kindly upon me if I stay"
And to mom:
" Dear mom! I am only your child. Please look kindly
at me when I stand by my father. He is the right and only
father for me".
Healing on this level often leads to instant disappearance
of the associated unresolved conflicts on the 3rd level, and
- in this case - disappearance of the celiac ganglion dysfunction
and therefore improved zinc absorption. Again, the energy
required for this healing work has to flow upward from the
lower energy supplying levels. Simple interventions on the
lower 3 levels would be laying the foundation to make the
work on the 4th level possible.
The laws that govern the 4th level are the rules and orders
of Systemic Family Therapy "discovered" by Murray
Bowen and Bert Hellinger: in a family every member has an
even right to belong. If someone denies this right to one
of the members, another member will try to balance the family
by self-excluding him/herself.
The 10 commandments of the bible may be an attempt to formulate
the laws operating on this level. Other rules are discussed
in the book: "Love’s hidden symmetry" by Bert Hellinger,
which is a must for anyone working on this level. Issues such
as spirit possession, evil entities, alien takeovers and implants
etc. seem to loose their grip on us when the family of the
client is in a state where there is respect and love between
all the family members of the system. A family system is comprised
of the genetically linked persons of the last 3 generations
and all of their respective partners.
What about the 5th level, the "spirit body" then?
Here are a few hints: it would be a good start, if after resolution
of the physical problem both the physician and the patient
turned inwards and upwards with an attitude of gratefulness.
For the client to do something "good" with the newly
gained hope and vitality and clarity may be the appropriate
concluding work on the 5th level. Simply praying or meditating
in a cave may be enough -but maybe not. If the work on the
5th level is not completed there may be a gradual relapse
of the condition…. The laws that are operative here are gradually
revealed to us as we mature.
Conclusion:
The vertical healing system can be a valuable foundation
for understanding truly what holistic medicine is and gives
the practitioner a road map that makes it easier to navigate
the sometimes chaotic landscape of healing techniques. Each
level has it’s own order and it’s own laws which need to be
understood. The lower 3 levels belong to the personal realm,
the 4th and the 5th level to the transpersonal realm. Each
higher level has an organizing influence on the lower levels.
The lower levels supply energy to the higher levels and create
boundaries for the individual to exist in. The practical conclusions
for leading a healthy lifestyle and guiding a client towards
wellbeing may look like this:
Put as much effort as possible into healing your own family.
Don’t rest, until there is love and respect between everybody
in your generation and the two generations before you. The
"family" includes children who have died early,
aborted children, husbands that where excluded after a divorce,
mothers that died at childbirth and uncles that died in a
war. The healing involves relating and communicating to everybody
that is alive and holding a loving memory of those who are
gone.
Pump as much energy as possible into the lower 3 levels: eat
right, sleep right, exercise and take your vitamins. Nurture
your body-electric with massage, acupuncture, neural therapy,
laying down by a waterfall, listening to good music and doing
your yoga stretches. See a therapist to work through confusion
and unresolved conflicts on the mental level.
Turn inward to investigate the 5th level. Don’t follow anyone’s
advice. Create time and space to be alone. You need all of
you, undistracted, to do this.
