Mindfullness
Many people find that despite doing everything "right"—improving their diet, taking supplements, following protocols—their symptoms persist, fluctuate, or return. Why?
Because some forms of illness are not just physical. They arise from deeper patterns—emotional wounds, fixed beliefs, inner conflicts, and the unconscious habits we carry through life.
Mindful awareness invites us to bring light to the parts of ourselves that have been hidden, denied, or misperceived. In my practice I use the following mindfulness methods:
Steiner’s Spiritual Science
Rudolf Steiner’s blend of science and spirituality forms a key foundation for Heilkunst’s view of health and illness. I’ll admit, I didn’t connect with Steiner at first—his writing felt dense and abstract. But over time, his insights became invaluable.
Early in my practice, I faced cases that refused to budge. One patient with asthma had tried every approach—remedies, detox, sequential therapy—yet nothing shifted. Then I recognized her as a classic phlegmatic. That single realization reframed the entire case. Her temperament gave me a clear lens: I could match remedies more precisely, adjust my method, and suddenly, progress began.
In my work, I give patients mindfulness practices, but I also know that sitting still with chronic fatigue or brain fog can feel impossible. That’s why I suggest small, gentle exercises—ways to guide awareness without strain.
At the heart of Steiner’s work are the Four Temperaments: choleric, sanguine, melancholic, and phlegmatic. Each has gifts, challenges, and typical imbalances that shape our health and perception.
Steiner also described Twelve Senses, urging us to look not only inward but outward. When we attend to both, mindfulness deepens into a richer awareness of life itself.
Socratic Dialogue
Sometimes the fastest way to healing isn’t a remedy - it’s a conversation.
Socratic dialogue is the kind of conversation that helps you uncover what’s going on beneath the surface. You talk. I listen. And when the moment is right, I ask a question. Something simple like, “What do you believe would happen if you said no?” or “Whose voice is that, really?” Often that’s all it takes. A moment of clarity. A sudden shift in how you see things.
It’s called “Socratic” because it’s based on how Socrates used to teach - by asking questions instead of giving answers. Not to trap people, but to help them find their own truth. And that’s the key. You already have the answers. They’re just buried under years of habits, fear, and old stories that no longer serve you.
Wilhelm Reich: Release
Sigmund Freud believed that when unconscious conflicts were made conscious psychological problems would disappear. One of his students, Wilhelm Reich, found that this was not always true. Some of the most thoroughly analyzed cases remained uncured.
When searching for a reason why, Reich discovered that the one factor that differentiated the cured from the uncured was a satisfying love life - cured patients were able to regularly achieve a pleasurable orgasm with total involvement of the body. This led him to realize that emotional wellbeing is intimately connected to the capacity for surrender. To let go!
When we are able to let our energy flow we are happy and content, but when we dam it up our emotions become rigid, and our muscles become stiff. Reich referred to this as body armor.
One of Reich’s student’s, Alexander Lowen, built on his work; developing a system of therapy he called Bioenergetics. The fundamental thesis of bioenergetics is that the body and mind are interconnected: that is, what goes on in the mind affects the body, and vice versa.
Eugene Gendlin was an Austrian-born American psychotherapist who developed Focusing - a therapeutic method that encourages people to tune into their bodies to gain deep insight into their emotional and psychological challenges.
Carl Jung
Although Carl Jung’s work isn’t part of the formal Heilkunst curriculum, his ideas fit naturally into the realm of therapeutic education. Jung saw illness, especially chronic or psychological symptoms, not just as problems to solve, but as messages from the unconscious. When certain parts of the self are denied or repressed, they don’t vanish. They often surface in disguised forms: emotional reactivity, relationship patterns, or even physical symptoms. In my own work, I draw especially from two of Jung’s most useful methods: active imagination and dream work.
Active imagination is a way of engaging directly with images and sensations that arise from the unconscious. Rather than interpreting or analyzing them, you allow the image to develop, and even enter into a kind of dialogue with it. This method can open up unexpected insights.
Dream work treats dreams not as random fragments but as meaningful communications from the psyche. By gently exploring the symbols and emotional tone of a dream, it’s often possible to uncover material that the conscious mind has overlooked or avoided.
I found that clients who began treatment by forming a clear picture of their goals were not only more likely to complete the , but were more likely to go on and make other healthy lifestyle changes. Create a Vision for your life
According to Dr. John Sarno, a back pain specialist at NYU, in many cases pain isn't structural but is instead psychological. More specifically, it is created by the subconscious mind as a distraction from emotional material it considered too dangerous to feel. He developed an effect journaling method to connect with the subconscious.
In the midst of domestic abuse and poverty, Janet Conner decided to listen to her own inner voice, and it told her to start writing. As she did, her inner voice gained clarity and strength, and she felt an incredible connection to the divine. She describes her method in her book Writing Down Your Soul.
When Janet Capacchione became ill she consulted with a gestalt therapist, and one of the tasks she was given was to journal, but with a catch. She was asked to write with her left hand. And then something wonderful happened. In Other Hand Writing she explains, “I had other dialogues: with body parts needing to be healed, emotions wanting to be released, dreams yearning to see the light of day, creative ideas wanting to be born, and inner wisdom giving me answers to life's questions.”
Meditation isn’t about escaping your thoughts or reaching some abstract ideal of stillness. It’s a practical, grounded tool - one that’s been validated by both ancient wisdom and modern science. Studies show that meditation can shift brainwaves from the high-alert beta state into more restful alpha, theta, and delta states. From the myriad of meditation techniques out there I have selected the ones that work well for fibromyalgia.
Louise Hay is best known for her groundbreaking book You Can Heal Your Life, Hay taught that our thoughts and beliefs are powerful forces that shape our reality and our health. She inspired millions of people worldwide to embrace self-love, affirmations, and the mind-body connection.
Dr. Joe Dispenza is best known for his work at the intersection of neuroscience, quantum physics, and healing. A chiropractor with a background in biology, he rose to prominence through books and workshops that explore how thought and emotion can change the body - sometimes in remarkable ways.
Many people struggle to meditate. In those cases, guided meditations can help focus the mind and lead it gently inward. I often link patients to specific audio meditations and I've created a few visual guided meditations that don't require any focused attention.
While secular mindfulness focuses on enhancing present-moment awareness, spiritual mindfulness practices extend beyond the realm of personal well-being to foster a profound connection with the divine or the greater universe. I examine Christian, Buddhist and other forms of religious mindfulness.
I’m Dr. Rodger Douglas, DMH, a South African-born homeopath now based in Osaka, Japan. With a psychology degree from Nelson Mandela University and a diploma from the Hahnemann College of Heilkunst, I specialize in holistic care for fibromyalgia. I serve clients by phone or video across the US, Canada, the UK, and beyond.