Origin

The word holistic comes from holism, introduced by philosopher Smuts (1926). To him, holism was the evolutionary drive at the core of all creation. He coined holism from the Greek hólos, meaning “whole.” The idea of wholeness was pivotal to his theory as it is to anything “holistic.” It echoed the Aristotelian notion “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” which also underpinned the 20th century revolutionary Gestalt approach and is often used, these days, to explain synergy and collaboration. DiStefano (2006) refers to Smuts as using the term holism to describe a “philosophical idea that emphasizes understanding the whole system, rather than specific unconnected events or phenomena”. In terms of providing health care, the use of the term “holistic” dates to the time of Hippocrates, over 2,500 years ago who emphasised the importance of establishing equilibrium within individuals, viewing the person as a whole being made up of many parts working in performance with one another.

Absolon (2010: 74 and 78.) writes that, “The context of our past has changed, yet we remain. We are Indigenous and we carry our ancestors’ stories, teachings, and knowledge.” Dunn (2019: 5.) reminds us that, “The roots of holistic practices derive from ancient wisdom and traditional healers”.  Mijares (2003) explains that some of these healing practices were outgrowths of ancient spiritual paths such as Indigenous spiritualities, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Daoism, paganism, and Goddess practices. This is endorsed by DiStefano (2006) who traces several branches of holistic healing back to ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, as well as other parts of the world.