THE FOUR-AS-ONE MODEL

     Many of us, having grown up in a Western culture, tend to think of ourselves as a collection of separate parts. This group of parts might consist of the different cells of the body, the various organs, or even a broader grouping such as one that might include the mind, the body, the emotions, the soul, the spirit, etc. And yet, no matter how we slice this pie that we call human, we still have a kind of unspoken assumption: that the pieces are separate from each other. Whether we realize it or not, we tend to see and think like surgeons.

     There is, however, another way of seeing ourselves, a way that might be referred to as the four-as-one model. It is based upon four aspects of the human being, and I specifically choose to call them aspects to emphasize their unity. They are actually just four different ways to view ourselves. Each aspect shows us the whole person as seen from one particular vantage point. So we must keep an eye on our old habit of fractionating something that is inherently one. It takes a certain effort of intention to put away the mental scalpel.

     This point of our oneness cannot be overemphasized. It may be helpful to compare the four-as-one model to a woman in a family. While to her husband, she is a wife, to her children, she is a mother. She is a sister to her siblings, and a daughter to her parents. Although she is viewed in a distinct way by these different people, each of them also sees the complete woman. Further, there are important purposes served by her being seen in these four different ways.

     Likewise, there are specific purposes for examining ourselves in terms of four distinct aspects. First, as it turns out, these aspects are four routes of access to the human healing process. Second, since they all describe the same whole person, more than one may be used in a synergistic way. That is, they are entirely complementary and additive in their effects. Third, the mere understanding of the four-as-one model is part of a personal healing process that happens through re-visioning who we are. It is my deepest hope that this writing may have at least the slightest influence in that direction.

     Each of these four aspects has its own design, its own motion, and its own balance. This combination of proper design, motion, and balance comprises the integrity of the particular aspect. With this in mind, let me briefly describe the four-as-one model. Then, let's examine how it may help us in planning an effective approach to our health concerns.

     First, and most obviously, we are a physical structure. This is the aspect that reveals us as solid -- a body that can be seen and touched. Our STRUCTURAL integrity is influenced by the ways we have learned to move about. Since we are being pulled upon by the force of gravity throughout life, the alignment of our structure, like that of a car, is critical. Disciplines that work through our structural aspect include exercise, yoga, rolfing, chiropractic, massage, and many others. They help us through addressing the design, balance, and motion of our physical form.

     Secondly, we are CHEMICAL in nature. In this aspect our design is the diverse distribution of reactive substances throughout the body. The proper chemical reactions represent the motion that we require. Chemical integrity depends upon both a balanced distribution of substances as well as reactions that proceed at proper rates. We are influenced by any and all substances that undergo chemical reactions with us. Accessing the healing process through this aspect is achieved via the use of substances we take internally, those we apply to our body surfaces, and those we breathe in.

     With an understanding of our structural and chemical aspects, we can begin to appreciate our oneness. We can take substances that may have either healing or damaging effects upon our structure. Likewise, we can engage in physical activites that may either balance or disrupt our chemistry.

     In a third way, we may be seen as a design of ideas, opinions, and information. Included here is our individual pattern of thinking. A certain event will trigger a sequence of thoughts in each of us, according to our previous and continuing learning. Here we begin to appreciate the powerful influence of our social relationships. All of this, as a combination of the design of our ideas, the motion of our thinking, and the balance they maintain forms our PSYCHOSOCIAL integrity.

     In the case of our structure, we are something visible and tangible. Our imbalances are directly appreciable, if not to us, then to experienced practitioners of the various structural disciplines. As chemistry, although we are neither visible nor tangible, we can be measured or evaluated to a certain degree through laboratory testing. Yet now, as we begin to see ourselves as psychosocial in nature, we have far less in the way of standards of proper design, motion, and balance. We can set some standards in the way of social behavior, in an attempt to minimize destructive consequences. But in the case of the individual seeking personal psychosocial integrity, we are often left on our own to evaluate for ourselves the status our own experiences of thinkng and communicating.

     This aspect is the intended route of access to our healing process through the large diversity of psychotherapeutic and meditative disciplines. We are so consistently experiencing our physical bodies, that it is perhaps most challenging to see ourselves completely as a psychosocial being. And yet, our psychosocial nature is just as complete and present as our other aspects. When we grasp the truth of this four-as-one model, then we can begin to realize that as we look in the mirror, we are seeing the image of the summation of our mental and social being. We must understand that our structure IS our chemistry, and our chemistry IS our psyche.

     Finally, we must envision ourselves in yet a different way. As is known in subatomic physics, everything, even light, is composed of particles, and all particles move at speeds so great that we may accurately call them waves, or vibrations. We are VIBRATIONAL, which is to say that, in our wholeness, we are of the same nature as the invisible inside of a switched-on microwave oven!

     For most of us, the notion of ourselves as vibrational is mysterious, if not downright eerie. However, as we understand the truth of this fourth aspect, that we are vibrations, then we can understand other ways to access the healing process -- ways that are neither structural, chemical, nor psychosocial. Perhaps the most well-known discipline that accesses our healing process through this aspect is acupuncture. The potency of homeopathic remedies, which include flower essences and gem elixirs, is actually not a result of chemical reaction, but of interaction with the vibrational aspect of the person. The effectiveness of the various forms of healing touch also has its basis in this aspect. Yet, no matter in which way we choose to see ourselves, our most fundamental characteristic is that we are one integrated whole. Acknowledging our vibrational aspect, we see that truth.

     Let me reiterate a most important point: the purpose in making this distinction of four aspects is to access the human healing process. The choice of which aspect to address is not necessarily the one that might appear to match the picture. A psychological dilemma may well respond favorably to a form of intervention via the structural aspect. For example, when someone's progress in psychotherapy has reached an impasse, an effective measure at times has been some form of deep tissue massage work. Once we truly grasp the oneness of our being, we begin to see new possibilities opening up for the continuing pursuit of a balanced, moving design.

     Throughout our four-fold being, we always have the same challenge: our resistance to the balanced motion that maintains our design. Life is a dynamic balance; conscious living demands that our needs for both the motion and balance of our design be consistently addressed. Awareness of whatever our current resistance may be, and of the variety of ways to re-establish our four-fold integrity, is the key to effective change.

     Nowhere is respect for this philosophy more necessary than in the changing face of the healing arts. Perhaps our most important agenda is to fully acknowledge all of our choices, and begin to select the most fitting approach for the particular situation at hand. It is perhaps most beneficial to utilize all four aspects in effecting a comprehensive and balanced healing program. May we all understand and respect the proper place of everything from emergency tracheotomy to the laying on of hands.

(C) 2000 Dr. Stephen Reisman. All rights reserved.