"From little acorns mighty oak trees grow" goes the old saying, and that is just what the Scottish Holistic Health Association is doing.

Gary Demonstrating Shiatsu

The Association started here in 1996/7 as the Holistic Nurse Association (Scotland), with just three nurses - now we have grown and expanded to include other fields of patient care.

Originally, we were nurses interested in promoting holistic health and healing into patient care. This involves caring for the carers who care for the patients. It involves people from all areas, using their skills and experience as nurses, healers, doctors, and alternative therapists, working together. And the realisation that they, as people, are not in isolation, they are part of the universe, but each individual is made up of Mind, Body and Spirit.

SHHA gives you, the practitioner, no matter what your field, the opportunity to care for each other, to share your problems, and your ideas. It is a platform to promote self-help and self-healing.

We encourage and help all professional staff in self-development and holism, and by doing this assist everyone to take responsibility for their own health, and to pass on our ideas and practices to the general public and foster their interest in helping themselves.

We meet regularly, and run a variety courses. Over the past three years we have had talks on Health and Well-being Through Sound and Healing: Experiential Days to Promote Holistic Therapies, which included workshops on Kinesiology, Chi Kung, Shiatsu, Reflexology, and Reiki. We have also facilitated Silva Method, Feng Shui, Dowsing, and Aromatherapy workshops to name but a few.

Yet another workshop at Peel Park

Holism is all about creating balance. Balance within yourself, balance of your physical, spiritual, and psychological needs. If you are in balance then you can assist your patients to become more balanced. It involves you creating relationships within your circle of friends, and your patients. It is about giving of your energy and at the same time being open to receive energy from others.

As a member of SHHA you will be encouraged on a path of personal growth, self-awareness, self-development and self-healing. You will be given chances to widen your horizons and to experience a variety of enriching ideas and ideals. As a member you are also entitled to discounted study days & workshops.

The SHHA is a non-profit support & educational organisation whose membership is open to doctors, nurses, therapists and all other people who are interested in holistically-oriented health care. The SHHA promotes the education of all professional health practitioners, and the general public on health-related issues.

AIMS

• To promote a holistic approach to health care.
• To promote therapeutic touch as a healing modality in health-care.
• To promote the appropriate use of Complementary Therapies in the Health Service.
• To encourage individuals to optimise their own physical, emotional, and spiritual health, in whatever way is appropriate to the individual.
• To care for members by offering love, support, advice, encouragement, and, where appropriate, treatment.