About Us
This Website
The purpose of this website is to promote the exciting and innovative field of holistic healing in the community and in post-secondary education. It provides an overview of the theories, research, and practices for human service practitioners and the general public as well as outlines how we can begin to transform post-secondary education to be more inclusive of these concepts and practices.
The resources in this website will include general information from an extensive new book: Holistic Healing: Theories, Practices and Social Change with over 30 diverse scholars and practitioners in this field along with other useful resources. For more in-depth knowledge of theories and practices please read this book and/or look at our blogs. Our blogs will provide monthly detailed information from a wide range of experts. (Please note: This website was created by Peter Dunn, PhD and does not necessarily represent the individual views of the wide diversity of contributors to our book.)
My Story
Peter A. Dunn, PhD: I have been a professor in the Faculty of Social Work at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, for 30 years, where I taught courses at the MSW and PhD levels related to social policy, research, poverty, gender issues, social change, and holistic practices. I have completed numerous local and national research projects as well written extensively about these topics.
I became interested in holistic healing as a result of my own healing journey. I discovered a whole new world of healing when I started meditation practices. The doors opened for me and I began a healthy lifestyle and started a whole range of holistic practices. I participated in and studied healing at many major holistic centres in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Southeast Asia. As a result of these experiences, I designed an MSW course in social work that taught a range of holistic healing practices. My goal now is to promote holistic healing in post-secondary education.
Holistic Healing
A revolution is taking place in the field of holistic healing. The range of available holistic healing practices, practitioners, and theoretical perspectives has exploded in recent years. Many of these dynamic practices are ancient or based on traditional healing, while others are new. The majority of people in the West now use natural health services and/or products. Indigenous Peoples are increasingly reclaimed traditional holistic practices as part of a process of decolonization. Plus, new immigrants and refugees are using their traditional holistic practices.
In a world that is divisive, oppressive, and dehumanizing, holistic practices and ideas emphasize interdependence, social justice, and awareness of our environment. These approaches promote inclusion and connection, rather than separation and isolation. They bring ways of healing our own lives, working for social change, and promoting equality, human rights, decolonization, peace, and sustainability (see Our Book for further details).