Back in the mid-1990s, I had an integrative medical practice called 4 Dimensional Healing. I did REIKI, worked with Flower Essences and herbal remedies, offered Life Coaching—before there was even a certification for it—and taught Creative Visualization and Meditation classes.

It was an amazing time. This was before the big wave of healers of all kinds and before social media, which together eventually dwarfed everything I had been doing. Still, it was fun while it lasted.

During that time, I conducted a study using REIKI in the operating room with joint replacement patients. The goal was to show how REIKI could lessen the amount of sedation needed during procedures and reduce the amount of pain medication required afterward. We had great results, but unfortunately we ran out of funding before the study was complete.

Not long after that experience, I decided I wanted to integrate all of the “alternative” work I was doing with a degree in Western medicine. There are things that no amount of REIKI or Life Coaching will heal. There is a time and a place for everything.

“There is a time and a place for everything. If someone gets run over by a bus, they need a trauma center—not a REIKI Master.”

REIKI and Life Coaching are incredibly useful once healing has begun and a person is physically stable. So I became a Registered Nurse, and then a Nurse Practitioner.

Today, I use REIKI and Life Coaching in every interaction with patients, along with the Western medical techniques I was taught in school and have learned along the way.

“I use REIKI and Life Coaching in every interaction with patients, along with the Western medical techniques I have learned along the way.”

The Four Dimensions of the Self

One belief has remained steadfast in my mind: we have four dimensions of our “Self”: Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual.

“We have four dimensions of our ‘Self’: Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual.”

We can experience pain or disease in any one of these dimensions. But if we don’t pay attention to the signals our mind and body are giving us, that pain will travel to other dimensions until it is attended to.

“If we don’t pay attention to the signals our mind and body are giving us, pain will travel to other dimensions until it is attended to.”

Think about emotional pain. Emotional pain can lead to depression, which then shows up as physical symptoms—stomach aches, headaches, and more.

Spiritual pain can show up as life questioning or an overarching loss of your sense of self, which often happens during times of extreme stress or tragedy.

“Spiritual pain can show up as life questioning or an overarching loss of your sense of self.”

That pain can trickle down from the spiritual realm into the emotional realm, causing depression, anxiety, or OCD symptoms. From there it moves into the mental realm, where we engage in negative self-talk, until the body can no longer handle the strain.

Eventually, the physical body may develop acute or chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer, IBS, interstitial cystitis, just to name a few.

Treat Pain Where It Appears

I have always believed—although I’ll admit I haven’t always practiced this myself—that dealing with trauma in the realm where it appears helps it stay there, causes less damage, and allows it to leave us sooner than if we let it take on a life of its own.

“Dealing with trauma in the realm where it appears helps it stay there and leave us sooner.”

Trauma therapy is one modality I have fully jumped on the bandwagon for. I can’t speak highly enough about methods like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and exposure therapy. These approaches helped me tremendously at a time in my life when I needed them the most.

“We all need a little help now and then. I am not immune to this truth.”

Some people pick up these methods quickly; others need more time. Either way, they work—if you work with them.

When Physical Pain Moves the Other Way

The reverse is also true.

If you experience physical pain and ignore it, or don’t treat it properly so healing can occur, that pain will begin moving through your dimensions in reverse order.

“If you ignore physical pain or don’t treat it properly, it will move through your dimensions in reverse order.”

You may start engaging in negative self-talk, wondering why this happened to you, or telling yourself you should be well by now—even though you aren’t doing all the things needed to heal.

Then depression and anxiety may creep in.

What if I don’t get better?


What if that fracture doesn’t heal?


What if I can never eat spicy food again?

Depression and anxiety follow these thoughts easily. Then comes the deeper life questioning and bargaining about identity.

“Am I a sick person now? Is this how I define myself?”

And this is how the four dimensions work.

The Takeaway

The key is to manage your health—Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual—as it happens. Don’t wait for one issue to become something bigger and deeper.

“Heal your physical body. Soothe your mind. Feel your emotions. Listen to your spirit.”

Doing this leads to a healthier life—and a happier you.

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Photo By: Paul Duff