A heterodox model of healing.

A heterodox model of healing incorporating the basic dualism of Western philosophy--the world of concrete material substance versus that of thought, ideals, and spirit--is proposed. Such dualism is reflected in Western constructions of healing. An explanatory paradigm model with a horizontal axis representing paradigms of healing from positivism to metaphysics and a vertical axis representing activities of healing from the material to the spiritual was derived from ethnographic work with healers. A health practice model following the same philosophical patterns illustrates reflected American cultural values in the relative positioning of healing modalities from the orthodox biomedical to the most metaphysical or alternative. Examples of specific modalities of healing, many of which are resurfacing with increasing public interest in alternative therapies, are illustrated. This model places biomedicine in the same context as other philosophical approaches to healing as a standard for comparison. Implications for practice and research are discussed.