The 5 Levels of Healing
by Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, M.D., PhD
Click here to view a fuller, color version of the Five Levels of Healing
The basis of the work of Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, Ph.D. is his Five Levels of Healing. He developed this systematic model of healing in the 1980s and has been teaching it to practitioners all over the world since then. Many doctors and healers have been able to understand their own work better and have been able to make better choices for their patients and their own education based on this understanding. This model has entered the heart and conscious reality of integrative medicine worldwide.
The Five Levels of Healing teaches us that we exist in different dimensions simultaneously. The physical body exists within a sphere of invisible energy bodies that each has their own anatomy and physiology. There is an alive and profound interaction between the different levels. Every ancient culture knows this system and has described it in different terms.
Here is a summary of the Five Levels of Healing:
The lowest level is the physical body. It is the foundation upon which everything else rests. It is our connection to the earth and the source of our physical energy. The physical body is identical with what we see, feel, hear, smell and taste. It ends at the skin. It is what we perceive with our five senses. Everything from the PDR, herbal medicine, low potency homeopathics to orthomolecular medicine belongs here.
Dr. Klinghardt uses Autonomic Response Testing (ART) to evaluate the patient. ART is the author’s advanced composite of hands-on examination techniques that uses changes in the autonomic nervous system as the primary indicator of practitioner-elicited stress responses in the client’s body. The “direct resonance phenomenon” (ART II) allows the practitioner to scan the body for specific infections, toxins and other “invisible” problems.
The second level is the energy body or “body electric.” It is the summation of all electric and magnetic events caused by the neuronal activity of the nervous system. Because most somatic and autonomic nerves in the body travel in the longitudinal axis of the body and the nerve currents spread as electric fields along these nerves, the magnetic fields created by these forces travel perpendicular to this axis into space. Even though their strength decreases with distance from the body, they extend into space beyond the skin.
The most profound new knowledge on this level comes from the physicist Fritz-Albert Popp: each cell emits biophotons: light, which is highly coherent, polarized and “squeezed”. The biophoton field created by the light emissions around the body regulates most metabolic enzymes inside the cells. It modulates neural transmission, neurotransmitter releases, detoxification and many other body functions. Neural Therapy fits here. Neural Therapy is a traditional German technique to balance the autonomic nervous system with injections of procaine, homeopathics, Enderlein remedies and more recently also with the use of microcurrent technology. Energy medicine tools are also on this level.
The next higher body, the mental body or mental field, extends theoretically into infinity squared, and the higher two levels extend beyond that. Beliefs, attitudes and thoughts form and organize this level. There is an individual mental field and a consensus field (consensus reality). Every emotion (2nd level) is preceded by a perception and a thought or chain of thoughts. Thoughts trigger emotions and other energy body changes, which in turn trigger change in the physical body. We are all surrounded by our own mental field, which in turn interrelates with the field of our human species. A mental field can be healthy and can be sick.
APN, PK and MFT are tools that belong here. APN stands for Applied Psycho-Neurobiology and is the author’s composite of most current energy psychology techniques also with elements of Eriksonian hypnotherapy, Gestalt therapy, family systems oriented psychotherapy and past-life therapy.
MFT or Mental Field Therapy is a technique within APN that focuses on level 3 of this healing system. It does not require muscle testing or other biofeedback techniques. It deals primarily with restricting belief systems and aims at resolving conflicts and trauma. It has emerged in Europe as the leading form of “energy psychology.”
Psychokinesiology (PK) uses ART techniques to dialogue with the subconscious. It allows to retrieve and heal suppressed pain and memories in gentle, simple, brief and effective ways. This author’s textbook in Germany has been a bestseller in Europe for over 10 years.
The fourth level is a level beyond the mind and beyond language. It is the home of near-death experiences, past-lives, archetypes, spirit possession, ecstatic states, karma and the expression of unresolved trans-generational family issues. The highest level at which an interaction between physician and client is possible is the fourth level. This level is the “dream body or intuitive body”. Healing on this level often leads to instant disappearance of the associated unresolved conflicts on the third level.
At the same time, the energy required for healing work has to flow upward from the lower energy supplying levels. Simple interventions on the lower three levels lay the foundation to make the work on the fourth level possible and create boundaries for their individual to exist in. The family constellation work of Bert Hellinger is taught and offered by Dr. Klinghardt and resolves family and generational conflicts at this level.
Bert Hellinger’s Family Systems Constellation Therapy and Advanced APN (APN II) are very effective at resolving most issues that belong to this level. A family system is comprised of the genetically linked persons of the last three generations and all of their respective partners.
The fifth level is the “spirit body”, and the only relationship that exists here is the relationship between the individual and their god. It would be a good start, if after resolution of the physical problem both the physician and the patient turned inwards and upwards with an attitude of gratefulness. Simply praying or meditating may not be enough. If the work on the fifth level is not completed there may be a gradual relapse of the patient’s condition. The laws that are operative here are gradually revealed to us as we mature.
The vertical healing system can be a valuable foundation for understanding truly what holistic medicine is and gives the practitioner a road map that makes it easier to navigate the sometime chaotic landscape of healing techniques. Healing is only in a minor way dependent on the skill of the practitioner, but in a major way dependent on the attitude of both patient and practitioner.
When you carefully study the pyramidal order of the 5 bodies (see drawing), much is self evident and does not require further explanation. This healing system has evolved from interpreting the yoga sutras of Patanjali (which are believed to be over 10 000 years old) and from trying to express this ancient knowledge with contemporary language.
According to Dr. Klinghardt,
“I have tried to give some guidelines for practitioners who desire to achieve higher levels of competence, satisfaction, and organization in their work. Healing is the greatest of all the joys. Whenever a client performs the miracle of the inner movement called “healing,” there should be gratefulness and humbleness, not only by the patient but also by the practitioner. When certain unwritten laws are respected, healing occurs much more frequently than otherwise. Healing is only in a minor way dependent on the skill of the practitioner, but in a major way dependent on the attitude of both
patient and practitioner.”
A more in-depth explanation of the Five Levels of Healing follows, written by Dr. Klinghardt:
Over the 30 years that I have been in practice certain orders and rules have emerged and become obvious that appear to govern the relationship between these 5 levels of healing. In turn, each level has it’s own laws and it’s own order which needs to be acknowledged and understood. Each phenomenon that we observe in the physical realm seems to occur simultaneously on the other 4 levels. In fact, the physical body is designed like a computer screen which makes that visible and tangible which happens in the soul. I will try to summarize those observations, so that they may be helpful to others.
Each phenomenon that we observe in the physical realm seems to occur simultaneously also on the other 4 levels. In fact, the physical body is designed like a computer-screen which makes that visible and tangible which happens in the soul (the 5th level). However, you can have problems in the higher levels, which have not yet penetrated down to the lower levels. This is most known in acupuncture, where disturbances on the 2nd level are picked up by the practitioner (using pulse and tongue diagnosis and understanding early warning signs) before symptoms occur. The traditional Chinese medicine doctor was only paid when the patient’s physical body remained healthy. He/she had to pick up the disturbance on the 2nd level long before it penetrated down to the 1st!
The highest level, at which an interaction between physician and client is possible, is the 4th level. I call this level "dream-body". The 5th level is the plane of self-healing. I call this level the "spirit-body". The only relationship that exists here is the relationship between the individual and god. A physician, psychologist or guru who claims that he can be helpful on the 5th level is being arrogant, misleading, dangerous and simply wrong. Anyone, who truly has experienced this level will have an attitude of deep respect and understands, that it cannot be explained using language. People, that talk often about "god", "angels" and other spiritual experiences are suspicious to me and usually phony. Especially if they are from California, New Mexico or Sedona……* "New age" followers usually have significant unresolved family issues or guilt (that is either taken on from another family member or "earned" through one’s own mistakes). The pain and necessary healing work is often avoided by involving oneself in extensive spiritual practices, that never seem to resolve the real issues.
True healing requires simultaneous work on all 5 levels. I will give an example:
The first level, the physical body, is the home of orthomolecular and conventional medicine . Let’s assume a young female patient has the clinical diagnosis of "anorexia nervosa". We know that approximately 85% of these patients have a clinical zinc deficiency. Therefore the true diagnosis on the 1st level would be "zinc-deficiency". The laws that govern this level are the laws of biochemistry and mechanics.If you keep her on a life time of zinc supplements, she would probably stay reasonably well.
However, looking at this patient at the 2nd and next higher level, the electromagnetic body, we may find that she has a hidden malabsorbtion syndrome caused by overactivity of the sympathetic celiac plexus (which leads to vasoconstriction of the absorbing lymphatics and blood vessels in the gut). This condition may respond well to periodic treatment with acupuncture or neural therapy. The patient would start absorbing zinc from the food again and would improve without zinc-supplements. The 2nd level has an organizing effect on the 1st! The laws that operate on this level are the natural laws of neuro-physiology (or the practical stepped down rules of acupuncture or autonomic response testing -ART).
Now lets look at the 3rd level, the "mental body": this young woman may have an unresolved conflict with her father, who was very oppressive during her childhood - stern, punishing, critical and at times violent. The unresolved memory held in her limbic system is responsible for stimulating the hypothalamus and sending sympathetic stress messages to the celiac ganglion, which is now in a pathological state of chronic arousal. Finding and resolving this conflict with a targeted and specific approach such as Applied Psycho-Neurobiology ("PK") eliminates the focal area in the limbic system. The celiac ganglion cools permanently off and the patient starts to absorb zinc again - and gets well! The 3rd level has an organizing effect on the 2nd and also on the 1st level! Vice versa, without the absorption of food (1st level) and a functioning autonomic nervous system(2nd level) the patient would not have the energy and functioning mind required to remember the past and work with it in a healing way. The energy however to do the necessary healing-work comes from the lower levels! Therefore it is best for the patient, to treat all levels simultaneously - take zinc during the initial treatment period and have some neural therapy at the beginning of treatment.
The laws that govern the 3rd level are the simple natural rules that are being gradually rediscovered by modern psychotherapy: nurture and love a child, provide it with opportunity to learn, keep it safe, nourished and warm. Each violation of these natural needs has consequences, leading to fairly predictable distortions of the mind, nervous- and immune system. Other "laws" and natural orders have been outlined by the leading psychologists of this century.
Now let us go to the 4th level, the "dream body". The typical family-constellation in a young woman with anorexia looks like this: invisible to anyone on the outside, including the children in the family, the patient’s father was deeply rejected by the mother- his wife - and subtly pushed her out of the family. The patient in turn is unconsciously loyal to the rejected father and holds the "magical belief" that if she disappears, the father would stay. "I leave for you" is the operative sentence and a sign of a deep and strong love and loyalty for the father. Anorexia is a way for the client to disappear. The fathers oppressive behavior (behavior belongs to the 3rd level) was his way of responding to the wife’s rejection of him (which in turn triggered and restimulated his unresolved childhood issues). If the therapist can facilitate healing in this situation, which may culminate in the child saying in the therapeutic session to the father (who does not need to be present): "Dear daddy! What happened between mom and you is none of my business. I am only your child. You are the grown-up and I am only your child. I trust that you can handle the issue with mom yourself! Look kindly upon me if I stay" And to mom:" Dear mom! I am only your child. Please look kindly at me when I stand by my father. He is the right and only father for me".
Healing on this level often leads to instant disappearance of the associated unresolved conflicts on the 3rd level, and - in this case - disappearance of the celiac ganglion dysfunction and therefore improved zinc absorption. Again, the energy required for this healing work has to flow upward from the lower energy supplying levels. Simple interventions on the lower 3 levels would be laying the foundation to make the work on the 4th level possible. The laws that govern the 4th level are the rules and orders of Systemic Family Therapy "discovered" by Murray Bowen and Bert Hellinger: in a family every member has an even right to belong. If someone denies this right to one of the members, another member will try to balance the family by self-excluding him/herself.
The 10 commandments of the bible may be an attempt to formulate the laws operating on this level. Other rules are discussed in the book: "Love’s hidden symmetry" by Bert Hellinger, which is a must for anyone working on this level. Issues such as spirit possession, evil entities, alien takeovers and implants etc. seem to loose their grip on us when the family of the client is in a state where there is respect and love between all the family members of the system. A family system is comprised of the genetically linked persons of the last 3 generations and all of their respective partners.
What about the 5th level, the "spirit body" then? Here are a few hints: it would be a good start, if after resolution of the physical problem both the physician and the patient turned inwards and upwards with an attitude of gratefulness. For the client to do something "good" with the newly gained hope and vitality and clarity may be the appropriate concluding work on the 5th level. Simply praying or meditating in a cave may be enough -but maybe not. If the work on the 5th level is not completed there may be a gradual relapse of the condition…. The laws that are operative here are gradually revealed to us as we mature.
Conclusion:
The vertical healing system can be a valuable foundation for understanding truly what holistic medicine is and gives the practitioner a road map that makes it easier to navigate the sometimes chaotic landscape of healing techniques. Each level has it’s own order and it’s own laws which need to be understood. The lower 3 levels belong to the personal realm, the 4th and the 5th level to the transpersonal realm. Each higher level has an organizing influence on the lower levels. The lower levels supply energy to the higher levels and create boundaries for the individual to exist in. The practical conclusions for leading a healthy lifestyle and guiding a client towards wellbeing may look like this:
- Put as much effort as possible into healing your own family. Don’t rest, until there is love and respect between everybody in your generation and the two generations before you. The "family" includes children who have died early, aborted children, husbands that where excluded after a divorce, mothers that died at childbirth and uncles that died in a war. The healing involves relating and communicating to everybody that is alive and holding a loving memory of those who are gone.
- Pump as much energy as possible into the lower 3 levels: eat right, sleep right, exercise and take your vitamins. Nurture your body-electric with massage, acupuncture, neural therapy, laying down by a waterfall, listening to good music and doing your yoga stretches. See a therapist to work through confusion and unresolved conflicts on the mental level.
- Turn inward to investigate the 5th level. Don’t follow anyone’s advice. Create time and space to be alone. You need all of you, undistracted, to do this.
Click here to read full article published in Explore Magazine