CONCEPTUALIZING MIND,BODY,SPIRIT INTERCONNECTIONS THROUGH, AND BEYOND,SPIRITUAL HEALING PRACTICES Glenis Mark, 1♯ and Antonia Lyons 2 Context: Although research is increasingly exploring the concept of the mind, body, spirit (MBS) and its relevance to health and well-being, it remains difficult to precisely define it. Objective: This research aims to explore indigenous and non- indigenous spiritual healers’ conceptualizations of MBS and consider implications for theory and practice. Design and Setting: A total of 12 spiritual healers from Aotearoa/New Zealand participated in a semi-structured interview about their healing practices. Intervention: The research interview asked participants to discuss how they conceptualized the mind, body, spirit in their work. Main Outcome Measures: The data were analyzed using interpretative data analysis. Results: Transcripts of the interviews were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, which led to the identification of three major themes: MBS interconnections of healing, impacts on the mind and the body, and spiritual aspects of healing. These results are discussed in terms of their implica- tions for concepts of healing and conceptualizations of MBS. Key words: Mind, body, spirit, healing, spirituality, spiritual healer (Explore 2014; 10:294-299 & 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.) INTRODUCTION The intangible nature of the mind, body, spirit (MBS) makes it difficult to explore and study empirically. Scholars have attempted to describe and investigate MBS in various ways, including using health models and theories, 1–3 prior support- ing research, 4 complementary and alternative medicine treatment and interventions, 5,6,9,39 and healing theories. 7,8 In addition, several authors have utilized indigenous theories based on Eastern philosophy and Traditional Chinese Taoist philosophy, 19 Native American healing, 7 and Māori (from Aotearoa/New Zealand) healing. 10 Although these attempts to explore and describe the MBS have reached little consensus, for the purposes of this research, we sought to explore how spiritual healers characterized the MBS in their work. The holistic 11 nature of a Māori view of health contributes to the indigenous theory on MBS. Here, health is perceived as involving spiritual, mental, and physical well-being in terms of harmonious living. 12 The Whare Tapa Wha (four-sided house) is a well-known model of Māori health, in which health and well-being are viewed as comprised of four major dimensions, equivalent to the four walls of a house. These dimensions include tinana (physical), hinengaro (mental), wairua (spirit), and whānau (family), 13 and all are required for good health (just as a house requires four walls). The Whare Tapa Wha reflects a unified view of the universe, which is fundamental to the Māori worldview, 14 and demonstrates the multi-faceted nature of indigenous concepts of health. Non-indigenous models that contribute to conceptualiza- tions of MBS include the biopsychosocial and biopsychoso- cial–spiritual models. Within these models, various non- physical aspects of a person (e.g., social factors) are viewed as contributing to health and illness. The biopsychosocial model describes the integration of the biological, psycholog- ical, and social factors as being integrally and interactively involved in physical health and illness. 15–17 It aims for a holistic approach and allows the inclusion of aspects of the mind and the body to be involved in health and healthcare. The biopsychosocial–spiritual model, although less well known, includes spirituality as an additional important factor involved in health and illness. 18,19 Spiritual healing is one area that may further our under- standings of how the MBS are connected. It is the oldest and most widely practiced complementary therapy and has been practiced in every known culture in the world. 20 Spiritual healing has been described as “ ... the intentional influence of one or more people upon one or more living systems without utilizing known physical means of intervention” 21 by using distant or proximate (hands on or near) healing. 22 Although the exact mechanisms of spiritual healing are not fully understood, spiritual healers are said to channel healing energy to heal the client’s mind, body, and spirit. 23 A healer operates from an intention to channel such energy e-mail: glennistabethamark@yahoo.co.nz 1 Whakauae Research for Māori Health and Development, PO Box 102, Whanganui, New Zealand 4540 2 Massey University School of Psychology, Wellington, New Zealand ♯ Corresponding author: 294 & 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. EXPLORE September/October 2014, Vol. 10, No. 5 ISSN 1550-8307/$36.00 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2014.06.003 ORIGINAL RESEARCH