The power of power: How to really help people get better

In a world where the endless egoic search for power and domination has caused us so much pain, it is understandable we would villainize the concept of power. Most people, especially those who have had their power taken away, or given it away willingly in search of love and acceptance, have a troubled relationship with the concept that we as humans are made to be powerful.

We all have distorted definitions of what a powerful human being is, and struggle to think of a powerful human being as being a “good person”. We assume that power corrupts, and any who search for it must be doing it for their own selfish purposes. Especially in the world of healing, we shrink back from using the word power in fear of this corruption.

But power does not equal the desire for domination. An empowered person does not need to tyrannize others to enforce their power. A powerful person is simply one who is aware of the influence they can have over themselves and their lives, and the potential that is yet to be uncovered to become masterful at it.

Healthcare systems have historically created a power imbalance between the practitioner and the patient. It has always been accepted that because a doctor has the knowledge, they hold power over their patient, and therefore patients must follow what the doctor says. Many people, especially in the alternative healing world, have recognized this and rebelled against it. But it still is very much ingrained into the way we make use of healthcare systems, and the way that practitioners treat their patients. When the underlying belief system is that the patient knows less than the practitioner, and that this makes them powerless, the patient inevitably becomes dependent on the practitioner, and so at their mercy.

What keeps most of us stuck in patterns of illness and disconnection is a lack of personal power, and the belief that we do not hold the power to change our lives. Healthcare practitioners perpetuate this belief when they keep patients dependent by assuming they know best, and never help their patients understand how to help themselves. Physiotherapists complain about patient ‘compliance’ to their treatment programs, and never stop to wonder why patients struggle to find the motivation to follow programs they do not understand and had no part in creating.

If most physical and mental illness grows out of a disempowered state of being, as the research on stress and trauma is increasingly showing, then it stands to reason that empowering people is the best way forward in creating a healthier world.

In order to empower people, we need to create a better dialogue around the idea of power. We need to become better at recognizing and supporting those who own their power, and help those who feel powerless to dig deeper and find the source of their fears. Even in a profession that focuses on physical wellness, finding the roots of the obstacles that stand in the way of a person owning their power is essential for them to find real benefit from the treatment. Empowerment is not just restricted to the realm of psychotherapy, but should be the common thread in all fields of healthcare.

Feeling powerful is a very physical sensation, and can be supported and reawakened much easier when the physical body is involved. I have seen how rediscovering their physical strength in rehabilitation and exercise helps people feel more powerful in the other aspects of their lives. Somatic psychologists know this, and often use physical movement to strengthen people’s sense of personal power. Using physical interventions in this way can be deeply healing on all levels. Allowing patients to have the freedom to direct their healing journey and involving physical strengthening in this process can help people find their own power and resilience in their health.

It is time we created a new definition of power. It is time we bring the concept of personal power to the centre of the field of health and healing, and help people find their way back to trusting themselves – trusting that they have the strength to overcome their challenges, no matter how difficult.

Power is mastery over self. The more we as healthcare practitioners help people understand and help themselves, the more they can build their personal power, and the less they will need to be dependent on us. A healthcare system that becomes obsolete is one that is working the way it should.

Power heals. The more people feel powerful within themselves, the more they can heal themselves, and the more they will heal our communities from the inside out, and a create a better world for everyone.