Holistic Modalities Glossary: 64 Practices Explained

Sixty-four practices, grouped by what they actually work with rather than by how they are marketed. Each has a one-line description and a link — to the full guide where we have written one, otherwise to its glossary entry. Use it to narrow down before you start looking for a person.

Body and Touch

Approaches that work through touch, movement and physical sensation. Most are regulated professions; the level of training varies considerably.

Acupressure

Finger pressure applied to the same points acupuncture uses needles on. No skin is broken, which makes it a common starting point for people wary of needles. Often used for tension, nausea and sleep. A session usually runs 30 to 60 minutes, fully clothed.

Acupuncture

Thin needles placed at defined points on the body, rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine. In many countries it is a licensed profession with formal training requirements. Most studied for pain, migraine and nausea. Expect 20 to 40 minutes with the needles in place.

Alexander Technique

A teaching method rather than a treatment: you learn to notice and change habitual patterns of posture and movement. Common among musicians, actors and people with recurring neck or back strain. Taught one-to-one over a series of lessons.

Bodywork

An umbrella term for hands-on approaches that work through touch and movement rather than conversation. Includes massage, craniosacral work, Rolfing and shiatsu. Often used alongside talk therapy rather than instead of it. Full guide.

Chiropractic

Manual adjustment of the spine and joints, a regulated healthcare profession in most countries. Best evidence is for lower back pain. Practitioners hold a doctoral-level qualification and are licensed by state or national boards.

Craniosacral Therapy

Very light touch at the head, spine and sacrum, following the rhythm of cerebrospinal fluid. Sessions are quiet and slow, and clients stay dressed. Often chosen by people who find deeper bodywork too intense.

Feldenkrais Method

Gentle guided movement designed to improve how you sense and organise motion. Taught either one-to-one or in group classes. Used for chronic pain, movement restrictions and after injury.

Massage Therapy

Manual work on soft tissue, with many distinct styles from Swedish to deep tissue to lymphatic drainage. Licensed in most countries. Reliably reduces muscle tension and stress markers in the short term.

Osteopathy

Manual diagnosis and treatment of the musculoskeletal system, working with joints, muscle and connective tissue. A full medical qualification in some countries and a separate regulated profession in others. Frequently used for chronic back and neck pain.

Polarity Therapy

Combines light touch, guided movement and dietary suggestions, based on a model of energy flow through the body. Sessions are gentle and clients remain clothed. Not a regulated profession in most countries.

Reflexology

Pressure applied to specific zones of the feet, hands or ears. Practised worldwide as a relaxation method. Sessions last around an hour and require no undressing beyond shoes and socks.

Rolfing

Deep, structured work on connective tissue, usually delivered as a set series of sessions rather than single appointments. More intense than most massage. Aimed at posture and long-standing movement patterns.

Shiatsu

Japanese bodywork using thumb, palm and elbow pressure along energy lines, delivered through clothing on a mat. Slower and more rhythmic than Western massage. Often combined with stretching.

Somatic Experiencing

A body-oriented trauma method developed by Peter Levine. Rather than retelling the story, attention goes to physical sensation so the nervous system can complete an interrupted stress response. Commonly used alongside talk therapy. Full guide.

Somatic Therapy

The broader family of approaches that treat physical sensation as the working material, including Somatic Experiencing, sensorimotor psychotherapy and body-based trauma work. Chosen when talking alone has not shifted a stuck pattern. Full guide.

Thai Massage

Assisted stretching combined with pressure along energy lines, performed on a mat with the client clothed. More active than Western massage, closer to being moved through yoga postures.

Energy and Subtle Work

Practices working with a presumed energy field. Largely unregulated, with training standards differing between schools. Commonly reported effects are relaxation and reduced anxiety.

Aura Reading

A practitioner describes what they perceive as an energetic field around a person, usually as a reflective conversation. Not a clinical method and not regulated. Treated as a reflective or spiritual practice rather than a treatment.

Emotion Code

A structured method that works with muscle testing to identify what practitioners call trapped emotions. Sessions are short and often offered at a distance. Not clinically validated.

Energy Healing

An umbrella term for practices working with a presumed energy field, including Reiki, Pranic Healing and Therapeutic Touch. Largely unregulated, with training standards varying widely between schools. Commonly reported effects are relaxation and reduced anxiety.

Pranic Healing

A no-touch method working at a distance from the body, developed by Choa Kok Sui. Follows a fixed protocol taught in levels. Practitioners typically hold certificates from the founding organisation rather than state licences.

Reiki

Japanese energy work in which the practitioner rests hands lightly on or above the body. Sessions are quiet, usually 50 to 60 minutes, and clients stay dressed. Widely offered in hospitals as a comfort measure alongside medical care. Full guide.

Sound Healing

Use of singing bowls, gongs, voice or tuning forks to induce a settled state. Delivered one-to-one or as a group sound bath. Often chosen by people who find silent meditation difficult.

Theta Healing

A guided technique aimed at identifying and changing underlying beliefs, taught in certified levels. Sessions are conversational and often held online. Not a clinical treatment.

Mind and Therapy

From licensed psychotherapy to structured programmes and techniques. This is where the strongest clinical evidence sits, and where regulation matters most.

Counselling

Structured conversation with a trained professional, usually focused on a current difficulty rather than long-standing patterns. Shorter and more practical than psychotherapy. Regulation varies considerably by country. Full guide.

EFT

Emotional Freedom Techniques, sometimes called tapping: light tapping on acupressure points while naming a distressing thought. Short sessions, easy to self-administer once learned. Evidence is promising but limited.

EMDR

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, a structured trauma therapy using guided eye movements while recalling a memory. Recommended for PTSD by several national health bodies. Delivered by licensed therapists with specific additional training.

Hypnotherapy

Guided focused attention used to work with habits, anxiety or pain. You remain aware and in control throughout. Regulated in some countries and not in others, so credentials are worth checking.

MBCT

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, an eight-week programme combining mindfulness with cognitive therapy. Developed specifically to reduce relapse in recurrent depression. Delivered in groups by trained facilitators. Full guide.

MBSR

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, the eight-week programme developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn. The most researched mindfulness format, used for chronic stress, anxiety and pain. Involves a weekly group session plus daily home practice. Full guide.

Meditation

A broad family of attention practices, from breath focus to open awareness to loving-kindness. Effects differ by method, so the specific practice matters more than the label. Available free through apps, classes and traditions. Full guide.

Mindfulness

Deliberate, non-judgemental attention to the present moment. The underlying skill in MBSR and MBCT, and increasingly used within conventional therapy. Distinct from general relaxation. Full guide.

Neurofeedback

Real-time feedback on brain activity, used to train self-regulation over repeated sessions. Applied for attention difficulties and sleep. Requires equipment and a trained operator; typically 20 to 40 sessions.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming

A set of communication and change techniques from the 1970s, taught in practitioner levels. Widely used in coaching. Scientific support is weak, and it is not a clinical treatment.

Psychotherapy

Treatment of mental health conditions by a licensed professional, covering approaches such as CBT, DBT, ACT and psychodynamic therapy. Requires graduate training and supervised clinical hours. The regulated core of mental health care.

Self-Hypnosis

Hypnotic technique applied by yourself, usually after being taught by a practitioner or through a recording. Used for sleep, pain and habit change. Costs nothing once learned.

Vipassana

An insight meditation practice from the Buddhist tradition, often taught in ten-day silent retreats. Intensive and demanding rather than gentle. Traditionally offered on a donation basis.

Movement

Practices that use movement and breath as the working material. Well tolerated, cumulative in effect, and among the best evidenced for balance, stress and mood.

Hatha Yoga

The slower, posture-focused style most beginners meet first. Poses are held rather than flowed through, with attention to breath. Suitable for most fitness levels.

Kundalini Yoga

Combines repeated movement, breath technique, chanting and meditation. More intense and more spiritual in framing than most yoga styles. Not the usual entry point for beginners.

Pilates

Controlled, precise exercise focused on core stability and alignment, on a mat or on specialised equipment. Widely used in rehabilitation. Instructor training is not uniformly regulated.

Qigong

Chinese practice combining slow movement, breath and attention, related to Tai Chi but usually simpler and more repetitive. Gentle enough to be practised seated. Traditionally used for maintaining health rather than treating illness.

Tai Chi

A Chinese martial art practised as a slow flowing sequence. Among the best-evidenced movement practices for balance and fall prevention in older adults. Learned in classes over months.

Vinyasa Yoga

Postures linked in continuous flow with the breath, more physically demanding than Hatha. Pace varies considerably between teachers. Good for people who prefer movement to stillness.

Yin Yoga

Passive floor postures held for two to five minutes, working on connective tissue rather than muscle. Slow and quiet. Often paired with more active styles.

Yoga Therapy

Yoga adapted to an individual health situation by a therapist with additional clinical training. Delivered one-to-one, unlike a general class. Used alongside medical care, not instead of it.

Coaching and Guidance

Forward-looking work on goals, decisions and habits. Coaches do not diagnose or treat. The titles are unprotected in most countries, so check training.

Coaching

A collaborative process focused on goals, behaviour change and practical next steps. Coaches do not diagnose or treat mental health conditions. The title is unprotected in most countries, so training and accreditation vary widely. Full guide.

Health Coaching

Support in translating medical advice into daily habits, covering sleep, movement, nutrition and stress. Board certification exists in several countries. Works best alongside medical treatment. Full guide.

Life Coaching

Support through decisions and transitions, from career changes to separations. Forward-looking rather than working on the past. Clinical distress should be addressed with a therapist first. Full guide.

Mentoring

Guidance from someone further along the same path, usually informal and relationship-led. Distinct from coaching in that the mentor shares their own experience. Often unpaid. Full guide.

Nutrition Coaching

Practical support in changing eating patterns, distinct from clinical dietetics. Regulation varies: dietitian is a protected title in many countries, nutrition coach usually is not. Suited to habit change rather than treating disease.

Relationship Coaching

Work on communication and patterns within a partnership, individually or as a couple. Different from couples therapy, which is a clinical treatment. Useful when the difficulty is practical rather than clinical.

Systems and Traditions

Complete medical or philosophical systems, some centuries old. Herbal preparations in this group are pharmacologically active and can interact with medication.

Aromatherapy

Use of essential oils by inhalation or diluted on the skin. Best supported for mood and relaxation. Oils are potent substances, so dilution and pregnancy cautions matter.

Ayurveda

A traditional Indian medical system combining diet, herbs, daily routine and bodywork, organised around individual constitution. Practised for centuries and regulated in India. Herbal preparations can interact with medication.

Functional Medicine

An approach that looks for underlying contributors to chronic symptoms, often using extended laboratory testing. Practised by licensed clinicians who take additional training. Testing is frequently not covered by insurance.

Herbalism

Use of plants as remedies, from Western herbalism to Chinese herbal medicine. Effective preparations are genuine pharmacological agents and can interact with prescriptions. Always disclose herbal use to your doctor. Full guide.

Homeopathy

Highly diluted preparations chosen according to the principle of like cures like. Widely used and widely disputed; controlled trials generally show effects no greater than placebo. Regulated as a medicine in some countries.

Naturopathy

A system drawing on nutrition, herbs, hydrotherapy and lifestyle. Licensed in some jurisdictions with four-year doctoral training, entirely unregulated in others. Scope of practice differs accordingly.

Systemic Family Constellation

A group or individual method in which relationships are physically arranged in space to make family dynamics visible. Emotionally intense and not a clinical treatment. Facilitator training is unregulated.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

A complete system including acupuncture, herbal formulas, dietary therapy and movement practices such as Qigong. Thousands of years old and formally taught at universities in China. Herbal formulas require a qualified practitioner.

Life Stages and Other

Support around specific passages and situations, plus practices that do not fit the other groups.

Doula Care

Non-medical companionship before, during and after birth, and increasingly at the end of life. Doulas do not perform clinical tasks. Consistently associated with better birth experience.

Feng Shui

A Chinese practice of arranging space to support wellbeing, based on principles of flow and orientation. Applied to homes and workplaces. A design and lifestyle practice rather than a health treatment.

Human Design

A modern system combining astrology, the I Ching and other traditions into an individual chart. Used as a framework for self-reflection. No scientific basis; treated as a reflective tool.

Music Therapy

Clinical use of music by a qualified therapist, in hospitals, rehabilitation and dementia care. A regulated profession in many countries with degree-level training. Distinct from simply listening to music.

Shamanic Practice

Traditional practices including journeying, drumming and ceremony, drawn from various indigenous lineages. Training is by apprenticeship rather than certification. Respect for cultural origin matters when choosing a practitioner.

Tantra

A tradition of practices working with breath, awareness and energy, often misrepresented in Western marketing as being solely about sexuality. Serious teaching is much broader. Vet teachers carefully, as the field attracts misuse.

How to narrow this down

Sixty-four options is too many to choose from directly. Four questions cut it down fast.

• What do you want to change — a symptom, a pattern, or a decision? Symptoms point toward body and mind approaches, patterns toward therapy, decisions toward coaching.

• Does it arrive in your body or in your thinking? That single distinction splits the list roughly in half.

• Do you need someone who can diagnose or prescribe? If yes, you need a licensed clinician, and everything else sits alongside that.

• How much certainty do you want? Some groups here have decades of trial data. Others have none, and say so in their entry.

Finding someone who practises this

Knowing which practice fits is the easier half. The harder half is finding a person who does it, takes new clients, and works in your language. Browse practitioners on Spine App.