Before the technique, there is a person

One of the characteristics of my work as an Integrative Clinical Therapist is that, before choosing any technique or approach, I seek to look at the person who comes to me as a whole.

The human being is a complex system of elements that are continuously connected. Body, mind, emotions, life history, habits, relationships, environment and inner dimension do not exist in separate compartments.

What happens in one of these areas can be reflected in many others.

The choice does not begin with the technique

For me, the choice of treatment should never begin with the technique. It begins with listening.

Before deciding which approach may be appropriate, I seek to understand who is in front of me.

Some of the questions that are part of this perspective are:

• What do you feel?
• How do you live?
• How do you sleep?
• How do you eat?
• What has changed recently?
• What situations have you been through?
• Where do you feel you have lost your balance?
• What might your body be trying to communicate?

“The choice of treatment should never begin with the technique. It begins with listening.”

Each person brings a different story

Two people may arrive with a similar concern and still need completely different paths.

That is why I do not believe in protocols that are the same for everyone.

In my work, I may integrate different therapeutic resources — always within my professional scope of practice and respecting any necessary medical care — but the technique is chosen after looking at the whole person, not the other way around.

Different resources, the same centre

Sometimes, the path may involve Clinical Aromatherapy.

In other situations, Phytotherapy, Bach Flower Remedies, Reiki, relaxation techniques, Electromagnetic Impulse Acupuncture or other integrative approaches may be considered.

And often, it will be the careful combination of different resources that makes sense at that particular moment.

Among the different resources that may be part of this process are:

• Clinical Aromatherapy
• Phytotherapy
• Bach Flower Remedies
• Reiki
• Relaxation techniques
• Electromagnetic Impulse Acupuncture
• Other integrative approaches

Not only what manifests itself

Because I do not want to treat only what manifests itself.

I want to understand the person who is experiencing what manifests itself.

For me, this is the essence of integrative care:

Do not place the technique at the centre of the treatment.
Place the human being there.

About the author

Elke Franzeck is an Integrative Clinical Therapist and Transpersonal Therapist with a multidisciplinary background that brings together different approaches to care.

Originally from Porto Alegre, Brazil, she has been living in Coimbra, Portugal, for the past 17 years. She is the mother of three daughters and one son, and grandmother to three grandchildren.

Her work is guided by an integrative view of the human being, considering the body, mind, emotions, life history, relationships and inner dimension as parts of the same process.

She offers in-person appointments in Coimbra, as well as online consultations and home visits, subject to assessment and availability.

She is also the creator of Método Raízes que Permanecem®, a human-centred approach based on the understanding that experiences, relationships, absences, changes and family histories can remain within us and deserve to be approached with sensitivity, awareness and respect.

“Caring for the soul is also allowing life to flourish.”

Elke Franzeck
Integrative Clinical & Transpersonal Therapist
Naturopath | Clinical Aromatherapist | Reiki Master
Creator of Método Raízes que Permanecem®