Healing Layer by Layer: A Whole-Body Approach to Wellness
Today, as I was learning more about Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA), I realised why this service perfectly aligns with the vision and “why” behind Soulroots Therapy.
When I first chose the word “therapy” for my business, I worried it might carry negative connotations, weakness, failing, or something undesirable. But the origins of the word tell a different story. From the Greek verb therapeuō (θεραπεύω),
it means to serve, to attend, to care for, to heal.
This is exactly what we strive to embody at Soulroots Therapy:
to serve others, to attend with presence and compassion, holding space, offering care and trust, and supporting the journey of healing from within.
HTMA reporting isn’t about pointing out deficiencies or weakness, it’s about identifying areas that need restoration, coherence, and balance.
Our bodies are uniquely individual yet beautifully interconnected, like the members of one spiritual body.
Each essential mineral has a purpose, a role, and while the system may appear complex, sustaining it is beautifully simple.
It reminds me of Isaiah 28:10 NLT:
“He tells us everything over and over - one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here and a little there”
God’s instructions were simple, repetitive, and foundational, designed for all to understand. Similarly, our bodies are exquisitely equipped to heal themselves, if sustained one step at a time, one layer at a time.
As facilitators, we may repeat the same guidance, but the way we support and nurture our clients makes all the difference.
Even in scripture, the word therapeuō carries depth. In Matthew 14:14:
“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed (therapeuō) their sick.”
To therapeuō means:
To heal – restoring health, wholeness, and integration.
To serve/attend – being present with care, ministering to needs.
To show devotion – an ongoing relational act, not a quick fix.
Notice the order in Matthew:
He saw the crowd → He noticed them.
He had compassion → His heart moved toward them.
He healed/served → Healing flowed from love, not obligation.
Healing, then, was never purely physical. It was emotional, relational, and spiritual.
To be healed was to be seen, cared for, and restored as a whole person.
A Layered Approach to Healing
When we reflect on therapeuō in the context of daily wellness and discipleship, it mirrors how God restores us:
Compassion → the ground of healing. Without love and safety, the body cannot truly restore.
Presence/Service → healing is not a one-off event but the steady tending of wounds over time.
Wholeness → Jesus didn’t just remove symptoms; He restored dignity, reconnected people to community, and aligned them with God’s peace.
Healing is not just the absence of pain it’s integration, coherence, and restoration.
In our modern quest for health, it’s easy to become overly focused on solutions or supplements. Yet, too much too soon can be just as harmful as too little. Healing is slow, steady, and layered. Physical, emotional, and spiritual health must all be considered. Like the man who built his house on sand, neglecting the foundations leads to instability.
For example, digestion doesn’t work well if the Autonomic Nervous System isn’t supported.
To truly sustain the body, we must first nurture it inwardly “rest and digest” creating a solid internal terrain.
Healing happens step by step, layer by layer. We are interconnected with our environment and each other, and each day presents new challenges.
Just as discipleship is line upon line, so too is healing. It requires:
Daily compassion toward ourselves
Small, steady practices of care rest, nourishment, prayer, movement
Patience with the process
Healing, like life, is layered. One step, one layer, one line at a time.
If you’re ready to take a layered approach to your own wellness and explore how our services at Soulroots Therapy can support your journey toward restoration and wholeness, we’d love to walk alongside you one step, one layer at a time.
