 A Quick Example of the Value of the Integral Approach in the Real WorldI go to the doctor and complain of chronic restlessness, bouts of spontaneous crying, insomnia, over-eating and a general feeling of unwellness. He/she diagnosis depression, then quickly pulls out the prescription pad to write me up for a program of medication. That's all. As I leave, something in me is not happy that my problem has really been fully addressed.
That's because, from an integral perspective, this is a partial approach. Drugs of this kind are a biological intervention that adjust the balance of neuro-chemicals in my brain. If the reason I am depressed is because of bad habits in the way I think that have caused my relationship to fail and my career to be threatened, then there is a good chance that medication will not ultimately heal my illness. I may feel better for a while but the pills treat only the symptoms in my body and not the causes in my mind.
An Integral Approach might also include a referral to a counsellor who can help me improve the effectiveness of my thinking and develop some new life strategies that are more likely to produce better results. I may be encouraged also to change my diet, to remove the TV from my bedroom so that I sleep more soundly. A more intensive approach might also recommend a meditation practise to improve concentration skills, and to take a training course to improve my job skills.
An Integral Approach will generally recommend a multi-faceted approach when dealing with a challenge in life, as it seeks to address all the forces acting on the moment, not just the easiest or most apparent.
If taken to the extreme, one could imagine that every response to everyday challenges become enormously complicated. That would not be recommended. Life is to be lived and enjoyed in between the moments of struggle. Usually, adding one or two new perspectives to a familiar situation is enough. In the example above, you might add to your medication the activities of going for a walk each morning, or perhaps making the decision to change jobs to enable you to spend more time with your family. Of course every context is unique, but you get the idea.
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