American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA)

The American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) embraces nursing as a lifestyle and a profession and provides a means to create bonds within the nursing community. The AHNA was founded in 1981 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization. Its membership, now over 4000, is open to nurses and other individuals interested in holistically-oriented health care practices throughout the United States and the world. AHNA supports the education of nurses, allied health practitioners, and the general public on holistic health-related issues. AHNA supports the concepts of holism: a state of harmony among body, mind, emotions and spirit within an ever-changing environment. The vision of the American Holistic Nurses Association is to be the definitive voice for holistic nursing. It is the mission of the American Holistic Nurses Association to unite nurses in healing.

The AHNA has an active educational component for enhancing holistic nursing practice and has developed a research and practice arm as well. All components seek to advance the development of the nurse as well as the  quality of care for all Americans.

Holistic Nursing is now recognized as a specialty organization by the American Nurses Association and has a recently published a revised and expanded scope and standards or practice The AHNA philosophy embraces the beliefs that:

1. Nursing is both an art and a science with the primary purpose to nurture others towards the wholeness inherent within.
2. Nurses have a unique opportunity to provide services that facilitate wholeness.
   
3. Holistic Nurses demonstrate expertise in a variety of roles and modalities.
   
4. Holistic nursing assists people to assume personal responsibility for self-care.
   
5. Clients, families, and communities have the right to health care that honors the body, mind, and spirit.
   
6. Disease and distress are viewed as an opportunity for increased awareness of the interconnectedness of body, mind, and spirit.
   
7. Holistic modalities and therapies provide support and options in healing.
   
   
8. The American Holistic Nurses' Association serves as a foundation and dynamic force for nursing practice. We are committed to unity and healing self, the nursing profession, and the planet.

Revised 2009

I have been a psychiatric – mental health clinical nurse specialist for the past forty plus years. It has been a wonderful enriching career and experience personally and professionally. A monumental change occurred when I was a consultation liaison nurse in a large city hospital. I worked with patients and their families who were having difficulty with stress and sometimes emotional disruption or illness. By accident I started doing relaxation-imagery with a burned patient and a wise supervisor told me I was doing hypnosis and should receive more training, which I did. That started my holistic nursing career by convincing me that the mind and the body are not only connected but inseparable. I ended up teaching, practicing and writing about relaxation, imagery and therapeutic suggestion. In the years of my psychotherapy practice I integrated various modalities but I always held a holistic philosophy. I strove to hold the whole of the person in my intent and plans for interventions. 

I have also integrated energy approaches which include Therapeutic Touch, Reiki and EFT. I feel my intentionality and intentions are of monumental importance in whatever approach I use as a therapist, teacher, consultant and person. I try to be acutely aware of how I am feeling and reacting in any situation and make efforts with supervision and self reflection to be cognizant about counter transference issues. I strive to be as real as possible while at the same time manage clear boundaries.

My doctoral dissertation (2002) was on intentionality in healing and is now a book “Intentionality: The Matrix of Healing” (2009). Since then I have been even more aware of how my intentions affect what I do with clients. My intentionality reflects my whole being.  I try to keep conscious an awareness of how that influences my presence. That interest has propelled me to write, teach and practice in what I hope is a highly conscious manner.

In the last few years I have become increasingly active with the American Holistic Nurses’ Association and I now coordinate research on their Leadership Council.This association has been like coming home for me. I am associated with like minded people who hold strong beliefs about  and commitments to holistic healing care. I hope to bring the philosophies and a vision from AHNA to the Council for Healing.

Rothlyn (Rorry) Zahourek, PhD, PMHCNS-BC, AHN-BC

Coordinator for Research AHNA

Belchertown, MA