Multicultural Healing
Hilot Healing Tradition
Traditional Pilipino Healing
While researching, it was hard to find a unified definition of what the Hilot healing tradition is. There are few academic articles or websites that refer to the traditional and spiritual healing that is hilot traditional practice. When you google search hilot, you will see many references to get "traditional hilot massages" at various spas both in the Philippines, in the U.S. and in other countries. In it's most recent form and what can be widely found on the internet, it has turned into somewhat of a commercialized therapeutic massage, but this should not be confused with its traditional form of hilot tradition which takes into account the spiritual, emotional, and physical aspects of making a person whole.
More simply, hilot is a traditional healing system used in the Philippines. It is unclear of its beginnings, but it is known that it has been practiced for many years (possibly dating back to the 5th century), and still maintains its indigenous roots and is still currently practiced in the Philippines today. It shares some similarities to other healing practices such as curandarismo or shamanism in South American and Asian countries. It is said that hilot healing has since experienced a decline in use due to the increased emphasis on science and health in the Philippines. In additon, much skepticism exists due to it's emphasis on spirituality and prayer and in some cases it is viewed as "brujeria" or a form of witchcraft.
One thing that seemed to be agreed upon was that the treatment was done through the form of massage, but one thing that is even more important is that it should not be seen as disconnected from the spirit, mind, emotions, body, and the four elements of the body (earth, water, air, and fire) and prayer.
According to personal accounts of people I've interviewed, as well as other resources online, hilot healing is very spiritual and involves prayer when diagnosing symptoms and in treatment. As discussed in "Way of the Ancient Healer," by Virgil Mayor Apostle, "prayer is a holy act to bridge our soul consciousness with the Universal Consciousness of the Great Creator. It strengthens our spirituality as we commune with this greater being. Prayer is a means to giving thanks for the bountiful blessings bestowed upon us. It is also a channel to seek out new answers, as well as presenting our needs." Prayer is inherently an integral part of Hilot healing.
Despite the decrease in usage of hilot healing in urban areas, it is still used in many rural areas in the Philippines and often is one of the first points of contact for anyone experiencing any type of illness, especially in rural areas where having access to a medical doctor or hospital could be as far as an hour or a few hours away (by boat, foot, bike, or car) depending on what area you are in.
What is Hilot?
Hilot Healing in Pilipino culture...
Although Pilipino culture has been influenced more and more by the Western world over the years (especially because of the history of U.S. Colonization and Imperialism in the Philippines), there still remains a holistic understanding of the ways in which humans experience healing. Generally speaking, many Pilipinos both in the U.S. and in the Philippines do not always consider or understand illnesses as we do in the Western World, thus healing also looks differently. There is an emphasis on the spirit world in Pilipino culture that is inherent in healing.
In Virgil Mayor Apostol's book, Way of the Ancient Healer, he states, "It (the spirit world) is an important aspect of culture that needs to be acknowledged because many of these practices are still an integral part of the continuing evolution of traditional Filipino healing and spirituality. Today, it is posisble to find Filipino healers who heal from both a scientific (contemporary allopathic, indigenous or highly developed ancient practices) and spiritual (religious, metaphysical, esoteric) background and holistic attitude. The healers' cultural roots stem from an animistic base where the people have an uncanny ability to tap into altered states of consciousness in order to obtain limitless potentials in the various healing practices." These holistic practices are inherent in hilot healing, where there is an emphasis on the spirit, mind/emotions, body, and the four elements.
Dr. Bibiano Fajardo states that those who have been treated by hilot healing typically cannot explain how and why they got well but they do know that they get better. Dr. Fajardo also says it is likely that when asking a traditional Hilot healer about hilot and how it works, it "may just yield more questions, because in all likelihood, the albularyo or manghihilot (traditional healer) will explain Hilot as he learned it–through espirito (spirit), encanto (elementals), and kulam (spells). This is part of the reason why Hilot, as a healing tradition, began to be looked upon with skepticism as conventional western medicine–with its emphasis on science and empiricism–rose to prominence...Hilot is grounded in a deep faith in Espirito (Spirit/God), the source of life and healing. Espirito is everywhere and pervades all living things, and is manifested in the essential values of unconditional love and service. Hilot, as a holistic healing modality, takes the whole person–spirit, mind/emotions, and body–into consideration, and sees health as the natural consequence of the harmony among these three faculties." Thus there is a holistic understanding of wellness in Pilipino culture that comes from the balance of these natural states of being.
In addition, Dr. Fajardo states, "When it comes to the physical body, the Hilot tradition abides by the belief that man is made up of the four elements–earth, water, air, and fire. These elements of the body have a natural balance, which has to be kept within a certain range for the individual to be in a state of health. The balance of the four elements is determined by the mind/emotions–in a state of harmony, the four elements are balanced. In a state of disharmony, the elements of the body are in disarray. When thrown off-balance for extended periods, the elements of the body eventually give in to physical ailments and disease.Traditionally, these imbalances in the four elements of the body have been expressed by albularyos in terms that would be easily understood by the people who came to them–as afflictions caused by encanto (elementals) in nature. Thus, imbalances in the person’s earth element were explained to have been caused by earth elementals such as duwende (dwarves) or kapre (giants). Imbalances in the water element were explained as the doings of the sirena (mermaid) or siokoy (merman). Imbalances in the air element were blamed on the diwata, and imbalances in the fire element were attributed to naughty tiyanaks or impernales (imps). These terminologies and associations, being very much a part of Philippine folklore and cultural beliefs, were embraced by early Filipinos and handed down through generations of Filipino traditional healers–until today, when many people no longer believe in such beings and dismiss them as mere superstition. Unfortunately, Hilot, because it has thrived on these associations, has also been assigned the same fate, and is viewed by many people–most of whom have no actual experience with Hilot–as an outdated old folks’ practice tinged with “quackery.”But a closer look at Hilot reveals that it is, in fact, scientific–and solidly grounded on natural and universal laws." Thus the success of healing lies in the well balance of the four elements, and the balance of mind, body, emotion, and spiritual self, but there is some dissonance as to whether this form of healing is a legitimate form of healing.
Thus, depending on the beliefs of the person, a person may or may not believe in this form of healing. One thing is certain, is that anyone who does practice traditional Hilot healing, their worldview combines the spirtual, mental/emotional, and body.
References:
Apostol, V. (2010). Way of the ancient healer: Sacred teachings from the Philippine ancestral traditions. Berkeley, Calif.: North Atlantic Books.
HILOT HEALING. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2015, from http://hilothealing.com/