Have you ever heard of Te Whare Tapa Whā? - I hadn't, not until running into some difficulties in my life, It's helped me significantly. Maybe it could help you, or someone who you know as well. - Here's an introduction.
Te Whare Tapa Whā was developed by leading health advocate and professor of Māori Studies Sir Mason Durie in 1984. The model describes health and well-being as a house (Whare) with four walls.
The walls (or pillars/domains) each represent different parts of our lives. Supporting the strength of these walls brings us balance. The idea is: if one or more of our walls are affected, it puts pressure on our overall well-being. When they are in harmony, we are in harmony.
It has been widely used by healthcare professionals all across Aotearoa, and no matter who you are or where you are from, it can bring significant growth and change to your waking life.
The areas that encompass our Hauora (overall well-being) are:
Taha Wairua | Spiritual wellbeing
Taha Tinana | Physical wellbeing
Taha Hinengaro | Mental and emotional wellbeing
Taha Whānau | Family and social wellbeing
And then finally Taha Whenua | land, roots
(Image, Sir Mason Durie in 2017 after receiving the BLAKE medal for his lifelong commitment to making a difference in the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders)
Taha Wairua - Spiritual Wellbeing
The spiritual pillar encompasses our relationship to everything outside of our mind & body. Some call it our soul, some call it their connection to faith. It can be your connection to your beliefs and values, traditions, and more. Sir Mason Durie explains that it is our experiences beyond the mind & body and is felt rather than spoken. I explain it as feelings of expansion rather than contraction. It is a crucial element, and is often overlooked in this day & age.
Wairua Improving Practices
Taha Tinana - Physical Wellbeing
Our physical well-being encompasses the body, or our physiological health. How we move, fuel, and look after ourselves affects how we feel. To have balanced physical health doesn't mean being a fitness superstar or athlete. It doesn't mean that we can climb Everest next week - but what it does mean, is that we have a body that can do what we expect it to. A good example of our physical health affecting our other walls could be our sleep hygiene. Becoming tired can put physical strain on us, along with applying pressure to every other domain of our well-being.
Tinana Improving Practices
"It means having a body that is fit for purpose" - Sir Mason Durie
Taha Hinengaro - Mental & Emotional
Hinengaro describes our mental and emotional mind, our psychological health. It is our ability to think clearly and respond effectively. It's the wellbeing of your mind, heart, thoughts and feelings. We could include our conscious and sub-conscious reality in this domain. The capacity to learn and relate to others would also be included.
Hinengaro Improving Practices
Taha Whānau - Social Wellbeing
The whānau part of this model includes everyone we come into contact with. Our immediate family and extended family, friends, colleagues, groups, and even the person at the gas station would be included in this realm. It's about building helpful relationships and support systems around us.
Whānau Improving Practices
Taha Whenua - Land & Roots
"Whenua encompasses the soil, rocks, plants, animals and the people inhabiting the land - the tangata whenua. People are linked physically and spiritually to the land - it is the earth through which we are connected to our ancestors and all the generations that will come after us. Whenua is the place where we stand" - I see the whenua as a sense of knowing ones journey, where we came from, and our connection to our environment. I include spiritual connections to places like beaches and rivers in this domain. While my ancestors are from Ireland and England (a topic for another day) there are still places in Aotearoa that I feel a sense of belonging and calming in.
"The land feeds us, the land nurtures us, the land provides what we want. So land is an absolutely crucial part of that dimension" - Sir Mason Durie
Whenua Improving Practices
What's Te Whare Tapa Whā got to do with me?
Everyone has a story and I'm no exception. To keep it brief; in 2023 I was attending peer support after what had been a rough few years. My guide began asking me questions about where I'm from, who my family members are, what I like doing, and what things I was experiencing that brought us together. He was applying this healing model to me!
Skip forward a few months, and I'm back studying again (health & wellbeing) guess what our first topic was? - that's right, this healing model. Anyway, after discovering holistic healing at the end of 2022 I have been making huge progress. My mental health is more than manageable, I'm nearly a year sober, and in the best physical shape of my life. The use of this model has amplified my daily living, and I'm more than happy to introduce it to everybody.
Moreover, this has helped me to realise a passion for making a difference in the world, so now I'm developing a framework to help others with, here's to Te Whare Tapa Whā!
In conclusion
The bottom line is, this healing model is hugely affective, and I bring it with me in my holistic wellbeing arsenal to live a better life. If somethings feeling iffy, I ask myself; "which wall is being hit right now" and I'm able to not only self-identify, but take control and repair what needs to be repaired to begin thriving again.
I hope this message finds you well, and I'll see you in the next one.
~J.
Links I used:
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