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TheBAHARManifesto
ThefollowingshortstatementwaswrittenbyGeoffreySamuelandRichardRoberts
inearly2008asanattempttospecifysomeofthemotivatingideasbehindBAHAR.
Itisnotintendedtobeinanywaydefinitive,butitmaysuggestsomeofthe
thinkingbehindourresearchgroup.
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TheBodyinBAHARimpliesourmaterialembodiment,withitsbiologyandphysiology,includingthehormonalandneurallevels;ourhumanexistenceasa
materialpresenceintheworld,humanlifeasacentralcomponentofthe
planetaryecology.Italsoreferstobodiesasemotional,affectiveandcognitive
presences.Asembodiedselves,wehavefeelings,intentionsandunderstandings
ofthesurroundingworld,criticallyincludingourfellowhumanbeings.
Ourbodiesarealsoculturalbodies.Howweinteractwithandmakesenseofour
environment,includingourfellowhumans,hastobeunderstoodinsocialand
culturaltermsasmuchasinthoseofbiologyorhumanecology.Ourorientation
isessentiallyinterdisciplinaryandtransdisciplinary,buildingontheworkof
theoristssuchasGregoryBateson,VictorTurnerandFranciscoVarela.
HealthforBAHARinvolvesnotjustabsenceofdiseaseorrecoveryfromphysicaltraumabuttheachievementofoptimalhumanfunctioningatalllevels.Biology
andculturetogetherenableorobstructourdifferingindividualpresenceswithin
theworld.Asembodiedselves,eachofuslearnstobeahumanbeing,butalso
acquiresthelimitationsthatareanintrinsicpartofthatlearning:limitedwaysofworkingwithourbodies,limitedrepertoiresoffeeling,awarenessand
consciousness.Whateverourpersonalmodeofembodiment,suffering,painand
deathareultimatelyinescapable.Societiesandcultureshavedevelopedvarious
resourcesinresponsetothoselimitations.Biomedicineemphasisesthematerial
andphysiological.Otherhealingmodalities,suchastheshamanicoryogic,may
placemoreweightonotheraspectsofhumanexistence,suchasthe
psychological,affective,socialorspiritual.Thesevarioushealingtraditionscan
appearascompetingandantagonistic.Weprefertoseethemasvitalhuman
resources,whosepartialperspectivescancontributetowardsfullerandmore
adequateapproachestohealthandhealing,inthewidestsense.
Religionandthespiritualdimensionexistasaneverydaypresencewithin
humanlivesthroughouttheworld,asaprimarymodeofexperiencingthe
embodiedself,andarguablyasanintrinsicpartofanyhumanembodiment.
ShamanichealingpracticesinTibet,villageritualsinBangladesh,'NewAge'
therapies,suburbanyogaclassesorhospicesfortheterminallyillmayhaveas
muchtotellusaboutreligionasBuddhistphilosophyorChristiantheology.At
thesametime,religionpointstowardsthesocial,culturalandecological
dimensionofhumanlife,andtowardstheissuesintrinsictolivingtogether
withinthecontextgivenbyourbiologyandecology.Modernityhasbroughtinto
questionandpathologisedourancestralmodesofembodiedecologicaladjustmentandlifetransition,withmodernist,commodifiedformsof'religion'
