Here in Wiltshire we have two major interests; firstly VisionWorks, which is our business broadly based on the Psychology of Vision model of therapy which is internationally renowned. Secondly, we have Microbz Ltd, a company that champions microbial understanding and products. In the first model we understand the dynamics of interdependence psychologically and spiritually. But only now are scientists grappling with microbial interdependence.

Over the last few years the importance of microbes generally in our world and personally in our micro biome has become increasingly clear. The bacteria in, on and around us are vital for our health, as we know; however they are also important for our mental and psychological well-being. There are voices that consider our microbes more important than any other part of us, to the point that they want the gut classified as an organ on a par with the heart, brain or liver etc. Some neuroscientists and doctors advise not to worry about our minds but focus on the gut as once we get that right, everything else will follow. (Click on image for article from Science Daily).

There is increasing evidence that psychological illnesses such as depression, autism, ADHD, anxiety and manic behaviours are connected to the health of the gut and that has certainly been our experience. Whatever our views on microbes, their importance is not in doubt; every major country is doing serious research on these little critters including USA, EU and others.

Now the problem. There are many many thousands of different microbes and to fully study them we separate, analyse and classify them. For many microbial strains this was easy but now it appears that a large proportion of the microbes cannot be studied as they cannot be separated from each other as they are so symbiotic and interdependent. So our method of scientific study has reached the limit and is now being called to change. It appears the microbes are teaching us, as they have been around much longer than we have and they certainly have intelligence that we are only beginning to understand.

We believe we are being asked to look at our world much more as a whole rather than using deductive and therefore destructive processes. We are being asked to change ourselves rather than reducing our world to units that we can comprehend, reducing our world to our limits. We believe the question we need to start asking ourselves is, ‘how do we need to change so we can comprehend the issues around us in their entirety?’ This is how we learn and this is how we grow, by facing something large and intricate and being willing to ask, “ how do I need to change that I could understand this in its totality?”

And then to embrace that change, to change our paradigm to a much larger one and in that will come the realisation that allows us to understand and therefore live in harmony with our world, even the parts we cannot see. Microbes are brilliant at change and they mutate at the drop of a hat. They have much to teach us and we suspect they have only just started.

Love,