Energy Field Theories

Energy Fields

 The concept of field defines the medium surrounding the object through which the forces worked.
 The unified field allows all that is usually thought of as fundamental forces and elementary particles.

Theorists and their Theories

1. Martha Rogers – “Theory of Unitary Human Beings”

2. Margaret Newman –“Health as Expanding Consciousness”

3. Rosemarie Rizzo Parse – “Human-becoming Theory’

1. Martha Rogers – “Theory of Unitary Human Beings”

 The Theory of Unitary Human Beings views nursing as both a science and an art. The uniqueness of
nursing, like any other science, is in the phenomenon central to its focus. The purpose of nurses is to
promote health and well-being for all persons wherever they are.
 Her model addresses the importance of the environment as an integral part of the patient, and uses
that knowledge to help nurses blend the science and art of nursing to ensure patients have a smooth
recovery and can get back to the best health possible.

Background

 Eldest of four children

 Born on May 12, 1914 in Dallas, Texas
 Diploma :Knoxville General Hospital School of Nursing (1936)
 Graduation in Public Health Nursing, George Peabody College, Nashville , Tennessee (1937)
 MA in Public Health Nursing Supervision : Teachers college, Columbia university, New York, 1945
 MPH :Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 1952
 Doctorate in nursing :Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, 1954
 Fellowship: American academy of nursing

Metaparadigm

 Unitary Human Being (person)

 A unitary human being is an "irreducible, indivisible, pan dimensional (four-dimensional) energy
field identified by pattern and manifesting characteristics that are specific to the whole and
which cannot be predicted from knowledge of the parts" and "a unified whole having its own
distinctive characteristics which cannot be perceived by looking at, describing, or summarizing
the parts"
 A person is defined as an indivisible, pan-dimensional energy field identified by a pattern, and
manifesting characteristics specific to the whole, and that can’t be predicted from knowledge of
the parts.
 A person is also a unified whole, having its own distinct characteristics that can’t be viewed by
looking at, describing, or summarizing the parts.
  Environment
 The environment is an "irreducible, pan dimensional energy field identified by pattern and
integral with the human field"
 The field coexist and are integral.
 Manifestation emerge from this field and are perceived.
 Health
 "an expression of the life process; they are the "characteristics and behavior emerging out of the
mutual, simultaneous interaction of the human and environmental fields"
 Health and illness are the part of the sane continuum.
 The multiple events taking place along life's axis denote the extent to which man is achieving
his maximum health potential and very in their expressions from greatest health to those
conditions which are incompatible with the maintaining life process
 Rogers defines health as an expression of the life process.
 It is the characteristics and behavior coming from the mutual, simultaneous interaction of the
human and environmental fields, and health and illness are part of the same continuum.
 The multiple events occurring during the life process show the extent to which a person is
achieving his or her maximum health potential.
 The events vary in their expressions from greatest health to those conditions that are
incompatible with the maintaining life process.
 Nursing
 It is the study of unitary, irreducible, indivisible human and environmental fields: people and their
world. Rogers claims that nursing exists to serve people, and the safe practice of nursing
depends on the nature and amount of scientific nursing knowledge the nurse brings to his or her
practice
 Two dimensions Independent science of nursing:
o An organized body of knowledge which is specific to nursing is arrived at by scientific
research and logical analysis
o Art of nursing practice:
1. The creative use of science for the betterment of the human
2. The creative use of its knowledge is the art of its practice

Roger’s Theory of Unitary Human Beings

Imagine the life process moving

along the “Slinky” spirals with the
human field occupying space
along the spiral and extending out
in all directions from any given
location along a spiral. Each turn
of the spiral exemplifies the
rhythmical nature of life, while
distortions of the spiral portray
deviations from nature’s
regularities. Variations in the
speed of change through time may
be perceived by narrowing or
widening the distance between
spirals.

 The theory views nursing as both a science and an art as it provides a way to view the unitary human
being, who is integral with the universe.
 The unitary human being and his or her environment are one.
 Nursing focuses on people and the manifestations that emerge from the mutual human-environmental
field process.
 The belief of the coexistence of the human and the environment has greatly influenced the process of
change toward better health. In short, a patient can’t be separated from his or her environment when
addressing health and treatment.
 There are eight concepts in Rogers’ nursing theory: energy field, openness, pattern, pan-
dimensionality, homeodynamic principles, resonance, helicy, and integrality.

Concepts of Roger’s model

 Energy field
o It is the inevitable part of life. Human and environment both have energy field which is open i.e.
energy can freely flow between human and environment
o The energy field is the fundamental unit of both the living and nonliving
o This energy field "provide a way to perceive people and environment as irreducible wholes"
o The energy fields continuously varies in intensity, density, and extent.
o The energy field is the fundamental unit of both the living and the non-living. It provides a way to
view people and the environment as irreducible wholes. The energy fields continuously vary in
intensity, density, and extent.
 Openness
o The human field and the environmental field are constantly exchanging their energy
o There are no boundaries or barrier that inhibit energy flow between fields which leads to the
continuous movement or matter of energy.
o There are no boundaries that stop energy flow between the human and environmental fields,
which is the openness in Rogers’ theory. It refers to qualities exhibited by open systems; human
beings and their environment are open systems.
 Pattern
o Pattern is defined as the distinguishing characteristic of an energy field perceived as a single
waves
o "pattern is an abstraction and it gives identity to the field"
 Pan dimensionality
o Undeviating field which is not constricted by space or time, it is an infinite domain without
boundary.
o Pan dimensionality is defined as "non linear domain without spatial or temporal attributes"
o The parameters that human use in language to describe events are arbitrary.
o The present is relative, there is no temporal ordering of lives.
 Homeodynamic principles
o Refers to the balance between the dynamic life process and environment.
 o These principles help to view human as unitary human being. The three separate principles are
integrality, resonancy, and heliecy.
o The principles of homeodynamic postulates the way of perceiving unitary human beings
o The fundamental unit of the living system is an energy field
o Homeodynamics should be understood as a dynamic version of homeostasis (a relatively
steady state of internal operation in the living system).
o Homeodynamic principles postulate a way of viewing unitary human beings. The three
principles of homeodynamics are resonance, helicy, and integrality.

Three principle of homeodynamics

1. Resonancy
2. Helicy
3. Integrality

1. Resonance

 Resonance is an ordered arrangement of rhythm characterizing both human field and environmental
field that undergoes continuous dynamic metamorphosis in the human environmental process.
 It speaks to the nature of the change occurring between human and environmental fields. The life
process in human beings is a symphony of rhythmical vibrations oscillating at various frequencies.
 It is the identification of the human field and the environmental field by wave patterns manifesting
continuous change from longer waves of lower frequency to shorter waves of higher frequency.
 This movement of energy can be made by human touch, guided imagery activities, drawing, storytelling,
and other active use of imagination.

2. Helicy

 Any minute change in the environment which leads to ripple effect results in a larger changes in other
field.
 This change is constant, unpredictable and there are many factors which mutually interact and cause
the change.
 Helicy describes the unpredictable, but continuous, nonlinear evolution of energy fields as evidenced by
non repeating rhythmicties
 The principle of Helicy postulates an ordering of the humans evolutionary emergence.
 The human-environment field is a dynamic, open system in which change is continuous due to the
constant interchange between the human and environment.
 This change is also innovative. Because of constant interchange, an open system is never exactly the
same at any two moments; rather, the system is continually new or different.

3. Integrality

 Energy fields are dynamic and constantly interact with the human and environment, which affects our
environment and vice versa.
 This is the principle on which meditation and humor words to produce a positive environment.
 The mutual, continuous relationship of the human energy field and the environmental field .
 Changes occur by by the continuous repatterning of the human and environmental fields by resonance
waves
  The fields are one and integrated but unique to each other
 Because of the inseparability of human beings and their environment, sequential changes in the life
processes are continuous revisions occurring from the interactions between human beings and their
environment.
 Between the two entities, there is a constant mutual interaction and mutual change whereby
simultaneous molding is taking place in both at the same time.

According to Rogers, the Science of Unitary Human Beings contains two dimensions:

1. The science of nursing, which is the knowledge specific to the field of nursing that comes from
scientific research
2. The art of nursing, which involves using the science of nursing creatively to help better the life of the
patient.

Assumptions

1. Man is a unified whole possessing his own integrity and manifesting characteristics that are more than
and different from the sum of his parts.
2. Man and environment are continuously exchanging matter and energy with one another.
3. The life process evolves irreversibly and unidirectionally along the space-time continuum.
4. Pattern and organization identify the man and reflect his innovative wholeness.
5. Man is characterized by the capacity for abstraction and imagery, language and thought sensation and
emotion.
 2. Margaret Newman –“Health as Expanding Consciousness”

 The theory has progressed to include the health of all persons regardless of the presence or absence of
disease. The theory asserts that every person in ev ery situation, no matter how disordered and
hopeless it may seem, is part of the universal process of expanding consciousness – a process of
becoming more of oneself, of finding greater meaning in life, and of reaching new dimensions of
connectedness with other people and the world.
 Humans are open to the whole energy system of the universe and constantly interacting with the
energy. With this process of interaction humans are evolving their individual pattern of whole and this
pattern is essential. The manifestation of disease depends on the pattern of individual so the pathology
of the diseases exists before the symptoms appear so removal of disease symptoms does not change
the individual structure.
 Nursing action is always focused on unitary human being and change the energy field between human
and environment. Nursing action include all non-invasive actions such as guided imaginary, humor,
therapeutic touch, music etc. which are used to increase the potential of human field. • The more
importance should be on the management of pain, supportive therapy and rehabilitation.
 The nurse helps to understand people to use the power within to develop the higher level of
consciousness. Thus, it helps to realize the disease process, its recovery and prevention.
 Humans are constantly changing through time and space and it shows unique pattern of reality.

Background

 Born in 1933
 She cared for her mother with ALS for 5 years which inspired her to become a nurse and influenced her
nursing theory
 BSN University of Tennessee 1962
 She was influenced by Martha Rogers, Itzhak Bentov, Arthur Young, and David Bohm.

Concepts

 Movement
o This is a manifestation of consciousness
o The change occurring between 2 states of rest
 o Awareness of self, means of communicating
o This is the key to understanding the nature of ones own reality;
 Pattern
o Identifies the wholeness of the person
o Unfolds over time
o Relatedness, scheme, design
o Disease is not a disruption of life, but rather a part of the pattern.
 Pattern Recognition
o The key to the process of evolving to higher levels of consciousness
o Requires: insight, realization of a truth, and reconciliation of duality.
o The focus of pattern recogniition should be the process of the evolving pattern rather than the
pattern itself. The process is the content.
 Time and Space
o Time is inextricably linked to space.
o Time perception increases when space decreases
o Highly mobilized individuals experience expansion of space which gives the perception of
limited time.

Health as Expanding Consciousness

 is a process of becoming more of oneself, of finding greater meaning in life, and of reaching new
dimenstions of connected-ness with other people and the world.
 Treat each patient as a unique individual and understand that their previous experiences contribute to
how the patient experiences the manifestation of the pattern of consciousness during the illness.
 Alter your care as a nurse to fit the needs of the patient and teach to a level they understand.
 Newman’s model required the understanding that health and disease are the same and not separate in
the life of an individual.
 The belief of the coexistence of the human and the environment has greatly influenced the process of
change toward better health. In short, a patient can’t be separated from his or her environment when
addressing health and treatment.
  Major concepts are : Energy field, openness, pattern, and pan dimensionality • Major principles include
resonancy , helicy and integrity. It is also known as homeodynamic principles.

ASSUMPTIONS

 Health encompasses conditions heretofore described as illness, or, in medical terms, pathology 
 These pathological conditions can be considered a manifestation of the total pattern of the individual
 The pattern of the individual that eventually manifests itself as pathology is primary and exists prior to
structural or functional changes
 Removal of the pathology in itself will not change the pattern of the indivdual 
 If becoming ill is the only way an individual's pattern can manifest itself, then that is health for that
person 
 Health is an expansion of consciousness. 

Metaparadigm

 Person
o An open energy sysetm with patterns of concsciousness that are interacting with a dynamic
environment.
o “The human is unitary, that is cannot be divided into parts, and is inseparable from the larger
unitary field”
o “Persons as individuals, and human beings as a species are identified by their patterns of
consciousness”…
o “The person does not possess consciousness-the person is consciousness”.
o Persons are  “centers of consciousness” within an overall pattern of expanding consciousness” 
 Health
o A holistic, evolving, rythmic pattern and the expanding of consciousness,
o “Health and illness are synthesized as health - the fusion on one state of being (disease) with its
opposite (non-disease) results in what can be regarded as health”.
 Nursing
o To facilitate the recognition of patterns for the purpose of illuminating those patterns in order to
discover higher levels of consciousness and organization.
o Nursing is “caring in the human health experience”.
o Nursing is seen as a partnership between the nurse and client, with both grow in the “sense of
higher levels of consciousness”
 Environment
o An open, dynamic system that is continually evolving.
o Environment is described as a “universe of open systems”
 3. Rosemarie Rizzo Parse – “Human-becoming Theory’

 Theory of Humanbecoming focuses on the human quality of life. It has three major themes or
principles being meaning, rhythmicity and transcendence.  The goal of the humanbecoming nurse it to
be truly present with people as they enhance the quality of their lives.”
 The Humanbecoming Theory methodology looks at the nurse to person and nurse to group situations,
the participant and locations as contexts. The goal of the discipline of nursing “is to enhance the quality
of life from the person’s, family’s, and community’s perspective. The goal of the humanbecoming nurse
it to be truly present with people as they enhance the quality of their lives.”
 Parse’s Theory of Humanbecoming when exemplified is a vital way to develop an effective relationship
with your patient especially given the short period of time you are with them. The
humanbecoming theory develops trust and mutual understanding of care; relieves stress and facilities
healing all of which are the foundation holistic care and nursing.
 Parse believes the true presence includes coming-to-be-present by being gracefully present with your
patient and being attentive. You embrace the moment given to you to immerse and have genuine
conversation with the patient. The nurse listens not just hears the patient, without interrupting. She
believes face-to-face conversations are an opportunity to initiate discussion and engage in dialogue.
The nurse should restate or make clarifications for validation of listening. The silent immersion still
includes body language as “silent immersion is true presence without words.” A lingering presence
includes glimpses of recalling a moment, or attempting to glimpse with greater meaning of the other
person’s perspective of the situation
  Emphasizes how individuals choose and bear the responsibilities for patterns of personal health.
Example: A client who smokes cannot be told to simply quit smoking because he or she is the ultimate
decision maker. Human-universe mutual process.

Background

 Educated at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh

 MSN and Ph.D. from University of Pittsburgh
 Published her theory of nursing, Man-Living-Health in 1981 which name changed to Theory of Human
Becoming in 1992
 Rosemarie Rizzo Parse first published the theory in 1981 as the "Man-living-health" theory and was
officially changed to "the human becoming theory" in 1992 to remove the term "man," after the change
in the dictionary definition of the word from its former meaning of "humankind."

Metaparadigm

 Person
o Open being who is more than and different from the sum of the parts
 Environment
o Everything in the person and his experiences
o Inseparable, complimentary to and evolving with
o The human and the environment are mutually and simultaneously interrelating as a unit
o The human-universe-health process is more than and different from the sum of its parts
o The human-universe-health process is more than and different from the sum of its parts
 Health
o Open process of being and becoming. Involves synthesis of values
o Health is flowing progression of human becoming
o Hope is a living experience of health inextricable connected to quality of life
o Health is living experience of ongoing human-universe change
 Nursing
o A human science and art that uses an abstract body of knowledge to serve people
o Presents as an alternative to bio-medical model and the bio-psycho-social-spiritual approach
o Enhances the quality of life from each client’s own perspective
o Parse defines the nursing practice as a science and art. It is innovative and creative.
o Nurses’ responsibility to society is in the guiding of individuals and their families
o The client is the authority figure and primary decision maker

The Theory of Human Becoming

 Every human has the right to choose their own path and is free to make choices.
 This guides nurses to be co-creators of health.
 Human becoming mystery means that the human universe is never completely knowable, that there will
always be the unpredictable
  Theory of Humanbecoming is a theory that  many nurses' utilize in practice daily. It is a grand theory
that focuses on life and human dignity. “From the humanbecoming perspective  teaching-learning is a
journey of giving-receiving in coming to know.”
 The goal of the Humanbecoming Theory is true presence with your patients. Parse refers to it as an art
of nursing by developing dignity, leading and following; teaching, learning and mentoring with the end
goal being to enhance the quality of your patients' lives.

The black and white colors represent the opposite paradox significant to ontology of human becoming, while
green represents hope. Opposite paradox refers to structuring the meaning through language, valuing, &
imaging (MEANING)

The joining in the center of the symbol represents the co-created mutual human universe process at the
ontological level, and the nurse-patient process. Center-Co-creating rhythmical patterns through
revealing/concealing, enabling/limiting, & connecting/separating (RHYTHMICITY)

The green and black swirls intertwining represent the human-universe co-creation as an ongoing process of
becoming. Intertwine refers to co-transcending w/c powers unique ways of originating in the process of
transforming (TRANSCENDENCE)

The human becoming theory has three elements: Meaning, Rhythmicity, and Transcendence

1. Meaning

 Imaging and valuing of language.

 People have different opinions on life, and how they show those opinions express how they view their
reality.
 People chose the path they want to live.
 concept is valuing images and language through speaking versus being silent and movement
versus stillness.
 Imaging, Valuing, and Languaging

2. Rhythmicity

 the connection between the human and universe being a mutual process with a sense of cadent
rhythms.
 People create patterns in life that reveal their values.
 Patterns are subject to change as peoples’ life goals change.
 People are able to chose how to travel on the path they have chosen.
  Revealing-Concealing, Enabling-Limiting, and Connecting-Separating

3. Transcendence

 Powering, originating, and transforming.

 Powering: the ability to overcome hardships
 Originating: coming up with new ideas in order to adjust to society
 Transforming: changing one's views to start anew
 To move beyond the present and to create a unique, personal path