SALUTOGENESIS, the FOCUS of the ISCM at SBV
We welcome you with open arms and hearts to our newly inaugurated Institute of Salutogenesis and Complementary Medicine (ISCM) at Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (SBV) in Pondicherry, India [1] .
SBV is one of India’s top ranking healthcare universities [2] with more than three thousand students enrolled in the streams of medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy and allied health sciences. Its salutogenic orientation towards wellness, wellbeing, and programs towards this goal have received wide acclaim.
We at SBV have high regard for the ‘Father of Salutogenesis’ Professor Aaron Antonovsky [3] and for his magnificent creation, the Theory of Salutogenesis, the focus on factors enhancing wellness and health promotion. This has been a source of inspiration for us in integrating health promotion and wellness through yoga therapy and music therapy into the modern medical system for over a decade and a half.
Since 2013, yoga therapy and music therapy have been part of SBV and through these two modalities we have focussed on manifesting salutogenesis through traditional and indigenous systems of therapy. Dedicated centres for the same in the form of Centre for Yoga Therapy Education and Research (CYTER) and Centre for Music Therapy Education and Research (CMTER) have enabled more than a 100,000 care seekers to manifest wellness while taking the message of salutogenesis to all students who pass through SBV.
It must be highlighted that SBV in the year 2018 brought forward an administrative policy statement and SBV Policy on salutogenesis implementation and SBV Standard Operating procedure for salutogenesis that has also been copyrighted [4]. Such a policy by the university, reiterates its commitment towards the creation of a health promoting environment that is supportive of wellness. In technical terms, as suggested by Mittelmark et al (2022) [5], this can be understood as a salutatory extra-person factor that promotes positive health.
Fundamental concepts of salutogenesis such as Sense of Coherence (SOC) and Generalised Resistance Resources (GRR) have been inculcated in all students through various orientation programs and other student centric activities. A ‘Salutogenic’ approach is one that focuses on factors that support health and wellbeing, beyond a more traditional, ‘pathogenic’ focus on risk and problems. In this effort we have consistently acknowledged the contributions of Professor Antonovsky.
GRR support wellness and are found in the cultural, social and environmental conditions of the individual, in early parts of life, in socialisation experiences, as well as other idiosyncratic factors and chance. We at SBV have attempted to explore yoga therapy and music therapy as part of the GRR development through the YOGABHYASA [6] and MEETS (Musically Express your Emotions Thoughts for Success) [7] programs for our student community.
Furthermore both yoga therapy and music therapy have been utilised extensively in the clinical setting of our hospitals as a part of Specific Resistance Resources (SRR). Numerous research projects and publications have documented these innovative efforts to integrate traditional systems of healing and wellness with modern medical approaches in patient care [8][9]. Best practices such as PURNAM: CYTER Model of Salutogenic Communication of Wholesomeness in a Clinical Setting and Salutogenic Approach of Yoga for the Third Gender: The CYTER model that introduce a salutogenic orientation in clinical practice have also been copyrighted [10][11].
Antonovsky proposed that the feeling of wellness is primarily governed by the ‘sense of coherence that may be considered the heart of salutogenesis. This may be understood as a pervasive, long-lasting and dynamic feeling of confidence that one’s internal and external environments are predictable and that there is a high probability that things will work out as well as can be expected.’ It has strong positive correlation to perceived health, mental health, and quality of life as it helps the ‘diseased’ to manage their condition and ‘be well’.
The three components of SOC are based on a sense that -
1. One’s life is comprehensible,
2. It is manageable and
3. It is meaningful.
The sense of life being comprehensible is a cognitive process where the individual has the sense that my world is understandable. The coping skill in the second component enables the individual to feel, my world is manageable while the motivational aspect of life having a sense of meaningfulness manifests in the individual feeling, my world has meaning.
The comprehension, meaningfulness and manageability (SOC approach) in chronic diseases keeps them ‘well’ despite any limitations and is similar to ‘physically disabled’ becoming ‘differently abled’. When an individual has these three aspects manifesting in their life, they have a sense of health, wellness, wellbeing and wholesomeness.
Salutogenesis is not a familiar word in this part of the world, and yet through the efforts of our team at SBV thousands have got to know of this valuable concept of life indeed. In fact, every time any of us present anywhere, we begin by asking the audience how many have heard of salutogenesis. This then takes the conversation forward in one of health promotion and wellness.
The equivalent concept in Indian tradition is Swastha that implies a sense of being at ease with oneself. Acharya Sushrut (~600 BC) defined this positive sense of wholesome wellness as a ‘dynamic balance of the elements and humors, normal metabolic activity and efficient elimination coupled with a tranquil mind, senses and contented soul.’ Yoga may be understood as one of the best means to achieve such a dynamic state of wholesome health and wellness at all levels of existence. The application of music towards wellness is deeply understood in all of our Indian traditions.
Healing in a holistic sense has faded from medical attention in recent times and is rarely discussed in modern medicine especially in therapeutics. To heal is to achieve or acquire wholeness as a person. The wholeness of personhood involves physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual aspects of human experience.
Our previous Vice Chancellor and illustrious professor of General Medicine Prof KR Sethuraman [12] during his stint introduced all of us to the concept of salutogenesis and we all took to it like ducks to water. Prof KRS has given many presentations [13][14] highlighting the SOC, GRRs and SRRs and their relevance to wellness rather than illness in the modern medical system. He continues to support our activities with regular talks and guest presentations as an inspiring mentor. Our Dean of Faculty Prof N Ananthakrishnan, one of India’s top General Surgeons and Medical Educationalists continues to guide us along the path towards excellence and the creation of the ISCM may be attributed to his perseverance, dedication and determination.
Being a modern medical doctor and also trained from childhood in the traditional healing system of Yoga, our Director Yogacharya Dr Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani took keen interest and has been sharing this concept worldwide. The Indian concept of health and wellness as swasthya and Antonovsky’s theory of salutogenesis came together in his consciousness and rang a bell for him. He has been an advocate for salutogenesis in Yoga Therapy and members of the International Yoga Therapy community worldwide understand the relevance of salutogenesis in the whole person approach to Yoga Therapy thanks to his constant sharing on various platforms [15][16][17][18].
Our Vice Chancellor Prof SC Parija has always emphasised the need to focus on salutogenesis rather than pathogenesis and supported our endeavours wholeheartedly. He never misses an opportunity to share SBV’s focus on salutogenesis and has organised many academic initiatives with other eminent educationalists where the Salutogenic Orientation has been highlighted on official channels including SBV Channel One (E03- Yoga & Salutogenesis; E09-Music therapy, salutogenesis & healthcare) and SBV CONNECT (Student Salutogenesis In Health Sciences University) [19][20][21].
Following the high recommendations from the NAAC peer-review committee during their accreditation visit in 2021 (where SBV was accorded the top grade of A++), our university management decided to upgrade the CYTER and CMTER into an Institute of Salutogenesis and Complementary Medicine. Salutogenesis is a priority area of research for ISCM of SBV and this is one of the reasons why CYTER and CMTER were merged to make ISCM.
ISCM was inaugurated on 22 August 2022 by the Chairman of the NAAC-EC, Prof Bhushan Patwardhan, one of India’s top scientists in the field of wellness, health and salutogenesis. He deeply appreciated the fact that a modern medical university was focussing on salutogenesis and motivated us to take this further. [22]
While acknowledging those responsible for the creation of the ISCM, we must place on record our intense gratitude to our esteemed Chancellor Shri MK Rajagopalan whose holistic vision, commitment to wellness and benevolence has enabled this to manifest with excellence.
We are currently creating a 2 credit course on Salutogenesis for the PG and PhD candidates of our institute as well as for all students of the university. This will be a compulsory elective for all programs of ISCM at all levels. The excellent resource in the form of the Handbook of Salutogenesis [23] is utilised as the main text to create this course. We are grateful to the editors and contributors of this manifestation of excellence for their work towards spreading the culture of salutogenesis worldwide.
All of our faculty have also joined the Society of Theory and Research in Salutogenesis (STARS) [24] as members and are looking forward to delving deeper into its concepts and applications in healthcare settings. We plan to do extensive research in the near future with the SOC scales and our joining STARS is just the first step in this direction. We hope to network through STARS with those who are already in the field and thus upgrade our levels of competencies and knowledge.
A plaque was unveiled in commemoration of the 99th birthday and upcoming Centenary Year (1923–2023) by Prof. Aaron Antonovsky, known worldwide as the “Father of Salutogenesis” on 19 December 2022 at the Institute of Salutogenesis and Complementary Medicine, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (SBV), Puducherry. SBV has announced the Centenary year as the YEAR OF SALUTOGENESIS in honour of Prof Antonovsky.The highlight of the event was the virtual presence of Dr Avishai Antonovsky, the illustrious son and successor of Prof. Aaron Antonovsky from Israel.
We are reaching out to the international experts in salutogenesis and hope that they will soon join us as advisors and guide us further in manifesting the best for humanity.
We look forward to having all of you visit us in person in the future whenever the stars align.
Endnotes:
[1] The Institute of Salutogenesis & Complementary Medicine was inaugurated at Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth in Pondicherry, India on 22 August 2022.
[2] Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University) is currently ranked 70 in the NIRF 2022 and is accredited by NAAC with the highest A++ grade and granted full Autonomy as Category 1 institution by the UGC. www.sbvu.ac.in
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK435855
[4] Diary number 17339/2018-CO/L. https://copyright.gov.in/
[5] https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-04600-6
[6] https://sbvu.ac.in/sbv-archives/yogabhyasa-a-step-towards-salutogenesis
[8] https://sbvu.ac.in/cyter/cyter-publications
[9] https://sbvu.ac.in/cmter/cmter-publication/
[10] Diary Number: 10720/2020-CO/L. https://copyright.gov.in
[11] Diary Number: 16816/2018-CO/L. . https://copyright.gov.in
[12] https://www.academia.edu/44764566/Salutogenesis_the_Focus_of_Music_and_Yoga_Therapies
[13] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RO6Mwv4WNU
[14] https://www.slideshare.net/ProfSethuraman/music-therapy-for-holistic-wellness-salutogenesis
[16] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzEQtBlAVSg
[18] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3niGzpS-fA&t=2s
[19] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K8iE8qdxfU
[20] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIc_LbTnHSo
[21] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M0hqNRDiAQ
[23] https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-04600-6
