Philosophical health and wuxing ontology

In recent years, a new form of health has emerged, namely philosophical health. This novel concept is part of the philosophical counseling movement and relies on the philosophical method called the SMILE-PH interview, which draws heavily from continental philosophy, including phenomenology. Reflecting on the link between health and philosophy brings us to an ancient healthcare tradition that actively relies on philosophy: Chinese healthcare and its founding wuxing, or five phases ontology.

The aim of this study is to interpret philosophical health from the standpoint of wuxing ontology.

We used the multiple meanings of the five phases to interpret the six concepts of SMILE-PH interview method. Then, we monitored how applying the SMILE-PH involves a parent phase triggering for the counselee. Last, we focused our analysis on the triggered phase and conceptualized them into philosophical health.

The SMILE-PH topics are located in a specific phase, namely the Metal phase (xin), which is described by the concepts of connection, existence, identity, meaning in one's life, and spirituality. The one-phase structure of SMILE-PH fosters the triggering of its parent phase: the predominant Metal phase character of the SMILE-PH interview will promote the appearance of Earth phase answers. Conceptualizing the Earth phase into philosophical health adds the following aspects to the latter: emotional stability, the feeling of plenitude, and sharing without a transactional mindset.

We obtained a clear perspective of the place of SMILE-PH in wuxing ontology and added a new layer to philosophical health. The other phases of wuxing ontology remain to be tested and integrated into philosophical health.