Discover the life and philosophy of Dr John Diamond — a visionary in holistic healing who bridged psychiatry, complementary therapies, music, and art to unlock the innate healing energy within every individual. Dive into his integrated approach and learn why true healing goes far beyond treating symptoms.
For more than 50 years, Dr John Diamond was a pioneer in the field of holistic healing, drawing from clinical observations in both orthodox and complementary medicine. ‘I affirm that I enthusiastically, passionately, wholeheartedly and gratefully embrace all my life. And if it’s less than that, we are in anguish.'
~ Dr John Diamond
Originally trained as a psychiatrist, Dr Diamond incorporated a wide array of modalities into his practice — including acupuncture, philosophy, music, and art. He referred to his life’s work as ‘The Diamond Path of Life’: an integrated system of healing rooted in his research and extensive experience with patients. Central to his approach was the conviction that true healing could only occur by raising the Life energy — a principle he conveyed passionately in his teachings.
Dr Diamond was recognised as the world’s leading authority on the relationship between music and health, and he founded the Institute for Music and Health in New York’s Hudson Valley. He was also a best-selling author of more than 20 books, including Music and Song; Mother and Love; and The Way of the Pulse: Drumming with Spirit.
During his time as a neurosurgical intern, Dr Diamond recalled a lesson that shaped his philosophy: two young men, both 24, were paralysed from the waist down after separate motorbike accidents. Lying in adjoining hospital beds, both men contracted the same hospital infection and received identical treatments. One recovered, while the other did not. When Dr Diamond asked his supervisor about this puzzling outcome, he was told: ‘Some have got IT, and some don’t have IT.' Since then, Dr Diamond dedicated his career to seeking out that ‘IT’ in people and helping them to discover it within themselves.
He found that, regardless of how unwell or troubled his patients were, they all possessed this unique quality — whatever IT was. Over time, his perspective broadened; as a young psychiatrist, he was once praised for his diagnostic abilities but realised, on reflection, how little he knew about the positive aspects of his patients’ lives. He later came to see the profound importance of recognising those strengths and gifts.
Dr Diamond shared another story that encapsulated his approach to healing: on one occasion, after backing a rental car into a pond, the tow truck driver commented, ‘It’s a good thing for you that you had two wheels on dry land.' Dr Diamond immediately saw the metaphor — while many patients may have ‘two wheels in the mud,' they always have ‘two wheels on dry land.' His work thereafter focused on identifying those strengths, helping patients not only to recover from illness but also to become more integrated and holistic individuals. For Dr Diamond, healing involved creativity, compassion, and the uncovering of each person’s unique ‘IT’.
‘Just what do I mean by Healing? It’s not the curing of a disease, per se, but the alleviation of the dis-ease in the soul, the deep anguish from which we all suffer throughout our lives, whether we are conscious of it or not. This is our spiritual suffering.' ~ Dr John Diamond
Editor's note: Here is another wonderful pioneer, Professor Oliver Sacks.
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