Health and spirituality convergence in postsecular society. Alternative Therapies and Constitution of Holistic Milieu

Abstract

In the general context of political and cultural transformations, one of the characteristic signs of both postmaterialism and postsecularism is the expansion of New Age individual spirituality as well as its influence on complementary and alternative medicine. This expansion means the convergence of two areas historically divorced by Modernity (health and spirituality) and therefore the emergence of a new cultural landscape. Although some data indicate the growth of practices and beliefs that put together these two areas, the object and framework of research are still undefined in order to account the process and their concomitants. Hence, in this article we intend to draw the basic theoretical lines that identify the constitution of “holistic milieu” through analyzing the available data for the case of Spain and relating them to the hypotheses already accepted from international literature.