title: "Open your heart first of all": perspectives of holistic providers in Costa Rica about communication in the provision of health care.
abstract: Research documents how the care the holistic providers offer represents the quality communication that patients often do not receive from their biomedical providers. However, research investigating the perspectives of holistic providers concerning the role they see themselves playing in the provision of health is limited. This research explores the perceptions of holistic providers in Costa Rica about their communication with their patients. The results reveal two practices of communication-authenticating and integrating as central to providers' communication with patients in the provision of holistic health care. Providers describe their communication as an exploration of an anatomy of pain/suffering, including investigating the location, timing, length, intensity, and overall rhythm of the patient's condition and sense making that leads them to seek the care of a holistic provider. Most holistic providers see their role as being careful or full of care and suggest that they have an obligation to open their heart first of all.
authors.affiliation: School of Communication, San Diego State University. CA 92182-4560, USA. pgeist@mail.sdsu.edu
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Geist-Martin
authors.forename: Keely K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Bell
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D003364:Costa Rica; D003657:Decision Making; D006694:Holistic Health; D006801:Humans; D010358:Patient Participation; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations