Extending the Art of Healing: Etheric Forces as Forces for the Future
9-14 September 2025
I had the pleasure of attending the wonderful and inspiring conference on anthroposophic medicine in Switzerland in September at the Goetheanum. The title of this year’s annual Medical Section conference was “Extending the Art of Healing: Etheric Forces as Forces for the Future. Held every year in Dornach, this conference gathers hundreds of Anthroposophic doctors, clinicians and therapists from around the world. Under this year’s theme, we got to deeply explore the role of the etheric body as a mediator of healing, vitality, and regenerative rhythms.
If you are unfamiliar with Anthroposophic medicine, it is the holistic framework developed by Rudolf Steiner, well known for Steiner/Waldorf school systems and biodynamic agriculture. (Find out more about anthroposophic naturopathy)
One of the unique aspects of this conference, and Anthroposophic approaches to health and medicine in general, is the bringing together of different therapeutic concepts and modalities in addition to prescribing remedies, such as art therapy, movement, rhythmical massage and counselling. It is very much in alignment with a more holistic approach to health that natural therapists are trained in.
The issue of long COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome
Among the most interesting threads this year was a focused clinical engagement with the issue of long COVID and chronic fatigue syndromes. In one panel session, clinicians discussed how different substances and pharmaceutical process can be used to influence the etheric life forces in patients facing long-term post-viral exhaustion. Different plant and metal-based preparations were examined for their ability to restore disrupted etheric rhythms, and how conventional pharmaceutical processes can be tailored to Anthroposophic needs.
Another specialised presentation titled ‘Differentiated Medicinal Therapy to Strengthen the Etheric in Chronic Fatigue and Long COVID’ invited therapeutic nuance. Presenters shared case studies and therapeutic protocols that addressed not just symptom relief but the deeper reconstitution of vitality and warmth. A live case study was also featured, where a patient with chronic fatigue was brought on stage and her case history was taken by a medical doctor. This was then followed by a dynamic discussion with thoughts, observation and feedback being invited from the delegates to help build a comprehensive suite of therapeutic ideas to consider.
Plant energetics, plant-based painting and more …
Other topics presented included a look at the role of plant energetics, exploring the senses including the role of taste (complete with different substances to try), and a herbal profile on the dandelion. The conference culminated in a fascinating therapeutic colloquium where participants wrestled with complex clinical decisions: how to distinguish between post-viral fatigue, long COVID, post vaccine injury, stress-induced depletion, and biographical crisis; how to customize therapy for each patient; and how Anthroposophic concepts like etheric formative forces and life rhythm can guide long-term recovery.
The conference was warm and collegial, with lots of opportunities for holistic integration with hands-on workshops in the afternoons – with topics such as plant-based painting, therapeutic baths, nursing therapies and much more. Rather than a purely academic or technical meeting, the conference felt very nourishing and offered a space where scientific rigour, therapeutic wisdom, and spiritual insight could combine. There were multilingual lectures, cross-disciplinary dialogues, and a strong commitment to integrating healing practices like eurythmy, rhythmical massage, and individualised remedy work.
In short, this year’s Goetheanum conference not only reaffirmed Anthroposophic Medicine’s relevance in addressing modern health challenges, such as long COVID, but also modelled what future-oriented, soul-aware clinical work can look like.
Emergence naturopathic retreat and conference in July
An exciting opportunity to learn more and participate in a similar, local Australian offering is coming next year. The Anthroposophic Naturopaths Guild will be hosting its inaugural conference and retreat in 2026 in Uki, NSW. To learn more about this please visit the conference website.
Karen McElroy, Naturopath
Karen McElroy is a naturopath and holistic counsellor based on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.
Feature image: Photo by Ayla Verschueren on Unsplash