Is there a place for AI in your Holistic Practice?

Alana Falzon

I recently listened to an episode of the Huberman Lab podcast and later a TED Talk with guest Poppy Crum, which dove into the intersection of neuroscience and tech. Both got me thinking about something most of us in the holistic world haven’t quite explored yet… how artificial intelligence might actually support the art of healing.

We often view AI as cold, mechanical, even a little soulless. Because, well, it is. But what if it could be used to deepen empathy rather than erase it? Crum talked about technology capable of sensing subtle emotional and physiological shifts through the micro-expressions, breath patterns, chemical signals, and heart rate changes that give away what words often can’t. Imagine holistic practitioners having access to tools that mirror that sensitivity. Tech that doesn’t diagnose, but helps us to see our clients more fully. 

In practice, that could look like AI helping organize intake data, tracking patterns over time, or suggesting correlations between sleep, diet, mood, and hormonal cycles. Tech such as wearables has helped people keep track of their health so much already, and visualize their bodies' responses to stress or dietary changes immediately.  And even without an expensive wearable, there are so many apps that analyze sleep, track cycles & nutrition. Instead of replacing our intuition, tech could validate it, tracking patterns we can measure, and reflect back to our clients with even greater clarity.

At its best, AI won’t make practitioners less human. It could actually make our work more precise and remove bias. Technology and intuition can meet halfway, providing data that helps us trust what we already know in our bones. Of course, the body, mind, spirit connection is something that can’t always be measured, but I believe the future of healing isn’t about choosing between ancient wisdom and modern tools. It’s about weaving them together.  Maybe the use of tech can be the bridge between ancient and modern medicine. 

Hubberman Lab Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlmFj1-mOtg

Poppy Crum TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/poppy_crum_technology_that_knows_what_you_re_feeling