Our Philosophy

Battling the effects of HIV requires a two-prong attack: stopping the virus and restoring the immune system it has damaged. Pharmaceuticals kill or slow the progress of the virus. They are required and prescribed by medical doctors who back their decisions with statistics from drug trials, in turn backed by the drug companies who profit from drug therapies.

However, these drugs do not restore the health of the immune system, except insofar as they halt the progress of the virus. Other important indications besides the drop in viral load present evidence that an immune system is rebuilding itself. Chief among these are CD4 and CD8 counts, and the percentages of these "fighter" cells. This grayer, less statistically quantifiable, area is just as important and it is towards improvement in this area that Positive Being programs come into play, along with a host of complimentary non-traditional therapies such as Qi gong, Tai Chi, chiropractic, acupuncture, etc. The theory behind these treatments considers energy flow, and these programs can be individualized to provide the kinds of flexibility and strength needed to help the immune system rebuild itself.

HIV can be a very individual affair. Some drugs or therapies work better in some individuals or populations than others. Stress, often seen as taxing the immune system's ability to effect repairs, can be reduced by the implementation of individualized plans to both bolster the immune system and minimize common side effects, such as neuropathy, liposdystrophy, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Missing from most of these therapies is, in Positive Being's point of view, the all-important element of touch. Too often those with HIV feel like "damaged goods." The heightened sense of isolation which leads to depression and other counter-productive attitudes (such as lack of humor and perspective, paranoia, and low self-esteem) can and should be countermanded by a proactive approach to touch. Positive Being's vital role lies in the restoration of touch as a healing tool that helps this otherwise unaddressed aspect of returning the body to a place of balance wherein the immune system can recover its potential.

Touch has been eradicated from both traditional and non-traditional practices in today's society. Psychotherapists are forbidden to touch their patients, teachers discouraged from touching their students. etc. A sensitivity to the trauma that improper or inappropriate touch can cause has prompted a uniformly widespread reluctance to use touch as a healing modality.

Finding safe ways to allow touch to effect healing is a primary goal of Positive Being programs. More than a mere pat on the back or a cool hand on a warm brow, these proposed programs incorporate non-threatening and safe touch as a way to fill in a dangerous gap created by treating symptoms of a disease, rather than taking into consideration the whole and wholly individual person who is immuno-compromised.

The first element of this Positive Being outlook on healing is massage. Our first program, up and running since January of 2001, is a low-cost donation clinic for massage.

In 2008, we launched our first annual “Exploring the Body Positive” workshop at Wildwood, a spiritual retreat in the California redwoods.  Positive Being clients receive scholarships to spend a weekend of bonding and touch in this beautiful mountaintop setting.  The workshop aims to improve their self-esteem and well-being and to fight off the feelings of isolation and alienation that too often come with HIV.

Fighting unhealthy attitudes underlies all Positive Being programs and makes way for hope in the possibility to heal each other through touch. Fostering the ability to reach out and touch is fundamental to Positive Being's mission. Creating safe ways for this kind of presently undervalued healing to prosper is a priority of the agency, to which every volunteer or peer trainee is dedicated.