Recovery is more than just healing: Advocating a broader perspective on recovery in physical and mental health

In the medical context, recovery is largely represented as healing from an illness. The editors of this book make it clear that this medical understanding is insufficient. Recovery involves much more than just healing. It addresses stabilizing the person through restoring and maintaining a recovery-stress balance, provides resources that increase resilience and thereby plays an important role in health promotion and illness prevention. This broader conception calls for a systemic perspective, the unity of body and mind must be considered. The individual subjective perception of one’s own condition and also individually optimal strategies for producing recovery are essential. Self-regulation is a core element in this understanding of recovery. Consequently, the role of the individual must change from being a passive patient to an active agent of their own needs. The chapters in this book contribute different elements to the development of this comprehensive concept of recovery.