ANTHROPOSOPHIC
NURSING

Anthroposophic Nursing is considered an extension of the study and practice of conventional nursing, expanding its clinical, scientific, educational, and research-based functions.

This way of providing care began to develop in order to support Anthroposophic Medicine, which was founded in the 1920s in Arlesheim, Switzerland, by Rudolf Steiner and Dr. Ita Wegman.

In 1924, a group of nurses from the Ita Wegman Clinic in Arlesheim felt the need to create a training program for nursing based on anthroposophic principles. To do so, they sought guidance from Rudolf Steiner and Ita Wegman, who provided the guidelines for the development of this educational project for nurses.

Steiner (1861–1925), an Austrian scientist and philosopher, was the founder of the anthroposophic movement and participated in the founding of the Ita Wegman Clinic in 1921.

The word “Anthroposophy” comes from the Greek anthropos (human being) and sophia (wisdom), meaning a form of human knowledge achieved through self-knowledge.

The anthroposophic view of nursing makes it possible to develop and integrate the physical, emotional, spiritual, and biographical dimensions of both the nurse and the patient. The nurse adopts an expanded view of the person and works in accordance with each individual’s uniqueness. When nurses speak of holistic health care, they include social, emotional, and spiritual aspects, as well as physical and psychological needs. Through individual and/or group study, education, and inner development, the anthroposophic nurse cultivates the intention and knowledge needed to offer truly holistic nursing care.

The practice of anthroposophic nursing is grounded in this renewed understanding of the human being. It is based on the premise that each person has body, soul, and spirit, and is seen as a being with four interrelated bodies, united by a spiritual essence and a life biography that includes personal history, illness, and crises as part of developmental processes.

In addition to official academic training, anthroposophic nursing is complemented by knowledge of botany, inner development, human development, art, research, as well as the anthroposophic medical model and clinical practice. A wide range of external applications—such as wound care using pure organic substances and natural remedies, compresses, wraps, rhythmic oil applications with ointments and oils (rhythmic einreibungen), and hydrotherapy-based care—are also part of this expanded nursing education.

The anthroposophic nurse works by deepening the understanding of what it means to be “human,” always seeking awareness before, during, and after every care intervention or task. A meditative inner life is the foundation of this understanding, following the approach developed by Rudolf Steiner.