Final project: Beginnings

Introduction: Why is it important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically? What areas do you need to develop to achieve the goals you have for yourself?

Jung stated that “If one reflects upon what consciousness really is, one is deeply impressed by the extremely wonderful fact that an event which occurs outside in the cosmos produces simultaneously an inner image”. “Thus it also occurs within; in other words, it becomes conscious” (1934).

 Everyone in the health and wellness profession needs to integrate wellness practices in their own life before helping others. Practitioners with pure intentions of healing others need to increase one’s level and clarity of consciousness (Dacher 2006). This consciousness and wellness will affect all others mind, body, and spirit involved which will help catapult the patient toward a flourishing life (Dacher 2006).

It is best to first heal oneself, increase inner awareness and deeper one’s consciousness before attempting to assist others. A health and wellness practitioner is best suited to heal others when “open” to integrating eastern and western practices along with Aesclepian healing methods.

Consistency is what I need in order to achieve/maintain health and wellness, which has been challenging. I believe to be heading in the right direction, but many times I realize an imbalance of selflessness and my spiritual needs. I continue to “travel” along the correct path, while often stopping to pick others up.

Assessment: How have you assessed your health in each domain? How do you score your wellness physically, spiritually, and psychologically?

At this moment my physical wellbeing is a seven of ten, which is lower now than when this class began. Being aware of constant vibrational changes, one needs to take a step back, metaphorically, in order to lead forward. My consciousness is deeper which helps me through this process.

Spiritually; I consider my spiritual journey never ending, but now experience a deepness never felt before. It can be challenging to grade one’s spirituality based on a sliding scale, but would rate this area of life to be an 8 out of 10 and growing.

It is the psychological well-being, within, which tends to need attention toward making conscious change. I have been transitioning and need to reacquaint myself with me. I tend to put myself last which I find comfort within, but now see I need to evolve in order to successfully assist others. Overall I am comfortable and accept myself, as I live in the present. On a daily basis, I attempt to help others make positive changes and need to follow my own advice. As I reflect, I can rate this area as 7 out of ten.

Goal development: List at least one goal you have for yourself in each area, Physical, Psychological (mental health), and Spiritual.

Physical goal: Consistent physical activities leading towards a higher level of physical fitness. I feel being more physically fit helps all areas within my life.

Psychological goal: Practicing virtues of patience and loving kindness while being conscious of actions and reactions when engaged with others and within.

Spiritual goal: Continuing with different types and methods of meditation will be used towards reconnecting my inner-self.

Practices for personal health:
What strategies can you implement to foster growth in each of the following domains; Physical, Psychological, and Spiritual. Provide at least two examples of exercises or practices in each domain. Explain how you will implement each example.

Physical growth: I will continue to strengthen my physical being by walking/running consistently. As odd as it seems, I discontinued this daily routine prior to this class beginning. I will create deeper intentions for the foods I receive towards nourishing my body.

Psychological growth: Being aware of what act as a stress trigger, continues to help reduce stressful situations. Accepting what is, along with recognizing what can be changed or adjusted will continue to offer emotional freedom related to fears and worry.  

Spiritual growth: The practice of various meditation techniques will be instrumental towards my continued spiritual growth. Reiki continues to offer many spiritual benefits especially when combined with visualization techniques.

Commitment: How will you assess your progress or lack of progress in the next six months? What strategies can you use to assist in maintaining your long-term practices for health and wellness?

 I will continue to add my thoughts and feelings to my journal on a daily basis, while being less critical of what was once perceived as inadequate results. I realize a greater sense of gratitude toward all people (known, and not yet acquainted), objects, “Things” and myself in general, than before. I will maintain this level of motivation towards achieving the goal of human flourishing and all its benefits.

Benefits realized

These past 8 weeks of lessons have been most incredible for me, not just as a student learning the psychological and spiritual aspects of healing but for increased self-discovery. Not too long after I experienced a heart attack (December 23 2010) I received a text message from my oldest son. It was short and to the point as always, as it stated “you need to get grounded, again”.

I just was leaving the cardiac care unit when I read his message. I climbed in the car and before starting it I stopped, and thought how clear a message this was. I have learned so much from my five children and plan to continue to share wisdom.

I experienced a deeper sense of self-control when I discovered methods of increasing mental fitness, and how practice leads to success. I always new this basic concept,, but had not been exposed to it for too long a time. My awareness has increased more in these eight weeks than ever before.

I began this class with an understanding there are no preset limits for what can be accomplished, as long as I allow.
Yearning for a method to find me, and myself was frustrating to say the least. Through all of the meditation techniques used during this experience I was able to reacquaint my inner “me” with my outer self.

It is difficult to choice only two practices which are beneficial, when they are all interconnected.  With this being said, Loving Kindness is where it began for me. The mental capacity to feel self-love and admiration from inner peace and through forgiveness was instrumental. Without this, how could I offer the same to others?

Skipping forward to the Visualization meditation; this helped me remember the goodness, sweetness have you I have felt and desire to continue feeling. Acceptance can be misconstrued as settling for “less”, I see this as a way to helping continue on the path of human flourishing. There are not any failures for me, as my intentions are pure. Thanks for viewing.

"Meeting Asciepius"

"Meeting Asciepius"(my subtle mind) help bring a greater connection of love, joy, peace, and compassion within myself, through realizing these virtues already existed. I repeated this exercise for the past four evenings and chose a different wise person each practice.

Being able to visualize the beam of “white light” helped me focus and feel its warming affects flowed through my whole body. My thoughts wandered a few times back to the person face I chose to use. I felt slight discomfort at certain points of the meditation.

Saturday morning I received a call from a great friend informing me my “mentor” Mark, had died in his sleep today. I immediately felt the same feelings rush through my mind and body I had the night before. I recently completed a forgiveness meditation session with Mark as my center of focus. I needed to do this as part of the healing process which includes unconditional forgiveness.

I was planning to visit Mark this week but now need to visit him on a deeper spiritual level. This man is one who I considered to be a big brother (20 years older than I am), was the best man at my wedding, God-parent to my only daughter, business partner for 19 years and in the past, my best friend. I will use this experience to remind me to always offer forgiveness sooner.

Regarding the phrase "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself”, I see this as; how would any health care provider attempt to lead another, without first engaging in the journey him/her self. Each and every person needs to contribute towards this paradigm shift of consciousness, embracing changes in the way we feel, react, perceive and love others, while experiencing this first ourselves (Schlitz, M., Amorok, T. & Micozzi, M.S. 2005).

Reference

Dacher, E.S. (2006) Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Basic Health

Schlitz, M., Amorok, T. & Micozzi, M.S. (2005) Consciousness, Healing; Integral

         Approaches to Mind-Body Medicine. ISBN: #9780443068003

Integral Assessment

Universal Loving Kindness actually set the stage for what needed to be accomplished during my assessment. Looking forward to helping others become free of suffering while leading them toward health, happiness, and wholeness brings me into the human flourishing equation (Dacher2006).

During the assessment process, I discovered the need to progress further toward worldly and interpersonal flourishing. I scanned through my heart and mind and realized the areas of psychospiritual and biological flourishing I do well in.

I am mindful of nutrition and food intake for reasons relating to environmental sustainability, animal cruelty, and physical health. Awareness is not new-found and continues for over 20 years (Dacher 2006).

Psychospiritually speaking, most of my adult life (as a child, unconsciously) has been able to experience the mind-body and soul connectivity. Through different alternative modalities (acupuncture, Network Chiropractic, Reiki, Healing Touch, and mindful meditation) I have seen results of offering unconditional loving kindness both locally and universally.

As time is an illusion, so must the lack of having time be limiting towards accomplishments. Giving of one’s self as a whole, toward another human in need as selfless as is fulfilling. I desire to be more involved within the local community offering assistance where needed the most.

Being all aspects of human flourishing are interconnected, this conscious act will help develop better interpersonal skills, which are required to experience a deep love filled relationship (Dacher 2006).

Reference

Dacher, E.S. (2006) Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Basic Health

Subtle Mind.....

Focus on breathing was equally easy and relaxing. As with the loving kindness exercise, a deeper concentration and inner focus were attained. The subtle mind exercise was more about me needs, but at the same time I still felt selfless.

Mind-thoughts were a little more difficult to quiet than when using the loving kindness exercise, but after three separate attempts I felt more confident. I looked through my closed eyes, toward the inner most part of my eye lids and found this helpful towards my focus.

Through greater levels of awareness, I now feel the interconnectiveness of my spiritual “being” and its effects on the mind-body. The physical state of my body has been processing through many different “symptoms” for the past three weeks. These exercises have helped me better understand the inner workings and opportunities presented toward “whole healing”.

Getting Started…..

I have consistently been listening to “The Path to Human Flourishing” and enjoy its directions. This exercise helped me reach deeper inward, than I have in a long while, and experience my thoughts, feelings, and connection with other people, both known and strangers.
The nicest part of this exercise is when you can “breathe in others pain and suffering” and exhale an abundance of kindness and love. I will continue to practice along with self-administered Reiki. There are benefits realized daily and I look forward to them being compounded as I move through this journey.

I highly recommend others to experience this technique or any other “mind exercise” which helps progress towards a deeper sense of peace, love for others and one-self and while increased awareness which is normally not felt. This mind-connection is within all of us and helps with the paradigm shift towards consciousness.

The concept of a “Mental workout” is more than the title represents. Some people think of improved memory (this does), as the reason for improved mind-fitness. I see a mental workout as involving memories imbedded in one’s soul. Some people cannot conceive thoughts so deep or far reachable, but it is worth trying. The mind-connection with the spirit,  needs to be exercised so to shape and expand the “elasticity” and “plasticity” of the physical brain, which results in a higher use of one’s innate intelligence and consciousness. All this can be accomplished as one’s psychospirituality develops.

Practicing mind-fitness multiple times throughout the day offers the best results. It never needs to be long drawn-out or burdensome, five to ten minutes will do, anywhere.

According to Dacher, research studies helped discover when “mental workouts” were used the mind best transferred itself where it needed. This mind-activity, helped reduce negatively implied (charged) emotions, which decreased feelings of frustration, anger, fear, worry, doubt, confusion, and hatred while increasing one’s ability to unconditionally offer feelings of love, patience, kindness, acceptance, and happiness (2006).

Reference

Dacher, E.S. (2006) Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Basic Health

Wellness from within...

I understand the need of documenting one's thoughts and feelings towards health and wellness. I feel the process of writing empowers any vibration towards health outcomes. At this moment my physical wellbeing is a 9 of ten and is in the process of achieving complete wellness. In actuality, feelings towards wellness fluctuate and vary throughout the day. There are times my heart feels heavy and beats rapidly, maybe from feeling anxious or over whelmed.

Spiritually; I consider my spiritual journey never ending and ongoing. Being one with spirit is individualized and is based on my perception. It can be challenging to grade one’s spirituality based on a sliding scale, but would rate this area of life to be an 8 out of 10.

It is the psychological well-being, within, which tends to need attention toward making conscious change. I have been transitioning and need to reacquaint myself with me. I tend to put myself last and this affects my wellbeing.

Overall I am comfortable and accept myself, as I live in the present. On a daily basis, I attempt to help others make positive changes and need to follow my own advice. As I reflect, I can rate this area as 7 out of ten.

I found The Crime of the Century exercise (where did this name originate?) effective towards connecting better with my body. I was in a trance like state and experienced both conscious and unconscious thoughts. I experienced unusual dreams which I remembered. For some strange reason I (a male) was pregnant and was concerned for the baby’s health. I associated this with my concerns and current health status, while going through a “re-birth” and awaking towards wellness.