Final Post

On a scale of 1 to 10 I would now rate myself in the following categories: physical well-being -9, spiritual well-being- 5, psychological well-being- 7. I am beginning to grow in areas that I was slacking in. I am in good shape; I work out five days a week. I eat right most of the time; do cardio, and strength training often. My goal is to be in the best shape of my life by the time we get married next year. I have slacked on my spiritual well-being. I am a very spiritual person however I have lost touch with that side due to simply not making it a priority anymore. I feel the spirituality and psychological parts are so interconnected and affect each other greatly. My goal is to connect with my church and my spiritual side again. I would also like to get my fiancé involved in this too because it will make our relationship stronger. I can move toward this goal by simply saying my prayers every night and making more of an attempt to go to church, where I feel at home and at peace.

 I feel that this course has allowed me to grow personally and professionally.feel that this class has greatly altered my life in a positive way. Meditation was very difficult to begin but so worth it in the end. After learning how to meditate during this course, I feel much more calm. This class has been my own natural antianxiety medication! I have learned alot which I will pass onto others in my future. I feel that everyone can greatly benefit from meditation and yoga practice because I myself, have seen the benefits to be reaped from it. Good luck to everyone in your future endeavors!

Final Project

    I think for many "inner peace" is associated with happiness. To me, this state means that we can have freedom paired with prosperity and success. Success means many different things for different people. For some, it means money and materialistic things. For others it means health and family. And some are right in between, wanting a little bit of both. For me, happiness and my "American Dream" means that I will be healthy and so will my family. It means that I will find inner peace and have enough money to pay my bills. Like the Dalai Lama says, "inner peace is the ultimate source of happiness and joyfulness." I also find happiness from being successful in my career and always moving forward with my education. It is important for all health and wellness professionals to develop in all areas of their lives: psychologically, spiritually, and physically because that is when we can feel truly whole. When we are whole, then we can begin to help others. I need to develop and achieve goals for myself in the spirituality department.

Many medical and psychological literatures are looking for the connections between spirituality and overall health. There are several researched connections that prove that spirituality and religion are directly correlated with our physical and mental well-being. There are fifteen different dimensions of religion and spirituality that have been studied in depth to find the true connection between spirituality and religion with our overall health. The major dimensions are, according to Seybold and Hill (2001), “beliefs and practices, attitudes, religious orientation, religious development, commitment and involvement, religious coping, mysticism and views of death and after life" (Seybold and Hill, 2001).The overall conclusion is that religion and spirituality have a positive impact on our health and well-being. Research has proven that there are many salutary effects of religion and spirituality on physical health that are leading to a paradigm shift. These effects include but are not limited to: A lower rate of: heart disease, blood pressure, myocardial infarction, chronic pain, cancer mortality, and surgery related stress (Seybold and Hill, 2001). 

 I believe science plays an important role in medicine and healing. I do know that science has its limitations and that's where spirituality comes into play. I have experienced this type of healing first hand. A few years ago my 38 year aunt Roxanne was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer. She was always a religious church person but during her battle with the cancer I believe that her spirituality helped her gain a positive outlook on life. She continued to go to church even when the radiation and chemotherapy had worn her down. While everyone around her was crying and upset that they might lose her, she continued to comfort them and stay positive. Not once did she falter with her positive attitude. She has now been cancer free for two years and she will tell you that her blessing was given to her because she stayed in faith of the Lord. I believe that if she would have gotten bitter and kept a negative attitude during the battle with cancer that maybe things would have turned out differently.

On a scale of 1 to 10 I would rate myself in the following categories: physical well-being -9, spiritual well-being- 4, psychological well-being- 6. I am really only excelling in one category as you can very well see. I am in good shape; I work out five days a week. I eat right most of the time; do cardio, and strength training often. My goal is to be in the best shape of my life by the time we get married next year. I have slacked on my spiritual well-being. I am a very spiritual person however I have lost touch with that side due to simply not making it a priority anymore. I feel the spirituality and psychological parts are so interconnected and affect each other greatly. My goal is to connect with my church and my spiritual side again. I would also like to get my fiancé involved in this too because it will make our relationship stronger. I can move toward this goal by simply saying my prayers every night and making more of an attempt to go to church, where I feel at home and at peace.

I have developed so many goals after taking this course. To start with the basics I will list one for each category. Physically, I wanted to maintain my workouts at least four days a week and stay physically healthy. Psychologically, I need to meditate for at least five minutes every night to help with my insomnia. I recently have been using my new meditation cd’s I purchased at the beginning of this course. Spiritually, I have started becoming more involved with my church again and I just need to maintain that great relationship with God. I would like for my fiancé and I to start our premarital counseling though the church also.

There are many useful strategies that we have discussed throughout this course to foster growth in each of the three categories. Physically: I am going to go to the gym for a minimum of four days a week to stay in shape. I am also going to eat a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables and do juicing for two days out of the week. Psychologically: I am going to meditate for five minutes a night to help with my insomnia. I am going to use my meditation cd’s to help me carryout this process. Then, once I feel comfortable I am going to try and quit taking the sleeping medication I have been on for over a year now. Spiritually: I am going to attend church every Sunday to help keep my connection strong with God. I am also going to check into premarital classes that my fiancé and I can go together before we get married because I know it will bring us even closer.

The advice Dacher gives he calls simple and consistent, but the success comes with practice and patience. The steps three simple concepts to achieving lasting holistic health are as follows: Become aware. By being mindful and listening to your inner voice you will become aware of what is causing you unnecessary suffering. You will know what to cultivate in your life and what to abandon.

For me, this means learning to become more aware when my stress level has reached a critical level, which could be harmful. By using the calm-abiding process and contemplative practices I can learn to relax my body, mind, and spirit. Using meditation, breathing, exercise, yoga, and other mindful practices will assist me. Learning to change my focus on the moment rather than stressing on the future.

Train your mind. For me, this means changing my negative thoughts into positive. How do I do this, by creating the possibility that will empower my future. By replacing my negative thoughts with loving kindness, compassion, and universal love, I can create the future I choose. Using the meditative practices of loving kindness, calm abiding, and the witnessing mind, I can learn to identify the negative thoughts and behaviors. With the possibility of creating a positive future I then create my intention. Stating it will send the positive energy out into the universe to support my intention. When creating my intention from a space of love, compassion, and trust, I then have a sense of knowing that guides me.

Develop you consciousness through contemplative practice. From using the process outlined by Dacher, the four aspects of integral health, I have mindfully contemplated and assessed the areas in my life that need development. Creating an Integral Practice program is important to be mindful of where you are at and where you are heading. Becoming more aware will help me to create the level of consciousness that will provide a sense of peace and tranquility.

In conclusion, I will assess my progress in the next few months by simply writing myself a reminder on my daily planner. I find it helpful that for long term goals, I like to write them down in stages. Once a month, I will write myself a note that says, “How are you doing with your spirituality goals?” This note will remind me to reflect on how I am doing and to stay on track. I will do this every month for the next six months. I believe it is important to maintain my long term goals for health and wellness. According to Dacher the final goal of integral healing is human flourishing-a profound, hardy, and sustained health, happiness, and wholeness (Dacher, 2006). What this means to my profession is that we must treat the person as a whole, not just one part of them. Such as myself, when treating clients for mental health disorders, I assess them for other issues. When conducting a full assessment I will cover the medical, family structure, their work/career, intimate and interpersonal relationship, children, cultural views, and their spiritual beliefs. Transformation can only happen if you engage in the process. With knowledge we can know, with practice we can become.

To help heal others from suffering is a gift and an obligation. To teach others how to heal, one must know how to help ourselves. When you have walked the path to healing both body and mind, you can then understand what it takes and only then can you teach others. It is my responsibility to understand what I am attempting to teach others. Without the personal experience it is only knowledge, with practice it become my experience. A great, wise teacher teaches from experience. Commitment to be a helper means that I have an obligation to practice what I teach. For myself, my daily practice of meditation, prayer, mindfulness, and practicing Loving Kindness is essential. Through reading and practicing the daily meditations the questioning mind became calm and clarity of purpose returned. I will find myself again!

References

Dacher, E. (2006).  Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications Inc

Dalai Lama: Inner Peace, Happiness, God and Money http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QvVaZfFDKw&feature=related

Seybold, K.S., & Hill, P. C.(2001). The Role of Religion and Spirituality in Mental and Physical Health. Current Directions in Psychological Science (Wiley-Blackwell), 10(1), 21-24. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Week 8

    Wow we are almost there class! My article on meditation was Chiesa, A., & Serretti, A. (2009). Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine, 15(5), 593-600. There are several CAM practices I believe in whole heartedly. The ones I have tried and currently use are: yoga, acupuncture, prayer, massage, and herbal remedies. One I haven't tried enough is meditation. There are so many proven benefits of meditation. I have always had a very difficult time sleeping and I know that if I started practicing meditation that it would help me in several aspects of my life. Mindful based stress reduction techniques have been proven through several studies to reduce stress levels in healthy people (Chiesa, A., & Serretti, A.,2009). There is a direct correlation between reduced stress levels and insomnia. I recently ordered two meditation CDs to listen to before I go to bed.
Based on its mission and responsibilities, the Commission developed 10 principles to guide the process of making recommendations and to shape the recommendations themselves:

1. A wholeness orientation in health care delivery. Health involves all aspects of life-mind, body, spirit, environment-and high-quality health care must support care of the whole person.
   
2. Evidence of safety and efficacy. The Commission is committed to promoting the use of science and appropriate scientific methods to help identify safe and effective CAM services and products and to generate the evidence that will protect and promote the public health.
   
3. The healing capacity of the person. The person has a remarkable capacity for recovery and self-healing, and a major focus of health care is to support and promote this capacity.
   
4. Respect for individuality. Every person is unique and has the right to health care that is appropriately responsive to him or her, respecting preferences and preserving dignity.
   
5. The right to choose treatment. Every person has the right to choose freely among safe and effective care or approaches, as well as among qualified practitioners who are accountable for their claims and actions and responsive to the person's needs.
   
6. An emphasis on health promotion and self-care. Good health care emphasizes self-care and early intervention for maintaining and promoting health.
   
7. Partnerships as essential for integrated health care. Good health care requires teamwork among patients, health care practitioners (conventional and CAM), and researchers committed to creating optimal healing environments and to respecting the diversity of all health care traditions.
   
8. Education as a fundamental health care service. Education about prevention, healthful lifestyles, and the power of self-healing should be made an integral part of the curricula of all health care professionals and should be made available to the public at all ages.
   
9. Dissemination of comprehensive and timely information. The quality of health care can be enhanced by promoting efforts that thoroughly and thoughtfully examine the evidence on which CAM systems, practices, and products are based and make this evidence widely, rapidly, and easily available.
   
10. Integral public involvement. The input of informed consumers and other members of the public must be incorporated in setting priorities for health care, health care research, and in reaching policy decisions, including those related to CAM, within the public and private sectors.

Week 7

I found this practice difficult at first because I could not connect with this guy's voice, it wasn't calming at all until the female started talking. In this practice, I thought about my grandmother, who is the greatest person in the whole wide world. She is caring, wise, loving, peaceful, great cook, everything a grandmother should be. I am so blessed to have her in my life. Once I connected, I listened to the waves and let them wash away the workday, my worries, and my problems. I enjoyed this practice essentially learning about Aesclepius, healing god.
For the quote, "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" I believe stands to mean that you have to walk in someones shoes before you judge them. We really shouldn't judge people period. This actually relates to what the pastor was saying in church the other day, he asked us " Why do we look down upon others so much for their sin, when God doesnt?" It's so true, God loves behavers and sinners alike. God Bless, everyone have a great week!
Ashley

Loving Kindness & Integral assessment

I did really well with the loving kindness practice found on page 93 of our book. This was easy for me because it is similar to the prayers I say every night. I found that this practice really will expand my mind and my heart and keep them both open and receptive. The integral assessment was a bit more difficult. I am currently trying to expand my consciousness to help address the deeper issues of my insomnia. I feel that by eating healthier and trying out my new insomnia meditation CDs will help me to grow and develop in this area. I just need to do these meditation practices nightly and hopefully find relief and a deeper sleep!

Week 5 Loving Kindness vs Subtle Mind

   The Loving Kindness exercise was oddly easier for me. Loving kindness had has visualize people in our lives and focus on their suffering while this Subtle Mind exercise had us focus on our own thoughts. I find it odd that I had trouble focusing on my own thoughts, for I am constantly thinking. I guess thinking and focusing are different and I am going to need to try this exercise a few more times to get a good understanding of the subtle mind.


   There are three levels of consciousness in “The Subtle Mind” chapter; witnessing, calm-abiding and unity consciousness (Dacher, p. 78). You need all three to be successful with this exercise and each level is important in each aspect of life; mental, physical and spiritual. If one area of your life is suffering then it is difficult to be whole. It is important to be healthy in all three areas of life; I have yet to achieve this and am very excited to reach this wholeness in life.

Unit 4-Loving Kindness

I found loving kindness helpful to a certain extent. I found that it allowed me to feel the love in my heart which gave me a calming feeling. I would recommend this exercise to others when they are feeling stressed out. I also think it would be a beneficial exercise to do when you are upset with a loved one and trying to see the good and not the bad.

What is the concept of "mental workout"? What does the research indicate are the proven benefits of a mental workout? How can you implement mental workouts to foster your psychological health? A mental workout works the deeper centers of our mind just as physical exercise works out body. There are many proven benefits of a mental workout. Physical exercise keeps the body healthy and helps reduce the risk of serious illnesses and diseases. Mental exercise provides the same type of benefit to the brain, as well. Mental stimulation helps the brain grow new neurons, which may help reduce the risk of cognitive decline, age-related memory loss or loss of motor skills. Even as we grow older, the brain benefits from regular mental exercise.