~The Last Ten Weeks....They Have Been Amazing~ Unit 10

Greetings!

            Well, over the course of this term, I have learned a great deal about myself! I learned about my limitations, but most importantly, I learned about my possibilities as an individual being! In the beginning of this course I scored my physical wellbeing as a level 8, my spiritual as a 7, and my psychological as a 9. Now…..thinking about the scores that I gave myself in Unit 3 of this 10 week course truly amazes me, because comparing those scores with that of the unit 9 assessments, well, I scored myself at about a 5 in all three areas (physical, spiritual, and psychological). The scores have most definitely changed and I would say this has occurred because while I learned more about myself, I also learned how much work I have left to do. I certainly wouldn’t say this is a bad thing, but I do think that through this process, it will help me achieve more manageable goals.

            Although, it would have been nice to see progress in the areas of goals that I had set for myself, I think that I have made some progress and will continue to do so as this is a major commitment, and also one that could be life long, therefore, goals may be larger and progress will only be seen over larger periods of time. In addition, I have not implemented the activities that I had chosen in order to increase my wellbeing in all three of these areas, but I do feel that, just as with all things, it will take time. However, I have the drive, the willpower, and the dedication to integrating integral health into my lifestyle and…..changes, well they are about to happen!!!

            Throughout this course I have developed a much deeper sense of self, and have also placed more value on the person that I am and the role that I play in this world; we all make a difference! I would say that I have definitely developed an improved wellbeing! This course has taught me more about the value of life in the last ten weeks than I had known for the last 30 years, and that knowledge is something to be cherished! I would say that the most rewarding part has been learning so much about myself and the renewed value that I have on life and the impact that I can make in this world. Throughout this journey, I would say that the most difficult thing has been incorporating these new habits into my life, but just like with breaking bad/old habits, it all takes time; this is a life changing event and it won’t happen overnight. I think that this experience will help me assist others in a much more dynamic way because it has provided me with insight into the soul and for what it may be searching for; which is true inner healing.

~Anna

~Fostering Integral Growth: Unit 9~

Introduction

            Although, with some jobs it does not require you to be developing in a certain area of life, psychology does require such fundamentals, because if we wish to help our clients in the most effective and beneficial way, then we also need to be working in our lives. Being a part of the health professional field does require us to be working on and towards human flourishing to a specific degree. We must be maintaining a healthy mind and spirit in order to be helping those in need of healing. If we are mentally unsound, how can we be affective in our profession? We are also ethically committed to our clients and through this commitment we must uphold standards for our own health, wellness, and wholeness.

            Even though, I haven’t begun practicing in psychology, I thought that through my academic journey would be an excellent time to begin my journey towards human flourishing. When I do enter the field as a practicing psychologist, it is my goal to be the most beneficial, efficient, and effective individual in my clients’ lives helping them heal and work towards recovery. Areas that I would like to continue to develop in order to achieve my goals would be spiritual and psychological.

Assessment

            I have assessed my health in each domain through the integral assessment and through maintaining a clear and unbiased mind. It is during our times of meditation that we can see a clear image and our level of integral development and growth. These quiet moments offer us visions into our inner most being, and provide us with the opportunity to see where we need further development. Just as Dacher (2006) explained “integral assessment addresses the aspects, levels, and lines of development that are relevant to our current circumstances” (p.106). So, with that said, that would be how I have assessed my health in each of the domains; through meditation practices, integral assessments, and then through careful consideration of my current circumstances. While considering these different domains, if I were to score each of them on a scale of 1-10, ten being the best, I would rate all three (spiritual, physical, and psychological) at about a 5. Now, this someone could be embarrassed about or not wish to admit, but me, I’m happy about my score because I know that I still have much more work and developing to do, but I know that today, my score is much higher than it would have been even 9 weeks ago.

Goal Development

            As for this element, a common goal that I have each domain is to raise the score; I hope to achieve higher levels of mental, physical, and spiritual fitness. I know that life has so much more to offer than the obvious, but we need to take the un-obvious, search within ourselves, and develop our inner being beyond what can be seen by the eye. More specifically, a developmental goal that I have for my physical entity would be to increase this domains rating from a 5 to a 7 (and then higher). For the spiritual and psychological domains, I also hope to raise those scores through continued meditation and developmental exercises and practices. One of my major goals for spiritual and psychological growth is to devote time 5 days a week to meditation and integral exercises.

Practices for Personal Health

            There are a lot of ways to promote personal health, but setting goals is the first step in integrating these practices into our lives.

Physical goals: Two examples of physical goals would be to continue to committing time 5 days a week to physical fitness. This can be accomplished through cardio exercises and weight training. This goal will be implemented through continued healthy eating habits and through working out my body physically five days a week for at least 45 minutes a day.

Psychological and spiritual goals: Two examples of exercises for these domains that will promote personal health will be meditative practices and exercises, continuing to educate myself on integral health, and connecting with organizations that promote human flourishing. I will be implementing the meditative practices through continuing to dedicate 20 minutes a day to these exercises. Continual education will be carried out through additional research and reading, and becoming connected with different integral organizations.

Commitment

            I will continue to track my progress through the integral assessment and through careful considerations during my meditative states. The strategies that I will be utilizing to maintain my long-term practices for health and wellness will be applying the eight principles of integral practice: all integral practices must have as their final aim the evolution of our knowledge, capacity, and abilities beyond what is now considered normal; all integral practices must be supported by inner development; all integral practices must be infused with an aspiration for loving-kindness; all integral practices must be infused with virtue; all integral practices must be tailored to the individual’s needs; integral practice requires more than one helper or mentor; integral practice requires that we take responsibility for our own development, and finally, integral practice emphasizes activities that are broad-based, simultaneously touching multiple aspects of our life (Dacher, 2006).

            Just as Dacher had mentioned, having more than one mentor is a very important element because finding a support system that fosters your integral growth is a key factor long-term integral development. Becoming connected with other individuals who have taken the step towards integral health will also be a great asset in achieving my goals for health, wellness, and wholeness. Having a support system that encourages us to grow in a positive way is a priceless strategy in growing and flourishing.

Conclusion

            The integral approach offers a unique quality to life; so unique that few have embarked on this journey to the center of their being. Dacher also brought up an excellent point about living an integral life by stating that “all aspects of our life---whatever we are doing, whomever we are meeting---can be brought into the integral path. That is our aim” (2006, p.125). Dacher also stated that “an integral life is not ultimately found in formal practice. It is found in living integrally day by day” (2006, p.125). It is through this practice that we can achieve mental fitness and reach our personal health goals. We can then be a more effective health professional operating with a sound mind and with loving-kindness.

 

Reference

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, California: Basic Health Publications.

~The Two Practices That I Have Found to be the Most Beneficial~

Greetings all!

            After I have reviewed the previous exercises and practices that were completed for this course, I feel that the two that I found most beneficial were the Loving-kindness and Subtle Mind exercises. Both of these provided me with a new and challenging opportunity to train my mind in a way that I never knew existed. These new ways of training my mind will help me deal with situations and circumstances in a much healthier way, and has also provided me with an opportunity for continued growth and psychological and spiritual wellness. I was awakened to a whole new sense of health and wellness that I can now take and foster that growth for years to come in promoting the best version of myself.

            Through learning how to implement these practices on my own will be what provides me with the confidence to continue utilizing these exercises. They do take time, dedication, and perseverance, but they are well worth it in the end. I will continue to foster mental fitness through practice and continual education and learning in the integral approach. Achieving human flourishing is a goal that I will continue to work towards. My thoughts are: “If you wish to live a happy and healthy life filled with wholeness and wellness, then integral health is the practice that you should apply to your life.” Through this approach one can sustain a whole new level of happiness and live a far more fulfilled life! One of the best parts…..with the knowledge we learn and the better level of health we reach, we can begin to share it with others! Spread the word!

~Meeting Aesclepius~

Greetings all!

            Well, I completed this meditative practice and, I must say, I thought it was a very unique experience. Meditation has most certainly led me to a distinctive place in my life and has created a desire within myself to seek a greater place! My personal meditation practices have always been unique to my individual needs and have, also, always provided me with a renewed perspective on things. It has created a healthy way for me to deal with difficult situations in life, and has had a major impact on how I react to things around me. In addition, the meditation practices that I have completed have truly helped me cope with pre-existing relationships and the dynamics of those relationships. Instead of fostering ill-hearted feelings (that only harm myself), I can approach relationships and individuals with a loving-kindness mentality and this has nurtured growth, wisdom, and a much healthier level of mental fitness.

            All of these practices have done a great deal in advancing my psychological and spiritual wellness; the freedom and openness that comes with this type of wellness is an amazing feeling. I will continue these practices because I have a deep-rooted appreciation and yearning for a more advanced level of psychological and spiritual wellness. I can continue to apply these practices through continued practice and continued education; constant learning and growth will be what helps me develop a higher level of wellness.

            Schlitz, Amorok, and Micozzi (2005) stated a profound quote by saying that “one cannot lead another where one has not gone him or herself”(p.477). To me, this would be a statement that I would apply to my professional career of psychology; if I have not begun and experienced my journey towards integral health, how could I help future clients in beginning their journey towards health, wholeness, and happiness? These are all thoughts that we, as professionals, must consider while trying to help others heal. To be a healer, you must first experience healing. If we have dedicated ourselves to professionally helping others, then we are obligated to be pursuing our own psychological and spiritual wellness. If we have not yet begun our journey, how can we teach others to begin theirs? In fulfilling my obligation to my future clients, I must continually be pursuing a greater level of psychological and spiritual wellness. I will do this through continued meditation practices and further my education in integral health. While committing to helping others heal, we first, must be fully vested in the healing and wellness practices of our own lives.

Reference

Schlitz, M., Amorok, T., & Micozzi, M. (2005). Consciousness and healing: Integral approaches to mind-body medicine. St. Louis, Missouri: Churchill Livingstone.

~The Loving Kindness Exercise and the Integral Assessment~

Greetings all!

            Well, upon completing the universal Loving Kindness (meditation) exercise and the Integral Assessment, I will begin to explain my experiences and the developments that took place. The Loving Kindness (meditation) exercise and the Integral Assessment were unique processes in which I discovered some unique qualities that I have, but also showed me some areas where there needs to be some improvements. The exercise was a great asset in helping me discover some of my weak points in my life, but also helped me discover why I continue to selflessly give myself even when others don’t appreciate it or recognize it. The Integral Assessment process wasn’t quite as formal as I had expected, but the assessment did reveal some unique aspects about myself upon the completion of this process. One specific area that stuck out to me was that I noticed just how much healing I have left to do; I hadn’t realized how much work there was to do in this area alone.

            Through these two processes (the Loving Kindness exercise and the Integral Assessment), I have discovered that for a very long period of time I have been focusing on other people’s health and wellness instead of my own. So, that is now the area that I am going to focus on; creating health and wellness within myself through the process of putting myself and my healthful needs as a priority instead of something that is neglected. Because I have experienced suffering and the effects that it can have on a person, I feel that I have also grown as an individual and have gained a certain amount of freedom, sustained health, happiness, and wholeness. Once I have spent some time working on my own development, I feel I will then be able to help others again in the future. Through putting my wellness and development first, I will then be able to develop a stronger me; I will be able to help others find their strength, freedom, health, happiness, and wholeness. Just like with many things, we need to start with healing ourselves before we can help others heal.

            Exercises and activities that I am going to do to promote this growth and development will be exercises like the loving kindness exercises. Even though I will be devoting time to healing and strengthening myself, I still wish to foster feelings of loving kindness towards others. I think having and maintaining these feelings for others helps immensely in our journey towards a more fully developed and intentional lifestyle. Another exercise that I will continue to do will be meditation; it is during this time that I am able to foster positive feelings that promote health and wellness while still helping my development of mindfulness and will aid in my journey towards unity consciousness.

~The Subtle Mind~

Greetings everyone!

            Well, I must say, this was, yet again, a very unique and inspiring experience! For this week I was to complete The Subtle Mind relaxation exercise, and then to compare and contrast it to that of last week’s exercise: Loving-kindness. I remember last week I thought the Loving-kindness exercise was long, however. This week’s exercise, The Subtle Mind, was longer, but it didn’t really feel that way.

            I would have to say that I found lasts week’s more relaxing, but this week’s exercise more beneficial. Maybe it’s the difference in exercises or techniques, or maybe it’s also partially to do advancements that I am making in my psychological and spiritual growth. The Subtle Mind felt like it took a lot more work and force to keep my mind free of thoughts or distractions because there was significantly more quiet time in this one versus the exercise we completed last week. However, I am always learning though, and I find it enormously interesting how much the breath is connected to the mind! I find that it is easier for me to minimize the distractions when I’m taking deeper longer breaths versus shorter ones.

            I did find a great deal of peace when my thoughts and distractions where limited and my mind was able to take a break, but what surprised me was every time I reached a place where my mind was free and where there were no distractions or thoughts, it was as though I was startled and I would even flinch. My interpretation of this was that my mind was going through a series of shock because it’s so used to processing a hundred different things at once, that I feel there was a slight “shock factor” when I would ease my mind of the stress and work. This is something that I did not experience with last week’s exercise, but we were also being instructed on what to be thinking about, so the mind was able to continue in somewhat the same fashion that it usually does.

            Relaxation exercises greatly enhance your psychological and spiritual growth, but that is only a small portion of the benefits. The mind-body-spirit is, how I like to think of it, is like a triangular model with inner wires that are all connected. Each of three major elements is, in hundreds of ways, connected to the other. Therefore, when one area is being enriched, the other two will benefit as well. This goes for negative regression as well; if one area is destructively affected, the other two elements will feel the impact too.

            In my life, I find the greatest peace, joy, happiness, and wholeness when my psychological, spiritual, and physical elements are at a healthy state.  By working on these aspects of our lives we can immediately see improvements in our lives. Not only do we become more positive and life seams a thousand times better, but we also start to see how it affects those around us; we are more loving, patient, accepting and kind. Start building a better you!

~Anna

~Make a change: Loving-kindness~

Greetings all!

            I am writing this blog in regards to a relaxation exercise I recently completed, and it was called Loving-kindness. It was a unique experience and I would recommend it to others, but the only thing is, is I feel that a person has to be at a specific point in their psychological and spiritual growth in order for this to be the most effective and beneficial.

            This experience I did find beneficial, although, at times it was a little difficult to remain focused due to the length, but I do feel that with time, it would become easier and further advantageous. Despite some minor difficulties, I would recommend this exercise because I think it could greatly help an individual feel stronger and also feel like they could then be better capable of helping others.

            While considering this exercise, it would be important to consider the term “mental workout,” because that is essentially one of the things we are doing when we complete relaxation exercises. Mental workouts can very much be compared to physical workouts; the goal is to keep them in shape, on their toes, and in the best possible condition to perform at optimal levels. To help our minds grow and become the best possible version of themselves, then we need to work them out! With working out our minds on regular basis, we can strengthen our minds ability and agility. To foster this strength and growth, one should dedicate a certain amount of time each day in order for there to be a growth in psychological health. For some, it may take smaller increments of time to begin with, but then one can lengthen this time as growth and strength extends. Then, as time goes one, one can begin to experience the benefits of psychological and spiritual growth, health, and overall wellness!

~Anna