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.
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