Unit 10 Blog Posting

A review of my progress towards integral healing

1. Review your unit 3 personal assessment of your psychological, physical, and spiritual well-being. Reflect on these areas . How did you score yourself on a scale from 1 to 10 in unit 3? 

I scored a 4 on health and a 7 for spiritual and psychological. I would score myself about the same today. I am still working improving my health with relaxation, meditation and the doctors help. My psychological health is slowly improving as I work toward whole health and my spiritual health is following the same path as they are interconnected in how I affect them and they affect me

1. Review the goals and activities you set for yourself in each area. Have you made progress toward the goals? Explain.

I have made some progress towards my goals but not as much as I had wanted to.  My back and SI joints have been hurting so much that I have been afraid to exercise for fear of agrivating the problem, my doctors  has told me the same...I have been doing the meditation I planned for myself but I am not good at sticking to a routine... so I have been doing it as I think about it through out the day.

1. Have you implemented the activities you chose for your well-being in each of the three areas? Explain.

I have not implemented the activities as I would have liked.. but I am still working on them...my body has not been willing to comply.

1. Summarize your personal experience throughout this course. I started off being very enthusiastic about this class and ready to put myself fully into it.Unfortunately I was side tracked by issues within the class and I lost my excitement for the class. I learned the principles and what was being taught but I lost my confidence in what was being taught.
2. Have you developed improved well-being? In some areas yes,in other areas no..
3. What has been rewarding? finishing the class and maintaining my integrity and belief in myself. 
4. What has been difficult? keeping up with my goals and maintaining my motivation and interest in the class. 
5. How will this experience improve your ability to assist others? By learning how to obtain whole health within myself I will be in better position to help others.

Part III of Unit 9 Post

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

One of my physical goals is to increase my physical endurance and strength as well as to reduce my weight. For my psychological goal, I want to become more comfortable expressing my emotions to others, and in knowing when it is appropriate. As a goal for my spirituality, I am working towards becoming more attuned and receptive to my social world.

    II.            Practices for personal health:

a.         What strategies can you implement to foster growth in each of the following domains; Physical, Psychological, and Spiritual.

     My strategies will be to improve my physical health through exercise, eating right and in loving my body through meditation. To improve my psychological health I will continue to utilize my therapist who is helping me to understand myself better and to realize and accept that I am ok as a person, that I can trust others with my inner self. For my spiritual self,  I will continue my relationship with God and in accepting his love and in allowing him to show me how to love others and to help them when they are in need, as well as allowing others to help me.

b.         Provide at least two examples of exercises or practices in each domain.

Physical:

1. Using the exercise bike three times a week to increase my cardiovascular system and to lose weight.

     2. Practice healthy eating habits.

Psychological:

1. Meditation to relieve stress and to learn how to obtain a witnessing mind and a subtle calm mind.

2. Practice changing my negative thoughts and feelings to positive thoughts and feelings.

c.          Explain how you will implement each example.

     I will implement each example by setting up a schedule of times and durations for both my physical exercises and eating habits as well as the times I will devote to meditation and inner reflection. I will use the meditation as a time to discover my  negative thoughts and feelings and as a way to change them. I will also intentionally remain vigilant to any stray negative thoughts during my day so that I may be aware of them and change them to positive realistic thoughts.

 III.            Commitment:

a.            How will you assess your progress or lack of progress in the next six months?

 will reassess my progress through contemplative meditation and self-reflection, with the intent of evaluating my level of development and need as well as my readiness for a more focused effort in specific areas. I intend to do this when I meditate which will be on a regular daily basis. I will make a point of this being the main point of my meditation at least once a week.

b.            What strategies can you use to assist in maintaining your long-term practices for health and wellness?

I can use my therapist as a means of gaining accountability for maintaining my schedule and in gaining success in my developmental process. By having a written schedule down and knowing what I want of myself and in keeping records of my progress and my needs. These will all help me to maintain my practices in health and wellness.

Part II Of Unit 9 Post

       I.            Assessment:

a.      How have you assessed your health in each domain?

By using the integral assessment in chapter 11, I followed the six principles of integral assessment as I guided myself through a meditative process of reflecting inward into my mind so that I might evaluate my needs and strengths. My goal during the assessment was to discover which aspect of my life needed the most work. Which aspect is causing me the most stress and pain, and where do I have the most potential for growth and development. I did this with as much openness and unbiased influences as possible, looking into my spiritual and psychological self as well as addressing my physical needs and strengths.

b.      How do you score your wellness spiritually, physically, and psychologically? On a scale from one to ten with one being the lowest.

My physical well-being is around a 4 or 5. I am overweight and do not feel good most of the time, I suffer from headaches and stress. My spiritual well-being is still difficult for me to assess as I have trouble distinguishing it separately from my religious ideas of spirituality.  I would still rate myself at a 7 because I am happy for the most part with the world around me, I can accept others for their strengths and weaknesses, but at the same time I am getting better at standing up for myself and not backing down when I believe I am right.

I am still working on feeling that I belong, that I am accepted by others and in trusting others with my inner self. Socially I am better at taking care of other people than I am myself, I prefer to see the best in a person and when I have to deal with a problem with another person I always try to validate what I value in them as well as trying to work with them towards a mutual agreement.

Psychological well-being; I again believe I rate around a 7 psychologically, I have issues I am working on, such as self- regulation, social anxiety, accepting myself and in believing others will accept me for who I am. With my successful progress at Kaplan I have more self-efficacy regarding my abilities and in my self-worth.

With the above being stated I believe I need the most work in my psychological development and that with this development my physical health will improve.  I suspect that most of my physical pain is due to my level of stress and lack of self –esteem.  I also believe this is the area I am the most ready to develop within myself.

UNIT 9 POST PROJECT 9

My Health and Wellness Plan

       I.            Introduction:

a.      Why is it important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically?

It is important for health and wellness professional to work towards their patient’s whole health and not just their physical health as has been the practice in Western society. In order for them to treat their patients as a whole, they first need to develop their own psychological and spiritual inner selves, as well as physical selves. This gives them a strong base from which to draw from. In the process of developing their own whole health, they will have proven that they understand what is necessary for their patients to achieve the same and that they have faith in whole health as well. It will give the practitioner a greater level credibility and compliance .Whole health gives the professional the strength and endurance to manage his or her own stress related to helping others who are not healthy whether it is mental, physical, or spiritual.  

b. What areas do you need to develop to achieve the goals you have for yourself?

I need to develop all areas to achieve my goals; I believe the process of developing oneself is an ongoing process that lasts a life time. With that said, I believe that I need to develop my physical health the most and then my psychological and lastly my spiritual health.

Unit 8 Blog posting

  How can you implement these practices in your personal life to foster “mental fitness”? Provide specific examples.

I like "Subtle Mind" and "Loving Kindness"

I like the subtle mind because it engages both a stilling of the mind to gain a witnessing mind and then a calm abiding peace that allows for greater introspection and evaluation so that I can make changes to my behavior, thinking and feeling.

To make the most out of this exercise I want to practice it in the morning after I get up and get ready for my day as a means of evaluating myself and preparing myself for the day. I will also practice the exercise as I prepare for bed at night in order to calm and still my mind from an active day as well as to evaluate myself and to look deeper into my true self.  This practice would also be good to use when I get frustrated or discouraged in regards to my interactions with other people or myself.

Loving kindness.. is very similar to how I pray. Prayer if you think about it is a method of meditation.. giving thanks to God for my blessings, praying for others that need support, healing and encouragement, and asking for guidance. In the Loving kindness exercise I would modify it to breathing in the suffering and pain of others and allowing it to dissipate through the love of God that resides in my heart. I pray nightly as I go to bed and I will incorporate this into my nightly prayer to God. I will also use it when I see someone that needs support and healing.. In my heart I feel the desire to pray for others as I see their need and not just as a nightly prayer.. I will incorporate the Loving kindness exercise into my prayers during these times as well..

Unit 7 Blog posting

1. Complete the "Meeting Asciepius" exercise on track #4 of the Dacher CD. Describe your meditative practice(s) for the week and discuss the experience. Explain how mindfulness or meditation has fostered an increase in your psychological or spiritual wellness. How can you continue to apply these practices in your life to foster greater health and wellness?

I found the experience to be relaxing and enabled me to be mindful of my thoughts and feelings, by being able to be mindful and aware of myself and my needs, my weaknesses and my strengths I can work on the areas that need work and modification, this moves me towards greater spiritual wellness. I can continue by continuing to practice the meditations and self reflecting inwards so that I can maintain my mental fitness and health.

1. Describe the saying: "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself” (P.477) 

This means that if you have not learned or practiced yourself what you are trying to teach another they are not going to respect what you are teaching them. They will not have any confidence in your understanding or ability to teach the same.

1. How does this apply to the health and wellness professional?

This applies to the professional... If I try to advise a client to practice meditation but the find out that I do not practice it myself they will not believe that it will truly benefit them as I have demonstrated that it is not beneficial in my own life. 

1. Do you have an obligation to your clients to be developing your health psychologically, physically, and spiritually? Why or why not?

Yes I have an obligation to my own whole-health so that I will be in a healthy state of mind in order to see clearly their needs and be able to treat them effectively. 

1.  How can you implement psychological and spiritual growth in your personal life?

By practicing meditations that will help me to attain a witnessing mind, a subtle mind and unity of mind.
by doing so I will free myself from chaotic thoughts, flighty unorganized ideas and images.I will be able to intentionally act rather than react with emotion without control. By looking inward and reflecting on myself I can work towards changing negative, unproductive, and unrealistic ideas and beliefs.

Unit 6 Blog exercise " An Integral Assessment

Universal Loving Kindness...
The purpose of this exercise is to help the person to increase their capacity of empathic listening, seeing and caring for others: with open heart,sensitivity, generosity and emotional intimacy. These feelings and abilities are meant to spread from ourselves and into our relationships. We can give and receive the gift of seeing the other, acknowledging them for who they are, hearing them, and being present with them. Integral health involves expanding beyond our close friends and family to include all of humankind. The development of universal loving-kindness is the final step in our interpersonal development (Dacher,2006).

The following exercise is designed to help acquire universal loving-kindness by helping you to move your focus from personal love to universal love. It takes about 10 minutes.
First close your eyes and rest for a minute or two into the natural ease of your mind and body and repeat the following phrases for 10min.

May all individuals gain freedom from suffering.
May all individuals find sustained health, happiness, and wholeness.
May I assist all individuals in gaining freedom from suffering.
My I assist all individuals in finding health, happiness, and wholeness.