Wellness: Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing: Kaplan University (Cap-HW: 499 Website)
5 Reasons Happy People Stay Happy .....Everyone agrees that the mind/body connection is a critical component in healing and well-being. But how do you activate that connection? Practices like yoga, tai chi, reiki, and various types of meditation relate to and promote that connection, but, in themselves, don't produce the qualitative shift needed for the higher level of extraordinary, integral health. Rather that looking outside ourselves for new remedies, techniques, and programs, Elliott S. Dacher, M.D., says we have to redirect our vision from outside to inside.
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I. Introduction: It is important for a health and wellness professional to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically because we must be well enough to treat our own too, while continuing to educate one another daily. Understanding or accepting one's spirituality may or may not be tied to a specific religion or theology. It’s also important to note, over the lifespan their understanding of spirituality and/or religion often changes (Dacher, 2006). Wellbeing psychology’s ancestry are in the belief that everyone deserves proper medical and psychological care even when daily habits, career, or family life problems contribute to the decrease in physical health and/or psychological welfare. Being dependent on Western medicine and healing only caters to the biological functions of the human, so if one is educated on the other aspects of holistic healing, the faster one can get onto the road to recovery in all aspects of health (Dacher, 2006). Through Human Flourishing We learn to reach outside of our self for happiness and develop a powerful satisfying mental habit though wellness approaches such as love healing. Professionals achieve these goals for themselves and patients by approaches treatment of the whole individual. Many of us also research and form efficient joint treatment teams who administer powerful traditional complementary-alternative medication. It important for all healthcare individuals to communicate, healing integrate and help evaluate every part of the mind, body, and soul. Yes, balance, integration, and restoration of the individual are the keys to achieving true and complete Wellness happiness. II. Assessment: Q. How have you assessed your health in each domain? How do you score your wellness spiritually, physically, and psychologically? Physically I rate myself an A+ because I have stuck to a fitness plan for over two years and lost 80 pounds, because mentally I decided physical health prevents disease and my family suffers from diabetes II. It is important to not just eat correctly, but also to keep the body active. In my last class on vitamins and supplements, I learned that some individuals replace working out with supplements and others work out daily, but still eat poorly. Exercise has to be combined with a stable pyramid diet because no pill can replace these two essentials when properly executed. Psychologically I rate myself an A because I learned years ago that people who eat regular meals, maintain a healthy weight, do not smoke, drink little alcohol, receive adequate sleep and exercise regularly are in better health and live longer. Psychologists were also discovering associations between psychological and physiological processes. These include the influence of anxiety on the cardiovascular and immune systems and finding that the functioning of the immune system could be modified by training mentally. Anxiety management begins with identifying the sources of stress in your life. You should look closely at your habits, attitude, and excuses then start a journal to keep track of the anxiety (Dacher, 2006). My stress comes from drinking too much, working long hours without proper sleep, and family problem solving. I had to learn to reduce my alcohol intake and psychologically take control of all my thoughts via meditation. Meditation can be used as a form of alternative medicine. It is considered mind-body medicine. Meditation is the ancient practice of applying focus and breathing techniques to induce relaxation, relieve worry, and rid the mind of anxious thoughts (Dacher, 2006). Spirituality is my weak point because I have a hard time believing in its healing practices while my parents are ill. I learned from Dacher‘s booklet, Spirituality empowers all dimensions of health, and provides continuity between each aspect. Spiritual Health care consists of the activities of care that bring quality of life, well-being, and function to patients that spiritual care may include the transcendent, meaning making, and religion ( Dacher, 2006).I rate myself a B- because I have a hard time recognizing, accepting, and realizing the atmosphere of God, or the perfect spiritual idea of being, in the individual. It removes the toxins of distorted self-acceptance that appear to have separated the person from wholeness. My parents taught me, you can release all your physical pain through spirituality just though prayers and hope. Most days, they do not even suffer because of mental relief. III. Goal development: List at least one goal you have for yourself in each area, Physical, Psychological (mental health) and Spiritual. Spiritually my goal is to acknowledge the fact that when we perceive the reality of wholeness, then Truth takes over our lives. Mental/spiritual treatment must come after a spiritual awakening. I would also like to visually view a health patient receiving spiritual healing and then recovery in a positive light. Physically I have reached my weight goal but not my BMI goal. I mentally crave certain foods and have a hard time balancing my work and exercise schedule. Stress also contributes to my fat intake and only certain areas of my body display the hardship. This is why I have incorporated yoga in my daily life; it deals with mental and physical (Dacher, 2006).Yoga is considered a mind-body type of complementary and alternative medicine practice. Yoga brings together physical and mental disciplines to achieve peacefulness of body and mind, helping you relax and manage stress and anxiety. My plan did not include a start date and sometimes I went off the plan, therefore my fitness was not consistent. Psychologically my goal is to make my mind, body, and soul develop as one. Dancher states, you can control you mental thought process though practice. Wellness acknowledges that attaining optimal wellness is a lifelong process and that behavior change comes as a result of clear and consistent education and support (Dacher, 2006). It means being responsible for your own wellbeing. I plan to mentally incorporate integral practices because in some way support your inner development expands your consciousness. You can transcend any past trauma, negative pattern of behavior, belief systems, and any other limiting understandings. Mental training and subtle consciousness practice will provide the opportunity to take you through the steps of moving the body to mind to spirit in each aspect of your life. IV. For personal health: Q. 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. Personal responsibility through self-management helps me develop my inner Psychological, strengths. This does not mean I do everything on my own. People who do not add physical exercise and proper nutrition to their lives, will be more at risk for illness like, diabetes, cardiovascular failure, and osteoporosis (ION, 2014). It is important for our youth to instill these traits within themselves at an early age, so they may carry it over into adulthood. The Integral existence offers a path of balance and wholeness. The integral paradigm represents a holistic approach to wellness and healing, considering the entire being in the context of his or her environment. Spiritual guides of the world are helped by a variety of practices-which might include prayer, meditation, yoga, psychological therapy. I make them part of my integral spirituality, since those measures can help increase my person's capacity for various sorts of practice. V. Commitment: Q. 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? It’s all about Eudaimonia according to Dancher, (“human flourishing”) the innate potential of each individual to live a life of enduring happiness, penetrating wisdom, ideal welfare, and trustworthy love and compassion. I had to make commitments to myself because my life was covered in blankets of mental misunderstandings and emotional disturbances (Dancher, 2006). I had to learn, that these feelings had to be overcome before my true potential could be realized. We cannot control the outer world or other people, that’s why it’s important to communicate and know your limitations. Experiences change, others become preoccupied with their own needs, and over time material objects lose their wealth in your eyes. Happiness, peace, and well-being can be achieved through outer efforts alone. I personally plan to make a written schedule for my Yoga classes, exercises meditation and church schedule. This will allow me to stay on track and reach my goals. I also plan on asking a couple of my family members to join me on this wholeness retreat for moral support. Sometimes the buddy system gives you great motivation. Dacher, E.S. (2006). Integral Health the Path to Human Flourishing, Basic Health Publications, ION. (2014). Elliott Dacher, MD | IONS Directory | Institute of Noetic ...Retrieved October 21, 2014 from: noetic.org/directory/person/elliott-dacher |