Unit 9 Final Project :)

Integral Growth

Introduction

It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop not only psychologically, but spiritually and physically as well; this is in the best interest of the patient. To understand fully what may be illing a patient, a practitioner must be in tune to all aspects of each person as a whole, and not just a symptom to treat; “while an integral approach can more effectively help the patient, an integrally informed approach can more effectively help the healer” (Schlitz, 2005.p.xx). As a psychology major I already need to understand how the human brain works; I am naturally a spiritual individual at heart, and I choose health as my electives because I want to know what goes on with the physical aspect as well. As we have learned already, “one cannot lead another where one has not gone himself” (Schlitz, 2005.p.477); if there were anything I would need further development in it would be compassion for willful ignorance..

Assessment

    My personal physical well-being is not too good, especially for someone of my age; at 30 years old I am overweight, out of shape, and it’s faster to write a list of what isn’t wrong with me. My spiritual well-being is better, as I have always had faith in God and without that faith I would have been dead long ago. Without having a faith in something higher I would see no other reason for being here, as I do not believe in accidents as complex as the human body. Saying this, I am sure I fall short of my spiritual goals because I know I am not perfect, and not everyone has all the answers; I don’t go out of my way to push my beliefs on others because I feel it’s not always right to do so. Lately I have realized that I see and feel more, concerning the spiritual aspects of reality, than others, so I am also looking into parapsychology in addition to my behavior analysis studies.

My psychological well-being is not so good, but not always bad as I have depression and stress from too much on my plate all the time; 4 kids and not married to my partner after 8 years. I am borderline bipolar, and with my fibromyalgia depression is hard to rid having lost my job, always dealing with relationship issues, and always having homework. Besides that, 3 out of 4 kids have behavioral disorders that are being dealt with, and our new puppy has to go due to allergies but he has a broken leg; things are a bit psychotic in my life right now.     

Goal development

   I have several goals for my physical self; to lose weight and shrink down, and start eating better for inner and outer health reasons. I have sleep apnea, fibromyalgia, hypothyroidism, bad circulation, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and varicose veins-among other things. I have a hard time getting up in the morning, as I have back pain and migraine headaches; losing weight would be a huge benefit to these negative physical issues. Parts of my physical issues are caused by emotional and psychological factors; family stress and financial debt. This is where the physical and psychological/emotional issues cross hairs.

 My psychological goals would be to figure out a way to kick this depression in the backside forever; to learn how to control my emotions and deal better with the stressful surroundings of my daily life. Learning to let things go has been my biggest battle; my studies this term have been a big help in realizing that I just need to relax and let things slide. Focusing on my children and making sure the bills get paid are things that I get done instinctually; focusing on the positive aspects of my life are things that need work. Meditation and prayer are the only things that get me through the day, and I have come to realize I can do them both anywhere, anytime I need to.

My spiritual goals are to continue my faith in God and continue my daily prayer and meditation routines; these are the only genuine support I have for all other aspects of my being. I would not be a whole person without my faith, and I have come to discover that I would be lost without my abilities to sense spiritual aspects of others as well. I can sense auras, I have battled with the darker side my whole life, and I can sense when unseen entities walk through my house. I know this may sound off or absurd, but I am trying to strengthen that in myself; I would love to further this journey and take some parapsychology courses-the union of my major with something I am spiritually bound to. I have so many things I want to encourage in myself, and I have no idea where to start or where it ends!

Practices for personal health

    My physical growth is the hardest thus far, as my fibromyalgia rules my nervous system; as Dacher states, “our hardwired nervous system and our mobile messenger molecules manage the informational flow that goes from mind to body and back again” (Dacher, 2006.p.81). I hate the fact that I have to live my day according to how I feel when I wake up. My previous doctor was an osteopathic who used directional stretching on my ligaments and cranial manipulation on my skull, promoting flow of circulation to the brain. I have been looking for other ways to do this on my own, as I no longer have that physician and am stuck with mainstream idiots; I have found that yoga exercises do help with this. The stretching techniques in yoga help stretch these ligaments, and promote circulation throughout the entire body. Another technique for physical wellness is biofeedback, as it “relies on amplified feedback from the body and mental training to control blood pressure, pulse, muscular tension, capillary blood flow, and bowel and bladder motility by reducing the hyperactive state of the body” (Dacher, 2006.p.83).

Psychological growth exercises, such as mind/body practices, are good for both physical and psychological development as “fear and anxiety exacerbate the intensity of pain, while mental training in a variety of relaxation techniques reduces the perception of pain (Dacher, 2006.p.83). I used biofeedback as an example of physical growth, but it also remains the same for psychological growth; as it uses visualization techniques to lessen psychological stress and negative emotions felt and/or conveyed. Mental training, such as meditative relaxation techniques, teaches us how to shift blood flow in the brain, affecting anxiety and depression, while helping to enhance effectiveness of the immune system. I have problems with depression and anxiety due to a lot of stress from this past year; this is when I need to start letting things go and focus on what matters. Meditation of any kind is beneficial; doubled up with physical and spiritual exercise is even better.

“As we reach toward the higher levels of consciousness and progressively experience the more subtle aspects of the mind/body, we finally get a glimpse of the spiritual body” (Dacher, 2006.p.84). Spiritual growth is the most important to me, personally, as my entire childhood was founded by some kind of religious belief system; as an adult I choose to accept what I want to believe in and go from there. I have come to believe in the possibility of all things, with faith that God created them, and it’s an openness that I have had to develop within myself. Prayer as meditation is a good spiritual exercise, as it helps keep me a bit calmer throughout my day; gives me a feeling of zen that stays with me. Visualization techniques are another spiritual exercise; vision quests have always been part of expanding consciousness for many cultures; I now firmly believe anyone can focus on the positive spiritual side of their lives and anything else is willful ignorance.

Commitment

    The only way I could assess my progress in the next 6 months is to compare it to the progress I have made within the term; I can periodically stop and take a look around me to sort of check things off mentally, making sure I stay on track. Turning everything into a routine will also help keep up on my progress both physically, mentally, and spiritually. I can also teach these practices to my kids, and hope they are willing to foster some sort of acceptance into their own ways of thinking. It isn’t easy to keep up on anything with a crazy life like mine, but every little bit helps; I didn’t take this class because I had to, I chose to for many reasons. It connects my psychology degree to my love of holistic health and spiritual awareness; it has been nice learning how to just let go of unneeded negative factors of life.

References

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

Schlitz, M., Amoroke, T., Miccozzi, M. (2005). Consciousness and Healing: Integral Approaches to Mind-Body Medicine. Churchill-Livingstone Elsevier Publishing

The only practice that I actually halfway got through was the subtle mind; the sessions did nothing for me really, as they had to do with narration and that is NOT my idea of relaxation. I have 4 kids, the best words are unsaid. Yoga has been a bit helpful, It's good for breathing and helps relax me for meditation or prayer, to me they go hand-in-hand. These exercises are good for relieving tension from the day, and clearing my mind of thoughts that stress me out and get my blood pressure up; they are good mentally and physically. My mental fitness is in utilizing these practices to keep me from going completely insane from my external stimuli on a daily basis; partly being that my pup thinks my yoga mat makes a great chew toy... grrr, lol.

Ok, so I listened to the Meeting Aesclepius.\ mp3, and I don't really know how I am supposed to feel about it. I sat through the initial narrative, and it reminded me of listening to bible on cassette as a kid; this may not have bothered me (since I have always held to my beliefs) but it was used as punishment so I like to read it myself nowadays, lol. I was listening to him talk when the female narrative started up for the exercise itself; sudden change in tone was a bit startling. The part that bugged me was when I was supposed to visualize someone that was a comfort to me, but I don't have someone like that that I would really visualize as a wise anything; I don't have the ability to visualize comfort.
I have lived most of my life without my parents help (would have been better without them), without comfort; you get used to that, and eventually you forget how it works. I would have an easier time visualizing someone I would easily comfort instead, such as a child or a good friend. For me to comfort is easy, that's what I'm good at; to be comforted to me is a joke, lol, I don't trust many with my emotions. 
I have been using mindful meditation more often, and it is coming easier to me than before. I have gotten to the point where I know I can't always get everything done right now, when before I freaked out when things didn't get done when they should, I couldn't let things go. 
The saying One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself, means that you cannot properly advise another about something you have not truly experienced yourself. This goes double in the health field, as you can't sit there and tell someone to quit smoking and make them feel horrible for ruining their health, if you smoke. I had an osteopathic doctor that lost 20 pounds, just so that he coudn't tell his patients to lose weight with extra baggage on himself. It pretty much means don't be a hypocrite and don't be a know-it-all. I went into the field of psychology to understand my family better, it has been a blessing.
 

Assessment Unit 6

I did the universal loving kindness meditation exercise, and I have to say that it was hard to really focus lol. I kept forgetting what I was supposed to be meditating on, so I would stop and read again. I'm not surprised since I have 4 kids and they all had the last few days off from school, makes it hard for anything. I do find this similar to what I ask in my daily prayers, though, so that made it easier to understand.
I read the integral assessment steps, but I have already known for a long time that I need growth and development psychologically to help take control of my depression and extreme emotional vulnerability. The most significant sources of distress in my life have always been money, but especially now; this causes personal physical and emotional frustrations and hopelessness, plus relationship tension and effects my family as a whole. Also, I live in a small town and someone is spreading rumors about me (which is soooo juvenile) and I don't even know what's going on, lol. I have kids on meds for mental issues, I'm on meds I want to get off of, and my other half needs meds he can't get right now (he has anger issues). Too many things to focus on in one exercise, but it would go smoother if my children were not screaming lol. Right now the only things that I seem to be able to do for exercise of any kind is my treadmill and stretching/yoga; I want to incorporate some Ayurveda into it as well.

Subtle Mind

With the loving kindness exercise I had issues; I totally spaced out on the wall in front of me while listening, then couldn't remember anything that had been said by the narrator. For the subtle mind exercise I started listening and again didn't finish from spacing out (I never could do the whole 'book on  tape' thing), but this time I noted that the text said that would happen from time-to-time. What I did remember was that the breathing exercises in the subtle mind were not that much different than the breathing techniques I have been using for years. I have come to realize that breathing patterns can help with many things such as asthma, nausea, heartburn, and pain in general. I remember as a kid seeing a television show where they explained how deep breathing can keep you from losing your lunch (which is true), and I have always used that, lol.

The connections between spiritual, mental, and physical wellness is that we can't have one without the other and be completely happy or healthy in everyday life. I have come to see and feel that they are the trifecta for sane living (though sanity is relative to everyone's own definition). I can't live without my faith, it is my spirituality; without it I would lose my mental capacities. Without either of these my health would surely fail me, as it has done so in the past. Exercises or not, it's clear how things work, and how they are supposed to be.

Hey all~

I went through the exercise and I was a little more relaxed that it was a females voice, and that she wasn't always narrating the exercise. I listened to her talk for a few minutes, but then realized I had been staring the wall and spacing out, with no recollection of what I had just heard.  I couldn't remember if she had actually said anything, or if I was just not paying attention, which sort of bothered me, lol. With this personal experience, I really can't say whether or not I would recommend this to anyone, as I myself cannot remember any of it. Is this supposed to happen, like a subconscious thing? Almost like a trance.

Training the mind is like training your body; you have to build up to where you want to be, as far as your level of strength. The first type of contemplative practice, loving-
kindness, opens our heart to others; this gradually diminishes self-centeredness, priming our mind for further development. The second contemplative practice addresses the three levels of the subtle mind—witnessing, calm-abiding, and unity consciousness.
Using practices like these help prepare the mind for further development and awareness of self and environment; this helps cope with outside stresses and emotional weight.

Unit 3: On a scale...

On a scale of 1-10, I would have to say my physical well-being is about a 4. I am overweight, out of shape, and it’s faster to write a list of what isn’t wrong with me. My spiritual well-being is about an 8, as I have always had faith in God; without faith I would have been dead long ago. I don’t usually go out of my way to share this with others, but without faith in something higher I would see no other reason for being here, as I do not believe in accidents as complex as the human body. Saying this, I am only an 8 because I know I’m not perfect, and not everyone has all the answers; I don’t go out of my way to push my beliefs on others because I feel it’s not always right to do so. My psychological well-being is a 6; not good, but not always bad. I have depression and stress from too much on my plate all the time. I am borderline bipolar, and with my fibromyalgia depression is hard to rid. I lost my job, have relationship issues, I always have homework, and 3 out of 4 kids have behavioral disorders that are being dealt with; things are a bit psychotic around me right now.

I need to start using my treadmill to exercise more, but I need to find time for that without it bothering the other 5 people in my house; I should utilize any free time to do this. I also would like to eat better and cook healthier for the kids, but with our budget this isn’t easy. To make myself feel better about my faith I should probably start reading again; refresh feelings about my beliefs. As far as my psych goals, I need to start taking more natural supplement to balance out the chemicals that are in control of what goes on in my head. If I weren’t so broke I would just do that, but right now I have to take my pharmaceuticals as they are paid by insurance. I hate knowing that I could take things better for me but I can’t afford to; in my life it all comes down to money.

Once again, the relaxation exercise was not beneficial as there is narration again. I don’t like being told how to relax when I have 4 loud kids, Jammy cooking, and a whiny dog distracting my attention. My version of relaxation is sitting on the floor in the front room, while everyone else is asleep, playing with my beads and wire.