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
