Creating Wellness - Unit 10 - Final Week

Hello and welcome to the last week of Creating Wellness.... this week we are comparing our Personal Integral Assessment from Unit 3 with how we assess ourselves at the end of the course, in Unit 10. My results are below:

1.       Scores from Unit 3 Personal Integral Assessment:

Based on my own personal reflections, and on a scale of 1-10 (ten being optimal wellbeing), how do I rate my:

A.      Physical wellbeing is rated an 8 because I feel there is always room for improvement, but I also feel I have, at this point in time, achieved optimal physical wellbeing to the best of my abilities.

B.      Spiritual wellbeing is rated a 9 on this scale of optimal health. Again, there is always room for improvement and growth so I continue to have an open mind and grow more spiritually each day, while maintaining my current level of spiritual wellbeing.

C.      Psychological wellbeing is rated a 9, as well. At the risk of being redundant, again, there is always room for improvement and growth. These processes are ongoing throughout life and with continued practice I will one day achieve a score of 10 on this scale of optimal psychological wellbeing.

Scores from Unit 10 Personal Integral Assessment

Based on my own personal reflections, and on a scale of 1-10 (ten being optimal wellbeing), how do I rate my:

A.      Physical wellbeing is rated a 6 this unit. I have been under extreme amounts of stress for the past several months with family commitments, school commitments, and a new baby arriving just as finals were due. Accomplishing my goals and being present in mind, body, and spirit for my family has been a great challenge. It has taken its toll, but with some time off with a break coming, the baby has arrived, all are healthy and well; some well-deserved uninterrupted sleep is soon coming my way. This will help to boost my physical assessment score, along with continuing to eat healthy, drink plenty of water, and continue my exercise and physical activity routines.

B.      Spiritual wellbeing is rated a 7 on this scale of optimal health. I continue to have an open mind and grow more spiritually each day, while attempting to improve my current level of spiritual wellbeing. I am working on improving my spiritual wellbeing by taking more time to meditate, focus more intently on the lessons I have learned from this class and practice the wonderful skills provided to help me foster an increase in my level of human flourishing.

C.      Psychological wellbeing is rated a 7 at this time. This, too, has decreased since Unit 3 and I believe it has to do with the fact I have learned so much more that I now need to take time to practice, absorb, and utilize the skills taught to calm the mind and using contemplative practice to make skillful and intentional choices for my life. As I truly use my newly-learned skills and make them a part of my everyday routine I will increase this level, too.

These processes are ongoing throughout life and with continued practice I hope to one day achieve a score of 10 on this scale of optimal physical, spiritual, and psychological wellbeing.

2.       I have reviewed the goals and activities I set in place for myself in Unit 3 of this class:

Goals I could develop for each of these areas; and exercises/activities to assist in achieving these goals would be:

A.      A goal for improved physical wellbeing is to continue my daily exercise program, eating right, and finding activities that are engaging and provide opportunity for increased physical wellness.

B.      Spiritual growth can be improved with continued practice of self-love, love for others, and a love for all mankind; being non-judgmental, forgiving of all including myself, and practicing loving-kindness will serve as a goal for improvement and growth spiritually.

C.      Psychological development can best be served with a goal of continued mindfulness and awareness of my thoughts, words, and actions; and this can be accomplished with daily meditations and constant awareness of the reactions my body is having to any particular situation, knowing I have the ability to choose my reactions and that intention will help me to make the right choices.

I have made progress towards these goals; and in being honest I will say some days were two steps forward and some were one step back. I try not to become discouraged, using my forgiveness skills and self-love practice to know set-backs happen. The real action is being intentional and taking those two steps forward as often as possible, without giving up. Commitment and desire to optimally flourish as a blessed and privileged human being on planet Earth are my goal, so that one day I may share this wisdom and joy with others.

3.       Implementation of the activities I chose for fostering my wellbeing has been minimal. I try on a daily basis to find a quiet place and take the time to meditate. Mostly, that takes place in the shower of late. I look forward to the break between terms to spend more time on the web sites I found for my Creating Wellness Plan posted in last week’s blog. Some of the sites actually offer guides and mentors, which is where my next step is taking me. I feel a guide and/or mentor to help me find my subtle mind will prove beneficial in promoting my own personal flourishing without feeling like a total fish out of water, so to speak.

4.       To summarize my personal experience throughout this course I would have to say I have developed an improved well-being; but, along with that I have also come to the realization of how much work is still yet to be done just on myself alone, before I can be of help to others. Every bit of the information gleaned from this course has been rewarding. I have been provided an even greater foundation of what it takes to truly flourish as a human is meant to flourish, as God planned for each individual. Needless suffering has always tugged at my heart strings and I am so happy to have found a way to one day help others put an end to the very thing keeping the majority of people from being the happy, healthy, joyous human beings they deserve to be. The difficult part has been opening up old doors in my mind and heart, dealing with the issues while trying to remain balanced for my family, work, and school commitments. No time for breakdowns! Get into my contemplative state and be mindful of what I am feeling and thinking and make choices which will prove successful, not cause harm or setbacks on my goals. This experience will improve my ability to assist others to achieve and maintain optimal human flourishing as soon as I have accomplished this for myself. The course has been an eye-opener for me in that I just love the fact that body, mind, and spirit are recognized as one whole being and finally health care can take a turn toward the same direction, truly helping people heal.

Thanks to all who followed my blog this term; and I wish each and every one the very best in your endeavors to achieve and maintain your own personal wellbeing on the pathway to helping others learn about integral health.

Yours in health,

Marcella Gracer

Creating Wellness Final Project - Integral Health Plan

Welcome to Unit 9 of Creating Wellness - Tonight's post is my final project, a Holistic Integral Health Program to help foster, develop, and grow in body, mind, and spirit.

Holistic Integral Health:

Creating Wellness

For the

Body, Mind, and Spirit  

Unit 9 Final Project

Marcella Gracer

HW420-01

Kaplan University 

Professor John Aguilar.

April 3, 2012

Part I – Introduction

Integral health and wellness is a practice encompassing the entire human experience; body (the physical self), mind (mental outlook/emotional status), spirit (happiness/inner peace within the soul), and environment (the how, with whom, and where of existence) to achieve optimal human flourishing. It is about assessing and treating each individual as a whole entity, not a sum of the parts. Human beings are not just a head, heart, and body. Rather, each individual is unique and requires health care capable of addressing the total being.

Conventional allopathic (Western) medicine puts a focus on either the biological body or the emotional mind, using pharmaceuticals to cover up symptoms; making the mistake of treating each separately, instead of as one whole person. This type of health care has proven to be of little use when it comes to addressing the chronic issues of depression and other health maladies connected with a disconnected body, mind, spirit, and environment in today’s society. The path to integral health is the answer to finding a healthier future for those willing to learn and practice the skills required to follow the integral health pathway as described by Dacher in his book, Integral Health – The Path to Human Flourishing. The main objective of the integral health pathway is the goal of self-transformation to attain the highest possible level of consciousness and health; also known as optimal human flourishing.

Within each individual is the ability to develop, cultivate, grow, and maintain a higher level of consciousness if taught the proper skills required such as learning to practice loving kindness developing the open heart; to practice silence and stillness cultivating the subtle mind allowing for mindfulness, which leads to skillful and intentional actions; ultimately leading to the creation of one’s own wellness and increased levels of human flourishing. Note that simply learning the skills required is not enough to facilitate the necessary changes within. Rather, as with any skill, practice on a daily basis for the entirety of life offers the best opportunity for success.

It is necessary to practice the five guiding principles of the integral health pathway as outlined by Dacher to realize this flourishing of which he speaks by “applying the integral model to our life” (Dacher, 2006, p 35). They are as follows:

1.    Holistic – of body, mind, and spirit as a whole, not parts

2.    Evolutionary – ever-changing; open to new ideas in body, mind, and spirit

3.    Intentional – with loving-kindness and a subtle mind make intentional, not reactive, choices

4.    Person-centered – Individualism is the key component to being person-centered

5.    Dynamism – having motivation; a life force; a desire to transform 

Part II – The Integral Assessment

The Integral Assessment is a tool used to determine meditative priority; providing there is not a current emergent situation earning right as the first priority. Meditative priorities can vary from day to day, and even moment to moment depending upon life situations, circumstance, and the level of consciousness one has managed to attain through integral health practices. Using mindfulness and the subtle mind it is possible to establish where focus and intention should be directed in regard to the four aspects of the human experience as introduced by Dacher. The four aspects he refers to are psychospiritual, biological, interpersonal, and worldly. Utilizing these four human aspects a formal integral assessment begins by cultivating a still mind to reach a contemplative state of consciousness. It is in the contemplative state where inventory of the four aspects is processed and priorities are set for meditation. It is in this contemplative state that one also makes the decision as to which specific practice would be most beneficial to restore harmony and inner peace. Along with the four aspects of human experience there are six Principles of Integral Assessment we learn from Dacher. The six principles to help guide one through the integral assessment are:

1.    Alleviate needless suffering and promote human flourishing – here we can assess the priorities of human aspects requiring attention based on two things – where is the cause of the most needless suffering; and where is the greatest possibility for growth and development.

2.    Recognize the difference between short-term relief of needless suffering and permanent relief.

3.    Recognize the difference between immediate pleasure and long-term flourishing. Knowing immediate pleasure is derived from extrinsic sources; while long-term flourishing comes from within the inner-self.

4.    Psychospiritual development is an essential component of integral health. It is through this development and cultivation of an expanded consciousness enabling us to be more attentive and focused. 

5.    Deep listening and guidance are key components of integral assessment.

6.    Assessment should take place at intervals suited for the individual considering the dynamism involved, meaning our circumstances are always changing, as should our personal care plan (Dacher, 2006, p 105-106).

In doing my own personal assessment my scores were not up to par. I find there is plenty of room for improvement. Having learned these wonderful skills to develop and cultivate an inner peace from a personal level all the way up to the worldly level. As for my biological score I will say I am doing the best in this aspect. Healthy eating, regular exercise, and activities in nature help to keep me biologically fit. With regard to my emotional/mental score I have made this particular aspect a priority for meditative purposes as I have been experiencing a good bit of stress over the past few months with needing to care for others and being frustrated because I only want to focus on myself. Taking this course has given me the insight to see the benefits of a contemplative consciousness, the ability to be mindful of what is in my mind and how to become accepting of these situations. Using the Loving-Kindness practice will help to foster a greater level of consciousness in my spirit aspect. Learning to forgive myself for feeling selfish and forgive others for their needs, rather than be frustrated by the pull of my family. 

Part III – Goal Development

            Goals to foster growth and development at a personal level for me biologically would include adding a yoga class to my exercise routine; to continue eating healthy, nutritious, whole foods, drinking plenty of water, and continue with my chiropractic care to improve pain associated with my degenerative vertebrae.

            In regard to improving my mind, or consciousness level I will continue my meditation exercises currently part of my daily routine such as loving-kindness, mindfulness, and subtle mind practice. As well, I am going to sign up for some personalized meditation training offered on line I found in the resources offered by Dr. Dacher (Dacher, 2006, p 105). The idea of having someone to help guide me through the process and help to mentor with questions as I transform and grow is appealing and makes the process seem more realistic for me.

As I work to improve my mental consciousness level I will also be developing my spiritual consciousness. The psychospiritual growth and development of my own self will help to improve my ability to better handle the stress of daily life. Again, reaching out to some of the resources such as the Institute of Noetic Sciences (I ONS)offering great introduction and guidance for meditation at all levels.

Part IV – Practices for Personal Health

            Strategies I can implement to foster growth in each of the domains; body, mind, and spirit are continuation of the exercises and practices learned in this course as outlined by Dr. Dacher. These would include the yoga and breathing classes for fostering growth in my body. The Loving-Kindness exercise and mindfulness practice will help to still and quiet my mind, allowing for a subtle mind and contemplative practice. This will foster growth both psychologically and spiritually.

To foster growth and development in all aspects of my human experiences I am going to continue to study integral health practices through the resources provided by Dr. Dacher. I believe that with the help of a guide or mentor I will better improve my abilities over time with plenty of practice and commitment to integral health and optimal human flourishing for myself. Once I have mastered this practice for myself I can then share the experience with others in the hopes of helping them to accomplish the same successful results of attaining optimal human flourishing; only to know they will go on to do the same. With this type of commitment integral health will become the new ‘conventional’ health care system to create a greater level of health and wellness worldwide. 

Part V – Commitment: The Next Six Months

As I continue to practice what I have learned thus far in this course, and add to that the new strategies I will be implementing to foster increased growth and development of the integral health pathway I will use the formal integral assessment previously described to assess my progress or lack thereof. With the contemplative practice and mindfulness I will be able to prioritize what aspects of my life are in need of greater development.

Strategies I can use to assist in maintaining long-term practice for health and wellness will be the continued pursuit of my own personal growth and development, as well as my motivation to have the ability to share this wonderful theory of health and wellness with others; allowing them to also foster, develop, and grow in body, mind, and spirit. With this accomplishment comes the ultimate reward of optimal human flourishing regardless of the current situation or circumstance with an open heart, open mind, and open soul; all ready to flourish even further than ever thought possible.

References

Dacher, ES   2006    Integral Health – The Path to Human Flourishing    Pub:       Basic Health Publications, Inc.   Laguna Beach, CA

Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS)   2012   Consciousness and Healing Self-      Study Courses  Retrieved on March 31, 2012 from           http://noetic.org/education/self-     study/consciousness-healing/  using Internet Explorer

Creating Wellness - Unit 8 - Meditation & Visualization

Welcome to week 8 of Creating Wellness! The course is progressing amazingly fast....

This week's blog is as follows:

After reviewing the exercises and practice sessions thus far completed in this course I chose the Loving-Kindness and Subtle-mind exercises which seem to be most beneficial to me at this point.  I can implement these exercises in my personal life to foster ‘mental fitness’ by practicing them at least twice daily for 15-30 minutes each time, increasing my meditation times as necessary and depending upon circumstance. Continuing to practice the Loving-Kindness exercise will help me to develop my vision, progressing my transformation to the next step of practicing attainment of optimal flourishing. Practice of the subtle mind exercise will also help me to develop my inner self and expand my level of consciousness. Continuing with contemplative practice will help gain control of my mind and thoughts, becoming more mindful and intentional.

Yours in health,

Marcella Gracer

Meeting Aesclepius - A Meditation Exercise

Hello and welcome to week seven of Creating Wellness..... Integral Health transition is a real experience and I have come face to face with the reality of more change (for the better, but still change).

Part I

After a few attempts of completing the Meeting Asclepius mp3 for this week’s meditative exercise I was finally capable of creating the face of a wise person on which to focus. However, managing to hold the image for the length of time of the exercise was challenging and I found my mind wandering many times. Although I have practiced meditation for a few years now, I am finding the push of the course making it more challenging to stay focused because it feels like more of an assignment than a personal journey. This thought process transition of integral health is a new and changing experience for me, personally.

 I am sure there has been a fostering of some type in regard to my psychological and spiritual wellness because I am having thoughts of transition, albeit they are frightening. I realize the change will be for the better, but as this transformation takes place, the fact remains there are other transformations of my personal human experience taking place at the same time. All of these changes are bringing on emotional and physical responses requiring attention I am not strong enough to handle at this point in my life and schooling. As a definite eye opener, I have a long way to go before I am going to be one of the wise ones sharing the knowledge of greater human flourishing. Much practice is yet to be done! The best I can do is continue to practice as much as possible, keeping in mind the end result is the ultimate goal of optimal human flourishing at some level.

 Part II

The saying, “One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself (Schlitz, Amorok, & Micozzi, 2005, p477)” simply states it is not possible for one to take another to a place they, themselves, have not yet traveled. To have simply read about the skills and pathways to integral health does not make any one of us an integral health healer. There is still much practice to be done, possibly years and years; along with the hopes of finding a teacher or mentor to help with the progression and transition of the thought process to create a greater wellness of the inner self to transcend from body to mind to spirit; only to gain the ability to share the same with others.

Respectfully,

Marcella Gracer

Universal Loving-Kindness; Integral Assessment

Hello, and welcome to Unit 6 of Creating Wellness~

This has been a challenging week for me, and I must say the lessons here taught in this course are not ones to be rushed through... With that being said, I will post my blog for this week and extend the greatest of apologies for the tardiness. May you all be well and happy!

The Universal Loving-Kindness exercise provided by Dacher I used went as follows…

“Close your eyes and for a minute or two rest into the natural ease of your mind and body, and repeat the following phrases for 10 minutes:

                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.

                May I assist all individuals in finding health, happiness, and wholeness.

This mini-practice can be quite powerful in expanding your mind and heart. It can serve as an antidote to anger and hatred. It can help to shift your focus from personal love to universal loving-kindness. You can work it at any time (Dacher, 2006, p 93).”

My personal experience with this meditative exercise was not successful this week as I simply did not have the necessary emotional strength required to carry it through for any length of time. I believe there are those times when one is not as strong as usual and it is an acceptable state. However, I do appreciate the power it holds and look forward to restoring my own personal strength and pursuing the Universal Loving-Kindness exercise as a part of my daily meditation routine.

How perfect the timing for Dacher’s Integral Assessment. This assessment is a key tool for deciphering a meditative priority in one’s life (unless, of course, there is an emergent situation at hand). It can vary from day to day, even moment to moment; and knowing just what to focus on to best restore balance, harmony, and flourishing helps one to successfully attain optimal health and flourishing. Dacher suggests using the four quadrants, line, and levels of development to “begin a formal assessment while in a contemplative state. First, cultivate a still and silent mind. Next, focus full attention on the four quadrants of the integral map”; the four aspects of the human experience – psychospiritual, biological, interpersonal, and worldly – with developmental lines in all directions outward from the center- all leading to optimal human flourishing. “Then, take an inventory of the four aspects of life and determine which area needs attention most (Dacher, 2005, pp 114-5).” The author continues on with exact detail of how to complete this mental self-assessment for the purpose of Integral health.

Again, as with the previous meditative exercise above, I was incapable of completing either of these meditations this week in a timely fashion to fairly report in this blog. I do understand the concepts involved and the benefits to practicing these exercises daily. I believe that as my life calms down from recent travels, the death of a dear friend’s mother (aunt to me) after a tough battle with cancer, and to know her oldest daughter has very little time left, as well has taken its toll on my emotional strength these past weeks; and this particular week I was not able to academically produce appropriately. My greatest apologies are extended to my Professor and classmates, and particularly to myself. I feel this challenging time has been a good lesson of why integral health is so very important in anyone’s life and needs to be the standard health care practice of the future, starting today.

Activities and exercises I can participate in to foster greater wellness in all areas of my life right now would be to continue to address and treat each of the four aspects of my human experience as important keys to increased health and wellness of my body, mind, and spirit; making me a better person for the world as a whole. I will forgive myself for not being up to par this week, only motivating me to try harder next week; I will continue with my physical workout program increasing my ability to become a stronger person inside and out; and most of all I will continue with Contemplative Practice exercises to learn better access to my calm-abiding mind.

May you all have a wonderful, happy, healthy, productive week! As I wish the same for myself….

Yours in health,

Marcella

Source:

Dacher, ES   2006    Integral Health – The Path to Human Flourishing   Pub: Basic Health Publications, Inc.   Laguna Beach, CA

Mental Fitness - The Subtle Mind

Hello, and welcome to week five of ten! Half way through the term, and it's hard to believe!

The topic for our blog this week is about cultivating the subtle, calm-abiding mind. The Subtle Mind Exercise provided proved to be quite helpful.

This week’s Subtle Mind Exercise was much like that of last week, the Loving Kindness Exercise. They both offered calming direction and guidance throughout the exercises. The peaceful sound of the ocean’s waves provided simple focus, replacing the outside chatter of the world. It reminds me of when I go down to the ocean alone, and just sit and listen to the waves come and go. Similar to breath used as a focal point; which is helpful to me in shutting out the clutter of the mind, blocking my ability

The Loving Kindness exercise directs the listener to find the focal point of breath, to find the inner-self and become in touch with the inner-spirit; attention is then directed toward a  loved one and their suffering, using the intake breath to absorb the suffering and replacing the suffering with loving kindness via the exhaling breath. While focusing on the breath and using this focal point to remove suffering and replace it with loving kindness, the subtle-mind is visited and from there the ability for the listener to practice taking in the suffering of all mankind with each inhalation and replacing it with loving kindness for all mankind with each exhalation.

The Subtle Mind exercise also uses the breath as a focal point to clear the mind of outside noise and distraction, allowing for a better connection with the calm-abiding mind. As with the Loving Kindness exercise, this exercise begins with the first step of self and takes the listener through the last two levels of subtle-mind practice recognizing loved ones and, of course, reaching the stabilized, calm-abiding mind of unity and oneness.

I did not find either of these exercises difficult or frustrating. They were definitely calming and at times were able to put me into a light sleep. I could still hear the guide, when speaking, but was able to take my mind to a quiet place and feel the results of a calm mind.

Knowing lots of practice will be needed to become much more proficient at these exercises, but with daily practice (sometimes more than once a day, if possible) soon enough the ability for me to achieve a higher level of human flourishing will exist.

Yours in health,

Marcella

Mind-body-spirit Connection -The Mental Workout

Hello, and welcome to week four of Creating Wellness. Development of the mind-body-spirit to achieve an optimal level of human flourishing is like any other endeavor. In order to become the best at what you do, much practice is required. Therefore, if one desires to achieve optimal psychospiritual flourishing much practice cultivating loving-kindness and the subtle mind are required.

My experience with the loving-kindness exercise proved to be challenging. There is much going on inside of my head right now and I found the extremely long pauses intended for reflection were too long and I became distracted. I will continue to practice, as I understand the need to practice daily in order to become proficient. No doubt, some days will be much easier than others when it comes time to practice with the mp3 exercise provided on Loving-kindness.
The concept of “mental workout” refers to the development of the psychospiritual aspect of the human mind spending a minimum of an hour per day cultivating loving-kindness and the subtle mind. To implement mental workouts it is necessary to practice both exercises – the loving-kindness exercise; and the subtle-mind exercises. The more one practices, the better one becomes – thus the way to achieve an Olympian level of mental flourishing.

Wishing you all the very best as your progress along on your journey to optimal human flourishing....  Marcella