Final Project:Personal Applications in Integral Health

        It is important for health and wellness professionals to be critical about developing personal applications in the psychological, spiritual, and physical aspects of healing. Biological flourishing puts a health professional akin with the needs of the client because they will be able to relate through personal experience.  Achieving psychological stability enables the mind to find the inner essence of our mind. Most of our psychological lives are in turmoil, bombarded by every day stressors that inhibit mental and emotional health. If left unmanaged psychological instability may lead some to dysfunctional behaviors. Mental health can begin by developing a witnessing consciousness promoting insight of thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and patterns, which cause distress in our lives. A witnessing mind focuses on intentions to make choices, which will foster mental health.  It is important to assess all aspects of human development so as to flourish as an individual. Psychospiritual flourishing develops an awareness of our human potential; it puts our mind, body, and spirit into the proper perspective so that we may transpire to achieve our human potential in order to serve our fellow man through wisdom, loving-kindness, and compassion. The health professional becomes a competent healer when he is able to listen to clients whole-heartedly. Integral health is manifested towards clients by understanding and practicing integral health. For myself, in order to achieve and develop as a professional health and wellness proponent, I must address my psychospiritual development…my inner essence (Dacher, 2006).

            Mindfulness practices are an integration of all aspects of life to pursue sustained health, happiness, and wholeness. Awareness of one’s needs, the true assessment of where one is in the four quadrants of human development is the basis for mindfulness practices. Spiritually...contemplative practice, meditation, and prayer have impacted my health and wellbeing. It has given me a better nature.  I use to be an angry man, who’d lash out at the ones he loved through bent up frustrations. Still, feelings and emotions get the best of me. Though they are not as profound, I have come to realize that the causation of spiritualism promotes emotional intelligence, decreased stress, patience, self-awareness, a sense of wellbeing, and loving-kindness. Spiritually I am doing better than the physical and psychological aspects of my wellbeing. Even though it is the strongest aspect of my personal assessment I feel the need to evolve spiritually. All domains are interconnected; by evolving spiritually the physical and psychological domains will benefit as well.  In the domain of psychology I rate my wellness as having improved, but always needing attention and reflection. In this area of my wellbeing it has been the awareness of my shortcomings, which have given me the courage to seek social support for an alcoholic dependent nature. Acceptance of the truth has inspired self-love, self-worth, and self-esteem. It has inspired the most powerful virtue I have ever come to know…love. Firstly, I love the Divine who has given me the grace to overcome my iniquity with my whole heart, mind, and soul. And then to the best of my ability, I try to love others as I love myself. Psychologically, this has been the inspiration to change in attitude and in behavior. I assess my physical health and wellness by mindfully  ‘listening’ to my body (Dacher, 2006). An awareness of pains in my joints led to a physical fitness assessment, which reveals a BMI of 29, a moderate health risk category. My physical health and wellness needs to improve by putting intent on modifying physical activity and nutrition to achieve an adequate weight relative to my height, gender, and age (Howley & Franks, 2007).

            In the physical domain my goals are to exercise daily for 90 minutes, lower caloric intake by eating nutritional dense foods, and to learn tai chi upon graduation. Psychologically my goal is to evolve in emotional intelligence by practicing mental imagery and positive affirmation. In realm of spirituality I seek a greater connectedness to the Divine through contemplative practice, meditation and prayer (Dacher, 2006).

            Practices for personal health focus on psychospiritual development because it is the driving force to integral health, which brings us to oneness in the trinity of the mind, body, and spirit. The physical and the psychological aspects for personal health refer to biological flourishing and the mind/body experience. In other words the mind is capable of psychosomatically healing itself through mental imagery and visualization. Personally I practice these techniques. When my osteoarthritis flares up in my joints I comfortably relax my body and visualize the systemic arterial system gorge my knee and shoulder with oxygen rich blood. I visualize the joints filling with synovial fluid, the inflammation receding, mobility and physiological kinesis returning. When I exercise the muscles surrounding my synovial joints I imagine muscle synergy increasing fulcrum function. I close my eyes; envision the muscles gorged with blood providing nutrients for catabolic metabolism. When my weight lifting session is over I cool down and envision anabolic metabolism during meditative stretch. In order to increase emotional intelligence that fosters good will, closeness, and understanding with others I meditate. Most of my meditative practices are in the form of prayer. During prayer I imagine my Savior, Jesus; his Mother Mary; or the Holy Family: Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus. In my prayers I am thankful for health and ask for the compassion to serve my fellow man. When I have problems I will ask Mother Mary to intercede on my behalf and for those I pray for. Prayer has helped me to alleviate anxiety and foster feelings of loving-kindness. It has helped me heal and overcome alcohol dependency. My spiritualism is my faith. I find comfort, strength, grace, healing, and peace through prayer, devotion, partaking in the sacraments, and attending Mass.

            To assess the effectiveness of my progress in the next six months I will re-evaluate the four quadrants of human development with mindfulness practice that is truthful and sincere for the sake of my wellbeing. During the next six months it is imperative to develop psychospiritually. When the time comes, a witnessing consciousness will oversee my success in human flourishing by asking of my conscious mind if I have successfully pursued sustained health, happiness, and wholeness?

            To sustain long-term practice I must be true to my religion and myself. I believe it to be the strongest aspect of my human potential. The body and mind will develop as my spirit flourishes by seeking Divine wisdom.  By practicing my faith, I encourage hope for the world and myself; I encourage love to open my heart, provide heavenly wisdom and inner peace.

References:

Dacher, E. (2006). Integral health: the path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach. CA.

            Basic Health Publications, Inc.

Howley, E., Franks, B. (2007). Fitness professional’s handbook. Fifth Edition.

            Champaign, IL. Human Kinetics.