Unit 10 - Final Class Post

1. Review your unit 3 personal assessment of your psychological, physical, and spiritual well-being. Reflect on these areas . How did you score yourself on a scale from 1 to 10 in unit 3? How do you score yourself now? Has the score changed? Why or why not?               In Unit 3, I rated my Physical Assessment at a 7 and now I would change that to a 5.  In Unit 3 I rationalized that since my blood work came out within normal ranges I could say I was in pretty good physical health but this class has helped me realize there is so much more to making an honest assessment of where I really am.  I believe that a 5 is more realistic because I now know what I need to do and how I'm going to make the changes to holistic health.  My Psychological Assessment in Unit 3 was an 8 and I'm comfortable with that rating.  I know there is need for improvement and to that end, I'm going to continue the meditative practices we used in this class.  My Spiritual Assessment in Unit 3 was a 10 and there again, I am comfortable with that rating.  I can say it's taken almost 40 years to fully embrace my belief system and I am glad to say that I have no problem talking and working with others who don't believe the way I do and I'm OK with that.
2. Review the goals and activities you set for yourself in each area. Have you made progress toward the goals? Explain.      Yes, I feel like I have made positive progress toward the goals and activities that I set for myself in other units.  I have initiated a healthy eating plan and increased my daily activity to boost my overall physical health.  I have made some changes to my meditative practices and they seem to be working.
3. Have you implemented the activities you chose for your well-being in each of the three areas? Explain.    Yes, I have implemented the Subtle Mind meditative practice into my daily life and it is helping me find the peace I need to balance life, work and family.
4. Summarize your personal experience throughout this course. Have you developed improved well-being? What has been rewarding? What has been difficult? How will this experience improve your ability to assist others?               I think the thing I value most from this course are the relationships I've developed with my classmates.  I believe I have learned more from them than I have from the information in the books we read.  It's one thing to read about studies on different holistic or meditative practices but totally another to hear how those same practices have influenced the lives of people you have come to know on a deeper more personal level.  My well-being has improved because of these relationships and they have definitely been the most rewarding part of this class.  The difficulty, for me, is in some of the practices that I found uncomfortable, like the Loving-Kindness meditation.  I truly did not enjoy that practice but that in itself tells me that there is something there I need to work on.  This class and the overall experience will improve my ability to assist others because it reinforces the need to look at each client from a non-judgmental perspective and respect the path that each one travels.                                                                        

Unit 9 - Final Project

HW420-02:  Creating Wellness

Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing

Unit 9 – Final Project

Mary M. Ernsberger

1. Introduction:
   Why is it important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically? What areas do you need to develop to achieve the goals you have for yourself?  

            It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically because a practitioner must experience that which they practice.  If you are going to help others reach that holistic balance, you must spend time each day nurturing and growing that balance within yourself.  The practitioner must practice non-judgment, compassion and understanding both of themselves and their patients/clients.  For myself, I have needed to develop the physical aspect of health and wellness on a personal level for a very long time.  It has been a battle between what my mind tells me is true and what my inner self is whispering in the other ear.  I have used weight as the knights used to use their suits of armor – to protect them from harm.  For me, the harm was on an emotional level and with that inner pain, I allowed my physical self to repel those that attempt to get close. 

2. Assessment:
   How have you assessed your health in each domain? How do you score your wellness spiritually, physically, and psychologically?

            I have assessed myself based on the abundant ways that other practitioners say I should be.  I used to receive twenty or thirty different e-mails from people who claimed to know the “right” way to believe spiritually, the “right” way to think psychologically or the “right” way to look physically.  I thought that because these people were publishing their information, they had to be “right.”  Then it occurred to me that those individuals whose e-mails I was receiving were no different than I am.  They were just sending out information they believed to be correct based on their personal experience.  For the most part, they were trying to make a living by selling what worked for them to anyone wishing to “buy” their answers.  But their answers were not my answers and I know this because I am not them and they are not me.  Now that I know this, I find that I can assess myself from a non-judgmental point of view.  On a Spiritual level, I am very comfortable at a 9.  I am comfortable in my beliefs and don’t need anyone else to tell me what I should or should not believe.  On a Psychological level, I rate myself at a 6 because I have a lot of work to do on my inner esteem.  I would like to integrate the outer me and the inner me into one whole person.  I have kept this separation since I was in elementary school but I have hope that with continued inner work, I can integrate these two parts of myself into one.  On a Physical level, I rate myself at a 5.  I’m half way there.  Not that I’m anywhere near what I consider my ideal weight, but I am on the right track and that’s half the battle.

3. Goal development:
   List at least one goal you have for yourself in each area, Physical, Psychological (mental health) and Spiritual.

            The goal I have for the Physical level is to continue eliminating the excess weight I no longer need, to choose foods that nourish my body, mind and spirit, and to increase my physical activity so that I don’t get short of breath after simply playing with my grandson or walking down the street.  My goal for Psychological health is to practice meditation and imagery to increase my self-esteem, maintain a calm demeanor (especially when others around me are flipping out), and to achieve inner peace.  My goal for Spiritual health is to never be ashamed to stand up for what I believe in, to never push my beliefs off on anyone else or to feel pressured to cave to others belief for fear of judgment.

4. Practices for personal health:
   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. 

            To foster growth in the physical aspects of my life, I can and have increased my daily physical activity.  I am following the hCG diet and changing the way I view food.  I am eating smaller portions and find that when I eat with focus, I can actually experience that sensation of being full that I have ignored for quite some time.  I no longer need food to feel good about myself.  I know that the only way I can feel good is to view myself as a work in progress – and that progress is positive.  To foster growth on a psychological level, I can practice daily affirmations, positive thoughts, and meditation and imagery practices.  I wake up in the morning and greet the day with joyful anticipation of what lies ahead.  I set my intent for the day and then I follow through with that intent.  I practice mindfulness (Dacher, 2006) when dealing with others that are experiencing stress or anger issues, visualizing the outcome I desire.  To foster growth on a Spiritual level, I take every opportunity to be grateful for the wonderful things my creator has given me.  clairaudience and to act as the channel for Ezekiel, a guardian of the Akashic records.  These gifts have been with me since I was 12 and for many years I hid them away, afraid of being judged.  I choose to no longer subject myself to that fear.  I choose to fully embrace my gifts and use them as they were intended, to help others find the path they were born to follow.  I practice forgiveness, refusing to hold grudges which would allow negative thoughts and feelings to take control of my life. 

5. Commitment:
   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? 

On a physical level, it will be easy to assess my progress because the numbers on the scale will keep going down.  I will experience the pleasure of going to the store and buying clothes somewhere other than the “fat lady’s department.”  There will be good, healthy food in my refrigerator and I can finally ride my bike around town.  There are a number of people who are on my side and will support me as I make these changes.  They are the number one strategy I know will be there when I feel like I am slipping back into the old mind frames that got me in the shape I’m in now.  On a psychological level, I will know if my practices are working by exploring how I really feel deep inside.  As I continue my mindfulness practices, I will experience the inner peace that comes with really knowing one’s self.  I believe this practice is something I can take with me throughout life.  I would also like to learn Tai Chi, this summer, as both a mental and physical practice.  On a spiritual level, I will continue participating in the various holistic fairs in the area and be available to provide spiritual support to anyone seeking my help.  Maintaining this long term practice is probably the easiest of all because this is something that is with me every day.  

REFERENCES:

Dacher, Elliott S. M.D., Integral Health – The Path to Human Flourishing (2006)

Schlistz, Marilyn and Amorok, Tina with Micozzi, Marc S., Consciousness & healing – Integral Approaches to Mind-Body Medicine (2005)