Unit 10 Blog

Okay, so this is the final one! 

When I went back and looked at the Unit 3 Blog, my numbers were exactly the same.  I scored myself with a 5 in physical health and an 8 in spiritual and psychological health in unit 3 and unit 9.  These did not surprise me, especially in the physical assessment, because I still have not changed my exercise habits, which was my big goal.  As far as the psychological and spiritual assessments, I am also not surprised, because an 8 is a fairly high score in my opinion, and I do not really expect to reach a perfect 10, especially in just six weeks. 

The goals and activities I set for myself back in unit 3 definitely have not happened, as I said, in the physical/exercise area.  I find myself so crazy busy with school, especially because it takes me twice as long to do things as it would if I weren't disabled, which is a major source of frustration.  However, I still plan to get started on it.  My spiritual goal was to stop stressing about my adult children so much, and I do feel like I have made progress on that one!  I really think that the meditation and breathing exercises in this class have helped.  Those meditation and breathing exercises were my goal psychologically, so I would say I am making progress on that one too. 

The biggest improvement in my personal health is due to the meditation and relaxations we learned here.  I have no doubt of the effect these exercises have had, especially on my stress levels.  I look forward to meditation especially when I am having a crazy day.  Just knowing it is there even lowers my stress level and reactions.  These practices have been the most rewarding and the exercise addition has been the toughest, just because I have not forced myself to create the habit….yet. 

I feel like this class will help me to help others, because it helps with my stress level and thereby my patience level.  The second reason is that anything I learn here can be done by anyone, especially deep breathing. 

This is certainly a course that I would have enjoyed seeing go on for another 10 weeks.  I believe I will try to re-read both books, and especially read the parts of the Schlitz book that we did not get to.  Maybe I will get even more out of it. 

Best of luck everyone! :o)

Unit 9 - Our last blog assignment

Unit 9 - Final Project

Personal Application of the Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing

 Kaplan University

Creating Wellness:  Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing

HW420-03

Vickie Jones

October 26, 2010

Unit 9 - Final Project

Personal Application of the Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing

I. Introduction

It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically because the best way for us to be effective teachers is to lead by example.  When it comes to helping other people to learn how to better their integral health, it is difficult to teach someone something that we know nothing or very little about.  There are a couple of clichés that fit perfectly here, such as "practice what you preach" and "actions speak louder than words".  The one we should not use is "do as I say, not as I do".

I think I could certainly work on all three areas, if nothing else, simply because two of the integral health principles are that it is evolutionary and dynamic (Dacher, 2006).  Most certainly, I need to work on my physical health.  I have to get myself into an exercise routine.  I also want to keep working on meditation, which I firmly believe helps with both psychological and spiritual health and thereby physical health. 

II. Assessment

Any assessments I have done would be through reading our textbook and soul searching.  Thinking about the things that Elliott Dacher wrote about integral health, especially about the psychological and spiritual parts of overall health, makes one realize how much more is involved in our overall health.  Health is so much more than not being physically ill.  Many people are physically fit, but are not emotionally or spiritually well. 

On a scale of "0" to "10", psychologically and spiritually I would have to give myself an "8".  Spiritually, I am not at the point of having a quiet mind even 60 percent of the time, but I know how to get there.  I have learned so much in this course about meditation and calming my mind that I feel as though I am well equipped to de-stress either when I expect a stressful day, or even when it happens randomly.  Psychologically, which I feel is strongly tied to spiritual health; I am continuing to strengthen my mental health by working on meditation and by talking to a therapist and to those closest to me.  Physically, I would give myself a "5".  I have health problems related to quadriplegia from a car accident.  That is not to say that some of these problems could not be made better, but many are certainly out of my control. 

III. Goal Development

            Physically, my goal is to make exercise a part of my daily routine.  I have not done that for several years, especially since starting school.  Doing range of motion stretches on my legs is part of my daily routine, so I know I could add aerobic and strength training in to my routine, too.  I also believe that once I add exercise in and make it a habit, it will most certainly better my psychological and spiritual health, too.

Psychologically, my goal is to keep up the talk therapy and to keep meditating, hopefully even more often than I do now.  I know that meditation also is my goal for spiritual health, too, but I absolutely believe that these two are so closely tied together that they overlap.  I am looking forward to investigating more types of meditation, particularly guided imagery type meditation, because that seems to be most effective for me personally. 

As I said, meditation is my goal for my spiritual health also.  I am amazed at how intertwined spiritual and psychological healths are.  When I meditate and pray, that is when I feel emotionally, spiritually and psychologically the best and strongest.  I also know that spirituality does not have to mean religion, but another goal I have for myself is to study the bible more, because for me, it does make a difference to my overall health. 

IV. Practices for Personal Health

In order to grow in my physical health, there are several options.  I have an arm bike that I need to start using a few minutes every day and work my way up to 10 to 15 minutes.  I also have an electric bicycle that works by strapping my feet in and it pedals for me, in order to exercise my leg muscles.  I know it would help a great deal with spasticity in my legs.  I also have a weight system made just for people with paralysis.  I also have a standing frame that I can get in, and I used to every single day, religiously.  I need to get into a routine of using all of these things.  I seem to spend every spare second on school right now.  It is obvious that it is not because I do not have the equipment available; it is just a matter of making this a part of my daily routine. 

As far as my psychological health, I intend to keep seeing my therapist.  I need that for myself because so many people depend on me for all the answers, so I need an outlet for all of those thoughts.  I do not need medicines or anything else; it is just nice to have someone outside the "inner circle" to bounce ideas off.  I also intend to keep up with meditation and continue to learn more about integral health.  Meditation helps with so many things, but especially stress, which of course, affects every part of our being.  I love the fact that something as wonderful as meditation can have such a positive effect on all three of our health systems…physical, psychological and spiritual.

Spiritually speaking, meditation is also the major plan of attack.  Meditation creates that calm mind that I do not find anywhere else.   I want to find different varieties of meditation.  This class has given me a great base to start from and I want to continue to explore meditation in greater depth.  Secondly, I also know that I need to spend more time by myself, not just in meditation, but just doing something a simple as reading a book (preferably which has nothing to do with school) or hanging out with our dogs.  Because of the paralysis issues, I rarely ever get much time to myself.  I usually have a caregiver or family member close by. 

V.  Commitment

The best way of judging progress or lack thereof physically will be for me to keep track of how many times per week I am doing these exercises.  In the long-term, my weight and lab work will also tell the tale.  If I get myself into an exercise routine, I should see improvements in my triglycerides and blood sugars. 

Psychologically and spiritually, my best indicator of success will be the way I feel.  I will be able to judge best by my stress level whether I am meditating enough.  I know there will be those days that require a bit more "me time" than others.  I do not think there is a magic amount of time that we should spend in meditation.  Each of us has to know that meditation and prayer must be fluid and dynamic. 

The best strategy for keeping up with my physical health goal will be to use my phone calendar with an alarm to remind me that it is time to put in some exercise time.  I believe that is going to be the best way to get a regular exercise habit started.  I could do this for meditation, too, especially in order to accomplish a lengthy meditation session in the middle of the day.  It is easy enough to do some deep breathing meditation as I am winding down at bedtime, but a middle of the day session would be a great time for experimentation with new guided imagery, which is my absolute favorite and most effective type of meditation. 

This class has been a great learning experience in integral health.  So many classes teach us the things we need to know to help others, but this course taught us to help ourselves first, in order to lead by example.  "Physician, heal yourself" (Luke 4:23, NIV) says the bible.  We may not all be on our way to being doctors, but anyone in the health and wellness field would do well to take care of themselves first.  We cannot help others or teach them things that we know nothing about and we can be most effective when we apply what we know is best for us to our own lives.  

References

Dacher, E., (2006).  Integral Health:  The Path to Human Flourishing.  Chapter 3: Aesclepian Healing.  

NIV, (1984).  Women's Devotional Bible.  

Week 8 Blog

It seems impossible that we are down to the last few weeks of this term.

  I have really enjoyed learning more about all types of meditation and visualization, but my favorites have definitely been the Subtle Mind and the "Meeting Asclepius" practices.  These were the two most relaxing practices for me.  I think the visualization would have ranked up there too, had it been on the CD.  I just find it easier to listen to the guided imageries than to read them.  I love the background music and wave sounds. 

I find that when I am stressed at all, I am looking forward to listening to one of these practices.  Just the fact that I know these practices are available to me calms me.  I can do some deep breathing and think, "Those practices are waiting for me".  I am thinking I should add them to my phone, so that I can listen to them no matter where I am.  It has also made me interested in finding more of those types of practices to add to my collection.  Any kind of meditation practice is going to be beneficial to all of our psyches. 

Everyone have a great week!  Two and a half weeks to go, but this is a class I would be happy to have continue, because it has been so good for all of us. 

Unit 7 - Meeting Asclepius

I cannot believe it is the end of week number seven.  I enjoyed the "Meeting Asclepius" exercise very much.  I always have a difficult time envisioning faces of people, as this exercise suggests, but envisioning the healing light is easier.  I love the sound of the waves and the soft music.  I like the comparisons Dacher makes at the beginning of the exercise, comparing our minds to different waterways.  I have to agree that my mind sounds a great deal like a noisy waterfall most days.  I cannot say that in just a week's time that I made it anywhere near the calm of the big river, but I'd say that I made it to the stream or the lazy river in most tries.  The funniest thing that happened was when I was very relaxed and enjoying myself very much, but our African Grey parrot would not be quiet.   She kept saying "whatcha doin'?"  "Hello?"  LOL.  That makes quiet meditation  bit more challenging. 

These practices help immensely with my psychological and spiritual wellness.  They force me to take "me" time.  I need that quieting time for my mind, and it makes me de-stress, and even look at stressors differently afterwards.  I look forward to the sounds of the waves and that music.  I plan to continue to listen to these exercises and find other ones to help with quieting my mind.  The more of these I do, the more settled I am, and the better I deal with everything else in my daily life.

"One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself", means that you cannot very well teach someone something you know nothing about.  I think that this absolutely applies to the health and wellness profession, because if we are spiritually or psychologically unwell ourselves, it will be tough to lead other people to that kind of complete wellness.  To me, it's kind of like trying to describe the way an amazing dessert tastes if you've never tasted it….you can explain what it looks like and how you expect it to be, but it just isn't the same without the full experience.  I do think that to be an effective professional, we have an obligation to develop our own integral health.  I am not saying that we have to be perfect, but we need to have some experience with all aspects of integral health to be effective at leading others there. 

As far as implementing psychological and spiritual growth in my own personal life, these practices go a long way.  They are helping me to learn what works and what does not.  Reading and learning about  quieting the mind is one of  the most positive things I can do, too.   

Have a great and peaceful week everyone. 

Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing

End of week 6...wow!
The Universal Loving Kindness meditation was interesting.  I enjoyed this one just because it feels like intercessory prayer and  I find when I pray, it's my thing.  It feels more natural to pray for others than for myself.  I guess it is the Mom in me....I think about what's best for everyone else before myself.  The only thing I found difficult about this was reading it, as opposed to listening to it.  Can't close your eyes and read!  However, a few rounds through and I got it.

The integral assessment process was a lot more thought provoking.  There again, thinking about what is best for me feels...odd.  The area I definitely need to work on the most is biological.  Interpersonal, worldly and psychospiritual seem to be stronger points for me.  Taking care of myself physically...on all levels, exercise, nutrition and self-regulation....all need work.  I have a hard time forcing myself to make time for exercise and to make the best choices as far as nutrition.  It isn't that I don't know better, it is just tough when you are at the mercy of everyone else's decisions and cooking abilities! lol
I think the best thing I can do as far as exercise, as I mentioned before in a previous post, is to schedule myself.  Make it part of my daily calendar and to do list.  Nuttition-wise, I need to remember to make the healthiest choices....because I am hurting myself when I don't.  I am also hurting the people who love me, because I am shortening my life with them.
Very thought provoking.
Have a great week #7 all....we are in the home stretch!

Mental Fitness Practice

Hope everyone had a great week #5...hard to believe we are half way through this term already. 
Comparing the two practices, loving kindness and subtle mind, I have to say I much preferred the subtle mind exercise. Does that sound awful?  It isn't that I would rather just concentrate on me, me, me....it's just that I find it more difficult to visualize the things in the loving kindness exercise.  I really enjoy the crashing waves and the soft music in the subtle mind exercise.  I know they were there in the loving kindness exercise too, but i just prefer the subtle mind of the two. 
I believe that when it comes to spiritual, mental and physical wellness, the connection is very important.  We have to have wellness in all three areas to be balances and truly well.  I have several family members who struggle (I sometimes feel like struggle is not a strong enough word) with depression, and it certainly causes physical manifestations.  On the other hand, many people with physical illness or disabilities struggle with spiritual and mental wellness too.  Many have the "poor pitiful me" syndrome....and sometimes that is deserved.  It is tough not to say why me, and I have days when I struggle with it too, but they are few and far between.  Feeling sorry for yourself doesn't accomplish anything.  A positive attitude is so important to overall well being.  Sorry, sounds like I'm on a soap box, but I know where from I speak.  I am aware that depression is a real physical disorder, because of chemical imbalances, but I also know that some people have the ability to help themselves more than they do.
Okay, my rant is done....have a great week #6 all.  :o)

Loving Kindness

I hope everyone had a great week #4.  This loving kindness experience was interesting.  At first, it was difficult to concentrate all the way through....I refer to it as seeing a butterfly!  My thoughts flutter off somewhere else.  As I worked on it, it got easier...practice, practice, practice.  Most interesting to me is the concept of wishing well for everyone....although, I honestly can't think of anyone that I consider an enemy.  I like this concept because so many of these types of  exercises are directed only at self-reflection.  I find that this one ties in with the intercessory prayer study.  I just find when I pray, I pray more for other people than for myself, so this exercise falls in to place for me.  i would certainly recommend it for that reason....we have to learn to be less selfish...less me me me!
The concept of a "mental workout" refers to what we did with the loving kindness practice.  We have to work on making our brain do the things we want it to.  Working on concentration and tuning out the outer (or even inner) chatter makes our minds stronger in a sense.  Research shows that by practicing these things, we are capable of retraining our minds to control negative emotions that ultimately harm us, specifically "anger, hate, fear, worry and confusion" (Dacher).  This training also helps us to bring out more positive emotions such as "happiness, patience, and loving-kindness".  Learning all of these things benefits us emotionally, spiritually and physically.  Mental workouts include, as mentioned, contemplative practices such as the loving kindness exercise.  Doing these exercises several times every week, and continuing them once the semester is over, will continue to strengthen our minds. 

The Mind-Body Connection

Well, better late than never, I suppose.  I've been thinking about this blog assignment for several days, but just haven't put it down in print.  I also had to listen to the "Crime of the Century" exercise a couple of times before I managed to make it all the way through without going to sleep! That man has the most relaxing voice,  I know he says you should feel energized and not sleepy, but it just isn't happening yet. 

1.  A.  On a scale of one to ten on the physical aspect, I am definitely middle of the scale...five.  I have Type II diabetes, which is fairly well controlled, but I find it hard to get in an exercise routine. 
B.  Where the spiritual aspect is involved, I think I rank at about an eight.  I still need to work on the mental stillness, but otherwise I'm not in terrible shape.
C.  Finally, the psychological aspect....I think I am about an eight on that spot too.  I seem to find myself surrounded by stress and chaos.  Most days, I deal with it fine, but other times...not so much. 

2.  My goals for each area would be:
A.  Get myself into a routine of exercising...if only starting out a few minutes at a time.
B.  I need to spend more time in meditation and prayer and work on silencing my mind.
C.  Psychologically, I would like not to stress so much about my children, who are all grown ups now. 

3.  Activities and exercises which would help me toward these goals would be:
A.  Putting an appointment on my phone for time to exercise....maybe if it is staring me in the face I won't ignore it.
B.  I would like to find some good meditation music and put it on my i-Pad and listen to it before I go to sleep.  Head phones would not bother my hubby!
C.  I am talking to a therapist to work with that psychological goal of stress reduction.

4.  The Crime of the Century, firstly, I find is a VERY strange title for that exercise!  I have the easiest time with the relaxation breathing and thinking/saying the phrases.  I have a more difficult time visualizing the colored lights.  The only frustration for me is that I have a difficult time staying awake the first time through these exercises.  I must admit that the second time through, however, I feel very relaxed when it is over with.

Journey On Relaxation Exercise

I have to admit, I had to do this exercise twice.  I took a little power nap the first time!  So, I decided I had to do it again.  That voice is so mellow and relaxing....he was a perfect choice for relaxation exercises.  I experienced just what he said while listening to him...the extreme heaviness in my hands and arms to the point of not wanting to move them.  I am looking forward to more exercises like this.  I also found myself thinking of other people I know who could benefit from these exercises. 

New to blogging

Like many of us in this class, this is my first blog experience.  However, I suppose it is somewhat like Facebook, which seems to be a part of my daily life.  I think this will be a great learning experiment.  Have a great day everyone.  :o)