PERSONAL APPLICATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SPIRITUAL ASPECTS OF HEALING - UNIT 9

The Integral Health Plan: The Path for Spiritual, Physical, and Psychological Growth

     The following is an integral health plan that can help promote spiritual, physical and psychological growth. The steps for this path are noted in the order of: 1) introduction, 2) assessment, 3) goal development,
4) practices for personal health and 5) commitment.

Introduction

     It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically because in order to set the example, we must have full integral health in our own lives first. This is because we are transforming medicine and evolving it to a new level, not just expanding the medical protocol. As the practitioner, we must enter the transforming process if we are to change the medicine that we are practicing. Although, this is a great opportunity, so that we can “walk the talk” as fully trained healers to this underdeveloped aspect of our current modern day medicine. An explanation of this process is explained as  How to Become Agents of More Expansive Health:

1) Begin with Our Own Life Through Hands on Learning >
Practice Psychological Development and Contemplative Practice Exceptionally.

2) Understand the Process of Healing Firsthand as We Evolve Into a More Integral Healthy Life >
Experience the Benefits Ourselves.

3) Come to Know the Alleviation of Suffering and Human Flourishing >
See That it is More Than Just Ideas.

4) Gain Confidence and Trust with This Health Practice >
Help Others End Human Suffering Through This Same Healing Method.

5) Personal Work Becomes a Sacred Responsibility to Create a Better World
> Health and Healing Become Alive for Us.

6) Return of the “Soul of Medicine” > See That This is the Natural State.

(Dacher, 2006).

     The areas that I need to develop most in my life in order to achieve the human flourishing goals that I have for myself are based on the four aspects of human experience––biological, worldly, interpersonal and psychospiritual––and their progressive levels to each.

     Since, for the most part, I am maintaining pretty well in the areas of biological, worldly and interpersonal,
I would say that the most work that I need to do falls in the category of psychospiritual as follows:

1) Conative - Need to motivate my values more from that of “ instinctual, and reactive” fear to more of
“wisdom, wholeness, oneness, compassion and universal loving kindness” vision and values.

2) Cognitive - Need to stabilize my level of cognition more from that of “reactive, conditioned, and self-
protective” to more of “meaning, purpose and fulfillment” essential truth of non-cognitive state of pure awareness.

3) Emotional - Need to stabilize my emotions more from being dominated by my desires, anger, and fear”
reactive states to more of “neutral state between afflictive emotions and transient pleasure” stable and expansive emotions (Dacher, 2006).

Assessment

     Based on the most current integral development assessment, the areas of my spiritual, physical, and psychological wellness, were placed on a bar graph, just as Ken Wilbur, the inventor of the integral theory, suggested. Thus, on a scale of 1 - 10, the following areas of my life were scored at:

1) Nutrition, Generativity - Level 10 for excellent

2) Fitness, Self-Regulation, Social Activism, Work - Level 8 for very good

3) Personal, Family, Community - Level 6 for good

4) Conative, Cognitive, Emotional - Level 4 for fair

     Even though I am still working with a low paying job, while attending college, I place a number one importance on my diet as far as nutrition is concerned. My high level of generativity is also reflected with this, since I make it a point to pass on information to others about, where to purchase low cost healthy food. In the areas of fitness, self-regulation and social activism, I really do try. However, due to my very busy work and college schedule, this is not as high as it could be right now. It will improve though, once I graduate from college and have more free time. The same holds true, for my personal, family and community health. Although, I make it a point to contact my family, who live far away from where I live, either by way of e-mail or telephone calls. Then, I do get out with friends, during school terms breaks or holidays. If there is a volunteer program going on for the community at my work place, which does not require after hours work, I often volunteer here as well. The last area of conative, cognitive and emotional all tested out as fair right now with this assessment but this is because I am just now learning the integral health meditation exercises(Dacher, 2006).

Goal Development

     In reference to my physical, psychological (mental) and spiritual health, I must say that the goal development has been most challenging to maintain perfectly as a designated routine. However, giving up is not an option that I plan on doing, so I will continue to write out my goals from this day and after. Very importantly, I plan on keeping my physical fitness routine and to maintain a healthy diet. Then, most certainly for my psychological health, I plan to visit the Integral Health Institute web site and to practice the integral health exercises that I learned from this Creating Wellness: Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing class. Next, most definitely for my spiritual health, I plan to attend the periodic workshops that are offered from my faith group and to continue with meditation and prayer at my home in the evenings. For example the Domain Goal Developments:

1) Physical - Goal 1 - Keep a physical exercise routine. Goal 2 - Maintain a good diet.

2) Psychological -Goal 1 - Visit integral health institute web site. Goal 2 - Practice integral health persona from exercises.

3) Spiritual - Goal 1 - Attend workshops from my faith group. Goal 2 - Meditation and pray at my home.

(Dacher, 2006).

     The strategies that I plan to implement to help foster the growth of each of my physical, psychological, and spiritual domain goals (2 each) are as Practices for Personal Health:

1) Physical - First, I would keep a weekly physical exercise routine at placed of employment noon classes
three times per week. Then, second, I would maintain a good daily diet, which includes items from all of the main food groups. In addition, organic, vegetarian, omega 3 & 6 oils, water with stevia sweetener only.

2) Psychological - First, I would visit the integral health institute web site - http://www.integralinstitute.org/ -
on a bi-monthly basis to obtain current information. Then, second, I would practice the integral health exercises of the Chakra - Crime of the Century, Subtle Mind, Loving Kindness, Integral Assessment and the Asclepian Meditations when time permitted and based on “What is the right time for me?” rule for an integral health persona.

3) Spiritual - First, I would attend my weekly faith group meetings and bi-annual workshops. Second, I would meditate and pray at my home, each late evening on my yoga blanket that is set out in my living room in front of the meditation table (Dacher, 2006).

Commitment

     A way that I could assess my progress or lack of progress, during the next six months, could be from the use of a bar graph chart, just as mentioned in the previous Assessment section. For example the bar graph chart could be created, using all 12 of the progressive levels –– fitness, nutrition, self-regulation, generativity, social, activism, work, personal, family, community, conative, cognitive and emotional –– from the four aspects of human experience –– biological, worldly, interpersonal and psychospiritual and weekly check marks could be placed under each section, every day for the level that I check out to assess my health level of spirit, body and mind.

     The strategies that I could use to help assist with maintaining my long-term practices for health and wellness, could be to keep a log book of this Commitment Chart up on my wall, like a monthly calendar. This would be a wonderful way to monitor my progress. In addition, and at a glance, I could see what areas that I need to improve in and if there are any patterns that might be occurring. There would be no need to incorporate rewards, since the results at their highest level would be the reward itself. This would be that of total integral health (Wilbur, 2010).

     The following is an integral health plan that can help promote spiritual, physical and psychological growth. The steps for this path are noted in the order of: 1) introduction, 2) assessment, 3) goal development, 4) practices for personal health and 5) commitment. In conclusion and to promote this health plan, it will continue to be necessary to practice the meditation exercises and to monitor the level of our health to gain the maximum benefits. Initially, this should be done with the guidance of a practitioner and from the support of a center for human flourishing. Then, very importantly, one must forever remember to “Meet with Asclepius”, the wise healer, who resides within each of us, who will help guide us through the exercises and the entire integral health process at all times (Dacher, 2006).

References

Dacher, E.S. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.

Wilbur, K. (2010). Waves, streams, states, and self--A summary of my psychological mode. Retrieved July 12, 2010 from ttp://wilber.shambhala.com/html/books/psych_model/psych_model1.cfm/

PLEASE NOTE:

The tables in my final paper would not transfer properly, so I just added the italized heading of each in an example format.