Unit 9 Final Project Personal Application of the Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing

I 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 essential that wellness professionals develop psychologically for numerous reasons. One very important reason is that wellness professionals need to have the knowledge and capabilities to guide their patients on their journey to wellness. If the wellness professionals are confident and comfortable with themselves and their work the patient will feel more at ease.

II Assessment:

How have you assessed your health in each domain? How do you score your wellness spiritually, physically, and psychologically?
Spiritual development is also important for wellness professionals to have spiritual maturity because it helps one to deal better with people; especially when they practice loving-kindness living. Forgiveness is an important aspect of spirituality that lowers one’s stress level and stress related illnesses at work and with the rest of their life. The most important spiritual benefit in my life and work is my faith that God is guiding me through life.

III Goal development:

List at least one goal you have for yourself in each area, Physical, Psychological (mental health) and Spiritual.
Physical fitness is important because your body needs to be able to handle the physical demands of your work. I myself believe that I need more development in all three areas; before I’m able to help people in need to wellness care on the level I want to be able to help them. I want my patients to benefit from my knowledge about living life; by offering them excellent advice and strategies that will promote my patients quality of life spiritually, mentality and psychically. In order to for me to obtain this goal, I believe I have to develop to a higher level in my knowledge both psychologically and spiritually.

Of the three wellness categories, I feel my spiritual well being is that most advanced area in my life. I feel mentally I have come a along way in the last past few years, but there is still improvement for me to learn and experience. In this area, I believe the most difficult stages to my development is dealing with the past. I believe my psychical is developing at a quicker pace than my mental spiritual development.

IV 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.

One way I plan to help my mental development is to enhance my environment with people. I will do this by participating with society on a deeper level including attending church. Another aspect of my psychical development is that I’m naturally given. I need to practice not letting other take advantage of my kindness; by realizing I have to deal with people according to the seeds they sow in my life. If they sow negative seeds I have to get them out of my life. I know this sounds selfish, but I have to start looking out for my own interest.

V 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?

I have already started increasing my psychical health by joining a work-out center. Spiritually I’m going to develop better meditation skills as well as attending church.
To measure my level of progress over the next six months I’m going to develop a chart with my best friend regarding how both of us individually rate me spiritually, physically and mentally. We will both rate me on the same chart in six months. The chart will be broken into different aspects of all three wellness factors.

Unit 8: Optimal Well-being: Psychological, Spiritual and Physical Keys to Health and Thriving.

Unit 8 blog
Choose two practices that you have determined to be most beneficial. How can you implement these practices in your personal life to foster “mental fitness”? Provide specific examples.

The two practices that I choose were Visualization, Loving Kindness; I feel that these are the two that are the most beneficial to me. I like the Loving Kindness practice because it taught me how to embrace my inner feelings and allow me to let some things go. I did have to realize that I had to love and forgive those that hurt me but I know it will not happen over night unless God himself does it. The Visualization exercise just took me to a state that I was already too familiar with. I always see things pertaining to my life and some make me cry and some make me happy it all depends on the vision at that time. I have told myself if I can just focus on the good in my life the bad will soon fade away. In order to get something done quicker I have to sometimes visualize what it would feel like once the thing is done; and that makes me work hard at until it’s done so I can get the gratification I visualized.

How can you implement these practices in your personal life to foster “mental fitness”?

To foster mental fitness I would have to practice these exercises daily and focus on the goal I’m trying to reach in doing the exercise. Love and Kindness have to be practiced everyday because people can really make you wish you had a trap door that makes them disappear. Lol
Or at least a mute button to make them hush or a magical wand to make them freeze for a couple of hours I know I do. Lol
I believe if I keep visualizing my self as a healthy happy person daily then it will soon manifest in my life and I would love that.

Unit 7: Current Trends and Research Supporting the Mind-Body-Spirit Paradigm.

2. Describe the saying: "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself” (P.477)

"One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself”: I believe this statement means; how can you help someone with a situation you never been through before yourself. Or you have to be over your spiritual and mental challenges before you can help the next person with theirs. How does this apply to the health and wellness professional? This quote is basically saying to health and wellness professionals, you have to have experience something first before you can help your client. What I mean by this is; how can health and wellness professional tell their client to quit smoking when they never experienced the cravings, the draw backs, or what its like to be without a cigarette and your craving is making you lash out at people. I believe all addictions can make a person lash out if the fix is not available to that person at that time.

Do you have an obligation to your clients to be developing your health psychologically, physically, and spiritually? Why or why not?

Yes I do have that Obligation because; how can I consider myself as a health care professional if I can’t help that individual. The client could really be in desperate need of help and I have to be psychologically, physically, and spiritually to help them.

I had a situation happen to me when I was at a gas station a few years ago it was all so weird. I went to the gas station real late at night to get gas before I went to my friends’ house. I noticed this burgundy car with yellowish doors pulling in before me. I said to myself out of all the cars around me why I’m I focusing on the one individual car? I went in to pay for my gas and came out to pump it and what do you know the car I noticed was right behind me. The man in the burgundy car was pumping his gas as well. He turned to me and said (you know life is not worth living is it?) I thought to myself what did he just say? Did he just say what I think he said? I instantly panicked because I knew he was about to commit suicide once he left the gas station. He had a still look on his face as if he was lost or out of his mind. I knew from his face he wasn’t joking. I knew I wasn’t a health care professional but he needed help. And God made all the words flow out of my mouth like I had known this man all my life. Once I got through talking to him he said thank you so much that really helped me. Thank God he was with me because that was a very strong and intense moment for me.

How can you implement psychological and spiritual growth in your personal life?

I can implement psychological and spiritual growth in my personal life by letting God help me flourish into the woman he designed me to be. I feel I can’t do absolutely anything without God’s help and without him I’m nothing. Having said that I believe if I continue to focus on God more, staying in my word daily the rest will all fall into place psychological and spiritually.

Unit 6 Mind-Body-Spirit Wellness and Healing

Describe the exercise and assessment process.
The exercise asks you to focus on any of the four quadrants, then to pick the lines of development that I would like to talk about which could be anything. I would then visualize myself taking the leap the next level of my development. Then I will have to figure out what practices to use? What problems will I resolve? And what new abilities will I develop to get to my integral health? Next I had to close my eyes and clam my mind and body and release all my mental activity. Next I had to find a quite moment in my mind to ask myself, what aspects of my life do I need to focus on the most?

What did you discover about yourself?
I noticed that I have a problem with un-forgiveness, when I looked back at the situation that changed my mental and thought process I knew I had to make changes in my life and surroundings to get my life back on track. I have been working on Un-forgiveness each day trying to remove the situation out of my head so that I can move on with my life. The area I have chosen to focus on is my psychospiritual development because; I have some deep emotions of hurt still planted in my heart that needs to go. I would rather get rid of them than suppress them.



The area I have chosen to focus on is my forgiveness for the ones that hurt me.

I have to come to a part of my life that I can forgive them and move on, because I feel the more I hold on to the problem it holds me back in life and I refuse to give anybody that much power over my life. The exercises I use are Prayer asking for God’s help to help me overcome my hurt and pain so I can move on with my life. I also use meditating on good thoughts only, and when the memory of bad thoughts comes up, I block it out by telling myself continuously that I’m over that situation.

Unit 5 The Key Role of Thought in Wellness and Healing

1. Compare and contrast the Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise. Explain your experience including the benefits, frustrations etc.

The Loving Kindness exercise is used to help a person focus on loving themselves as well as others. And the Subtle mind exercise is used to help a person focus on training their mind to dig deeper into your sub-conscious; learning how to get rid of negative thoughts, images, and feelings. These two practices are similar because they both are what you will consider a mental workout to clam the mind.

My experience with this exercise was really life changing for me; and I find it so strange that it happen so fast. I went form being very angry in unit 4 to a claming atmosphere in unit 5 wow!!!! Is all I can say. (God is truly good). Once I opened up my mind I was able to see what the big problem was and it is un-forgiveness. I have to first breath second clam down and third think about the situation and fourth forgive. I know this is something that will take practice; but I have learned giving myself a daily mental workout will help me in the healing process.

2. Discuss the connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the connection is manifested in your personal life.

To be honest if I used my spiritual wellness more that my negative wellness I wouldn’t have been so angry at the situation. My mental and physical wellness plays a big part in my spiritual wellness. I say this because if I would change my thought process then my emotions won’t be able to control me. At this point I have been controlled by my emotions which has cause me back aches, pains in my legs, dizziness, and numerous headaches. I know if I practice these relaxing tools everyday I will get the results I need to move on with my life.

Unit 4 the Mind-Body-Spirit Paradigm

The loving Kindness exercise allowed me to see how much anger I actually have in my heart. As I read on I seemed to get angrier and angrier. Someone I really loved shattered my heart and never apologized and that makes it hard for me to let love in I guess. I do have my day when I can share the happiness of love but then I have my days when I’m very angry, crying, and upset at the persons’ that caused me pain. A lot of people have told me to get over it but that’s easy for them to say because it’s not their life or situation.

Besides how can a person get over something when it’s always thrown in their face; its almost like, when the womb begins to heal they are right there to snatch the scab right off before it fully heals; and then in the same sentence says get over it. So my loving-kindness factor is a little rusty I think. I never said that I don’t be nice to the perpetrators even though they shattered my heart because I do, what’s that old saying kill them with kindness? Yea trying that too but that even gets difficult when they say something hurting again (snatching off the healing scab). I know it might sound like I’m very bitter that’s not the case I’m just extremely hurt by their actions especially hurt because they seem to feel like they did nothing wrong.

1. Describe your experience. (Did you find it beneficial? Difficult?) Why or Why not? Would you recommend this to others? Why or Why not?

My experience with this exercise was quite difficult for me because I seem to need more to help me heal. I really would recommend this to someone else it probably would help them tremendously.

2. What is the concept of “Mental Workout? What does the research indicate are the proven benefits of a Mental Work Out? How can you implement mental workouts to foster your psychological health?

The concept of the mental workout is to work at something daily until you get the results you want. The proven benefits of a mental workout are the shown results. To implement my mental workouts I would have to focus on the positive and not the negative; and practice listening to the relaxation exercises. I believe if I play the relaxation exercises over and over again it will sink in and help my healing process.

Unit 3 The Mind-Body Connection

1. A-physical wellbeing,
I rate my physical well-being at a 6 I say this because I’m currently working on weigh management by eating healthy. I plan to get back into a regimen of exercise and walking which has helped me before with weight loss. My goal is continue eating healthy and exercise more. The only way I can accomplish my goal is to not eat out as much and watch my calorie intake.

2. B-spiritual well-being,
I rate my spiritual well-being at a 6. I’m in constant communication with God, and I try to listen to what he has to tell me in my daily life. I believe this is my strongest area although, I still feel like I’m not where I want to be yet. I have seen my life progress the closer I get to God; I believe as I continue to get closer to God wondrous things will happen in my life as they have already started to do. My goal is to continue to build a better relationship with God. In doing I will have to continue to read my bible everyday and stay focused on the positive and not the negative.

3. C-psychological well-being,
I rate my psychological well-being 4½ because this is my weakest area, not to say a 4½ is bad because it is not. I feel this way because a year ago I would have rated myself a 2. As I communicate with people who are spiritual like I am and read my bible I gain a lot of wisdom. I also make it a point to examine negative experiences and determine what I learned from them therefore; I feel my cognitive ability is constantly getting stronger. My goal is to compare and contrast situations in my life so that I will be able to make wise decisions. I see myself getting closer to this goal by staying focus in my word and choosing my battles.

4. Complete the relaxation exercise The Crime of the Century. To hear this exercise.
When I first saw the title I didn’t know what to expect but this was a different experience for me. This relaxation almost brought me to tears because the commentary was placing the colors in places that made me think deep and hard. And once he got to the color yellow to say I feel love I couldn’t do it; because I don’t feel loved by my family. That color alone was a huge battle for me, I actually had to stop the video and get myself back together to continue. To be honest this video wasn’t relaxing to me at all.

Unit 2 Transpersonal Psychology Relaxation Exercise

I will admit when I first turned on the Video I didn't think it would help me being that I have been so stressed out here lately; but of course I was wrong. I felt so relaxed his voice was very calming; I was able to forget all the issues and problems I was dealing with for a minute. The relaxing video helped me to relax it did serve its purpose and I was happy about it.