Unit 10: Reassessment of Personal Health

Hi, everyone.

In unit 3, I assessed my physical well being at an 8, my psychological well being at a 9, and my spiritual well being at a 7.  During the unit 9 project, I assessed my physical well being at a 7, my psychological well being at a 5, and my spiritual well being at a 9.  As demonstrated, all aspects of my well being changed with physical and psychological worsening and spiritual improving.  I was not surprised to discover that my psychological well being is the dimension that decreased the most with that decrease being easily attributable to circumstances over the last month or so.  As I mentioned in the unit 9 project, I believe the decrease in my physical health is directly related to the decrease in my psychological health, and I expect that to increase as I improve and develop my psychological health.

Reviewing my goals from unit 3, I believe that I have made progress on all of them, particularly in the spiritual dimension.  I believe that the decrease in my physical and psychological health are less related to failure to achieve my previous goals and more related to a change in my current situation.  As a result, the new goals that I set forth in the unit 9 project are more applicable to my current health situation.  While I have implemented the activities I described in unit 3 to allow myself to achieve my goals, I also recognize that integral health is a fluid thing that is ever-changing.  As a result, changing goals and plans to keep up with the flux involved in simply living life is the best way to maintain a good level of health.

This course has been interesting as it has required quite a bit of deep, introspective thought in order to complete the assignments.  I cannot help but realize how the material we have learned is applicable in many ways in my daily life, both personally and professionally.  I hope to use this material to better help myself and my clients and look forward to seeing how things can change and grow for me over the next several years.

Thank you.

-Joy Clark

Unit 9 Project

Integral Health: A Plan for Healthy Living

Joy Clark

Kaplan University

Integral Health: A Plan for Healthy Living

Abstract: Integral health is defined by Elliot Dacher as a system of health which is “self-generated and self-cultivated, that leads to a comprehensive, holistic, and far-reaching healing of body, mind, and spirit and that is immune to life’s adversities, including disease, aging, and death (2006, p. 3).”  A system of integral health is one in which equal attention and emphasis is placed upon all four dimensions of the human experience: physiological, social, psychological, and spiritual rather than the sole emphasis on physiological health which is the realm of conventional medicine.  Practitioners of integral health follow the idea that a deficit in any of the four dimensions can and does result in detrimental effects upon the other three.  By strengthening each of the four dimensions, an individual can achieve a high state of health and connectedness with the surrounding universe that is known as human flourishing (Dacher, 2006).

Why is it important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically?

            It is critically important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically in order to be able to understand the journey their patients must make in order to achieve integral health.  According to Dacher (2006), “to become the agents of a more expansive health, we must begin with our own life (p. 167).”  Practitioners and healers must be in tune with their own health in order to properly manage the health of others.  As put in Luke 4:23 (English Revised Version), “Physician, heal thyself.”  This phrase is taken literally to mean that one must take care of his or her own faults before criticizing the faults of others; however, I find that it is particularly appropriate in this context.  Healers are expected to remedy the illnesses and injuries of others.  How can they accomplish this task when they have not remedied the balance of health within themselves?  It is easy to become blinded to the plights of others when laboring under personal difficulties.  As a result, health care professionals must adhere to the principles of the medicine they hope to practice in order to bring the best possible services to their patients (Dacher, 2006).

What areas do you need to develop to achieve the goals you have for yourself?

            In order to achieve any given goal in a plan of integral health, all four dimensions of the human experience need to be developed to a greater or lesser degree.  According to Dacher, the mind-body-spirit experience is such that any deficit in one area leads to deficits in the other areas.  Thus, underdevelopment of the spiritual dimension can have consequences upon physical, psychological, and social health, which can further feed into the original spiritual problem (Dacher, 2006).  Furthermore, development of one dimension of the human experience indirectly leads to strengthening of the other four.  As a result, attention should be paid to all four dimensions: physical, psychological, spiritual, and social, with specific attention going to the area that is currently suffering.  Over the course of a normal human existence, each of the four aspects will suffer to a greater or lesser degree, requiring development and bolstering in order to keep them strong (Dacher, 2006).

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

            In assessing my spiritual, physical, and psychological health over the last few months, I utilized the first principle of Dacher’s Integral Assessment which states (2006), “the goal of integral health is to alleviate suffering and promote human flourishing (p. 105).”  This principle asks two fundamental questions that are critical to conducting a survey of one’s health status (Dacher, 2006, p. 105):

1)      Which aspects of our life are the most significant sources of distress?

2)      Where is our greatest possibility for growth and development?

Through these questions, the integral assessment serves as a guideline for individual assessment of our current state of health, allowing the person to determine which areas are lacking.  Once these deficits are identified, a plan may be put into place to rectify the problem and allow for personal development along a path to integral health (Dacher, 2006).

            When asking myself the two questions from the first principle of the integral assessment, I discovered that at the present time, I would say that the psychological aspect of my life provides the most significant source of distress at the moment.  As a result, I would rank my psychological health at a 5/10, giving this aspect the greatest possibility for growth and development.  There is a popular saying, “it never rains, but it pours.”  In a way, I feel that this saying is appropriate as many projects and aspects of my life have come to a head in the last month, leaving me with too much to do, and not enough time to do it.  As a result, I have been experiencing a fairly high level of stress and have had to make some difficult choices, which continue to bother me.  As I have had trouble letting go of the things that I cannot control, and have trouble separating the things I cannot control from the things that I can, I believe this to be the largest contributing factor that is affecting the other areas of my health.

            The second aspect that I identified which requires further development is in my physical health, which I currently rate at a 7/10.  While I am generally healthy and do not suffer from even the usual seasonal ailments as of yet, I have been tired much of the time and have not been resting well.  As a result, I feel generally run down and have noticed resurgence of old aches and pains which I had believed to have been resolved.  I feel that this general feeling of malaise is related to the psychological stress I have been experiencing as a result of too many projects and commitments and not enough resources with which to fulfill what I see as my obligations.  Stress affects the body physiologically, making it difficult to sleep and truly relax, leaving one in a constant state of elevated awareness and vigilance.  While there are many physical relaxation techniques I can, and do, employ in order to combat these difficulties, I believe my physiological health will improve as I can manage to further develop my psychological health.

            The final aspect of health that I have examined is my spiritual health, which remains high.  Currently, I rate my spiritual health at a 9/10.  While I do not regularly attend church, I feel that I have a close connection with my idea of God and my worship is accomplished by myself in the manner that feels most appropriate at that time.  Additionally, I have a firm and solid understanding of what I view as my place in the universe with regards to other people, other forms of life, and as part of a greater plan.  As a result, I do not feel conflicted spiritually, and would rate this as the highest aspect of my overall health.  I do easily admit that some of the problems I have and continue to experience psychologically and physically could, if not attended to, affect my spiritual health; however, at this present time, I feel that my spiritual health is bolstering my physiological and psychological health.

List at least one goal you have for yourself in each of the following areas: physical, psychological, and spiritual.

            The goal I have for myself psychologically is to come to a better understanding that there is only so much in life that I have direct control over.  Worrying about things that I cannot directly influence, such as the actions of others, the weather, the economy, and other things is a waste of my time and increases my stress.  Once I can come to a point where I come to terms with this concept, I believe I will be able to better get my stress level under control leading to a better sense of prioritization on the things that I can control.  Sub goals to this realization include an improvement in optimism and perception where I hope to not always react negatively when things don’t work out entirely as planned.  I hope that these things will lead to better time management on my part as I plan to stop wasting time on the things that I cannot directly affect.

            The goal I have for myself physically is kind of tied into my psychological goal: I need to decrease my stress so that I can better relax and stop functioning at a highly charged level continuously.  Increased relaxation will lead to better physical health through better sleeping patterns, better use of my time for exercise, and taking care of my physiological needs (such as doctor appointments, dentist appointments, and taking the time for a health, rather than a speedy, diet).  I truly believe that psychological and physiological health, at least for me, are very closely related as I note they tend to directly affect each other.  When I suffer psychologically, I suffer physically from a lack of sleep, chronic fatigue, irritability, and tend to pick up little ailments more often.  This further feeds back into my psychological health by making me more pessimistic, more stressed, and less inclined to view things objectively.  In summary, my biggest psychological and physiological goals are to decrease my perception of stress and increase my ability to relax.

            Finally, my spiritual goal is simple: stay the course.  I am very happy with my spiritual fitness and health, and have been for quite some time.  I see no reason to make any sweeping changes unless I find myself dissatisfied with my beliefs and my ability to be firm in my beliefs regardless of the input of others.  That said, I do not mean that I do not welcome the input of others rather that it takes more than a casual conversation to cause me to question the things I hold as truth.  I welcome the input of other people and their views.  I simply feel that mine are firm and give me a solid understanding of my purpose in life.

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.

            The best strategy for implementing growth in my psychological health is to drastically reduce my stress level.  According to the website Helpguide.org, a non-profit organization which centralizes web-based resources for stress management and behavioral health information, the first step towards reducing stress is to identify the major stressors in one’s life (Smith & Segal, 2011).  Once identified, it is critical to identify the personal habits, predilections, and excuses that go into feeding those stressors and making intentional, positive changes in behavior that lead to reducing the effect that major stressors can have.  As discussed by Dacher, one behavior becomes intentional and individuals accept responsibility for their actions, healing can begin as there is now a foundation for it to take root (Dacher, 2006).  A good way to identify stressors and the actions or reactions that lead to increasing any given stressor is to keep a stress journal.  Similar to a dream diary, a stress journal is a safe place in which to write down times when one feels particularly stressed and record the events and thoughts leading up to the time of stress.  Additionally, it is important to note what actions or thoughts lead to a reduction in stress.  Eventually, a pattern will emerge making it possible to positively identify the behaviors that need to be altered (Smith & Segal, 2011).  Meditating upon the results of the stress journal as a means to organize my thoughts and return to a state of inner peace can further the goal of increased relaxation through stress reduction.

            A good strategy to implement growth of my physical health is to make sure to budget time out of the day where I can count on being able to regularly plan for nutritious meals and moderate exercise.  Currently, I eat what I can when I can, and exercise when I can however much I can.  I realize that this has taken a toll on my health; however, I have not been able to get a handle on sticking to a routine.  I believe creating a schedule and maintaining a routine, along with meeting my goals for psychological health, will better help me to maintain good physical health.  According to Dacher, keeping up with a maintainable schedule is the key to success.  If we as individuals attempt to take on too much, we will quickly become overwhelmed and accomplish less than we were doing before implementing a new program (Dacher, 2006).  This is the problem I believe I am having: attempting to do too much without a concrete plan for meeting my obligations.  Making a schedule that is realistic and maintainable will make this possible.

            Much like the goal I have for maintaining my spiritual health, the best strategy I have for implementing spiritual growth is to stay my current course.  Right now, I am comfortable and solid in my place within the universe and feel a connection to my purpose in life; however, I need to be aware that the world around me is in a constant state of flux.  As a result, I need to remain flexible to anything that might alter my perception of events as well as any new information that may change what I believe my purpose to be.  Having firm believes and faith is a benefit; however, if that faith does not remain flexible it can be broken.  In order to foster spiritual growth, I need to remain flexible and ensure that I can change as the world around me changes.  Continuing informal daily prayer as I already do and continuing to research and as questions when I feel the need to expand my knowledge will help keep me centered on my beliefs as well as opening up my mind and spirit to any new possibilities I may encounter.

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?

            As I have found Dacher’s Integral Assessment to be a useful tool during this thorough review of my current state of health, I will continue to use it as an assessment tool periodically throughout the next six months and beyond.  In particular, the two questions found in the first principle of the Assessment are simple, non-threatening, and appropriate for use at any time in the process of planning and implementing a system of integral health (Dacher, 2006, p. 105).  In order to be effective, the Assessment should be conducted frequently at first, as changes will likely occur quickly as I adapt new techniques and put forth concentration towards improvement.  Once an integral plan has become routine, the assessment should be conducted less frequently in order to continue to become a valuable tool that will measure change and progress (or lack of progress).

            In order to maintain long-term practices for health and wellness, the best strategy is one of flexibility.  Health is an ever changing state, and attempting to stick to a rigid routine is as pointless as trying to cure diabetes with a diet of nothing but sugar.  It won’t work.  In order to be maintainable, a practice needs to be able to adapt to changing circumstances, take into account major life events, and remain pertinent to the current situation.  Each time an assessment on current health and progress is conducted, goals should be adjusted or re-written, strategies altered appropriately in order to accommodate new goals, and priorities adjusted in order to take into account any changes in the current state of health of the individual.  Only through a fluid system can I hope to avoid viewing integral health through a system of blinders and missing out on the rest of what life has to offer (Dacher, 2006).

References

Dacher, E. S. (2006). A letter to the reader. In Integral health: The path to human flourishing. (1st ed.). (pp. 1-4). Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications.

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Consciousness and health. In Integral health: The path to human flourishing. (1st ed.). (pp. 15-23). Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications.

Dacher, E. S. (2006). For the practitioner. In Integral health: The path to human flourishing. (1st ed.). (pp. 165-173). Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications.

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral healing. In Integral health: The path to human flourishing. (1st ed.). (pp. 35-48). Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications.

Dacher, E. S. (2006). The integral assessment. In Integral health: The path to human flourishing. (1st ed.). (pp. 105-116). Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications.

Smith, M., & Segal, R. (2011, December). Stress management: How to reduce, prevent, and cope with stress. Helpguide.org. Retrieved January 13, 2012, from http://helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm

Overview of Mindfulness Exercises

Hi, everyone.

This is sort of a difficult blog question for me to answer, as I really didn't care for many of the exercises we reviewed this term.  If I had to pick, I would go a little off the grid and say that I prefer unguided meditation, which Dacher briefly discusses when he mentions taking a few minutes out of the day to simply organize one's thoughts.  Given the fluid nature of most human lives, I really believe that unguided meditation (at least for me) is one of the best ways to come to grips with difficulties, organize chaotic "mental noise," and achieve a higher state of relaxation by clearing one's thoughts however momentarily.  I never really realized how often I engage in a few minutes of meditation throughout the day, particularly when I need to relax before working with a new client, dealing with a difficult coworker, or reminding myself of the difference between the things that I can control and the things that I cannot.  I do feel that this type of unguided momentary meditation is probably far more widespread than most people realize as they would not recognize it as "textbook meditation" (which is often interpreted as having to sit somewhere quiet for an extended period of time focusing one one specific thing, with or without utilizing a phrase or mantra to guide the thoughts).

Thank you.

-Joy Clark