Final project - Unit 9

This is my study - my final take on the class,
"Creating health and wellness, the psychological and spiritual aspects of healing."

It would be a lie if I said that I didn't get anything out of this course for in fact I did... I learned more deeply about the use and benefits of meditation and visualization, and how to actually put these to use both for personal use as well as for use with my clients. I have enjoyed having in the class together. I have learned alot from each and every one of my classmates. Thank you all! Blessings & Peace to everyone, Carol Kent (aka srluke)


Carol L. Kent
Kaplan University
Creating Health & Wellness
Final Project – Unit 9
February 9, 2010 

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

“The condition of our body is a reflection of the condition of our mind. A disturbed mind results in a disturbed physiology.” (Dacher, 2006, p. 18). Credibility is defined as the ability to inspire belief or trust. All across the country, parents tell their children to “do as I say not as I do.” In the 1960’s, when scientists linked cigarette smoking to lung cancer, the typical picture was the doctor sitting in his office telling his patient to quit smoking while at the same time he himself was lighting up. This was the ‘professional’ “do as I say not as I do” scenario. In both cases, parents and members of the medical establishment lacked the credibility needed to inspire a sense of belief or trust. Members of the health and wellness professionals need to have that sense of credibility necessary to inspire their patients and clients to believe in and or to trust that they are going to provide the best care possible.

Health & wellness professionals are taught that the mind, body, and soul are intricately entwined through each other – that one cannot separate one part from the whole, and that treatment must be applied not only to the body, but also to the mind and to the soul as well. Credibility for the health and wellness professional is just as important as it is for the traditional healthcare worker or for a parent of a child or adolescent. It is not enough to say that one must treat or take care of all three aspects of an individual and not take care of one’s own self. A client can see through the façade, and the credibility of the health and wellness professional becomes compromised.

This doesn’t mean that a health and wellness professional needs to be in perfect health, but it does mean that the health and wellness professional needs to recognize his or her own weaknesses and vulnerabilities and be willing to make the efforts necessary to make the changes in his or her own life. Only then can the health and wellness worker have creditability with his or her clients.

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

I have a genetic orthopedic disorder that has sidelined me at this moment and I am still in the process of “testing the waters” to see what I can and cannot do physically. Physical exercises that involve walking or excessive bending are not necessarily an option, however water aerobics are. Since my physical health seems to be the area with the most needs at this point in my life that is where I intend on focusing the majority of my energies.

II Assessment:

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

Thankfully, “integral health does not require that we develop fully in every way,” (Dacher, 2006, p. 111). Nor that we develop all at once. It is a lifetime process that each of us undergoes as we walk this path called life. In terms of self-assessment, I went with a scale of 1 – 7, with one being the lowest score and seven being the highest score possible. Beginning with spiritual health, I have to say that I am at a five. I have what I believe to be a rich spiritual life as a Franciscan.

We are now entering into the season of Lent, which is by tradition a period of self-reflection, meditation, and prayer. Physically, this area needs the most work. I have to rate myself as a three in terms of physical assessment. I need to work on weight issues plus dealing with orthopedic and spinal health issues. Psychologically I rate myself as a five; continuing with my education, learning to laugh more and cry less, are the things that I need to work on in terms of my mental health.

III Goal development:

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

For my physical care, my goal is to enroll in a water aerobics class that meets for an hour three times a week. In California, we have the 24 Hour Fitness Centers that offer water aerobic pool exercise classes. Mentally, we never stop learning – therefore continued education is a definite part of my plans and goals; therefore, once I graduate from Kaplan, I intend on pursuing either a Masters Degree or PhD in clinical psychology. Spiritually, in 1992 I graduated from seminary with the intention of going on and pursuing the process of ordination to diaconate in the Episcopal Church. That had to be put on hold for a while as other priorities took their place in my life. My goal is to go back, relook at the ordination process, and reconsider it for my life where I am now.
 
IV Practices for personal health:

What strategies can you implement to foster growth in each of the following domains: Physical, Psychological, and Spiritual?

It wouldn’t be beneficial to work on weight issues if I didn’t make readily attainable goals concerning weight reduction. Losing one half pound a week is what I am striving for, exercises, watching both calories and paying better attention to what I eat is one of the strategies that I intend on using for my physical health. Psychologically learning to laugh more, cry less, and see the good that is in everything is my goal for improving my psychological health. Spiritually, during the Lenten Season is the time when I work on revising my Rule of Life for the Third Order, Society of St. Francis and prepare my annual report. Questions such as how well did I keep my rule over the last year, how did I not keep it. What was the most inspiring area of the rule, what was the least inspiring? How should my rule look like for next year? All of these questions as part of my Lenten practice.

Provide at least two examples of exercises or practices in each domain and explain how you will implement each example.

• Physical: One hour of water aerobic exercises in a warm water pool three times a week, 30 minutes of weight exercises on the weight machines in my apartment’s weight room.
• Mental / Psychological: Continue with studies and education. Continue reading about visualization and meditation techniques – especially in the area of pain control and management.
• Spiritual: Make an appointment to talk to my priest and bishop about beginning the ordination process. Continue Franciscan work and study; continue using the blog that we had set up for this class as my journal.

V Commitment:

How will you assess your progress or lack of progress in the next six months?

Six months is 26 weeks, my physical goals figures a loss of ½ pound a week, which equals a total loss of 13 pounds. The ordination process in the Episcopal Church is quite lengthy and detailed. Beginning the process would mean meeting with a Parish Commission on Ministry, the priest and the Bishop, attending a Discernment weekend and meeting with the Diocesan Commission on Ministry as well. It involves passing a series of psychological exams (anyone who wants to be ordained is crazy – the church just wants to certify one as so), as well as taking the GOE’s or General Ordination Exams. Ordination is a two-year process. Depending upon what happens with the parish and diocesan commissions on ministry determines where this particular goal will be in six months.

Psychologically since I will be using the blog, attention to my goal will be the actual number of entries into the blog. If the last entry that I make is dated February 14, and it is now July 14, then I did not do well in keeping that particular goal.
 
What strategies can you use to assist in maintaining your long-term practices for health and wellness?

None of these goals can come about unless I take the time to visualize them, and actually make an effort to do them. I have a severe aversion to pain. Meditation and visualization has worked well in keeping most bone and joint pain under control. Because we do not live in a vacuum, and are by nature a community-oriented species, I intend on sharing some of my specific goals with supportive individuals in my family who will provide necessary support and encouragement to see that I “stay the course.”
Additionally, practice the skills learned through this class in terms of meditation, and visualization so that neither the physical, the psychological, nor the spiritual aspects of my life are neglected.
 
References

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