Favorite Quote of all Time

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Marianne Williamson

Unit 9

1. 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?

I am not a health and wellness professional in the traditional sense. I am a registered nurse but I believe that the same principle applies. It is a matter of “healer, heal thyself”. I cannot be an effective provider of healthcare, if I am not engaged in health practices myself. I suspect the same is so for a wellness coach, nutrition counselor, or fitness trainer. Professionals in these areas must be actively engaged in their own health practices in order to instruct or guide others through the process.

My personal goals that need further development include making time for regular exercise. It can be a challenge with my long work hours, school and family but I find it necessary for my overall state of well-being. I also want to make more time for peaceful contemplation or quite time. Being able to be still with myself is also important to my well-being. My spiritual goals I do not discuss openly.

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

I assess each domain by regularly evaluating what I am doing, thinking and saying that is not serving me well and eliminating those people, places, things, thoughts and habits that don’t provide a sense of well-being. I don’t think I can score my wellness spiritually, physically or psychologically because I believe that wellness in these areas in an on-going process, that all are interconnected and that all require attention for as long as we live. We never reach a place where we get a perfect score. I can only say that I am actively engaged in the improvement process and work to address each area in some way every day.

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

As mentioned previously, my physical goal is to increase my activity level. I bore easily in my fitness routine so I have to vary my exercise. Thankfully, I live in the mountains and with warmer temperatures I am able to get out and walk and hike-which is good for my body, mind and spirit.

My psychological goal is to have more quiet time for contemplation. My work as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner is very stressful and I need this time to decompress from the day and renew my mind and spirit. It is a challenge to find time for this with all of my obligations but necessary for my overall health. I need to make the commitment to give this quiet time the same level of importance as all of my other obligations.

My spirituality is something that I don’t really discuss openly and choose not to address any specific goals related to my spirituality in a school paper or blog. My beliefs and practices are very sacred to me and feel that those things need to remain private.

4. 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.

My strategies for physical health are really just a commitment to move my body every day and to eat fresh foods whenever possible. My conversion to vegetarianism several years ago, has contributed greatly to my health.

My strategies for emotional health are to make time for quiet contemplation and to keep balance between work, school and play. I have booked a beach cottage for a week at the end of this semester so that I can relax completely for a while. Making it a point to enjoy time away from home and work is also an important strategy. Technology has also blurred the line between the home and work, so being able to turn off my cell phone and computer is also an important strategy for my emotional health.

My strategies for spiritual health are sacred and very private and will not be explored here or on my blog.

5. 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 will continue to assess my progress the way that I already do, through constant attention. For me my mind,body and spiritual health is dependent on a balance of all three. Since all of these areas are essentially one and the same, I can’t have wholeness if any part is out of balance. As I write this, I know that I am out of balance because of the way my energies feel. I am in the process of shedding some thoughts and habits that are not serving me well, in order to bring that balance back. As I grow and develop as a person, I will continue to frequently re-evaluate those areas of my life that contribute to balance to determine if they still serve me. When I am feeling small imbalances throughout the day, I look inward and ask my body what is causing the imbalance. If I am still, it will always tell me what needs attention-whether it is more water, more exercise, an emotion, a specific energy center, etc. I will continue to use this process to evaluate and address my health and wholeness.

It is no secret that I am not a supporter of Dr. Dacher’s theory on human flourishing but in his final chapter he says something that fully resonates with me. “If human life is endowed with a spark of the Divine, it would most certainly reveal itself as the highest and best in us. There can be little doubt that our highest and best is our capacity for self-reflection, penetrating wisdom, and universal loving-kindness. If we choose to ripen these qualities, their essence will flow into each aspect of our lives” (Dacher, 2006). Namaste.

Unit 8

For this assignment I am to choose two practices that I have determined to be beneficial and how I will implement these practices into my life to foster mental fitness. Unfortunately, I do not subscribe to Dr. Dacher's ideas about "mental fitness". I took this course because of the title "The Psychological and Spiritual aspects of Healing" and wanted to apply it to the work I do with sexual assault victims. Unfortunately this course was not about healing at all, but more about a single man's theroy about mental training somehow bringing a person wholeness and happiness. We never really got to the healing process. You can not heal a body, mind or spirit by training your mind to think positive loving thoughts. The idea that anyone would go out into the health and wellness world and tell clients that Dr. Dacher's ideas will heal them makes me very sad because they won't. Maybe I just come from a whole different perspective because of my many years of caring for trauma (mental, physical and spiritial) patients but I find Dr. Dacher's book full of superficial concepts and I don't plan to apply anything that Dr. Dacher preachs to my life or to my work. Blessings.

Reading Recommendations

I have been asked several times for recommendations for additional readings beyond Dr. Dacher so here are a few of my favorites:

Wayne Dyer-The Power of Intention (and anything written after that book)

Anything by Eckhart Tolle

Anything by Judith Orloff

How your Mind Can Heal Your Body by David Hamilton

If you are interested in Energy Healing Work

Anything by Donna Eden

Anything by Sonia Choquette

Anything by Barbara Brennan

That's a good start. Enjoy!

Unit 7

"One can not lead another where one has not gone himself". For me that says everything about my response to Dr. Dacher's elementary theory. Dr. Dacher has only a very basic understanding of energy flow and higher consciousness. There are many other authors with a greater and deeper understanding of these concepts that it is difficult for me to connect to Dr. Dacher. It's like going back to kindergarten for me. These recordings are a chore for me and not enjoyable at all...I get so tired of saying that. I am grateful for Dr Dacher and his teachings but he has so much more to learn. Namaste.

Wise words of a 12 year old

"You don't have to accept the invitation to every arguement"

Unit 6

I am sure it is no surprise that I did not enjoy the loving kindness meditation. I chose to move out of that space and into a space of gratitude which took me to a higher vibration which I enjoyed very much.

As for my integral assessment-this is a continuous journey for me. I don't believe that I am ever complete physically, spiritually,or emotionally. It is a matter of where I need to focus most in each moment or each day. Much of my spiritual and emotional journey is very personal and sacred to me and not for discussion on a blog. My physical journey is less personal and my goals for that area are to be more active and seek out activities that challenge my body and to make the leap to vegan from vegetarian. All I have to let go of is cheese and oh how I love my cheese.

Words to live by

Only I Can Destroy

My Peace

and I Choose Not To

Unit 5

So it seems like I am always griping about these exercises. Anyone who follows my blog knows how much I dislike these guided meditations. There are lots of theories about why but the truth is that I have been practicing higher consciousness meditations for so long that these elementary exercises are just distracting for me. So this week I thought I would try something different and use the meditation in a way that challenged me a little bit. On friday, I got this tattoo on my ankle. I have other tattoos so I know that they hurt but this one was going to be close to the bone so I knew it would REALLY hurt. I decided to do the meditation while I was getting the tattoo to see if I could remove myself from an hour and a half of pain. I am happy to report that it worked. I still don't like these guided meditations but I enjoyed the challenge of trying to stay focused while being repeatedly jabbed with a needle. The tattoo represents grounding energy..in case you are wondering. :)

Unit 4 Update

So I was finally able to listen to the exercise and did not enjoy it. I have difficulty listening to these kinds of tapes for a number of reasons which I wont go into here but when required to listen to them I always end up stressed and irritated and the desired effect is lost. I would much rather listen to some beautiful classical music which I find much more inspiring and relaxing.

As for "mental training" (not a term I like), I have found the most effective way for me to practice l"loving kindness" as Dr. Dacher says or "gratitude" as is my own practice is to send blessings and gratitude to who or what has caused me to fall into the lower energies. It is a simple choice that I have made to stay in the positive energy flow as much as possible. As with any "training" program, there has to be a commitment by the participants.

So blessings to you Dr. Dacher, I am grateful for the experience of your loving kindness experience.

Unit 4

I was not able to get my CD to play so I will talk about the loving kindness exercise and the mental workout concept. I make no secret that I don't resonate with Dr. Dacher and the concept of loving kindness is one area where we disagree. In my work with energy, a state of gratitude is where the highest energies are. While love and kindness produce very positive energies, they are not the highest energies. So the visualizations that I do are with gratitude. It is difficult to be in a constant state of gratitude but I believe that if that can be attained then one has reached a state of well being and wholeness. When I have been wronged or hurt by someone, I will immediately say a prayer on their behalf and then send them gratitude for the experience and surround them and myself with beautiful healing energy. This keeps me in a state of gratitude and keeps me out of the lower energies of hurt, anger, and resentment. I am able to do this because I simply made a choice that I would and than began practicing it-I guess it is what Dr Dacher calls a mental workout, I call it a shift in thinking. A workout sounds like there should be sweat involved and I prefer a more gentle approach.

While I may not agree with everything Dr. Dacher says, I am so grateful to him for introducing his integral health concepts for each of us to explore.

Namaste'

Unit 3

So I am suppose to give an assessment of by physical well being, my spiritual well being and my psychological well being. Somehow this doesnt sit well with me. I don't like sharing things that are this personal, but perhaps this just part of my journey.

My physical health is good. I have chronic asthma that can be a challenge but it is well controlled with medications. I am a vegetarian trying to go vegan-I just cant seem to give up my cheese. Its the only animal product I havent eliminated from my diet, although I have significantly reduced my consumption. I will just keep working at it. My challenge with work, school, and family is fitting in some exercise. I have learned to break it up into little bits throughout the day.

My spiritual health is great and has been since I gave up organized religion. My spirituality is deeply personal and I don't care to say anymore about that. If I had to set a goal for my siritual health, it might be to move closer to the ocean. I am very connected to the water and the energy of the colors of the water are healing for me.

My psychological health is good (my husband might argue that). Because I am an empath and the type of work that I do, I have to keep my psychological health in check all the time. Being able to feel other peoples feelings, especially in a state of crisis can be overwhelming. I have learned how to manage this and shield myself from t when necessary. My goal for this area is to find my time for stillness and silence. My second goal is to stay present. Since I am a "do-er", I can easily have my energy 10 steps down the road instead of focused on the moment. In the words of my friend the medicine man, I need to "stay here".

I don't usually seperate myself into sections like this assignment has required. I veiw myself and others as an energy being where there is no seperation of mind-body-spirit so this has been an interesting exercise.

Are you a "be" er or a "do" er?

Something that I have learned about myself over the years is that I am a "do"er not a "be" er. I don't know how to just be, I always have to do. Most of the time this suits me just fine, but as in the case of the assignment for this week...not so much. I hate meditation, it is like time out for me. If I am going to meditate or just quiet my mind, I have to do it in a way that lets me "do" without thinking too much. I LOVE to walk labrynths. I am convinces that they were put on this earth just for me. There is one near my home and anyone is welcome to use it if you bring a rock to contribute to creating the next one. I have always wanted to build one in my own yard, imagining that the building is just as contemplative as walking one, but there is never enough time. So, I rake pine needles on my acre of land instead-it is another "do"ing activity that puts me in a meditative state.

Unit 2 Assignment

Ok. I am suppose to post about my response to the Journey on relaxation. I am probably the only person who thinks it was totally cheesy and felt like a Saturday Night Live skit. It was not relaxing for me at all, I actually couldn't wait for it to be over. If I need to relax it has to be active relaxation- a walk, deep breathing, visualizing energy centers, napping, reading, etc. Sitting in a chair listening to someone with an SNL voice was more annoying than anything else. For me, conscious deep breathing is a very effective relaxation tool. So many of us forget to breathe. I mean really breathe. I often sit on the floor or ground cross-legged with my hands on my knees and my back straight and breathe as deeply and slowly as I can. I close my eyes and pay attention to the sound, depth, and rhythm of my breath. Then I visualize pulling energy from the ground up through my spine to ground me for the day. I may do this for 5 minutes or 30 depending on the day. This is very relaxing for me and helps fully oxygenate my body and open my energy centers. Sorry Journey guy, you just didn't do it for me.

Wisdom in My Iced Tea

So I found this quote in the lid of my Iced Tea bottle today. I found it ironic given my post yesterday. "Stop living life for what's arround the corner and start enjoying the walk down the street". Grant L. Miller

The Journey

I can feel a shift in the mountain air that means that Spring is just around the corner (it takes a little while longer to get here in the mountains). I love the Spring it's a time of rebirth and renewal. I feel this same shift in myself, a stirring and restlessness that my gypsy spirit gets from time to time. It usually means a big change of some kind, I just don't know what it is yet. Sometimes it's just time to create a new piece of art, sometimes it's a move across the country, sometimes it's just another layer of old skin being shed-we will have to see how it plays out. Spring and my restlessness are always so full of possibilities.

So, here is what has been on my mind this week. It seems like we are always chasing happiness and perfection. I think both are such a waste of time. Life is gloriously messy, we need to stop being such control freaks and let the path unfold before us. We miss so much of the good stuff when we focus on the things we think we can control. The truth is we can't control anything but our response to whatever the universe brings our way. Rather than happiness and perfection, I am much more interested in the journey of contentment and wholeness. Not the pursuit of it, but the delicious journey of getting there. The journey is what our time on this planet is all about.

Slow down, breathe and enjoy the journey. Stop and smell the tulips.