A journey in human flourishing

The most important point in learning and understanding integral health is that it can only

be accomplished through personal inner experience and practice. One can not teach or heal others without personally learning integral health. One must develop their most inner connections physically, psychologically, and spiritually through contemplative practices such as medication, prayer, visualization, and yoga. These are practices that will create the integral map (Dacher, 2006). One can not teach what one does not learn.  

            Personally, I am a beginner and need to practice more mind/body connection practices such as yoga and meditation. I struggle with visualization practices and feel I will benefit more from yoga and meditation which in turn will help to cultivate a more controlled mind/body connection so that I may be more open to visualization practices. I have found that I have become stronger in some areas of my personal life through precise prayer. Therefore, my spirituality has flourished which I am thankful for.

            I have to admit that my assessment of my own health has changed from time to time throughout this journey. In the beginning of this I assessed my psychological domain at a 7 but have since moved both up and down the scale in the past few weeks since we started. I now would say I am at an 8 but still need to create a better mind/body connection simply because I do not feel I have as much control over stress as much as I would like. I am learning to do this through more meditation and prayer though.

            My assessment on my physical domain is still low, 5, but I now know that it will require me to commit to myself and my health instead of worrying about appearance and such. My physical health directly relates to my psychological health which I now know I can control better through contemplative practices (Dacher, 2006); which by the way will also help my stress level.

            My spiritual beliefs have helped me to be more calm within which in turn has helped me to be more conscious of my behavior towards others. I would say my spirituality score would be at an 8. I make decisions in a more rational manner. I am more conscious of my thought process and try to practice kindness and patience with others around me. This also requires understanding that not all others have this same understanding of themselves and through patience and kindness I can guide them to find inner peace and wholeness as well.

            My first goal is psychological. I have made a schedule to include meditation and yoga, which I start next week. I have intentionally scheduled these practices to gain a better perspective on my inner thought process as well as my life experiences in hopes of gaining a better mind/body connection. Dacher explains that one must practice integral health to experience human flourishing through cultivated practices such as meditation and loving kindness (2006).

            My next goal is physical which I believe is directly related to my first goal. I will be practicing yoga to focus more on my physical health. I believe you must practice what you preach and to truly preach integral health you must practice and exude the results of what you believe. I will be intentionally setting goals for myself to eat better, exercise, and meditate to create a balance between my inner self and my outer self.

            My final goal is spirituality. I pray every day and will continue as long as I live. I think my faith has become a large part of my life as I get older. My goal is to learn to practice loving kindness. I believe this is not just something that one does mentally but something that one must develop within their belief system to truly practice loving kindness (Schlitz, Amorok, and Micozzi, 2005). I will do this by practicing loving kindness meditation exercises and through prayer and the grace of God.

            For me assessing my progress will take both physical and mental work. I will need to actually write it down and plan it out. I have found keeping a journal helps me mentally keep track of my success. I also found that I have to schedule things to remain clear and focused. But I believe my actions will speak for themselves. I am committed to creating a better me. Therefore intentional cultivating must continue meditation in the morning, yoga in the evening, and prayer throughout every day. I will continue to grow and experience human flourishing through meditation, yoga, and prayer. I will continue to work towards a more open minded and open hearted sense of being simply because this is the person I wish to be. My long term goals will become realities because I believe in them and I believe in myself. My mind/body practices can only help me to grow and flourish.

      The four focus areas of integral healing are psychological: the interpersonal connection between the mind and body, spiritual; the connection between the individual and their belief system. Social; the connection between the individual and social contributions to an individuals well being. And, wholeness: the interconnectedness of life and the life experience. The multiple dimensions to healing are about all the aspects of the life experience and all that are involved in life (Schlitz, Amorok, and Micozzi, 2005). All of these attributes affect the health and healing of the individual.

Mary