Unit 2 Relaxation

Unit 2 I just wanted to start this week off by saying hello to all and I hope everyone is having a great and easy beginning of term. I have had a love/ hate relationship with all the reading so far; some I find fascinating and some I have to re read a few times before I completely understand the concept. I will say that last night I was reading Integral Health/ section We can train the mindand I completely agree with the concept of mind training and that people who practice training their mind are happier people. I do not meditate although I would like to conquer this feat but I do start each day looking at the positive and trying to see the good in everything. My favorite quote from the reading I did last night was " We just need to train ourselves to surf the waves of outer adversity rather than to drown in them (Dacher, 2006, p22)". I love this and it really hit home, I think I try very hard in my life to go with the flow and when something negative happens I believe that it happens for a reason so I can learn from it, and if it just happens because then I try to roll with it. The relaxation technique for me was amazing! It’s been a long two weeks and an even longer day today. This technique was just what I needed to get through the rest of night. I am amazed on how this technique completely and totally relaxed me. The mind- body connection was definitely at work in this situation. My arms were not going to move anywhere at the time of full relaxation, the first place I felt the warmth that is spoken of was in my wrist. It wasn’t until the voice mentions about the palms radiating heat that I realized my hands were cupped and the warmth on my wrists I was feeling was coming from my palms because of their positioning. When told to bring the blood back to the core I felt a tingling sensation in my stomach after a few seconds of this thought. This is a technique I think I can use in the future, life gets so hectic with multiple jobs, crazy kid’s school schedules, my school, and just keeping the dishes out of the sink and the floor swept I can see myself practicing this when it all gets to be too much. I think I need a recorded voice all the time or I may fall asleep. ;) Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral health the path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health.

Unit 1 HW 420

I had a small framed picture once given to me by a friend, it was a picture of a beautiful landscape, the quote on the picture was something along the lines of... there is a landscape larger than the one you see..... not sure if that was exactly it or not but it made me think and I still think of it. I remeber this daily in my life because there is always something bigger for me to consider in life. I become so focused in my day to day activities, school, kids, errands, work, work and more work I tend to get tunnel vision, this quote reminds me I need to broaden my focus away from my tunnel vision and see the bigger landscape of life. :) Unit 1 1. Describe Ken Wilbur’s theory of integral medicine. How integral theory is different than the theories traditionally applied in American (Western) Health professions? Ken Wilber’s theory of integral health can be divided into four quadrants subjectivity or the I, objectivity or the it, intersubjectivity or the we, and interobjectivity or the it’s. According to Wilber, modern health professionals face many dilemmas on a patient to patient basis; because of these dilemmas health care professionals limit themselves as to how much they can help a patient. Practicing integral medicine is designed to help with these dilemmas (Wilber, 2005, p xvi). Dilemma’s face by health care professionals are broken into four categories, the first dilemma being emotional involvement with patients, in the past it has been said that becoming emotionally involved with a patient can cloud the professionals judgment (Wilber, 2005, p xvi) but research has shown that incorporating emotional factors from the professionals part can have appositive effect on treatment. The second dilemma faced is also known as the “Cartesian dualism” (Wilber, 2005, pxvii), professionals are more likely to treat their patients as a machine with their physical symptoms and not consider the mind body connection. The third dilemma is compliance of the patient, many times patients will not follow through with proper intake of medications or follow a specialized diet to help themselves, with integral medicine the patient must take responsibility for him/ her and hold themselves accountable for their own health. The fourth dilemma is where do we locate the illness (Wilber, 2005, p xviii)? Illness is not usually just physical there is also usually an underlying issue also at hand, does a person get a sore throat because he or she is afraid to speak? The body is a well- oiled machine of nerves, muscles, neurons all working together when there is blip in the circuits it can lead to other issues. Everything in the body is connected so illness can also be “embedded in networks, systems, and chains of pathology within the patient (Wilber,2005, p xviii) “ 2. Conventional medicine focuses primarily on the physical body (biological). However, integral healing focuses on multiple dimensions of the human experience. Describe each of the four areas of focus within the integral healing model and discuss why each area is important to total wellness. Four areas of focus within integral medicine are also known as the dimensions, these dimensions include intentional, behavioral, social, and cultural aspects of our lives. Integral medicine makes room for effective treatments that cover all quadrants of health and illness (Wilber, 2005, p .xxx) Integral medicine includes using all within the body to heal itself, it includes transformation, growth, and restoring ones’ wholeness (Schlitz, 2005, p xl). 3. Provide an example of an exercise (or activity) an individual can implement in his/her life, to foster greater physical wellness, Achieving physical wellness includes such small items such as being aware of your weight, cholesterol and diet. Helping to achieve a better physical wellness includes exercising and taking responsibility for your physical form. Exercising is not only good for your body to maintain or lose weight but is also a great stress reliever. An example to foster greater psychological wellness, To help with psychological wellness I immediately think of support groups, when a person can share experiences within a similar group their mind and their bodies may recuperate better. It has been shown that women who join and participate in a breast cancer support group have a 30% longer survival rate than those who do not (Wilber, 2005, p xxvii ). For those who do not have the need of a support group, affirmations are a great way to empower your psychological wellness. Affirmations are positive statement repeated to yourself to achieve desires. Just like in the story The Little Engine that Could, he repeated to himself “I think I can (Piper, 1930) ” over and over in order to get up the hill, he believed in himself and saw himself doing the task and completed it. Affirmations can help the subconscious mind and trigger it into positive action (Sasson, 2012). “In order to ensure the effectiveness of the affirmations, they have to be repeated with attention, conviction, interest and desire. (Sasson, 2012)” And an example to foster greater spiritual wellness To foster spiritual wellness one must be willing to live each day to the fullest, meditation is a great way to help with spiritual wellness as it gives the person a time out and time to reflect on the type of person they are being or want to become. Studies have proven that when people meditate they are calmer, less stressed, and less anxious. During meditation it has been shown that mediators in the brain shift their activity from the stress-prone right frontal cortex and move to the calmer left frontal cortex (Allen, 2003). Describe why each exercise would be beneficial to holistic wellness. Everything we do as a person affects our bodies, mind, and spirit. To be holistically well we have to come to terms that all of us (body, mind, and spirit) must function together. Being physically, spiritually, and mentally active and practicing techniques to sustain wellness will help benefit the body completely and in turn provide holistic wellness. References Allen, C. (2003, April 1). The benefits of meditation. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200304/the-benefits-meditation Piper, W. (1930). The little engine that could. Platt & Munk. Sasson, R. (2012). The power of affirmations. Retrieved November 12, 2012, from http://www.successconsciousness.com/index_00000a.htm Schlitz, M. (2005). The integral impulse: An emerging model for health and healing [Preface]. In Consciousness & healing integral approaches to mind- body medicine (pp. xxxvii-xlv). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier. Wilber, K. (2005). The integral vision of healing [Foreword]. In Consciousness & healing intergral approaches to mind-body medicine (pp. xv-xxxv). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.