Running Head: The Path to Flourishing Life

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                      The Path to Flourishing Life

                                                                      Ana Hifko

                                                                Kaplan University

 

 

                                                                      HW 420- 01

                                                                       Dr. Aguilar

                                                                 September 1, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction

“The healer is the key to evolution and fulfillment of integral health” (Dacher, 2005, p167).  It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically to properly heal and aid the client.  When the health and wellness professional commits to a “self” exploration through psychological development and contemplative practice, the professional learns the paths of practice to the process of transformation.  One learns and has a front row seat about “unnecessary suffering” and how it impedes growth and development.  One gains a sense of personal satisfaction and appreciation about the power of alleviation of suffering and confidence in the power of transformation. The personal journey transcends into becoming not just a healer for an individual but also to create a better world by using our soul and putting or person experiences and practices into effect.  The areas in which I need to develop to achieve my personal goals are to relinquish or become free of grudges and learn to let go of past experiences that way me down from further development and impede interpersonal growth with others. I need to practice loving- kindness by inhaling the damage and hurt that was caused by an individual in my family and exhaling peace and forgiveness.  This will create a better energy for myself where my growth and development can begin and continue to grow for optimal health. 

Assessment:

“An integral assessment is a tool needed to transform our health and life from conventional to integral, from ordinary to precious” (Dacher, 2005, p105).  I have made a personal inventory of my psychological domain by investigating the aspect of my life that brings the most turmoil or distress (personal experience of damage and hurt from a family member), and acquired that in order for my personal growth and development I need to relinquish from the pain by excluding from the grudges and learning to let go.  I also faced reality that this process is not going to be resolved or fixed by one trial; it is a process of continual practice.  Spiritually, my assessment highlights that I need to focus on myself and my personal needs. Acknowledging my individual needs and paying intention in areas where I can gain more knowledge and support is where I will find my focus to help me pave my way though the path of human flourishing.  Physically, I need to be conscious about my body and health. I need to make sure that I eat, exercise regularly, as well, as practice yoga or meditation to cleanse my mind from impure thoughts that cloud my positive energy and cloud my heart and impede in my personal development and growth.  My score of spiritual, physical, and psychological development has changed, shifted, and evolved in many ways from the beginning of the term. I score myself higher in the psychological development due to the fact that I am more conscious about the turmoil and distress that affects my psychological state. I also score myself higher in my spiritual domain as I have learned effective tools that help me bring balance into my life by clearing the clutter in my head and gaining a quiet mind through yoga and meditation.  My physical score has not changed as I continue to work and practice a better lifestyle through proper nutrition, mental clarity, and soul detoxification.   

                                                     Goal development:

            Physical, I am striving to enhance my biological state by working out 5 times a day for an hour with intervals of swimming, jogging, and weights.  My psychological (mental health) goal is to make a visual board of pictures, words, and objects that bring positive energy into my life. The visual board will enhance my spiritual state during times of mind clutter. I can look at the visual board and re-gain intention and focus on where I need to be and what is needed to be practiced while appreciating the wonderful things around me, such as, my children, dogs, my husband, a reminder of graduation date, my favorite color, favorite quotes, poems, etc.  Spiritually, my goal is to practice meditation at least once a week and work on increasing the practices of meditation in the future as mastery evolves.  I also plan to enhance my two daughter’s clarity by taking them to a yoga class once a week to detoxify their mind and soul and bring them closer in order to enhance their communication.  “All shall be captured by delight, transformed:  in waves of undreamed ecstasy shall roll, Our minds and life and sense and laugh in a light other than this hard limited human day, The body’s tissues thrill apothesised, It cells sustain bright metamorphosis” (Dacher, 2005).

   Practices for personal health:

The strategy that I can implement to foster the growth of my physical domain is to penetrate on the “mental workout” by cultivating wisdom through the practice of subtle- mind.  The subtle mind penetrates on the stillness of the mind (powerhouse for the significant healing) by removing the wandering mind (ceaseless mental activity of thoughts, feelings, and images).  Subtle mind allows for one to evolve by letting go of random movements and observe and witness the motions of our thoughts and feelings.  Intention increases and we gain freedom while becoming liberated from the lifelong slavery of mental darkness.  One then becomes a master of choosing where their attention and focus penetrates while accessing a clear and still mind and creating the foundation for human flourishing. Foster of psychological growth can be enhanced through the implementation of calm- abiding practice.  Calm- abiding penetrates on “inner life” and conscious acknowledgement of the modern day epidemics of mental suffering that prevent one from gaining optimal health, happiness, and wholeness.  According to Dacher (2005) “the psychological process focuses on identifying destructive emotions and dysfunctional patterns and replacing them with a new set of healthy attitudes and behaviors” (p61).  Calm- abiding allows one to stop, and reflect about our thoughts and feelings and allows for intention to replace unconscious reactivity.  It allows for one to explore their deeper nature of the mind.  The mind becomes a springboard for spiritual development.  I plan to foster the growth of spirituality by implementing loving- kindness into my life.  Loving- kindness can be practiced through our thoughts, prayer, life coach, healer, priest, or someone significant who has planted respect, admiration, and wisdom into our lives.  Loving- kindness refers to the practice of minimizing distress that agitate our mind and filling it with joy, love, and kindness.  One must learn to inhale the distress and exhale with a warm heart, patience, acceptance, and fairness.  “A bucket is not filled with water by the first or last drop.  It is filled by the collection of a very large number of drops” (Dacher, 2005, p58). 

     Commitment

                    My physical commitment will consist of implementing a chart to keep track of my goal progress by listing the dates and times that I fulfill my commitment.    This will enable me to accurately acknowledge where I need to increase my participation to complete my goals.  I commit myself to focus on my mind, body, and spirit throughout my daily week and not stray away into the everyday hustle and bustle of other responsibilities.  I plan to commit to my psychological state by enhancing my practice of meditation at a specific time per week to maintain in a routine schedule.  This will allow me to stay focused and complete with my psychological commit to help detoxify my mind and soul. My spiritual commitment will focus on looking at my visual board every morning before I wake up my children for school and take 5 minutes to reflect and appreciate on all of the wonderful aspects of my life and bring forth positive energy into my mind, body, and spirit. 

                                                                  Conclusion          

            Optimal health is a collaboration of the mind, body, and spirit.  Similar to an automobile needs a driver our life also needs a driver. Without the driver the car would not be able to start or to go to its designated locations.  Consciousness is the driving force that navigates one to integral life and health with the help of subtle mind, calm- abiding, and loving- kindness.  They are the street names that help us lead to our destination while strengthening our inner self. “Butter is the hidden sweet essence of milk. But for butter to emerge from milk, the milk must be churned” (Dcher, 2005, p139).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                            References:

Dacher, E. S. (2005). Integral health: The path to human flourishing.  Laguna Beach: CA. Basic

Publication Health, Inc., pp58- 167