MEETING ASCIEPIUS

1. Completing the "Meeting Asciepius" exercise. Describe your meditative practice(s) for the week and discuss the experience. Explain how mindfulness or meditation has fostered an increase in your psychological or spiritual wellness. How can you continue to apply these practices in your life to foster greater health and wellness?

This week we completed the Meeting Asciepius exercise. This meditation session was based on learning how to quiet the mind by concentrating on one specific wise and guiding person in my life. Overall, my experience was very pleasant. I especially enjoyed the sound of gentle waves and soft music, along with relaxing vocals. After experiencing this exercise I believe that meditation has increased my psychological and spiritual wellness in the following way:

“I have been given a life changing tool that is needed to quiet my life-robbing noisy-mind so I can gradually improve the quality of life as I have known it. To ensure this continued mental improvement, I am going to implement these valuable meditation exercises as part of a regular daily routine. I’m confident that over time, this type of positive psychological training will enhance my psychological and spiritual wellness even further.  

2. Describe the saying: "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself” How does this apply to the health and wellness professional? Do you have an obligation to your clients to be developing your health psychologically, physically, and spiritually? Why or why not? How can you implement psychological and spiritual growth in your personal life?

According to (Schlitz, Amorok, Micozzi, pg. 477), the quote “One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself” means that I can’t expect another to acquire psychological, physical and spiritual growth if I haven’t developed it within myself. According to (Elliot S. Dacher, 2006, p. 59), the four reasons that I should explore psychological and/or spiritual growth and development are because “it is the most undeveloped aspect of our life, it is a principal source of modern-day epidemics of mental suffering and premature disease, it is the one area of development that will most directly catalyze the full development of our life, and the development of our inner life is the most unique and precious opportunity given to us as humans.” This means that if I acquire psychological and spiritual wellness then my physical health may naturally improve.

I also believe that in order to be a true professional, I should only advise clients after fully treating my own psychological, physical, and spiritual growth and development via integral medicine. This is because the benefit of practicing integral medicine will allow me “the opportunity to end needless suffering and to gain health, happiness, and wholeness” (p.59) for both myself and the patient/client.

I can also implement positive psychological, physical, and spiritual growth and development within my personal life. I currently feel that my personal life needs work because there are times when my psychological state is in complete turmoil due to moments of anxiety and depression, my spirituality is constantly tested with useless drama, and I have periodic fatigue due to lack of physical exercise. One way that I could combat these negative factors while improving my personal health is to implement daily mental and physical exercises like meditation, yoga, Tia Chi and brisk walking.

References:

Schlitz, Amorok & Micozzi. (2005). Consciousness & Healing: Integral Approaches to Mind-Body Medicine.

Elliot S. Dacher (2006). INTEGRAL HEALTH. The Path To Human Flourishing.