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Final Project

Stacy D. Doran

Kaplan University
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I Introduction:

Integral health is the ability for health practitioners to assist their patients in a sustained,

lasting sense of health and wellness rather than an immediate response to an acute illness. As a

nurse, this is a crucial aspect to the health care spectrum because it creates accountability for

divine consciousness and high inner expectations. It is taking health both as a patient and

practitioner from ordinary to extraordinary. It is not enough for a practitioner to be satisfied with

the mundane task of treating illnesses which originate in the mind and present in the body; we as

practitioners must foster great inner development of our patients, and in turn they will experience

lasting health and wellness. Dacher (2006) states, “Once we hold the preciousness of life and the

possibility of human flourishing near and dear, its remembrance no longer fades with the

busyness of daily life. The thoughts, speech and actions begin to be measured by a different

standard. Rather than patching together an ordinary life and ordinary health from the partial

opportunities provided out by our current culture, we begin to demand fore from ourselves”

(p.14). With personal expectations higher, professional expectations and reaching out to our own

kind and encouraging integral health comes naturally.

Psychological development fosters spiritual development. A healthy mind creates a

healthy heart. As a wellness professional, it is crucial to be of sound mind to serve as a

companion and exemplar to patients. Psychological health in the medical field allows

practitioners to care for their patients on a level much higher than motions. It is the ability to see

things from a different, deeper perspective. The preciousness of human life is exposed, and our

thoughts shift from the customary to the vast possibilities of the human mind. The mind is a

mystery to the world of western medicine, and the potential of the mind is lost in the mindless
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chatter of everyday life. When practitioners focus on the mind, the body becomes a temple for

health rather than an abused and neglected residence. The purpose of this aspect of integral

health is to identify destructive emotions, attitudes and actions and dysfunctional patterns and

replace them with healthy alternatives (Dacher, 2006). This course has taught me life skills that

will resonate to my patients. It is very easy to recognize destructive thought patterns and

emotions and change those to positivity. Once the negativity has gone, life is wonderful. Those

negative thoughts and emotions have a deleterious effect on the patterns of day to day activities

and the coping mechanisms that accompany.

Psychospiritual health is paramount in the development as a practitioner and for the

patients we serve. This maturity is characterized by first witnessing our thoughts and replacing

reactivity with intention. The thoughts and attitudes that overflow our minds are replaced with

those that foster the development of a sound consciousness. Eventually we become unbiased,

confident, focused, and clear in our intentions (Dacher, 2006). Eventually we will reach the stage

of matured innocence where calmness, oneness, and simplicity (Dacher, 2006). As practitioners

the creation of these clear, concise thoughts are essential to care for other people. How is it that

practitioners can care for others when they aren’t caring for themselves? The mindless chatter of

day to day life subsides and the events and tasks that were essential become nonexistent. Unity

consciousness is not for the faint of heart, and it takes years to develop the ability to block out

the actions of the world and become one with our consciousness. This goal is attainable, and one

day I hope to be at this point. Mindless chatter continues to run my day most often, but the first

step is the realization of such.

Physical development and wellness are important because our bodies are temples, human

life is a precious gift often neglected until it’s too late. People don’t understand they only are

allowed one body in a lifetime, and often choose to abuse it. Yoga is an excellent way to
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physically and mentally create wellness. Exercise is essential to the development of integral

health. One choice I have made is to walk in the stillness of the morning. Peace surrounds me as

I commit to a positive day filled with loving kindness. When I exercise in the morning, I feel so

much better about my thought processes and physical health throughout the day.

II Assessment:

Psychological: 9

Psychological health is dependent of life experiences and the coping mechanisms

associated with these experiences. It is the ability to create positive situations from bad

circumstances and learning from each event on life’s curvy road. My experiences have provided

me with a sound psychological status. Independence, financial freedom, career advancement, a

beautiful and supportive family, and a forever positive environment have provided me with the

experiences needed to create a healthy mind.

Spiritual: 5

Spiritual health is something that has always been and will always be a work in progress.

I think spirituality has so many different realms and so many different areas for improvement, it

is impossible for anyone to feel as if they are above all others. Spiritual development is difficult

for me in that the mindless chatter of everyday life often supersedes meditative practices. I am a

strong Christian woman and believe strongly in a higher power, but don’t always allow time for

prayer and contemplation. Loving-kindness has infiltrated every aspect of my life, and people are

my passion. As a nurse, it is essential to develop spirituality to help patients as well as families in

times of adversity. I have been truly blessed by the creator of the fabulousness that is life!

Physical: 9
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Physical activity is necessary in the development of integral health. As a nurse, I am

constantly moving and wear a pedometer and on average compile 12,000 steps every 8 hours.

Also, I enjoy taking my daughter on walks, and independently walking in the stillness of the

morning. I have always been incredibly physically active. The feeling of exercise is second to

none! I would like to explore other, more contemplative forms of exercise such as yoga and tai

chi

III Goal development:

Psychological

Psychologically, I would like to advance my coping mechanisms with coworkers by

becoming more resilient towards their jealous criticism. I am a very young nurse who is more

advanced academically and professionally than those older than me with more experience, and

often I become the blunt of their ridicule. I understand that though these are not personal

destructive attitudes, they are destructive and hurtful. Often, these attitudes lead to negative

thoughts of my own until I refocus my attention inward and towards my patients. I know I am a

strong nurse, but I would like help other nurses advance their knowledge. This can be done by

witnessing to these attitudes and not reacting towards them. Reactivity is what these people seek,

and by not offering a response, the negativity will eventually stop.

Also psychologically, I would like to become more relaxed while other loved ones are

caring for my daughter by releasing “possible” circumstances and fostering trust. My daughter is

my world, and when she is not in my direct eye sight, I become very nervous. It is a scary world,

and I worry often about frivolous stuff and “what-ifs.” Creating an avenue for trust is earned,
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and my loved ones have certainly earned it. Releasing negative thoughts will create a more

relaxing environment with my daughter away.

Spiritually

Spiritually, I would like to become a part of a fellowship and begin attending church

regularly. Though I feel it is not necessary to attend church and be a Christian, it does provide a

strong support. With attending church, my daughter will become acclimated to Christian friends,

and as a family we will create lasting relationships with spiritual people.

Also spiritually, I will continue to commit to daily morning meditation. The stillness of

the morning is second to none and gives me a chance to collect my thoughts and create an

avenue of positivity throughout the day. This is extremely important in the busy world to which

we inhabit, and it only takes a short period of time. The refreshing feeling after a morning

meditation gives an incredible amount of positive energy to carry through the day.

Physical

Physically, I would like to begin a yoga class within the next 6 months. After learning

about the world of possibilities of meditation, I would like to experience yoga on a different

level. I have tried yoga in the past, but feel more knowledgeable about inner life and peace.

Also physically, I would like to begin eating healthier. I will begin to consume salads for

lunch and begin to eat breakfast regularly.

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IV Practices for personal health:

Psychological

Psychological health can be fostered by a continued effort to maintain a positive outlook

on life’s adversities. It is important to continually filter out negative thoughts and find the

positive in every situation. This can be done by meditation and familiarizing ourselves with

negativity and witnessing to it before it consumes our lives. Negativity spreads like wildfire, and

to recognize and dispute it from its initiation is the key factor. Life and integral health are not

about the number of negative events, but rather the ability to transfer negativity into positivity.

Meditating each morning and deciding at that moment of stillness that I will be positive

throughout the day is important. It starts the day off with a refreshed, confident feeling of

positivity.

Spiritual

Spiritually, I will again meditate and familiarize myself with and become one with my

inner consciousness. I will witness to the mindless chatter and step back to see its deleterious

effects on life’s structure. Again, with early morning meditation, I will create an avenue of

stillness to rejoice in throughout the day. I will also begin to pray each evening before I go to bed

and release any suffering throughout the day into the world and breath in loving kindness for the

world. One important aspect to remember is that no matter how difficult the day may be there is

always someone in a worse situation that needs the love of the world and a release of suffering.
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Physical

As part of a morning routine, I will first meditate and then being an exercise program

consisting of walking, running, and yoga. Starting the day off mentally and physically

rejuvenated will help to maintain stillness of the mind throughout the day, and thus improve my

overall health and wellness. Within the next 6 months, I will enroll in a cleansing yoga class and

always remain open minded to the new teachings.

V Commitment:

At the beginning of each week, on Sundays after my morning meditation, I plan to

complete an integral assessment. This is an excellent way to determine what my strengths are to

honor them and to determine my areas of weakness for progress. The assessment is a continuum

of evaluation, and should be used throughout different stages of development as a reflective

mechanism. The four aspects of the integral assessment include: Psychospiritual, interpersonal,

worldly, and interpersonal. Commonly, these areas are not equal in their development, but

fluctuate depending on circumstances. The process is crucial to health and healing because it

serves as an evaluation and praise. Through the assessment, people are able to determine areas

that are strongly suited as well as areas that need work. Without identifying these areas of

strengths and weaknesses, it is very difficult to grow and gain knowledge of our inner self.

Personal growth is virtually impossible without reflection and evaluation.

Dacher explains three simple ways to achieve lasting holistic health. First and foremost, we must

become aware of and remove causes of unnecessary suffering--the confusion,

misunderstandings, and afflictions of the ordinary, untrained mind (Dacher, 2006). In this

concept, we are asked to neglect the things that prove to be disastrous to our mental atmosphere,
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and to embrace those things which lead us to the path of integral health. Mindless chatter should

be abandoned, and our minds should shift inward to focus on the creation of calmness within our

minds. Through witnessing our thoughts, we can develop an opinion of what matters and what

does not.

Second, we are asked to gradually train ourselves to replace disturbing mental activity

with loving-kindness (Dacher, 2006). This concept focuses on relinquishing vengeful, hateful

thoughts and actions and replacing them with love for others. As we have learned, a heart and

mind full of anger is an unhealthy mind, and by abandoning the negative thoughts, we can reach

a higher level of being. Without loving kindness, integral health is not possible. My favorite part

of this class so far was the contemplative exercise that asked us to breathe in the suffering of the

world and breathe out love and peace; then, the suffering will be dissolved by a loving heart.

Those words will forever be in my mind.

Finally, we are asked to develop our consciousness through contemplative practice and

our capacities through a comprehensive program of integral practice (Dacher, 2006).

Contemplative, meditative practices helps to shape the mind and turn our thoughts inward in

hopes of developing a calm, loving thought process and discerning wisdom (Dacher, 2006).

Meditation is the single most important aspect to integral health. We must create a practice to be

able to turn our thoughts and feelings inward and to get to know ourselves on a higher level.

Dacher (2006) states, "The fruits will begin to emerge early in your work. We know from

personal accounts and modern research that each step--our initial turn inward, our preparations,

and our early efforts at practice--will lead to a noticeable, progressive enhancement of health,

happiness and wholeness. With time, your faith will be transformed into consciousness, and with

each passing day thereafter, your confidence will be further transformed until it becomes an
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unshakable certainty" (p.135).

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References

Dacher, E. (2006). Integral Health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic

Health Publications Inc.