Running head: MIND-BODY-SPIRIT MOVING FORWARD 1

Chiqueta Harris

HW420-01: Creating Wellness: Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing

Kaplan University Professor Dorette Nysewander

Unit 9 Final Project Assignment: Mind-Body-Spirit Moving Forward

December 13, 2016

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Mind-Body-Spirit Moving Forward

Creating a spiritual and psychological inventory can be utilized to determine a current state of

wellness. This plan provides an opportunity to continue growing and prospering physically,

psychologically, and spiritually. Fostering your personal health and wellness is a fundamental

component of providing effective health and wellness services to all you come in contact with,

and also yourself. The following inventory will list 10 questions which can be asked to best help

someone understand their spectrum of spirituality and psychological self.

Spirituality

When hearing the word spirituality, what is the first thing which comes to mind? What

does this word mean to you? Response: The first thing I think of when I hear spirituality

is ones religious beliefs. To me it means how one connects with their higher power and

beliefs because we all do not have the same beliefs.

Spirituality may incorporate elements of religion, but is generally a broader concept. For

example, in spirituality, the questions are: where do I personally find meaning, connection, and

value? in religion, the questions are: what is true and right? (Regents of the University of

Minnesota, 2016). During adolescence, you may equate spirituality with what was taught by

parents, family and spiritual leaders. As you blossom into adulthood, your beliefs will become

part of your personal identity (Doka, 2011, para. 3), and may differ from adolescent views

and/or practices. A spiritual person seeks to elevate himself; connects with a higher power, or

simply his higher self; and believes there is more to the world than what is easily seen, than what

is merely physical (Baksa, 2014, para. 3). Your definition of spirituality can change over the

course of your lifetime as you evolve with relationships and life challenges.

Values
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What values (i.e., love, honesty, freedom, compassion, faith, respect, or leisure) in life do

you hold most important? Why? Response: I hold honesty most important; one must be

honest with themselves before they can be honest with anyone else. Then it would be

love because we need enough love in this world to counteract all of the hate.

Seaward describes values as: abstract ideas we give importance to; being shared with like-

minded individuals within our circle; and a system tightly integrated with a meaningful purpose

in life (2013). Being honest is important because you become more integrated and accepting of

yourself. Then, depending on your level of commitment and desire to know the truth,

contemplation and meditation can lead you to some profound realizations about the nature of

being human (Self-Help, Spirituality & Self-Esteem, 2016, para. 15). Truman says human,

personal love is spiritually CRUCIAL - - crucial to our self-esteem, unfolding and spiritual

ascent, and living as God created us to be (n.d.).

Chaos & Control

Have there been times in your life where you were not in control? How did you handle

the chaos? Response: I would have to say that the times in my life I had no control

would be any sickness, you truly cannot control it. You can care for it, but it is

completely out of your control as to when and how you get sick. There are plenty of

instances where unforeseen circumstances arise that are out of your control, but how you

deal with it is what counts, it is how you gain your control back.

Every roadblock represents an issue begging for resolution, with it an emotion begging to be

reconciled fear, anger, greed, laziness, guilt, and worry (Seaward, 2013, p. 130). Your soul is

an energy entity holding part of your awareness and memories, its energy animates your body.

By staying in control of your thoughts, you increase your spiritual awareness because thought is
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the energy constructing your reality (Chang, 2014). Spirituality affects coping abilities by

increasing personal empowerment when facing stressors with the sense of being secured by

God; enhancing resilience and optimism; and increasing reliance on problem-solving strategies

(Amjad & Bokharey, 2014, para. 3). It is difficult to avoid stressing over illnesses and other

unforeseen occurrences, but learned optimism allows you to take action in preventing illness,

getting treatment once illness strikes, and understand helplessness reaches down to the cellular

level (Seligman, 2006) to weaken your immune system.

Emotions

How do you handle negativity and anger? Response: Not well, I am a very sensitive

person, so negativity does not sit well with me at all. I try to take it, turn it around and

make it positive, you cannot live a healthy life being negative and angry. When I am

angry, I keep to myself and will not speak to anyone.

Amjad & Bokharey describes spiritual well-being as a state of being reflecting positive

feelings, behaviors, and cognitions of relationships with oneself, others, the transcendent and

nature; and providing an individual with a sense of identity, purpose, wholeness, inner peace and

harmony, satisfaction, joy, contentment, beauty, love, respect, and direction in life (2014). Anger

can literally choke the human spirit, with your emotional well-being suffering. According to

Seaward, emotional well-being is the ability to feel and express the entire range of human

emotions (everything from anger to love) and to control them, not to be controlled by them

(2013, p. 27). Laughter is a great technique to combat negativity and anger because when you

laugh, you secrete a chemical which automatically boosts your mood and improves your physical

health (Chang, 2014). Losing control over your emotions ultimately wreaks havoc on your life.

Mystical Experiences
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Do you recall any dreams which came true, or experienced other forms of premonition?

Response: In high school my boyfriend at the time had a family member who the doctors

basically left for dead. The day he told me he was losing this family member, I had a

dream that night. While attending his funeral, he popped up out of the casket and started

to sing and dance along with everyone. A couple of days later, things had turned around

for him and he was doing so much better.

If we base our sense of reality only on things gathered from our five senses to the exclusion

of the sixth sense of our divine connection, we deny ourselves a complete and dynamic picture of

the reality constituting the divine force of the universe (Seaward, 2013, p. 184). Dreams about

death or rebirth are vitally important for you to understand an ending-beginning process is

happening. When you know exactly what your death dream is really about, you are able to do a

reality check on what needs to change in your life. Your death dream holds the key to life, not

death (Anderson, n.d.), when you understand it fully.

Love

Think of a time when you went out of your comfort zone to love someone. How did this

impact the other person, and did you learn anything about yourself? Response: My

current situation-ship is a perfect example of coming out of my comfort zone to love

someone. I would have never thought I would love someone who was born as I am, but

lives their life as the opposite sex. I would say it impacted his life by finally having

someone see him for who he is, not what he is. I have learned to be more open-minded,

things are not as clear cut as we would like them to be, but to be able to carry on and

move about like nothing even matters is the best.

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Comfort is a desire woven deep into the fabric of our human soul for our physical living

space, and abstract perceptions, ideas and beliefs. When these are threatened by change, the

defenses of the ego are activated as a means of protection (Seaward, 2013, p. 10). Love is

described as a spectrum of several attributes, including patience, kindness, generosity, humility,

unselfishness, and sincerity; and an experience absent of fear with the recognition of complete

union with all life (Seaward, 2013). Jesus of Nazareth believed love was the greatest of all

emotions, making all things possible. For love to be effective as a channel of communication or

healing energy, there must be no obstructions and conflicting thoughts polluting the feeling

(Seaward, 2013, p. 82) of love.

Strengthening Spirituality

Are there any special practices you utilize to strengthen your spirituality? Do they

change during good and bad circumstances? Response: There are no practices I utilize to

strengthen my spirituality, I just live life the best I can and make the best of it. Well no, I

guess you can say when times are tough and I am down and out, I will call my

grandmother for prayer.

Spiritual well-being is the maturation of higher consciousness developed through three

factors: an insightful and nurturing relationship with oneself and others, a strong personal value

system, and the fulfillment of a meaningful purpose in ones life (Seaward, 2013, p. 28).

Studies have confirmed prayer stimulates the dopaminergic (reward) system, delivering a

pleasant afterglow of gratification (Smith, 2016). Another way you can strengthen your

spirituality is remaining positive and blocking out all things which can weaken your spirituality.

When your spirituality is strong, you may succeed in converting the negative flow in the other

person to a positive (Kriyananda, 2016) flow. It is important to protect your own spirituality.
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Blessings or Luck?

When positive things (blessings) sprout from nowhere, do you equate it to pure luck, or

something more? Response: Honestly, depending on what it is, I consider it luck or the

works of God. For instance, finding a five-dollar bill outside to me is luck. Being

without something you need and someone brings it to you without you asking or even

knowing you needed it, that is the work of God.

Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary defines a blessing as the act or words of one that

blesses, or a thing conductive to happiness or welfare. The American Heritage Dictionary

defines luck as the chance happening of fortunate or adverse events; good fortune or prosperity;

and to gain success or something desirable by chance (McLogan, 2016, para. 1). Having an

optimistic spirit can also open numerous doors to happiness and positivity occurring in your life.

Persevering under trial and standing the test, allows you to receive the crown of life blessings

beyond measure, increased faith/spirituality, and a feeling of worthiness.

Meditation

Do you practice meditation or relaxation techniques? If so, what kind and how often? If

not, is there a specific reason? Response: No I do not, there is no specific reason, I just

do not practice any meditation or relaxation techniques.

There are some who believe they cannot participate in mediation techniques because of the

stigma of it being against their religious beliefs or associated with dark practices. However,

there are many who seek a host of sacred traditions, blending various practices to form their

own spiritual path (Seaward, 2013, p. 5). For example, there are Catholics who practice

Buddhist meditation, Jews participating in American Indian sweat lodges, and Methodists,

Mormons and Greek Orthodox Church members participating in Sufi dancing (Seaward, 2013).
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The benefits of meditation and/or relaxation techniques include slowing breathing, heart rate,

and signs of aging; stabilizing blood pressure; boosting immune systems; and helping the flow of

oxygen around the body (Operation Meditation, 2012, para. 6). Meditation also allows you the

opportunity of awakening your spiritual vision; understanding the depths and workings of the

mind; and forgiving others, including yourself (Walsh, 1999).

Increasing Spirituality

Are there particular areas of your spirituality you would like to change? If so, what steps

do you plan to take in helping you increase your spirituality? Response: There is nothing

I wish to change about my spirituality.

Renewing the mind, redemption of the soul, and increasing your spirituality is an ongoing

process. Omartian says increasing your spirituality is not a one-time experience because spiritual

warfare is continuous. Prayer can increase when fasting is incorporated, and is a formidable

weapon against the enemy in order to see thresholds broken and breakthrough happen (2013).

According to religious views, when you get saved you received the baptism of the Holy Spirit,

which occurs one time. The indwelling Spirit gives you inner spiritual resources to overcome sin

and resist temptation. As you submit to Gods commands following the leading of the Holy

Spirit, you are filled with the Spirit, a continuous process in which you allow the Spirit to direct

and control your actions (Davis, 2013). Seaward says to continue raising your level of

consciousness higher as the hunger for a more complete picture of human spirituality increases;

strive for balance of mind-body-spirit; and explore your spiritual path (2013).

Conclusion

Moving forward may require you to make additions or subtractions to your inventory list, but

is greatly beneficial to mind-body-spirit connectedness. Having a healthy human spirit is not

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something which should be pursued only during times of trial and tribulation, but engaged on a

daily basis throughout all of lifes moments. The role of the human journey involves recognizing

mystical events and divine experiences. For example, your dreams can have a healing effect,

leading you towards a sense of inner peace. It may be difficult to avoid stressing over illnesses

and other calamities befalling you, but finding more sense of your purpose in life and being

comfortable dealing with lifes uncertainties, can decrease worry and increase health.

Augmenting the health of your human spirit may be needed for spiritual growth, utilizing

effective coping mechanisms is a reflection of your spiritual health and maturity. Shedding

pessimistic thinking for optimism, can open locked doors with the key you already possessed.
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References

Amjad, F. & Bokharey, I. Z. (2014). The impact of spiritual wellbeing and coping strategies

on patients with generalized anxiety disorder. Journal of Muslim Mental Health, 8(1).

Retrieved from http://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jmmh/10381607.0008.102/--impact-of-

spiritual-wellbeing-and-coping-strategies?rgn=main;view=fulltext

Anderson, J. T. (n.d.). Dreams of death, dying & the departed. Retrieved from

http://dream.net.au/dreams-of-death-dying-the-departed/

Baksa, P. (2014). Are you spiritual but not religious? [Blog post]. Retrieved from

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-baksa/has-anyone-ever-told-you-_b_5587762.html

Chang, P. L. (2014, September 15). 5 ways to increase your spiritual awareness. Waking Times.

Retrieved from http://www.wakingtimes.com/2014/09/15/5-ways-increase-spiritual-

awareness/

Davis, J. (2013). Lesson 4: Personal spiritual growth. Retrieved from https://bible.org/

seriespage/lesson-4-personal-spiritual-growth

Doka, S. J. (2011, July 9). Adolescence, identity and spirituality [Blog post]. Retrieved from

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kenneth-j-doka/adolescence-identity-and-_b_

858804.html

Kriyananda, S. (2016). How to strengthen and protect your spiritual magnetism. Retrieved from

https://www.ananda.org/prayers/articles-on-healing/how-to-strengthen-and-protect-your-

spiritual-magnetism/

McLogan, G. (2016). Lucky or blessed? Retrieved from http://gregmclogan.com/are-you-

lucky-or-blessed/

Omartian, S. (2013). Prayer warrior The power of praying your way to victory. Retrieved from
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https://books.google.com/books?id=8ERKGs0Du3UC&pg=PA120&lpg=PA120&dq=fas

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Regents of the University of Minnesota (2016). What is spirituality? Retrieved from

https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/enhance-your-wellbeing/purpose/spirituality/

what-spirituality

Seaward, B. L. (2013). Heath of the human spirit: Spiritual dimensions for personal health

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Self-Help, Spirituality & Self-Esteem (2016). The importance of being honest, spiritual

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Seligman, M. (2006). Learned optimism: How to change your mind and your life. New York,

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experience

Walsh, R. (1999). Essential spirituality: The 7 central practices to awaken heart and mind. New

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