Running head: MIND-BODY-SPIRIT WELLNESS AND HEALING

Mind-Body-Spirit Wellness and Healing

JuneSaxton

Kaplan University

HW420

Mark Maule

2/8/2013

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MIND-BODY-SPIRIT WELLNESS AND HEALING

Mind-Body-Spirit Wellness and Healing

I found it hard to understand what the Navajo healing traditions were because I got

distracted by the authors numerous references to the difficulty of talking about them because of

language constraints. All I was able to discern was that it is a holistic and dynamic process with

cosmic interrelationships. It incorporates native knowing which is consciousness expressed as a

holistic, integral way of living. Everything is part of the sacred wholeness which is not separate

from the human beings or their life experience. Navajo healing is based on this concept of

wholeness and health (Schlitz, Amorok & Micozzi, 2005).

The Tibetan healing practices fall into three different approaches: prevention, applying

antidotes and transformation. It is rooted in the teachings of Buddha who taught that we should

live wholesomely, cultivate virtue and take our minds. He also said “We are what we think”

(Schlitz, Amorok & Micozzi, 2005). They are what we are and they make our world. The mind is

both the source or happiness and the root of suffering; therefore we must act and speak with a

pure mind. Buddhist practice focuses on eliminating negative states of mind and cultivating

positive minds through training the mind and meditation (Schlitz, Amorok & Micozzi, 2005).

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is based on a universal healing energy called Qi

(vital energy of life). Regulating Qi is the basis of all the modalities of TCM. These include

acupuncture, herbal therapy, moxibustion, massage and meditation. Its goal is always to correct

an imbalance of Qi (Schlitz, Amorok & Micozzi, 2005).

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MIND-BODY-SPIRIT WELLNESS AND HEALING

One of the things that all of these healing traditions have in common is their

holistic nature. This very fact makes them very different from Western healing because they

concentrate on healing the whole person not just on eliminating symptoms.

The essential steps of transformation through work are Preparation, Intention and

Discovering your Deepest Calling. During the preparation stage, we can ask how our

work can serve others and how we can become a healing presence to them throughout

the day. During the intention stage, we can choose to take it on as a spiritual practice. To

discover our deepest calling, we can live our work with great integrity and spirit so that

we can move toward the consciousness and inner truth which will help our authentic

calling arise (Dacher, 2006).

The eight principles of integral practice are:

1. Evolution of knowledge, capacity and ability to fully realize our potential.

2. Expand our consciousness through mental training and expanding our

consciousness.

3. Infuse integral practices with loving-kindness in order to soften the mind and

open the heart, control our impulses and passions, diminish the grip of ego and

convey a larger meaning to our life.

4. Virtue – develop courage, creativity, patience, discipline, perseverance,

openness, confidence and enthusiasm in order to have the strength of character to

maintain our vision and efforts.

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MIND-BODY-SPIRIT WELLNESS AND HEALING

5. Integral practice must be tailored to the individual. We must be flexible in our

practice as everyone is different and has different needs, capacity and abilities.

6. More than one helper or mentor is necessary because no one person can meet

all needs or has the knowledge of the full range of practices.

7. We must take responsibility for our own development. Because no one

practitioner can encompasses all the knowledge or be fully attuned to our personal

situation, we must take overall responsibility for our own health.

8. Integral practice is broad-based emphasizing activities that touch all aspects of

our life (Dacher, 2006).

I believe that what is meant by mindfulness practices are practices which concentrate on

training your mind or changing your mind set. I think that as a Wellness Coach these practices

could be valuable tools to help my clients heal not only their bodies but improve psychospiritual,

Psychological and mental problems.

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MIND-BODY-SPIRIT WELLNESS AND HEALING

References

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach:

Basic Health Publications Inc.

Schlitz, M., Amorok, T., & Micozzi, M. S. (2005).Consciousness and healing. St Louis, MO:

Churchill Livingstone.

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