Unit 7: Meeting Aesclepius

I struggled with the Meeting Aesclepius practice this week.  Honestly, I don’t think my mind is yet trained to reach that deep of a meditative state.  I did try to create a wise loving healer and was mostly successful at envisioning my creation.  I could feel love and warmth and enjoy a sense of calmness and security with my “new friend.”  That is as far as I could get.  When the speaker began prompting the visualizing of lights emanating out of my creation, I was lost.  However, I do not feel discouraged.  I believe that I just have more work and practice to do before I am prepared for meeting this wonderful “person”.

As for how mindfulness has fostered an increase in my psychological or spiritual wellness, I do not know where to start.  I have been practicing many of the concepts we have learned about this term prior to its beginning, so perhaps I had a bit of a head start.  I know my mind is quieter, I feel a deeper sense of peace, love, and calmness than I ever thought possible.  I am truly happy with my life and the people with whom I surround myself.  I feel a greater sense of wisdom that I never had before and I enjoy discussing this with those I love.  I take time to enjoy and appreciate the little things like a simple meal, a conversation with a friend, or a walk in the park.  I no longer allow myself to ruminate on past mistakes, painful memories, or stressful situations.  Instead, I look at everything in my past (good and not-so-good) as learning opportunities and I am grateful for them all.  When a stressor pops up, I do not merely react, but I ask myself “What can I learn from this, and how best can this be approached?”   Simply put, I feel better!  I will continue to apply mindfulness practices in my daily life through positive thinking and self-talk, breathing and relaxation exercises, physical activity, connecting with nature, and through meditation practices.    

“One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" (Schlitz, Amorok, & Micozzi, 2005, p.477).  This profound statement simply means that before we can teach the principles of any discipline, we must first live by them ourselves.  Without personal experience, our knowledge is limited.  We cannot offer guidance toward a goal without having personally achieved it first.

For health and wellness professionals, this should be a mantra to live by.  The professional who fails to live by what he recommends to his clients is not only cheating the client, but cheating the self as well.  If we recommend the path to human flourishing to our clients and we believe this path is what is best, it is only logical to follow the path ourselves.  But, if we have never followed the path, then how can we recommend it?  How do we know that it is the best or right path to follow?

Implementing psychological and spiritual growth in my personal life has required me to make a lot of changes.  I had to learn how to love myself, forgive myself, and be kind to myself.  I had to work on (and still do) replacing the negative self-defeating thoughts with more productive alternatives.  I continue to stay present in every moment, find the calmness and quietness within myself, and pray for others to gain the peace and happiness I have worked so hard to find.  

Reference

Schlitz, M., Amorok, T., & Micozzi, M. (2005). Consciousness & healing: Integral approaches

to mind-body medicine.  St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Inc.