UNIT 7 - ONE CANNOT LEAD ANOTHER WHERE ONE HAS NOT GONE HIMSELF

On the statement "one cannot lead another where one has not gone himself” (Dacher, 2006, p.477), Tom Janisse refers to the fact that in order to practice integral health and provide holistic healing, the practitioner himself needs to transform to bring back the pleasant doctor-patient relationship. Thus, he can see each patient as a unique being and illness as a grace through which both the healer and the patient may transform their respective lives (Dacher, 2006, p.477).

How does this apply to the health and wellness professional?

The basis of this idea portrays an overly utopian healing concept. This paradigm sees sickness as an opportunity for human flourishing in which the health and wellness professional is able to walk his patient through a healing process that will heal the patient and transform both of them. Thus, guiding human development trough a path that transcends all barriers and transforms healing into a spiritual practice that embraces the body, the mind, and the spirit at the same time.   

Do you have an obligation to your clients to be developing your health psychologically, physically, and spiritually? Why or why not?

Most definitely, you can’t teach or preach what you don’t practice. Furthermore, you can’t heal someone else if you suffer from the same disease. For example, a doctor that smokes won’t be able to help a patient that wants to quit smoking. An alcoholic can’t give advice on how to give up the addiction, but a recover alcoholic has walked the same path so he can guide someone through it. A person that is obese can’t give nutritional advice and succeed on helping someone lose weight if they can’t apply the principals they teach in their personal lives.   

How can you implement psychological and spiritual growth in your personal life?

Personal growth means change. Thus, we need to let go of negative behaviors and replace them with those that promote personal growth in all aspects. Now, in order to change we need to know what needs to be changed and how to implement those changes. Thus, we need to assess and define our character and recognize which habits we need to change to evolve. Once we know what needs to be changed we need to make a plan to implement those changes and in order to succeed we need determination. Now, to be able to take on this challenge and accomplish our goals we need to maintain motivation and self-awareness and we can accomplish that by utilizing techniques such as meditation and positive affirmations. Many of the exercises we’ve gone over this class are perfect examples of such. Love-kindness, subtle mind exercises, mental workout, etc.

Gaby

References

Schlitz, M., Amorok, T., & Micozzi M. (2005). Consciousness and Healing: Integral Approaches to Mind-Body Medicine.  St. Louis, MO: Churchill Livingstone.

Dacher, E. (2006). Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.