WEB-BASED WRITTEN REFLECTION SERIES
Dr. Karen and Dr. Greg will be posting a series of reflections on Integrative and Regenerative Medicine topics that integrate the Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Dimensions of Health
They will combine their Integrative Medicine expertise with the approaches and concepts found in Life Coaching to create a unique written series to promote health.
Format:
· Integrative Health Concept
· Coaching Challenge—Concepts and Approaches of Life Coaching are applied to the topic followed by a Coaching Challenge
· Integrative Practices related to the topic are presented as a means for readers to incorporate health promoting actions into their daily routine.
INTRODUCTION to the web-based INTEGRATIVE INSIGHTS written reflection series:
MIND-BODY-SPIRIT as one integrated system......
In the specialty of Integrative Medicine, we address the health of a person through the lens of not just the physical, but also the emotional and spiritual dimensions of one’s life. Our approach is always to keep in mind that the BODY-MIND-SPIRIT are one large interactive system.
To illustrate these complex interactions, we can look at chronic stress and its impact. It is proven that chronic stress results in increased inflammation—it is pro-inflammatory. Inflammation is a frequent underlying process at work in various diseases and illnesses, such as arthritis, coronary artery disease, cancers, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases to name a few.
But how does chronic stress occur? There are many possible instigating factors to turn on our body’s chronic stress reaction. One way chronic stress can be activated is through the MIND-SPIRIT dimensions of our being. The MIND part of us includes our thought processes and our emotions. The spiritual part of us encompasses the deeper elements of what it means to be human— such as relationships, meaning and purpose, inspiration, how we relate to ourselves, others, how we relate to a higher power. Our spiritual dimension is closely tied into the MIND aspect of our being (our thoughts and emotions). As we are navigating the spiritual experiences of our life, our emotions are frequently activated (love, fear, joy, grief, happiness, feeling inspired or deeply moved….) The emotional and spiritual dimensions can also impact our physical well-being and health. When we experience negative emotions or are navigating difficult life experiences, our pain patterns are often worse, we can develop fatigue, exhaustion, headaches, GI symptoms, depression, anxiety, and other conditions that constitute ill health.
Each part of us—the physical, emotional, and spiritual are closely tied together and each influences the others. Chronic stress occurs when we are challenged over a longer period of time physically, emotionally, and/or spiritually. The stress response gets activated when any of these dimensions are taxed over time. We intuitively know that our stress response has been set off if we experience strong negative emotions repeatedly, or a major life event has occurred. We say “I am so stressed.” Some examples of spiritual stressors leading to a chronic stress response can include: having suffered a significant loss, lacking meaning and purpose, lacking connectivity and feeling isolated and alone, feeling overwhelmed with life responsibilities, feeling trapped in life circumstance that are emotionally draining, etc. As you can see, the spiritual, emotional, and physical dimensions of our lives are closely tied together. No matter what the source is—BODY-MIND-SPIRIT– chronic stress can result and that can lead to significant illness and disease.
We can proactively work to improve our overall health and well-being by focusing on the health of our body, mind, and spirit. In the first contributions to this BODY-MIND-SPIRIT series, we are going to focus on the SPIRIT dimension of our being, and ways in which we can work in these areas to improve our overall health and well-being.
At On^Point, Dr. Greg Coppola and I pursued training in Life Coaching through CTI (Co-active Training Institute) because of our firm belief in the impact our emotional and spiritual life has on our health and well-being. Life coaching is well-suited to create the experience for people to dive deeper into the emotional and spiritual dimensions of life. Coaching is all about asking powerful life questions, challenging people to explore potential answers, supporting them in their creative and innovative actions, and celebrating and encouraging positive life choices and changes. In this series, coaching concepts will be interspersed throughout—all in service of greater health and a more meaningful and satisfying life.
We are excited to have you join us for a series of reflections meant to stimulate thoughts and actions focused on answering the question, "What does a healthier you look like?" These reflections will be posted on the blog page of our website and reflections will be added on a regular basis.
For Continuing Medical Education Credits for this Introductory Reflection, please email us at info@onpointimed.com and request the CME link to be emailed to you.
Each Reflection in the series (including this introduction) has 2 Category 1 AMA PRA Credits available. Cost is $50 for the 2 credits. Make checks payable to: On^Point .
Mail to: On^Point Integrative Medicine, 510 Cranberry St., Suite 220, Erie, PA 16507
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