Mental Fitness

HW 420-03Sandra Goodman

Kaplan University

Introduction The goal is to teach others the importance of mental

fitness and its implications to physical wellness. Three research studies will be discussed that have

demonstrated the healing qualities of mental and spiritual focus.

Examples of exercises, activities, or practices which can be used to improve mental fitness will be given.

Candace Pert, PhD

In 1970, Candace Pert discovered that the body holds natural proteins. The proteins are called Neuropeptides. These proteins allowed messages to travel from the brain to different systems in the body. “ The brain talks to the immune system, the heart to the kidneys, the glands to each of our cells and so on, creating in the process a fully interconnected community” (Dacher, 2006, p17). Later Candace Pert discovered that we could control the neuropeptides and our mental status by the way we think. We can make changes with our thoughts, feelings and visual images that we experience. “If we can control dissipate, and transform the negative emotions that occupy our mind, we could simultaneously reverse their deleterious effect on our body” (Dacher, 2006, p17).

Neuropeptides

Dean Ornish, MD In 1980, Dean Ornish and Shirley Brown conducted a study on 48

randomized heart patients. They put several of the patients on a lifestyle program. This program included changing the patients diet, teaching them stress management techniques and any other changes they felt could improve or reverse serious illness. The study was made of 2 groups, one that made life style changes and a group that made no changes. The study was to evaluate how well the heart pumped blood between the groups. Within 3 weeks they found there was an improvement with the patients that were on the lifestyle program, and those who where not on the program were getting worse. “A year later They found that “the group of patients who were on the lifestyle program reduced their blood cholesterol levels by almost 40%, 90% had a reduction in chest pain and improvement in blood flow to their heart . The results were measured by PET scans, and an overall reversal of the build-up of coronary artery blockage, as measured by coronary arteriograms” (Amorok & Micozzi, 2005, p 306)

Life style changes for a Healthy Heart

The pictures above are from Dean Ornish’s website. Also the following link is the Life Style Change program that was discussed in the previous slide. http://www.pmri.org/spectrum/lifestyle-program.html#lifestyle-program

Randolph Byrd In 1988, Dr. Randolph Byrd selected 393 randomized

patients from a coronary care unit. They were broken into two groups one group being controlled and a group that received intercessory prayer. In this study no one knew who was receiving prayer and none of the groups were instructed on when to pray, just when they felt it was necessary. The findings were “ there were fewer deaths in the prayer group, they were less likely to require endotracheal intubation and ventilator support; they required fewer potent drugs, including diuretics and antibiotics; they experienced a lower incidence of pulmonary edema; and they required cardiopulmonary resuscitation less often” (Amorok &Micozzi, 2005, p 317) So, the patients that did not pray were likely to suffer more. Prayer is powerful and it can help fight disease.

Power of Prayer Study

Find a Special Place

Things that you can do while in your special place Relax to Music

Find a comfortable place and time that you can relax and not be disturbed. No cell Phones.

Wear loss fitting clothing. Making sure you are comfortable with the temperature of the location.

If you have a CD player put in a cd that you find relaxing or you can listen to nature: rain falling, birds chirping or waves rushing in and out at a beach. What ever it takes to make you feel relaxed.

Lye down or sit. Listen and acknowledge your surroundings. Try to remain relaxed and let the positive energy flow through out

your body. Taking deep breathes in and slowly releasing them. Imagine yourself being somewhere that you have always wanted to

go, but have not been able to go. Continue to do this as long as you are able to. Do this often in order to

keep your mind and heart open. To help reduce the stress in your everyday life.

MeditationMeditation can be done any where that is quite and at any time. This is a time that we can let go of our physical, emotional, logical and social circuits and become the witness of our bodily sensations, emotions and our thoughts instead of identifying with them.

Meditation has been proven to improve creativity, intelligence, memory, alertness. It has been shown to improve physical, mental, and emotional health

Cross your legs clasp the fingers creating an energy Circle. Close your eyes, they are the door to the mind. Try to relax, relax until you are totally relaxed. Try not to your control breathing allow it to happen naturally. Eventually you will become thoughtless and you will not acknowledge your breathing pattern.

You will then go into a deep relaxation

The more you mediate the more knowledge able you will be in how to perform meditation and the more relaxed you will become.

“To Transform health and life we must shift our gaze inward, where we will find the ever present

source of exceptional health and healing” (Dacher, 2006, p 1).

References

Dacher, E. The Spectrum Lifestyle Program Retrieved June 8, 2010, from http://www.pmri.org/spectrum/lifestyle-program.html#lifestyle-program\

Dacher, E. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc

Schlitz, M., Amorok, T. and Micozzi, M.S. (2005) Consciousness & Healing: Integral Approaches to Mind-Body Medicine. MI: Elsevier Churchill Livingston Publications

Questions?I hope that you all will find this helpful.

“ We live blindly among unimaginable treasures, and at the end of our days, we leave life unaware of the great wealth and the great health

that have always been right in front of us. ” (Dacher, 2006, p 7).

http://www.wiseawakening.com/Photos/sound_chamber_pics/soundchamberweb.jpg