BODY–MIND–SPIRIT
The Balance of Wholeness

In The Beginning…
An individuals’ decision to enter therapy can often be directly correlated with the level of psychic pain they are experiencing as a result of an event, relationship or problem with themselves or another.  At some point in the therapeutic process, as the layers of one’s life are gently peeled and examined, a moment of conscious awakening presents itself, revealing two existential dilemmas:

1. "I am not sure who I really am any longer."
   (sometimes reported as - I never did know).
2. "I have no idea what is my life’s true purpose."
   (the fear being that - I will never know).

In these moments of truth, a personal clarity frequently emerges that sounds like this:  "I have been disconnected from the real authentic me for a long time. What part(s) of me are missing? If I find my missing part(s), will I be safe to be me?"

We might view the reconnection of our psyche as a micro reuniting of the many “selves” within us that have split off at the difficult junctures, or woundings in our life. Examples of these are: the angry self, loving self, critical judgmental self, fearful self, joyful self, confident self etc. Similarly, we can view the reuniting of our being at a macro level as we become consciously aware that we are beings of not only the almighty mind, but, balanced beings who integrate Body-Mind-Spirit—into wholeness.

Any disconnection from our wholeness as human beings (i.e. emotional, mental, physical, spiritual parts of self) costs us countless hours of lost energy, personal power and joy to live life fully. With the disconnection of any of our parts, micro or macro, we drift along in our daily life merely surviving, not thriving. We attempt to drive our car (body) without gasoline (mind), oil (emotions) or directions (spirit/passion).

How does it happen that we fall out of balance – disconnecting from our innate wholeness of body-mind-spirit?
People mistakenly believe that when faced with uncomfortable feelings, difficult emotions, or negative behaviors that the fastest and safest way out is to retreat into the grandeur of the thinking mind.  There is a misconception that thinking is far safer than feeling and therefore, we can think our way through life, entirely skipping over our feeling nature. Nothing could be further from the standpoint of healthy truth.

Living only from mind promotes thinking patterns that develop into the hamster wheel brain thinking. Our need to replay disturbing events from the vacuum of mind, disconnects us from our entire wholistic system of union with heart, mind, body and spirit. This resistant process will serve only to keep us separated from the self – our whole self.

Unexpressed negative emotions create stress and increased stress causes tension, ultimately creating a stagnation of energy that short circuits our healthy balance of mind and body. Attempting to think through all that disturbs us causes havoc in our perfectly balanced system of body-mind-spirit.

The disconnection of body-mind-spirit, so to avoid pain or change or growth is a defense mechanism that spins into self-deception. The disconnection of ourselves short circuits our personal power. This leads to confusion, creating toxic behaviors. We begin to react from chaotic energy - attracting crisis, drama and trauma. In this type of a reactive state, energies are depleted, whereby we loose our personal power to love ourselves and act wisely on our own behalf. 

Without the benefit of feeling our passions, staying in dialogue with the universe and identifying our own individual path in life, we may completely miss the direction and deep healing energies of our personal Spiritual journey. With no energy source connection, a beacon cannot shine it’s powerful light.

Embracing A New Approach
It is our responsibility to honor ourselves on our journey. Every bump on the road of our life counts.  Energy is powerful and necessary for us to thrive. Individuals often report, that as they balance with their true nature of wholeness, in body-mind-spirit, there is a new found awareness of the control we do have in our lives. In learning about our entire self, there is a reconnection with the importance of helping oneself—stepping out of victim mentality—and fostering hope in the human experience.  

To grow with healthy life energy, we must remain conscious of our thoughts, feelings and actions as very valuable information about what is going on deep within us.  Combine this valuable information with self-reflection and taking action, and we awaken to our true passionate authentic self—the very home of our spirit.

Conscious Nourishment
A balanced state of healthy wellbeing, or homeostasis, is what Chinese medicine refers to as good chi or life force energy. Without conscious awareness and nourishment of mind-body-spirit, we do not have balance. Without balance we are susceptible to increased stressors and a tendency towards dis-eased bodies, minds, and heart/spirit.

But, health is more than the absence of dis-ease. Relating and accepting ourselves as wholebeings, body-mind-spirit, is an added nourishment of internal resourcing. Our mind needs thoughtful activities, play, relaxation and rest. Our body needs movement, healthy hygiene, good nutrition and exercise. Our spirit needs fun, joy and freedom to express.

Our daily conscious intentions to honor and integrate all of ourselves, creates a healing environment in which we thrive; our emerging creative spirit, abounds with life force energy. We walk our path in a natural growth state of balance enjoying our lives. As we awaken to the consciousness of lessons to be learned, experiences to propel us and relationships to test us—we are clearly connecting with the road signs on our soul’s journey.

References
Emotional Intelligence, Goleman Daniel, 1994, Bantam Books, New York, New York.
Molecules of Emotion, Candace B. Pert, Ph.D., 1997, Scribner, New York, New York.
Minding the Body, Mending the Mind, Joan Borysenko, Ph.D., 1988, Bantam Books, New York, New York.
The Chi Kung Way, James McRitchie, 1997, Harper Collins Publishers, Hammersmith, London.
The Healer Within, Steven Locke, M.D., Douglas Colligan, 1986, E.P. Dutton, New York, New York.

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Holistic Psychotherapy • Hypnotherapy • EMDR