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Mental Fitness Unit 5 Project Teresa Amsbury Kaplan University Creating Wellness: Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing HW420-01 Mark Maule October 20, 2011
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Page 1: Mental fitness pp presentation

Mental Fitness

Unit 5 ProjectTeresa AmsburyKaplan UniversityCreating Wellness: Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of HealingHW420-01Mark MauleOctober 20, 2011

Page 2: Mental fitness pp presentation

Part 1: The Benefits

Improved sense of wellbeing Enhanced positive emotions

Improved memory Better attention

A witnessing mind – the ability to impartially observe

and witness the natural rise and fall of thoughts, feelings,

and images (Dacher, 2006, p.73)

A calm-abiding mind – focused and undisturbed

Unity Consciousness – clarity and wisdom,

a complete connectedness to all things

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StudyEffects of Brief and Sham Mindfulness Meditationon Mood and Cardiovascular Variables

Eighty-two (82) undergraduate students (34 males, 48 females), with no prior meditation experience, participated in three sessions of 20 minutes each that involved training in either mindfulness meditation, sham (mock) mindfulness meditation, or a control group. Heart rate, blood pressure, and psychological variables (Profile of Mood States, State Anxiety Inventory) were assessed before and after the intervention.  (Zeidan, Johnson, Gordon, & Goolkasian, 2010)

The focused meditation intervention was more effective at reducing negative mood, depression, fatigue, confusion, and heart rate, when compared to the sham and control groups.  (Zeidan, et al., 2010)

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StudyThe Importance of Prayer for Mind/Body Healing

Byrd's (1988) classic study on a coronary care unit (CQJ) in a large hospital in San Francisco showed that intercessory prayer is very effective in the healing process.

393 patients divided into 2 groups. Prayer group (n = 192 patients) had born again Christians pray for them by name. Non-prayer group (n = 201 patients) was the control group.

The prayer group showed significantly less congestive heart failure, used fewer diuretics, had fewer cardiopulmonary arrests and less pneumonia, used fewer antibiotics, and were less intubated than those who did not receive intercessory praying from the born-again Christians. (Maier-Lorentz, 2004)

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StudyTypes of prayer, heart rate variability, and innate healing

5 Christian female volunteers (average age 42), prayed for 5 to 15 recorded minutes for each of the following types of prayer: supplication, devotion, intercession, gratefulness, and contemplative prayer (pure prayer or prayer of silence depending on Eastern or Western Christian tradition).

“Research suggests that positive correlations between prayer and health outcomes are more clearly associated with meditative forms of prayer than with petition or repetition prayers, correlating positive outcomes to positive deepening relational components of prayer experience” (Stanley, 2009, p. 826-827).

“Prayers of devotion, supplication, and intercession would increase relational awareness, serving to relax and calm the one praying and shift attention away from stressful, recurring, or destructive thought patterns and feelings leading to illness” (Stanley, 2009, p.826).

“Higher or deeper forms of relational prayer such as prayers of gratitude and contemplative prayer were thought to hold the greatest healing power because of their more integrated and intimate relational component to the Divine, reflecting a more personal and humble awareness of the presence and love of God” (Stanley, 2009, p. 827).

All prayer (especially contemplative prayer and prayers of gratefulness) held a deep trust in the work of the Holy Spirit to heal both the inner and outer dimensions of the individual. “The Divine image was believed to reside in the heart of each person, and health was directly related to an inner awareness and security of this connectedness to self, others, and God” (Stanley, 2009, p. 827)

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Part 2: Improving Mental Fitness

Example exercises, activities or practices that improve mental fitness

Exercises, activities, or practices overview and benefits

Step by step instructions of example exercises, activities, or practices

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Prayer

One of the oldest and most commonly used coping mechanisms

Found in any denomination of faith

Desire of the heart Often a plea for divine

intervention Increases concentration and

connectivity Centers the mind May be vocalized or thought Countless styles or forms of

prayer Scientifically proven to heal May be used anytime,

anywhere

When abused, prayer can promote dependency, escape, and even doubt

Must be phrased in a positive context and not a negative one

Strengthens faith and provides hope

Intercessory Prayer seeks divine guidance or intervention

2 Types of most common Intercessory prayer A.) when you need help yourself. B.) when you offer a prayer for the assistance of others.

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Steps to Initiating Personal Intercessory Prayer (Christianity)

1. Find a quiet, private place to avoid interruption

2. May be done kneeling, standing, or sitting

3. Pray in faith, with a sincere heart, with real intent

4. Begin prayer by addressing God, or Father in Heaven “Tell Him what you really feel in your heart, confide in Him, ask Him for forgiveness, plead with Him, thank Him, express your love for Him”  (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 2009)

5. Avoid repetitions, meaningless words, and phrases “Always ask that His will be done, remembering that what you desire may not be best for you “ (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 2009)

6. Close the prayer “in the name of Jesus Christ”

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Yoga

Poses are comfortable and steady

Some poses are easy Some poses are very

challenging Increase mental

calmness Increase physical

stability Improve balance Certain poses affect the

body in physical and/or mental ways

Do not push to the point of pain

Move to the limit of your own physical ability

Breathing Conscious stretching Remember counter

positions Many poses to

achieve

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Steps to initiate Hatha Yoga

1. Wear loose clothing

2. Breathe slow, deep, steady, and conscious breaths

3. Go into each pose only to the comfortable limit of your body

4. Maintaining the pose, focus on breath and balance

5. Come out of the pose gracefully and steadily with exhalation

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Diaphragmatic Breathing Often used in Yoga and

T’ai chi ch’uan Often used in Child birth Involves the movement

of the lower abdomen Creates a calming effect Normal breathing is

fourteen to sixteen times per minute.

Diaphragmatic breathing is comfortably reduced breaths to between four and six per minute.

Decreases sympathetic response

Increases one’s vital life force of energy.

Increases effectiveness when inhalation and exhalation occur through the nasal passages

Enhances brain lateralization and respective modes of thinking

Relieves chronic and acute pain

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Steps to Initiate Diaphragmatic Breathing

1. Wear loose clothing2. Find a quiet place to avoid

distraction3. Assume a comfortable

position either sitting or, preferably, lying down on your back with your eyes closed

4. Concentrate on breath (beginners may place hands on stomach and feel the rise and fall of the abdomen with each breath)

5. Breathe in taking the air into your lungs through the nose or mouth

6. Hold breath in for a moment before exhalation

7. Exhale releasing the air from your lungs through the passage it entered

8. Hold breath in for a moment before next inhalation

9. Mentally follow the flow of air as it enters the body and travels to its destination in the lower lobes of the lungs and back out again.

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Summary

•Mental Fitness improves overall sense of wellbeing of the mind, body, and spirit•Mental Fitness creates a witnessing mind , a calm-abiding mind , and unity consciousness•Mental Fitness is improved by mindful and focused meditation •Meditation improves heart health, and reduces negative mood, depression, fatigue, confusion•Byrd's (1988) study proved intercessory prayer is very effective in the healing process•Research suggests that positive correlations between prayer and health outcomes are more clearly associated with meditative forms of prayer than with petition or repetition prayers •Prayers of gratitude and contemplative prayer were thought to hold the greatest healing power•Prayer is one of the oldest and most commonly used coping mechanisms•Prayer increases concentration, connectivity, and centers the mind •There are many poses in yoga from beginner to expert levels•Yoga positively benefits the mind and body•In yoga, move to the limit of your own physical ability•Breathe•Diaphragmatic breathing is used in several other mental fitness activities•Diaphragmatic breathing is focused breath using the diaphragm and abdomen•Diaphragmatic breathing increases mental activity, awareness, and life force energy

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References

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. (2009). Gospel Principles. Salt Lake City, UT: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Maier-Lorentz, M. M. (2004, Jul-Sep 2004). The importance of prayer for mind/body healing.. Nursing Forum, 39, 23-32. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.lib.kaplan.edu/ehost/detail?sid=b132ce96-33f5-4427-acfb-6adfa06df732%40sessionmgr12&vid=6&hid=8&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=14744385

 Seaward, B. L. (2009). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and wellbeing (6th ed.). Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Stanley, R. (2009). TYPES OF PRAYER, HEART RATE VARIABILITY, AND INNATE HEALING. Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science, 44(4), 825-846. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9744.2009.01036.x

Zeidan, F., Johnson, S. K., Gordon, N. S., & Goolkasian, P. (2010, August 2010). Effects of brief and sham mindfulness meditation on mood and cardiovascular variables.. Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine, 16, 867-873. doi: 10.1089/acm.2009.0321