Pamela Watkins, BA, RMT, CCA, a Health Minister and a member of Integrative Therapies, submitted the following article on “Spirituality and You:”
Spirituality and You
As a Health Minister and Hospice volunteer, I have been bedside with the sick and dying. When I ask someone their views on spirituality, I am often surprised by what I hear. Some define spirituality as a religion in the contemporary sense; others define it as a sense of universe, others talk about all living things being connected as one.
Although most often associated with religion, spirituality is also quite personal. Personal spirituality can also be developed through music, art, prayer, meditation, or a connection with nature. People also find spirituality through acts of compassion and selflessness, altruism, and the experience of inner peace.
With the changes in our medical care system, people may be disillusioned with the impersonal nature of our health system. Family members are not seeing their loved ones treated as a “whole” but rather, “physical symptoms” being managed.
The role of spirituality in a healthy lifestyle should not be forgotten. Spiritual practices, whatever they may be for you personally, tend to serve as a social support network, they foster feelings of optimism and hope, can promote healthy behavior, reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, and encourage a sense of relaxation. By alleviating stressful feelings and promoting healing ones, spirituality can positively influence the immune, cardiovascular, hormonal, and nervous systems.
If you haven’t thought about your own body-mind-spirit health, I invite you to take a walk down that path and explore what spirituality means for you.
Connecting Body-Mind-Spirit,
Pamela Watkins, BA, RMT, CCA, Health Minister
Pamela Watkins, RMT, CCA is part of Integrative Therapies, a newly formed network of like-minded healthcare professionals providing a wholistic approach to achieving individual wellness. Pamela practices and teaches Reiki, Aromatherapy, and Healing Touch at Wellness Health Options in Clarion.
For more information or to schedule an appointment with her, please call 814-226-6695 or go to www.wellnesshealthoptions.com/Pamela_Watkins.html.
