Holistic wellbeing: pathways to nourish and strengthen body-mind-spirit and world peace
A holistic approach includes one’s physical, emotional, social, and spiritual wellbeing.
We are always body-mind-spirit persons in - relationship with the Spirit of the Cosmos- Creator -God - Shiva- Allah/ however you name the Energy of the Cosmos, with all peoples and all creation, including cultural aspects that impact on wellness.
Like prayer and contemplation, a holistic approach to wellbeing involves self-awareness and openness to consider what one can do to nourish the culture of one’s life. We heal and thrive, always as body-mind-spirit in relationship with all.
Warming up to humanity and all creation is a profound way to deepen our spirituality.
We learn from Indigenous wisdom — and from the best of all faith traditions — to respect the Spirit of all creation, to know that we always persons-in-community and that we are one with all creation. Visit https://charterforcompassion.org. See the short video, read and possibly sign - and spread - the Charter for Compassion 2.0. Discover the vibrant, global community
Compassion: an Essential Way Forward for Peace
Compassion is central to all world traditions and humanitarian goodness.
1. Charter for Compassion https://charterforcompassion.org
See the short film Charter for Compassion 2.0 on this website’s Home page. Compassion is essential for all world religions and humanitarian stances. This vibrant, global, The Charter for Compassion movement offers creative, practical, global opportunities for people of all ages. They invite all individuals, organizations, schools, cities, provinces/states and countries to join this global movement and to sign the charter. There is also a Children’s Charter for Compassion.
2. The vibrant Laudato Sî global Movement is based on “Care of Our Common Home” by Pope Francis, emphasizing Integral Ecology/Hearing the cries of the Earth and cries of all peoples and universal communion, urging collaboration of all peoples to solve the intrinsically related crises of our world. Laudato Si' Movement. https://laudatosimovement.org
(Script of oral presentation to accompany slides)
SOMATIC AND SOUND HEALING
TO STRENGTHEN PERSONAL WELL-BEING AND HEAL STRESS/TRAUMA
Barbara Paleczny SSND, PhD/SThD and Certified Trainer/Healer with https://capacitar.org
Welcome to “Somatic and Sound Healing to Strengthen your Well-Being and Heal Stress, based on and expanded from Capacitar.
1. I am Barbara Paleczny, a Canadian member of an international faith community, the School Sisters of Notre Dame. Although I’ve taught all the grades from one through Masters’ level, it was in South Sudan where I lived for 12 years with Solidarity with South Sudan that I developed much more experience in leading workshops for Somatic and Sound Healing to Strengthen Well-Being and Heal Stress/Trauma. . . and taught others to lead these workshops throughout the county.
I begin with an apology to all the young for all the violence and pollution that my (and other) generations have handed on to you. It's not your fault. The good news is that millions of us are giving our entire lives in compassion to heal our planet and all peoples. How many of you are with us?"
Briefly survey participants' experience. Indicate by raising a hand; e.g. Do you often/sometimes have stomach aches, headaches, can't get to sleep (or stay asleep), explode with emotion, bury your feelings, joint pain, feel hurt or left but usually don’t say it directly to persons involved , although you often remember you just ‘get on with life’, had some surgery, injury or loss of a significant person that you still feel keenly . . . These may be natural symptoms of stress. I won’t ask you about constipation, diarrhea or sexual issues.
Our identity: always body-mind-spirit-persons-in-community with all peoples/all the Earth community and Cosmic Energy/Spirit. As compassionate people, we naturally absorb intergenerational and collective trauma, the stress of our own lives, the pain of suffering peoples and the environment.
The body remembers unresolved stress of the past and of what is happening now in our world. Stress and trauma lodge physically and can get stuck in the body. Always body-mind-spirit/energy, our bodies take in stress and remember what has not been resolved. In the long run, stress can destroy health.
But let’s focus on good news. What we will do together now are enjoyable ways that can assist ALL of us to have with more presence, energy, creativity and compassion.
To the extent you engage actively, you will replenish energy and actually heal. For example, In a grade 2-3 class last year, I asked if they knew what photosynthesis is. YES!!! So we dramatized with many of the class as trees and the others as children. Give and receive: Oxygen <=> carbon dioxide. Soon some bright children exclaimed, “Hey! We’re trading!!” I told them how I love to sit by a tree and trade for an hour but they could do it anytime for just a few minutes. “Cool” they exclaimed. In obvious wonder.
I little later, I’ll explain why these actually help to heal stress and trauma.
2. Now, let’s do some activities:
a. Vibrations: i. Most of us tend to breathe with only the top lobes of our lungs. Although this cuts off pain and grief, it also weakens our ability to feel joy and love. When exhaling fully, the diaphragm will automatically go down to expand even the lower lobes of our lungs when the body needs oxygen. As long as possible exhale, toning vu.
ii. Tone: eee-au-om. Importance of vibrations in Earth's systems and to heal ourselves. Notice how you feel. Where do you feel it? Tone again: ee – au—om. Listen to the silence. Notice how you feel (and where you feel it.)
b. Tap to wake up our bodies to do their work of healing: Arms/legs. (Mention Emotional Freedom Technique.)
3. Holding our emotions compassionately, like a hurt kitten (or injured dragon!). Be aware: Feel the emotion and notice where you feel it. Name it. Hold it gently to see what it wants to tell you.
4. The Energy of Emotions: Very often we cut off our feelings or bury them, and then end up unable to feel at all. So when we, or our children feel that is the first gift. If we can feel, know and name what we feel and then hold it gently, listening to its story, we can help our nervous system to recuperate. Let’s look at some healthy and unhealthy uses of the energy of anger, fear and touch/sexuality.
5. Healing Touch, sending healing light and love around the world. My energy helps to heal you only by helping your energy to move.
Handholds. Explain: another's respectful touch makes my energy move. Improved circulation heals pain and wounds. Do it.
Possibly finger holds.
6. Explain and imagine: Be with our inner child to listen, hold and care compassionately for ourselves. Know that we did our best and learn; e.g. as Dr Gabor Maté explains so well in The Wisdom of Trauma. Our inner child lives in each of us. Listen to them, their feelings. We can cry with them, hold and soothe them, thanking them for doing their best and telling them that you’ll take care of them now.
7. Mantra: Feel your pulse (on your wrist or neck) and whisper, "Gift of life. Gift of love." Gradually shift to 'feel the gift' silently. This continues our entire lives, even when we're sleeping. Teach: Finger holds.
8. The brain's power to heal. Use charts to show what happens in trauma and how healing comes. Explain why these exercises (or similar ones) actually help to heal. Give a simple reason and then a fuller description of what happens in the brain in trauma and to heal.
9. Imaging. Power of imagining and imaging. . . and language that is open for healing, learning and creativity.
10. Briefly note the relevance of rituals; give an example.
11. Dreams
12. Daily awareness practice.
Participants renew their energy, healing stress and learning practical, enjoyable ways to strengthen their health. They learn the physiological reasons why these simple practices can actually heal stress and trauma (and why they are becoming recognized as essential even for talk therapy). In this era of stress, tensions and trauma in our environment, wars around the world, political upheavals, economic restraints, human trafficking and digital slavery, we wake up our bodies to heal and benefit from continuing discoveries about the capacity of the brain to heal.
Rooted in deep research, this popular approach is enjoyable and can be applied spontaneously in classrooms gradually throughout a day, as caregivers, with people of all ages and backgrounds. In South Sudan, for example, an entire State legislature did a several-day/9-4 daily workshop because "stress and trauma affect everyone". Since mass violence/ shootings/environmental degradation affect all of us, doing this kind of personal and group activity, often throughout the day and evening, is a proven way to supplement professional therapy. For many, it may be what they need to cope with depression, or to counteract the mesmerizing absorption in digital media (games, social media). Some military, police and prisoners exclaimed that they stopped having nightmares, could sleep/or stay asleep. We can wake up our bodies to heal, to do their work, to think and remember more alertly. Many teachers say that attendance and achievement of students improve considerably.
Using healing/therapeutic touch and imaging can relieve arthritic pain, help people to heal faster in surprising ways. Many will be affirmed that popular ways they know/do already -- such as, Tai Chi, Chi Quong -- are significant ways to heal; they learn why they are so effective and important today.
Link to Pillars or Sutras in the website www.charterforcompassion.org :
As compassionate people, we naturally absorb intergenerational and collective trauma, the stress of our own lives, the pain of suffering peoples and the environment. Immersed in any/all of the pillars, all need to protect their well-being and heal their body's experience of stress and trauma. Instead of adding more work to do, these enjoyable ways can assist those who research, collaborate and lead with more presence, energy, creativity and compassion. Always body-mind-spirit/energy, our bodies take in stress and remember what has not been resolved (destroying health in the long run). To the extent participants engage actively, they will replenish energy and actually heal.