HOLISTIC? SPIRITUAL? WHOA!!

HOLISTIC? /SPIRITUAL? WHOA
I love to think that the huge positive changes in my life over the past 16 years or so have been holistic and as part of this, there has been a “spiritual awakening” (like brought out of a spiritual coma) as a part of what has happened.
Let’s go to Webster’s for a couple of accepted definitions.
Holistic: treatment of the whole organism; not just the symptoms of a disease.
Spiritual: relating to or concerned with the soul or spirit (opp; TEMPORAL)

In working with others that want to make big changes in their lives, I believe in a holistic approach that does involve treating not just the symptoms. If bad self –esteem, poor relationships, addictions, poor career results, a need to control, and so on are the visible, what is behind them? You can fix what you can see, but the problems likely will reoccur if you don’t address the much deeper cause.
A part of each and everyone one of us is a soul or spirit. When many see the word “spiritual” they immediately relate to thoughts of religion and in many cases, a “God” thing they have turned off years ago for whatever reason. A part of a holistic approach is dealing with “spiritual”, but as defined above. There is no conflict with a person’s lack of religious beliefs or with any religious beliefs they may hold.
In working with people to help them get out of a rut and move forward, it is important that a person recognize that feeling or voice inside that has made them feel uncomfortable at times or really question their own behaviour. This is “spiritual” in nature. What is that “quiet still voice” inside that questions you?
To live a life that is in keeping with what you really want for yourself, you must develop new life skills and a “toolbox” of useful habits and behaviours that allow you to progress. These are “learned”. Not any differently than how any high performer approaches improvement.
So what is the point of all this?
My experience tells me that a holistic approach to life change (recovery, transformation) must deal with the whole you and contain a “spiritual” element. To succeed, you must find a new “balance” in your life. To desire change, what you are doing now is obviously not working.
Most I work with are not alcoholics, yet I do draw on a lot of the things that 12 step programmes offer. They gave me a part of the solution to my own issues. Here is a quote that may fit you, put anything you want in where AA is mentioned.
“An AA member needs more than physical capabilities; he needs the use of his full faculties as a human being to hear the message, to think about it, to review the effects of the past to realize, to admit, and to accept.
These processes are activities of the mind, which is part of the spirit.” - Came To Believe . . ., p. 3
Does this article create some questions in you? Do you want to make changes that you have failed to do or procrastinate about? Do you need to develop new tools in your “life skills” toolbox? Do you want success? Do you want to talk about “holistic” and/or “spiritual”?
Let’s have a no obligation chat about holistic and spiritual, and see if you can find a path that suits you. (www.coached-to-success.com; www.hopeserenity.ca)