The Mechanics of Spontaneous Healing Essay Example for Free

The Mechanics of Spontaneous Healing Essay The field of holistic healing is an evolving discipline. Therefore, the words used to speak about the realm of holistic healing remain difficult to concretize. For those who view this growing field from a distance, the confusion about communication is apparent. Essentially, the same words are used in different ways, depending on the speaker and on the context. Even practitioners within the field of holistic healing use words like â€Å"healing† and â€Å"holistic† in idiosyncratic ways. For holistic medical doctors, the term â€Å"holistic† may mean incorporating alternative healing techniques or procedures such as the use of herbal remedies, diet and nutrition. For psychologists â€Å"holistic† may indicate their use of several therapeutic techniques within the discipline of psychology. Or it may indicate that they integrate other healing techniques such as bodywork or meditation within the context of psychotherapy. For some, the term â€Å"holistic healing† denotes an overall philosophy of integrationalism regardless of their respective training background, and as such, serve as a self-identifier. Given the disparity of meanings attributed to the words, the realm of holistic healing is fraught with communication difficulties. This search terms clarifies for the operational definitions of the study’s critical terms to avoid confusion and help set the limits of its purview. Holistic healing literally means wholeness (holy and heal both derive from the Anglo-Saxon healen, meaning whole), with all that implies: â€Å"Bringing the rejected and discarded into the circle; listening with the inward ear for those parts that have been silenced; seeking a deeper, more accurate, more creative engagement with the world around us† (Barasch, 2003, p. 7). â€Å"Holistic† refers to the acknowledgement that human beings are multi-leveled. We exist each moment as a body, mind, spirit/soul, and emotional beings. Holistic healing therefore, acknowledges the many parts of our being and seeks to understand their interactions in both the disease and the health creation process. Holistic Healing Conceptualized Holistic healing remains on the edges of mainstream scientific thought. It is contrary to the accepted view that we will always be able to find a specific cause for any given disease. Holistic healing deals with the totality of a person’s being: the mental/emotional, physical, social, and spiritual dimensions. It is this totality as an integrative and synthesizing force, so perceived and utilized by the healing person or team, that constitutes holistic healing. (Otto Knight, 2001, p. 3). Holistic healing was described by Pelletier (1997). For him, all states of health were psychosomatic, each person representing a unique interaction of body, mind, and spirit. Illness was a disturbance in the dynamic balance of these relationships. The client and the practitioner shared the responsibility for the healing and both creatively learned about themselves during the healing process. Practical screen In spite of a thorough search of the literature, no studies have been found that relate directly to the focus of this study, the mechanics of spontaneous healing. The literature review is not the theoretical foundation on which the study is based, but is presented in order to illustrate the current state of the relevant literature. The initial review established the appropriateness of this study. The majority of the review will be accomplished after the data is analyzed and it will be guided by the findings. Literature from both the initial review and the later review will be compiled in this section. Topics will also be discussed that might relate to the mechanics of spontaneous healing such as the experience of healing, health status, recovery, and survival. In this related literature the independent variables such as social support, optimism, and hardiness are often well defined with reliable and valid measures. The dependent variables such as â€Å"being healthy, having minor health problems, suffering from chronic disease, being disabled, and being dead are treated as equally-spaced points on a continuum† (Hobroyd Coyne, 2002, p. 364), and are often well-defined or measured. Other measures sometimes defined as â€Å"healthy† are help seeking behaviours and compliance with medical recommendations. Nevertheless, there are some interesting studies in which attempt is made to measure the factors that might be relevant to the mechanics of spontaneous healing. The popular literature claims much more knowledge than can be substantiated with valid research but this literature has stimulated a research interest that may lead to more knowledge about the mechanics of spontaneous healing. In the literature related to specific techniques, such as biofeedback, therapeutic healing touch, imagery, and hypnosis is discussed directly. Each of these areas has a body of research but the studies do not define healing and often do not give enough information for the reader to make judgement on the mechanics of spontaneous healing and on whether the outcomes are credible. Methodological Screen A suitable design for exploring holistic healing from the perspective of the person in the mechanism of the health creation process is phenomenology. Phenomenology is the study of the essence of human experience (Solomon, 1980). Phenomenology is based on careful consideration of rich complex data, using logic and insight (Cohen, 2001). The phenomenon studied need not be tangible in a physical sense as it can be such things as loving, thinking, imagining, calculating, or doubting. Healing falls somewhere between with both tangible and intangible elements. Cause and effect are not relevant, but it can be asked what the experience is of perceiving something apparently causing something else. One would not ask what causes healing, only what the experience of healing is. As an approach to research, it is a way to stand back and watch, to break out of one’s familiar acceptance of the world, and to attain a state of wonder and understanding (Merleau-Ponty, 1992). Phenomenology as a Research Method From these philosophical origins, methods of investigation began to emerge. Spiegelberg (1995) described â€Å"doing phenomenology† in a philosophical sense, while Giorgi, Van Kaam, and Colaizzi developed research methods which were inspired by phenomenological philosophy but not bound by it (Omery, 2003). Phenomenological research is evolving and expanding since it is now being used by many disciplines. There is debate about how purely one should follow the method and whether it is appropriate to draw from other related methods such as ethnography and grounded theory. Phenomenology as a philosophy is so diverse that purity is probably nonexistent. Because of this it would be difficult to derive a pure research method. Phenomenology as it is Used in this Study The primary influences in developing the methodology for this study were Collaizzi (1998) and Merleau Ponty (2002). Both Collaizzi and Merleau Ponty were chosen because of their specific discussion of bodily functions and their desire to maintain the integration and complexity of these functions. They both believed that perception of reality was in fact reality and that this reality can be described. Careful interpretation can clarify this reality. In the process of interpretation, data are not created, but they are analysed with an attempt to discover their essence. In order to address the research questions posed above, selected individuals will be asked to discuss their experience of holistic healing and the mechanism of their health creation process. Asking people directly seemed an effective way to study meaning, experience, beliefs, expectations, and perceptions of holistic healing. Benner (2002) pointed out that physiological aspects of healing can be studied readily with traditional quantitative research. Much of the research available on psychological, interpersonal, and personality dimensions of health has also been done using quantitative methods. There is a current interest in exploring holistic healing using qualitative means, but no qualitative studies have explored healing. As healing is a lived experience it seems appropriate to use a qualitative method to ask individuals who are in the process of healing to attempt to articulate what they believe is happening.

Workplace Literacy: Its Role in High Performance Organizations :: Workforce Work Jobs Essays

Workplace Literacy: Its Role in High Performance Organizations During the past decade a number of issues have been raised about the goals and purposes of workplace literacy; chief among these has been the debate surrounding the conceptualization of workplace literacy as a functional context program with its focus on analyzing the gaps between a workplace's literacy requirements and the abilities of its work force. Critics have felt that, too often, the job context approach was interpreted too narrowly and failed to involve workers. Frequently, the result was a curriculum designed to "fill in the gaps," usually through a top-down process with decisions made primarily by company management, human resources development specialists, and higher-level educational experts (Pritz and Imel 1993). At the same time, workplace educators were discussing how workplace literacy programs should be created, the concept of high performance organizations was emerging. Conversations began about how workplace literacy could be conceived of as a means of changing not just "the behavior of individual employees but of the larger work organization as well" (Imel and Kerka 1992, p. 4) by reinforcing critical thinking and teamwork required to transform workplaces into high performance, continuous improvement organizations. Sometimes referred to as the "collaborative" approach, the perspective that links workplace literacy to collaborative ways of organizing work-and that broadens the functional context approach-is gaining support (Jurmo 1994b). This ERIC Digestdescribes the relationship between collaborative approaches to workplace literacy and high performance work organizations, reviews some principles underlying the collaborative approach, and presents results of research on literacy development in high performance work organizations. High Performance Work Organizations and the Collaborative Approach In a high performance work organization (HPWO), employee basic skills are just one of many components (Jurmo et al. 1994). HPWOs feature flatter organizational structures, work done by teams of highly skilled workers, and a focus on quality, customer service, and continuous improvement (Kerka 1995). In addition to producing high-quality products and services, an HPWO also "provides a high quality of work life for all employees" (Jurmo et al. 1994, p. 4). HPWOs need workers who can take initiative, identify and solve problems, make decisions, and engage in a wide range of tasks. Traditional basic skills such as reading, writing, math, and communication are important primarily within the context of these higher-level skills (ibid.). Although many organizations have not achieved high performance status, they are moving in that direction and are seeking to develop a work force with a broader range of skills (Kerka 1995).

Jean Piaget Essay

My own beliefs about early childhood education are based upon the knowledge that children’s growth is developmental. It seems very clear to me that a high quality early childhood program must provide a safe and nurturing environment which promotes a broad spectrum of support for the child’s physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development. I strongly agree with the tenets of the National Association for the Education of Young children–that high quality, developmentally appropriate programs should be available to all children (Bredekamp & Rosegrant, 1992, p. 7). Children under the age of eight have enormous potential for growth and achievement, and it is my belief that they have rights to fulfill their possibilities. A separate statement of the NAEYC divides the concept of appropriateness into two aspects–age appropriateness and individual appropriateness (Bredekamp, 1987, p. 2). This statement coincides with my belief that children are unique individuals who may or may not reflect the usual characteristics of other children of their same age. Furthermore, I believe that a developmentally appropriate curriculum for young children is correctly tailored to the specifics of each age group. Different ages have different needs, interests, and developmental tasks, and the curriculum should reflect those variations. The most effective early childhood curriculum offers creative expression, social and emotional interaction, child-adult communication, child-child communication, physical expression, knowledge acquisition, reasoning practice, risk-taking, and personal autonomy. Early childhood learning happens through play. In this case, play is a serious matter, although it is quite fun to all involved. Children learn by doing and actively participating. When given the opportunity to explore, children flourish. They experiment, make choices, achieve strength and a sense of belonging as an effective individual within the context of a supportive, safe group. It is my belief that early childhood learning must happen in an integrated manner. Children of this age are too young for rigidly separated subject matter, and the skillful teacher of young children easily integrates the physical, emotional, social, creative, and cognitive areas of early learning. Role of Child as a Learner Johann Pestalozzi and Froebel, two of the earliest professionals in early childhood education, championed the development of the quality of early childhood theory and practice. Pestalozzi contended that young children learn most effectively by doing, by playing, and by interacting with the environment–the physical world and other children (McCarthy & Houston, 1980, p. 4). Early, effective learning happens best in a mixed age group, multi-cultural settings,  Froebel, like Pestalozzi, believed that play is of paramount importance in the development of the child, and that the emotional quality of the child’s life (relationship with parents and other significant people) profoundly permeates the quality of the child’s life (McCarthy & Houston, 1980, p. 6). Pestalozzi did not particularly formalize his theories and methods, but he had a very good intuitive grasp of the necessity for language development, nurturing environments, and healthy relationships for children as a springboard for optimum learning. The child as a learner has cognitive needs, and these vary according to the age of the child. Piaget became famous for his work in the cognitive domain, and his guidelines of pre-operational thought to more sophisticated abstract thinking are useful for teachers who wish to be careful about not expecting too much from children who are operating at a lower cognitive level (DeVries & Kohlberg, 1987, p. 54). His work was rather theoretical, and others (principally Kamii and DeVries) have expanded Piaget’s theory to widen its practical usefulness in early childhood classrooms. The young child learns from the motivation of a need to know, and most early learning takes place in the context of the home and relationship with parents and other family members. Lev Semenovich Vygotsky, one of the earliest workers in the area of developmental psychology and psychopathology, believed that children’s learning happens within the framework of the child’s activities and is greatly influenced by the society and values of the persons near the child. The entire field of child development then consists of â€Å"an endless stream of dialectical conflicts and resolutions, with the resolutions then internalized to form the child’s increasingly sophisticated physical and psychological knowledge† (Thomas, 1992, p. 322). John Dewey’s progressive education movement greatly affected thinking and practice for teachers desiring to arrange an appropriate environment for young learners. Dewey was one of the most influential educational philosophers in the United States in the early 1900’s and his influence is still felt in the 1990’s (McCarthy & Houston, 1980, p.6). Dewey and other forward-thinking professionals of his time believed that learning should be based upon the children’s interests and that children should be actively involved in their education. Before Dewey’s time, most classroom activity consisted of teachers instructing passive, obedient listeners. Dewey’s work provided a solid philosophical basis for early childhood educators who desire to integrate subject matter into whatever the children are actively involved with at the moment. Dewey contended that any kind of life experience is valuable for learning. Dewey was humanistic in his orientation, and his work spoke to the importance of human interest, value, and dignity (McCarthy & Houston, 1980, p. 8). Abraham Maslow was one of the first psychologists to emphasize the importance of various needs being met before other, higher needs come into focus. He placed the physical needs at the bottom of his needs hierarchy, followed by the need for love and belonging. Physically, children at young ages grow and change dramatically from year to year, and the alert, educated teacher will firmly grasp the necessity of a balanced program of large muscle activity, small muscle play, outdoor opportunities for expression of vigorous excess energy, and small motor expressive activity (Bredekamp, 1987, p. 56). Psychologically, children must feel safe before they are able to explore and learn. Children learn through social interaction with adults and other children, and their learning begins with awareness, moving through cycles of exploration, questioning, and application. Vygotsky viewed each child’s learning in terms of that child’s own ontogenetic development. Each experience of the child comes about as a result of the child’s prior experiences of problem-solving and problem resolution (Thomas, 1992, p. 323). Mitchell, a student of John Dewey, also emphasized the necessity of learning within the context of the group. She believed that education for a democratic society begins at a very young age and she placed great importance on young children learning to cooperate and operate within a group (McCarthy & Houston, 1980, p. 9). Carl Jung did a great deal of research and writing in the areas of variation of personality types, and his concepts lead us to believe that some individuals do their best work completely alone, even at a very young age. Carl Rogers also wrote about the importance of the individual contemplative experience. Like Maslow, Rogers as a humanistic psychologist believed in the importance of the human, individual aspect of learning. He saw learning as a change in self-organization. These learnings may be threatening and happen best in a psychologically safe, supportive environment (Rogers, 1969, p. 159). Although Rogers’ work primarily applied to the therapeutic counseling situation, it has great application to anyone dedicated to assisting others learn more about themselves. Role of the Teacher in the Learning Process Carl Rogers also had definite views on the nature of learning and the role of the teacher. He said that people learn by doing and by activities which involve the whole person (Rogers, 1969, p. 162). He contended that the most useful learning is the learning of the process of learning so that practical problems of living in a changing society may find successful solutions. According to Rogers and others who have followed similar philosophies, teachers are guides and facilitators. They set a creative, stimulating, supportive environment which enhances the child’s natural curiosity about life around him. The astute early childhood educator provides a variety of activities, objects, events, materials and people which will assist the children in channelling their innate drive to learn. The best teachers are current in the understandings of fads and characters that appeal to young children–television shows, favorite foods, clothing, and stories that are modern. Young children tune out adults who simply do not understand current culture. In this way, responsible teachers bring multicultural awareness into the classroom as well as information and materials relevant to their own ethnic background. Mixed classrooms provide an excellent opportunity to teach trust, respect, pride, appreciation of differences, and orderly group problem-solving (McCracken, 1993, p. 55). The teacher sets the tone for self acceptance and the acceptance of others. The effective early childhood teacher is an active learner, regardless of her own age, and this type of professional engages children in active participation with materials that are genuinely interesting to the children. This type of adult extends the child’s learning with skillful questioning and acceptance of error through experimentation. The well-versed teacher understands the various levels of cognitive learning, Piaget’s theories, and Blooms Taxonomy so that children are guided and encouraged, but never forced into an intellectual level that is not appropriate. Responsible early childhood teachers respect the individual styles of the students at all times, as well as the various cultures from which they originate. The emotional tone in the best early childhood environments is one of warmth, high self-esteem, and safety. Creative expression is welcomed, even if the forms prove to be highly unusual. Mitchell advocated creative expression of the whole child, through conversation, art, music, dance, and story-telling (McCarthy & Houston, 1980, p. 9). Cooperative learning and family involvement provide rich resources for respect among individuals and groups of a variety of different cultures. Skillful teachers in multicultural settings will recognize those values which must be basic (respect for the human body and rules for group interaction) and encourage the expression of the varieties and nuances specific to the individual ethnic group (McCracken, 1993, p. 65). Role of Peers in Learning The National Association for the Education of Young Children strongly advocates the guidance of social-emotional development in the classroom. Teachers have the responsibility for positive modeling, encouraging expected behavior, redirecting inappropriate actions, and setting clear limits. With this type of skilled teaching, children learn the social skills of cooperation, helping, negotiation, and verbal communication. In order for these important social skills to happen, teachers must depart from the traditional modes of instructing, placing children at individual desks, and spending a great deal of time as referee or punisher (Bredekamp, 1987, p. 55). CLASSROOM PRACTICES It is evident from the previous writing that effective teaching requires the logical, ethical translation of teaching philosophy into classroom implementation. Most importantly, all activities for young children must be developmentally appropriate to the age (Bredekamp & Rosegrant, 1992). This is true across the board in every subject matter and in every aspect of the child’s being–physical, emotional, social, cognitive, and spiritual. SUMMARY/CONCLUSION In order to be an effective early childhood teacher, I must know my own philosophy, limitations, prejudices, and strengths. In general, I prefer five-year olds, and honestly, I am more comfortable with students of this age who are from my own cultural background. I lean philosophically towards the concepts of Pestalozzi and Froebel as well as the humanistic psychologists who followed in this country. Most of all I strive to provide age-appropriate materials and experiences for the children. References Bredekamp, S. (1987). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Washington, D. C. : NAEYC. Bredekamp, S. , & Rosegrant, T. (Editors) (1992). Reaching potentials: Appropriate curriculum and assessment for young children, Volume 1. Washington, D. C. : NAEYC. DeVries, R. , & Kohlberg, L. (1987). Constructivism early education: Overview and comparison with other programs: Washington, D. C. : NAEYC. McCarthy, M. , & Houston, J. (1980). Fundamentals of early childhood education. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Winthrop Publishers. McCracken, J. B. (1993). Valuing diversity: The primary years. Washington, D. C. NAEYC. Rogers, C. (1969). Freedom to learn. Columbus, Ohio: Merrill. Thomas, R. M. (1992). Comparing theories of child development, Third Edition. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

Paul s Letter The Galatians Is Seen As The Most Pauline...

In some ways, Paul’s letter to the Galatians is seen as the most Pauline of the Pauline writings. In this letter, we see immense amounts of anger coming from Paul; this in fact forces Paul to reveal his honest opinion (Brown, 467). In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he preaches the Word of God through seven distinct arguments and discusses many important points and ideas that God wishes to make known to all of his followers. The Galatians, to whom Paul’s letter is addressed, were Paul’s converts. They were thought to have been descendants of the Celts and Gauls who invaded Asia Minor in 279 BCE. Galatia was a province in what is known today as Turkey. In 25 BCE, when the last Galatian king died, the province was incorporated into the Roman Empire (O’Hare, 1). It has been debated as to whether Paul was directed towards the Northern Province, old ethnic province of Galatia, or to the Southern Province, Roman province of Galatia when he was addressing his letter. If in fact it was being addressed to the southern Galatia, then it would have been written to the churches Paul visited while on his first mission trip; and since the extent of this trip is not seen as fully reliable, the debate continues. Most believe it was written to the Northern Galatians, since the address to the Galatians in 3.1 is seen as a more natural way for Paul to address the ethnic Galatians. It better fits those with the ethnic name then those who only simply live in the Roman Province.Show MoreRelatedA Report on the Pauline Epistles3044 Words   |  12 Pagescourse of the thirteen Pauline epistles, the author (presumably Paul) instructs his readers regarding not only the proper functioning of a marriage and family, but he also uses the concept and codes of familia l life to describe the duties and experiences of a Christian. 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