Unit 6: Integral Assessment

Honestly, there still isn't much for me to say about the "Loving Kindness" exercise except that I don't enjoy it.

The Integral Assessment was a valuable experience for me though. For some time I've wanted to assess myself like this but really didn't know where to begin. Having a framework available provided me with the direction I needed to make the assessment a valuable exercise.

In fact, the example that Dacher used in his book is exactly what I've wanted to assess. Illness is an "urgent area of focus" for me. Although I've tried to take advantage of a variety of treatment and informational options, my sense is that I've been 'missing' something or overlooking viable options. Not surprisingly, my attention has primarily been focused in the biological aspect. A logical path for me seems to expand and 'balance' my focus in other aspects of my illness.

Over the past year I've increasingly devoted attention to the Psychospiritual aspect at the cognitive level but have almost completely ignored Worldly and Interpersonal aspects. To help balance my current work, I think identifying practices that focus in these two areas will benefit me the most. Engaging in a social support group through the National Psoriasis Foundation would be a great way to engage and connect with others to support the Interpersonal aspect. Similarly, getting involved with the National Psoriasis Foundation's social activism efforts to obtain healthcare coverage and treatment of low-income patients is a great way to work in the Worldly aspect.