Health And Human Flourishing

What, exactly, does it mean to be human? It is an age-old question, one for which theology, philosophy, science, and medicine have all provided different answers. But though a unified response to the question can no longer be taken for granted, how we answer it frames the wide range of different norms, principles, values, and intuitions that characterize today's bioethical discussions. If we don't know what it means to be human, how can we judge whether biomedical sciences threaten or enhance our humanity? This fundamental question, however, receives little attention in the study of bioethics. In a field consumed with the promises and perils of new medical discoveries, emerging technologies, and unprecedented social change, current conversations about bioethics focus primarily on questions of harm and benefit, patient autonomy, and equality of health care distribution. Prevailing models of medical ethics emphasize human capacity for self-control and self-determination, rarely considering such inescapable dimensions of the human condition as disability, loss, and suffering, community and dignity, all of which make it difficult for us to be truly independent. In Health and Human Flourishing, contributors from a wide range of disciplines mine the intersection of the secular and the religious, the medical and the moral, to unearth the ethical and clinical implications of these facets of human existence. Their aim is a richer bioethics, one that takes into account the roles of vulnerability, dignity, integrity, and relationality in human affliction as well as human thriving. Including an examination of how a theological anthropology—a theological understanding of what it means to be a human being—can help us better understand health care, social policy, and science, this thought-provoking anthology will inspire much-needed conversation among philosophers, theologians, and health care professionals.

Dr. Dacher shows the way to fulfill one's highest potential and lead a healthy life.

INTEGRAL HEALTH The Path to Human Flourishing Everyone agrees that the mind/body connection is a critical component in healing and well-being. But how do you activate that connection? Practices like yoga, tai chi, reiki, and various types of meditation relate to and promote that connection, but, in themselves, don't produce the qualitative shift needed for the higher level of extraordinary, integral health. Rather than looking outside ourselves for new remedies, techniques, and programs, Elliott S. Dacher, M.D., says we have to redirect our vision from outside to inside. ''To transform health and life we must shift our gaze inward, where we will find the ever-present source of exceptional health and healing,'' writes Dacher. As an internist for twenty-one years, Dr. Dacher was able to relieve his patients' physical suffering, but he grew more and more frustrated when he wasn't able to address his patients' underlying ailments like disabling fatigue, pervasive anxiety, or unrelenting low-level depression. That led him to seek a second medical education in the East, which spoke to him about wisdom, compassion, the alleviation of needless suffering, and the promotion of sustained health, happiness, and wholeness. This book provides the vision and the map that show how to achieve integral health as well as its many fruits. Based on Ken Wilber's integral theory, that path is holistic, evolutionary, intentional, person-centered, and dynamic as it addresses four aspects of human existence - the inner aspects of the psycho spiritual and the interpersonal and the outer aspects of the biological and the interpersonal. The seeker learns how to deal with and advance through each of the aspects, do an integral assessment of all four aspects, design a personalized program of integral practice, and progress toward integral health. By striving for human flourishing, we become co-creators in an evolutionary leap in health and well-being.

The built environment influences health and well-being in a myriad of ways. Some neighbourhoods are plagued by busy roads that are a constant source of danger, noise, and air pollution. In some cities there is inadequate green space for children to play and socialise safely. Yet, this book argues, it does not have to be this way. With focus on human health, well-being, and flourishing, this book explores the ways in which people’s lives are impacted by the built environment and how we can create, adapt, and design healthy and inclusive places. The volume explores the relationship between urban design and human flourishing and initiates broad discussions around relevant questions such as ‘What is a healthy place?’, ‘What influences our perceptions of built environment more? Is it our age or our cultural background?’. The book includes six chapters from internationally renowned authors who attempt to unpack some of the key aspects that urban designers need to consider in order to create places that enable – rather than constrain – individuals and communities to live rich fulfilling lives. This book will be of great value to students, scholars, and researchers interested in urban design, planning, and in exploring how built environment impacts health and happiness. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Urban Design.

'A careful and thoughtful provocation' (Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury) Ambitiously placed at the intersection of scientific insights and spiritual wisdom, Human Flourishing prompts us to reflect on what constitutes a good life and the choices that can help achieve it. For thousands of years, humans have asked 'Why we are here?' and 'What makes for a good life?' At different times, different answers have held sway. Nowadays, there are more answers proposed than ever. Much of humanity still finds the ultimate answers to such questions in religion. But in countries across the globe, secular views are widely held. In any event, whether religious or secular, individuals, communities and governments still have to make decisions about what people get from life. This book therefore examines what is meant by human flourishing and see what it has to offer for those seeking after truth, meaning and purpose. This is a book written for anyone who wants a future for themselves, their children, and their fellow humans - a future that enables flourishing, pays due consideration to issues of truth and helps us find meaning and purpose in our lives. At a time when most of us are bombarded with messages about what we should or should not do to live healthily, attain a work-life balance and find meaning, a careful consideration of the contributions of both scientific insight and spiritual wisdom provides a new angle. This is therefore a book that not only helps readers clarify their views and see things afresh but also help them improve their own well-being in an age of AI and other new technologies.

Integral health involves a new way of thinking about oneself. It's not just another self-help remedy, therapy, or technique. It's taking responsibility for one's health and life in a completely new, holistic way. It requires a dynamic, intentional transformation of mind and heart that leads to a profound shift in health and healing. Integral health is the next evolutionary step in human development. Too good to be true? Not so, says Elliott S. Dacher, M.D., who practiced internal medicine for more than twenty years. Frustrated when he could not treat his patients' underlying suffering, Dacher searched for a deeper source of healing, finding inspiration in Eastern philosophies that stressed the connection between mind and body. That prompted him to create this comprehensive program of integral health, based on author Ken Wilber's integral theory of consciousness. Dacher's program centers on four aspects of human existence--the inner aspects of the psychospiritual and the interpersonal and the outer aspects of the biological and the interpersonal. The reader learns how to deal with and make transformative shifts through each of the aspects using various contemplative practices that increase mind/body awareness and connection. In addition, the reader learns how to do an integral assessment involving all four aspects, design a personalized program of integral practice, and progress toward integral health. Not for someone seeking a quick fix, integral health demands a commitment to seeking the highest level of authentic health, happiness, and wholeness. For anyone who is seeking more and wishes to make the effort, Dacher shows the way to fulfill one's highest potential and lea a healthy life.

This open access book presents a novel multidisciplinary perspective on the importance of human flourishing. The study of the good life or Eudaimonia has been a central concern at least since Aristotelian times. This responds to the common experience that we all seek happiness. Today, we are immersed in a new paradoxical boom, where the pursuit of happiness seems to permeate everything (books, media, organizations, talks), but at the same time, it is nowhere, or at least very difficult to achieve. In fact, it is not easy to even find a consensus regarding the meaning of the word happiness. Seligman (2011), one of the fathers of the positive psychology, confirmed that his original view the meaning he referred to was close to that of Aristotle. But, he recently confessed that he now detests the word happiness, since it is overused and has become almost meaningless. The aim of this open access book is to shed new light on human flourishing through the lenses of neurosciences and health, organizations, and arts. The novelty of this book is to offer a multi-disciplinary perspective on the importance of human flourishing in our lives. The book will examine further how different initiatives, policies and practices create opportunities for generating human flourishing.

The best minds in positive psychology survey the state of the field Positive Psychology in Practice, Second Edition moves beyond the theoretical to show how positive psychology is being used in real-world settings, and the new directions emerging in the field. An international team of contributors representing the best and brightest in the discipline review the latest research, discuss how the findings are being used in practice, explore new ideas for application, and discuss focus points for future research. This updated edition contains new chapters that explore the intersection between positive psychology and humanistic psychology, salugenesis, hedonism, and eudaimonism, and more, with deep discussion of how the field is integrating with the new areas of self-help, life coaching, social work, rehabilitation psychology, and recovery-oriented service systems. This book explores the challenges and opportunities in the field, providing readers with the latest research and consensus on practical application. Get up to date on the latest research and practice findings Integrate positive psychology into assessments, life coaching, and other therapies Learn how positive psychology is being used in schools Explore possible directions for new research to push the field forward Positive psychology is being used in areas as diverse as clinical, counseling, forensic, health, educational, and industrial/organizational settings, in a wide variety of interventions and applications. Psychologists and other mental health professionals who want to promote human flourishing and well-being will find the second edition of Positive Psychology in Practice to be an informative, comprehensive guide.