The Five Phases of Change

Mary SaundersIntegral Life Practice, Integral Life Practice, Intrapersonal, Mind, Practice, Video Leave a Comment

This Integral Life Practice module was lovingly produced for Integral Life members.

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Do you feel that no matter what you do, your health and wellbeing still feels challenged? Have you tried all the latest fads and still find yourself wanting more? Perhaps you should consider a fully integrated approach to your health and wellness informed by the transcendent wisdom of the East.

In this exclusive Integral Life Practice module, Mary Saunders uses modern psychological language to describe the Five Phases of Change and their relationship to our lifestyle habits, both harmful and helpful. Watch as Mary explores the primordial qualities of earth, wood, fire, metal, and water as elemental energies in nature, within our bodies, and within our psyche, based on her thirty years as an Integrated acupuncture practitioner. These Five Phases function as a model for physical health, emotional intelligence, and spiritual maturity.

Five Phases of Change offers proven protocols for addressing the physical and psychological issues typical of imbalance: stress, blood sugar imbalances, hormonal regulation, restful sleep, adrenal fatigue, lowered immunity are discussed. She also includes some practical self-assessment practices for achieving better health and a deeper sense of well-being are included.

Mary also explores the underlying principles, core issues, and challenges of each phase, as well as the wisdom available to you when these are brought into the light of consciousness. You will become familiar with simple yet effective coaching and somatic therapy techniques to immediately apply in your life at home and at work.

In this module, Mary offers teachings and practices on the following topics:

  • Introduction to the Five Phases of Change: exploring what it actually means to reclaim your health in the broadest sense, and why this is so important, and the need to increase your awareness of the underlying principles of mindfulness, Taoism, yin/yang, the Five Phases, and various unconscious core beliefs.
  • The Earth Phase: exploring how to remain centered in the body, the central issue of nourishment and how it contributes to our well-being, core beliefs about our needs, symptoms of imbalance, the challenges of transformation and maturity and the strategies to meet it, basic Earth-balancing guidelines, and the practice of gratitude.
  • The Wood Phase: exploring how to get our of your own way in order to gain perspective, the central issue of self-assertion and using it to have an effect on the world, core beliefs about anger, symptoms of imbalance, the challenge of birth and renewal, basic Wood-balancing guidelines, and the practice of forgiveness.
  • The Fire Phase: exploring how to more authentically express yourself, the central issue of control and using it to manifest your destiny, core beliefs about joy, symptoms of imbalance, the challenge of growth and manifestation, basic Fire-balancing guidelines, and the practice of play.
  • The Metal Phase: exploring how you know your value(s), the central issue of attachment and using it to move toward spiritual maturity, core beliefs about sadness, symptoms of imbalance, the challenges of harvest and decline and strategies to meet it, basic Metal-balancing guidelines, and the practice of journaling.
  • The Water Phase: exploring how to dive deeply into our transformational journey, the central issue of willpower and using it to embody our spiritual wisdom, core beliefs about fear, symptoms of imbalance, the challenges of storage and dormancy and strategies to meet it, basic Water-balancing guidelines, and the practice of retreat.
  • Integration: exploring the continuing journey through the five phases, various paths to integration to embody the wisdom of this practice, and daily actions to help bring this wisdom to fruition in your life.