Wellness: A New Map of Service

and over again, we have a tremendous capacity to experience high level wellness, no matter what ourpersonal wellness cosmology looks like. The key is that we must simply TRY to move toward thatimaginary mirage or ceiling of well-being. We must orient our sacred free will in a positive directionthat enhances the integrity of our human existence and that of every animate and inanimate being/objecton this planet.At present, we have led ourselves on an interesting journey. This journey has attempted to giveus a better understanding of wellness through the concepts of a wellness cosmology and regeneration.By now it is probably firmly etched in your mind that wellness is a personal responsibility. It is aprocess of benignly taking care of yourself. Pure and simple. But what really is self-care? Whatcharacterizes the process of self-care, and how can we effectively determine if an individual isoptimizing his/her ability to engage in self-care? The next section of this chapter will attempt to answerthese important questions.SELF-CAREEarlier, I discussed the importance of free will in the evolution of our consciousness. But freewill is a rather nebulous concept if it is not tethered to direct experience.In terms of wellness care, I have suggested that people may use their free will to engage in regenerativecare or reparative care, or some integration of the two. No matter what care they choose, peopleinnately want to sustain feeling good in some way, even if they desire to feel good about feeling bad!(Most practitioners perhaps know quite a few clients who characterize the latter group.) However, Idon't care what anybody says, the best way to feel good often is to direct your free will personally in aprocess of taking care of yourself. This is really owning yourself and your own power and dignity.Warner (1978) has pointed out that of the 400 or so major and minor health problems an averageindividual encounters in a lifetime, only about 5% are treated by health care professionals. Family andfriends, non-professionals (such as volunteers, caregivers, and the like), and mutual supportgroups/services treat about 20%. But a whopping 75% of all treatment is done by oneself! Think aboutthis for a moment, for something is not right. And what is not right is the common knowledge thatprofessionals, in spite of their limited role, have a tremendous amount of power, so much so that mostpeople have become stuck, if not powerless, in a role as passive-dependent consumer of health services.Why oh why have people become so powerless if most care is actually done by oneself? The answer to