Often, we come across the word “wellness,” but most often, it comes along with heaps of conflicting information. Thus, the concept of wellness is quite misunderstood and misapplied. It was not until 50 years ago that mind and body were considered a single whole. Once science realised its limitations, doors were opened for blind enthusiasm, from chakra cleansing to spa treatments and spiritual rituals, supplement cocktails and organic treatments.
Wellness was a concept that supported more than good health. When the World Health Organisation (WHO) came into existence, various dimensions of wellness had not been established in systematic philosophy. The WHO’s constitution defines wellness as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
A few years later, in 1961, Dr Halbert L Dunn introduced the term “high-level wellness,” and penned down eight processes, which address a person’s highest potential of functioning. Dr Dunn didn’t only see change at the individual level but also the societal and environmental level. He believed that appropriate governmental policies, as well as supportive social and cultural institutions are necessary to support the individual in his quest to achieve high-level wellness. This is a great point of wisdom to ponder over. Most societies and governments only look at a social security system for their population but the cultural aspects are often ignored. We assume success as defined by the riches and force it down the young. Whereas, in many cultures, wellness is genuine cooperation with not only one’s individual-self but includes one’s community, social environment, ecology and others.
Somewhere, Dr Dunn had this in his mind as he emphasised on the spiritual and mental dimensions as well. He wrote that these “cannot be ignored as done by the medical professions, whose conceptualisation of human beings is little more than biological machines.” Dr Dunn stated in his articles, “the essence of the task ahead might well be to build a rational bridge between the biological nature of man and the spirit of man – the spirit being that intangible something that transcends physiology and psychology.”
Wellness is more than a disease-free body; it is a fulfilling life
As Dr John Travis stated in his work, “Beyond Ordinary Wellness: Full-Spectrum Wellness, the underlying causes of disease are because of massive levels of disconnection around us. He wrote, “We are disconnected, on unprecedented levels, from ourselves, each other, our community/village, nature, and the sacred or divine.”
It took a few decades before Dunn’s ideas crystallised into an eight-month-long program by Dr Travis, the founder of Wellness Resource Center in the US. The program was based on Dunn’s “interrelatedness of energy fields”–mind, body and spirit. He included visualisation exercises, relaxation, self-analysis, communication techniques, coaching creativity, nutrition and exercise. He coined the famous saying that “Currency of wellness is a connection.”
Megatrends in the US identified with wellness and shaped the discourse on wellness in the last two decades. Thinkers, psychologists, medical practitioners and even monks have contributed to the dimensions of wellness. Wellness is more than a disease-free body; it is a fulfilling life.
The world’s discourse recognised that financial disparity is one of the fundamental causes of stress and the management of finances is one of the key dimensions of wellness. Money and success are synonymous to the modern world. Personal transformation gurus coach through the principle of “Be-Do-Have.” Most people set a goal based on what they want to have in life like a successful and famous actor. For that, they must have a contract with the production house and only then, they will be a successful actor. The success gurus found that setting the goal at the outset will be based on peoples’ limited perception of success. Once they acquire what they wanted most, they want more and fall into the abysmal vicious trap of unhappiness. Thus, the first and foremost is to know one’s thoughts, attitudes, knowledge and skill set–the “BE.” This step will lead a person in the right direction for the right actions–the “DO.” Finally, a person will reap the yield–the “HAVE.”
To “BE” happy, content, fit, tranquil, enlightened, creativity, wholesome is, in essence, wellness.
The writer is a wellness and yoga expert. She can be reached at aliya@aliyaagha.com