Pet loss grief can be overwhelming, especially in the last weeks of a dying pets life. It used to be the only choice you had was to euthanize your pet if it was terminally sick or injured. Now pet hospice provides another alternative. Pet hospice has slowly been gaining acceptance in recent years, even though it has been around for a couple of decades. Based on the successful model that has been used with humans, pet hospice allows for animals to die as comfortably and as painlessly as possible in the home.
Hospice for pets can be a volunteer organization working with a veterinarian or it can be members of a vet staff that provide the education and care of terminally ill pets. Taking care of a dying pet can be very demanding. If you decide to take on this challenge, you will need to set aside time so that you can provide the necessary support to your animal. You are taught to understand the body language of your animal so that you will know if it is in distress or discomfort. Pet hospice educates you in pain management so that you will know when the appropriate time to give medications is. Usually medications are given before the pain becomes a problem. They also provide grief counseling for you and the family as you prepare for your pet to die.
If you don’t have a pet hospice near you, you can talk by phone or contact online organizations that can work with you. You always have the option to euthanize if you can’t manage the animal’s pain or if you can’t handle your pet’s suffering. Pet hospice is just another alternative that will allow your pet to die with dignity and in a peaceful environment surrounded by loved ones. When going through pet loss grief, consider seeking out the assistance of a qualified grief counselor.
Author: Dominick Flarey
Hypnotherapy and Hypnosis Explained
If you are curious about hypnotherapy and hypnosis, wondering how they work, this article will give you a basic understanding of the subject and enable you to decide whether it’s for you.
Hypnotherapy is an effective method of resolving some psychological problems and assists in personal development. As the term suggests, hypnotherapy is a combination of hypnosis and therapy. Hypnosis is used to induce relaxation and make the mind more receptive to therapeutic suggestion. It is not associated in any way with stage hypnosis which has different aims.
Is Hypnotherapy for You?
People who choose hypnotherapy are seeking to change the way they feel, think, or behave. They may wish to lose weight, quit smoking, be more confident or perform better. They might want to develop particular personal qualities or change unhelpful patterns of behavior, which they see as necessary to move forward in life. If this strikes a chord, hypnotherapy may well be for you.
How Does Hypnotherapy Work?
Having a clearly defined goal is the first stage in the process and provides the direction your therapy will take. If, for instance, your goal is to be more assertive it should include how you will feel, and the ways in which your life will be different, once you have achieved it.
Hypnotherapy can be used to overcome the blocks to achieving your goals, in a number of ways. It builds self confidence and esteem, can help you change limiting beliefs, and resolve underlying issues. The roots of any block lie beneath conscious awareness. Hypnosis enables access to the unconscious mind so therapy can be applied to the problem at this fundamental level.
The therapeutic process may involve direct or indirect suggestion, visualization or imagery, story-telling metaphor and a range of other techniques designed to bring about psychological change.
Hypnotherapy re-programs your mind and modifies feelings and behavior in alignment with your goals and wishes. The internal changes produced then need to be grounded in real-life situations for the process to be complete. If your goal was to lose weight, you will need to weigh and measure yourself, and buy smaller clothes to know how much lighter and slimmer you have become. If your goal was to overcome your flying phobia, you will need to experience a flight to know you are now a confident air traveler.
What is Hypnosis?
Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness experienced as deep relaxation with a focused awareness. It is induced by shifting the activity of the brain from the left, more logical side, to the right side. Here the unconscious mind can be accessed, and creative solutions to problems sourced. This shift can be achieved in a number of different ways including the use of relaxing music, descriptive imagery, rhythmic phrasing, suggestion, or plays on words to induce the hypnotic state.
While you are in hypnosis you may have useful insights or recognize truths which help you change in the way you desire. However, healing can take place and problems be resolved without you being aware of such processes.
How is Hypnotherapy Delivered?
There are three ways to receive hypnotherapy. You can visit a qualified therapist who tailors the therapy to your individual and specific needs. You can buy and listen to hypnotherapy audio recordings which deal with your particular problem. The therapy content is necessarily generalized to suit the majority of users, but it can still be effective. You can also learn self hypnosis and apply your own therapy.
Will it work for You?
Hypnotherapy has much to offer as a tool for healing and personal development. If you have a clear goal, are motivated to change and willing to try something new, you have the ideal conditions for it to work for you. This may be the life-changing catalyst you are looking for. You may also search out hypnotherapy courses that you can take from a qualified provider of education.
What is Stress Management?
Stress management refers to various psychotherapies and techniques aimed to control one’s levels of stress, usually with the purpose to improve everyday functioning.
Therefore, the word “stress” refers to bad types of stress with negative consequences, also called distress, rather than a good type of stress that has positive or helpful consequences.
Stress management involves reducing and controlling the tension that usually occurs in stressful situations, by making physical and emotional changes. How much change takes place will be determined by the desire to make a change and the degree of stress.
About Stress
Stress is described as the response one has when facing different circumstances which force him/her to adjust, change or act in some way in order to keep things balanced or be grounded in the reality of the situation.
The stress response may trigger involuntary changes in one’s body, giving an extra energy burst to help him/her run away or fight the perceived threats. This used to be very helpful in the past, when most of the stress was physical. But nowadays, when more and more stress has psychological causes, this response is not really necessary or helpful.
Stress can also be chronic. That happens when someone often faces stressful situations in which he/she has little control. Chronic stress can affect someone’s health seriously, because it can lower and cause suppression of the immune system. Therefore it can be a factor that causes or contributes to all major illnesses.
Stress Factors
Stress is generally related to both internal and external factors. External factors include your job, physical environment, home, relationships with others, all the challenges, situations, expectations and difficulties you confront with every day. Internal factors determine a person’s and their body’s ability to respond and deal with external factors that induce stress. This includes emotional well being, nutritional status, the amount of rest or sleep you get, overall health and fitness levels, and the stress control ability you have through relaxation or other techniques and strategies.
Therefore managing stress may involve learning how to change some external factors you are confronting with or work with the internal factors to strengthen your ability to face whatever comes your way. There are many programs available today to help you cope with stress.
Stress Management Techniques
Regardless of the origin of stress you have, there are some basic steps to help you manage it:
– Quick Stress Relief – stress relievers are a great way to start the process, because they help you calm down and see the situation from a relaxed place. It also helps you deal more effectively with stress, and keeps you healthy meanwhile. Common strategies include use of humor or breathing exercises.
– Address the Situation – once you’ve managed to calm down, you can try to identify the type of stress in your life, in order to know how to deal with it.
– Long-Term Stress Management – you need to include some regular activities that replenish you, helping you to better face the daily life stress. A habit that includes some simple stress-relieving activities may be the key to less reaction to stressors, making you able to handle stress when you face it.
Some effective techniques that might help you cope with stress are:
– Exercise – it helps managing tension and emotional stress, may help with relaxation and to improve your sleep. Exercise has the power to remove you from a stressful situation or environment even if just temporarily. Being healthy and fit could also include an increased ability to deal with stress.
– Meditation and relaxation techniques – there are various ways to use relaxation techniques in order to improve you physically and mentally and help control stress. There are some techniques that you can do on your own, and other that are better learned in a class. Here are some examples: autogenic training, biofeedback, imagery, meditation techniques, progressive muscle relaxation, Qigong, Tai Chi, Yoga, social activity, conflict resolution, cognitive therapy, prayer, artistic expressions, stress balls, progressive relaxation, somatic training, or listening to different types of music.
Other stress management strategies are time management, organizational skills and support systems.
Programs
Some stress management programs might be structured in this way:
– Introduction and individual needs assessment – talking about how stress affects you and people around you
– Stress management overview – stress causes, positive and negative stress
– Relaxation techniques and training
– Managing healthy stress levels: preventing, reducing and adapting strategies
– Maintaining a happy, healthy lifestyle, exercise, nutrition, time management, social, productive, assertiveness, positive goal setting.
Why is Stress Management so Important?
Stress can have many negative impacts on your life and body, therefore it is best to learn about stress management and live a happy and healthy life. As the old saying goes, “stress kills.” More recent research finds this to be actually true. We would have a much healthier nation if we could encourage people and them how to manage stress in their lives. If you are interested in taking some stress management courses, access additional information on this blog.
The Role of The Legal Nurse Consultant
Whenever some medical-related litigation cases occur, it is often the job of the legal nurse consultant to work hand in hand with attorneys to be able to review and evaluate the case. They usually deal with medical and nursing malpractice, personal injuries or almost any medically-related case which calls for a sufficient medical knowledge from the field. But before anything else, perhaps you might be wondering what these legal nurse consultants are and what they tend to do for a living. To provide insight into their practice, let us take some time to understand this practice specialty.
A legal nurse consultant is a registered nurse and will be the one to perform such tasks as critical analysis of clinical and administrative practice and deal with any other healthcare issues. They act as the bridge between the medical and legal system. They often possess professional insight in both health and medical aspects and legal guidelines at the same time. However, you have to take note that these consultants are nursing experts and not merely paralegals. That is, they specialize more on the field of nursing and health care and are often considered to be experts in these fields.
What are the roles of a legal nurse consultant?
There are indeed a lot of important roles of the legal nurse consultant. To provide you with a deeper understanding of the various important roles that a legal nurse consultant plays, let us review them.
1. Reviewing and Researching Medical Records
Medical records are among the most important things to consider in any medical-related case. As legal nurse consultants, it is their responsibility to review and research medical records which are relevant to the case. This will help in determining the type of medical negligence as well as to identify any medical records which might possibly have been missing or else tampered. The medical records in turn will also provide the legal nurse consultant additional knowledge regarding the type of service being provided to the client. They will often develop time-lines for the incident of care in question so that attorneys may better understand the process of care and determine issues of negligence.
2. Investigation and Thorough Analysis of the Case
It is very vital for a legal nurse consultant to make several investigations and analysis of a particular case. Being a case investigator, there are in fact a lot of services which a legal nurse consulting should be able to provide to his/her clients. These may include such services as the investigation of any fraud within the government funded agencies and also researching whether or not the victim is applicable for compensation and claims. They particularly focus on standards of care related to the case they are working on. They provide expert analysis on defining the appropriate standards of care and assisting the legal team to identify the types of testifying experts to call into the case for deposition and trial testimony to support allegations of deviations from standards of care.
3. Expert Witness Testimony
Attorneys frequently hire legal nurse consultants to provide actual expert witness testimony. In such cases, the legal nurse will provide a deposition and actually testimony in trials. In these cases, the legal nurse may only testify to deviations from standards of nursing practice and not issues of medical standards of care. They may be retained to provide testimony for either defendants or plaintiffs. Their testimony can be invaluable to the outcomes of such cases.
4. Deposition and Trial Consultant
It will be somewhat challenging for an expert attorney doing all of the tasks themselves regarding a particular case. That is why retaining a legal nurse consultant can be extremely beneficial. Legal nurses assist in the preparation of depositions for trial. They assist attorneys in developing appropriate questions to ask in depositions related to the medical and/or nursing aspects of the case. They are frequently seen with the attorney’s team in the court room during a malpractice or personal injury trial.
5. Research and Education
One of the primary roles of the legal nurse is to conduct extensive research for the legal team. Along with this role they also function as primary educators for the legal team. They will review and study many sources of standards of care and then educate the team on how the standards related to the case in question. They teach the legal team the meaning of important medical terms related to the case as well. The legal nurse is the health care expert on the team and her/his knowledge and research and teaching abilities are central to the legal team pursuing a litigation or a defense.
Where do they Practice?
There are many areas that legal nurse consultants practice in today. Some include the following:
In their own practices as independent contractors
In legal firms
In hospital risk management departments
In personal injury and malpractice insurance organizations
In nursing education and staff development
In government agencies
In firms specializing in trial consulting
In legal research departments
The role of the legal nurse consultant isn’t just an ordinary practice. It is a high-level practice that merges the legal world with the health care world. Over the years more and more registered nurses are choosing to enter this specialty practice. While the stress in this position is very high, the rewards and economic benefits can be excellent. Do you want more comprehensive information about legal nurse consulting? Access here
CASE MANAGEMENT in NURSING
Case Management in nursing is an evolving practice specialty. The role of nurses in case management is to supervise and coordinate healthcare for patients with long-term illnesses. Such patients require long-term therapy and careful planning of all aspects of treatment. For instance if there is a patient suffering from cancer , the nurse who is assigned the role of the nurse case manager must arrange for doctor’s appointment, drugs, radiation, surgery or chemotherapy. A nurse case manager usually works in a specific practice specialty such as cancer, pediatric or cardiovascular disease.
Among the goals of case management nursing is to coordinate the care of patients. Since there are other specialists involved such as therapists, surgeons and other doctors, a nurse in case management will coordinate and keep the records of all their activity while updating the patient accordingly on the progress. According to the health problem at hand, the nurse can also decide what the other specialists should examine the patient so that there is collaboration of efforts by all. The nurse also ensures that all the procedures performed on a patient are at the highest level, increasing the chances of the expected outcome. In so doing, all the resources are used efficiently without any wasted or over usage of care resources.
Case Management in Nursing
The role of the nurse in case management can be defined in 3 basic ways, or a combination of any, according to the individual hospital setting as follows:
Quality Management
In larger hospitals, this aspect of quality management may be separated from the normal case management. The nurse is assigned the role of ensuring that all the services provided are of high standards. In smaller hospitals though, the finances may not allow for separation of duties and the case management nurse does all the work involved. The nurse is responsible for the general quality of health care being delivered, and can also assist in the risk management office when legal matters arise during a patient’s treatment.
Utilization Review
This type of case managers review different elements of the various hospital systems, guided by the terms of the hospital or the insurance company that is in charge. Prompt service delivery as well as adequate and safe utilization of the service is also a responsibility under this docket. The nurse is specially of essence in relation to insurance, because he/she approves and certifies acute and non-acute admissions. This information is then passed on to the insurance company under which the patient is covered. The nurse uses what is known as ‘InterQual Criteria’ which is a standardized method of identifying diagnoses, probable complications, procedures required and the timelines during which to account for a shifting diagnoses.
The Utilization Review nurse coordinates with the quality manager physician to administer high quality services to the patient. For instance if the patient has improved and no longer needs acute care, the nurse can consult the QM physician to see if the patient can be transferred to outpatient care or other suitable services. Before making a decision, the physician will review the patient’s chart, current situation and discharge plan. If in agreement the recovering patient can be moved to a lower level of care. To qualify for a post of Utilization Review Manager nurse, a three-year experience in an acute hospital setting is advisable.
Discharge Planning
The role of this nurse in case management is to coordinates all the elements of admission or discharge of a patient. According to the InterQual Criteria, this nurse deals with the high risk patients with chronic diagnoses such as complicated pneumonia or stroke. The nurse combines all the available social and financial services to come up with a viable and safe discharge plan. A discharge planning nurse can cover up to forty patients at a time depending on the individual hospital policy. It is ideal however to have no more than twenty patients. Past experience together with assessment abilities are used to review the patients current situation, medical history and family support before formulating a discharge plan. A discharge planner should be familiar with Medicare guidelines, InterQual Criteria as well as fees for service items that enable a patient to be given a different level of care. These are some of the important things that should be known.
Nursing case management is a growing practice specialty. Many registered nurses are taking advanced case and care management programs to increase their knowledge and skills to practice in this area. As health care continues to reform, we will see this nursing specialty increase in demand and in importance.
Holistic Nursing
Holistic nursing is a type of nursing in which the care and wellness of the patient as a whole being is provided. This means that the nurse will provide healing for the full body and not just one part that regular nurses may attend too. This type of nursing encompasses the full body and all of its functions including the body, mind, spirit, relationship and environment. A holistic nurse is an instrument of healing for the patient and they will ensure that the patient is being treated from all aspects including the inner and outer body. The mind and spirit will also play a large part in the therapeutic healing that a holistic nurse will provide.
Holistic nursing has been around for many years but was first recognized as a valid nursing practice in 2006 by the American Nursing Association. The training for a holistic nurse is similar to that of a regular registered nurse in addition to having training of other types of therapies that may be experimental. These can include several types of complimentary alternative modalities such as acupuncture and aromatherapy. The training of this type of nurse will also involve understanding the connectedness of the body, mind, spirit and environment and it’s effects on a patient’s health and well being.
Holistic Nursing and the Body-Mind Connection
One of the most important aspects of being a holistic nurse is understanding your patient and the way that their body and mind interact with each other. This is one of the most important aspects of understanding what types of treatments will best work for the patient. They will also ensure that the basic care and medical procedures are completed and used to ensure that the patient is receiving the best care and attention that they need in addition to offering healing and care for the mind and consciousness. It is a well documented fact that healing and health is entwined and an important part of the healing process is believing that the treatments in which you are receiving will work for you. This is why a holistic nurse takes the time to get to know her patient’s body, mind and soul. They will use many alternative therapies in a patient’s care like the use of water therapy.
Nearly all types of patients and diseases can benefit from the care of a holistic nurse. They take the level of care and attention to their patients back to the first days of medicine. They offer the attention and understanding that a lot of doctors these days do not have. They also provide the patient with someone that understands what they are going through and is there to lend a calming hand to them during the treatments that they are receiving. Holistic nursing is available for all types of patients including children and the elderly.
But it is not all alternative therapies and understanding that this type of nurse provides. They also understand and administer all the normal aspects that a registered nurse would do for a patient. The level of care that they provide is half alternative methods such as water therapy and understanding the patients needs and half approved medical care such as setting bones and taking vitals and updating patients charts. There is a balance of medical and alternative methods that you will receive from this type of nurse and they are on the same level as receiving care from a registered nurse. They just provide some added alternative therapies like acupuncture that may also aid in the wellness of a patient. Some of the more common therapies that they will use are massage, water therapy, acupuncture, meditation, relation and exercise therapies.
Integrative Care
Providing both medical care and alternative therapies for patients makes the job of a holistic nurse the overall best type of care for any patient. No matter if the disease is new or in a well advanced stage the level of care that is provided will help to calm the patient and keep the spirit of the patient intact. This is one of the most important parts of being a holistic nurse. A holistic nurse not only treats the body but also treats the mind and the consciousness by offering other ways to administer medicine and care to their patients.
If you are thinking about becoming a holistic nurse it is important that you understand to be successful it is vital that you have the right mindset. This will include high levels of patience, understanding, a great bedside manner, and great organization and critical thinking skills. To learn more about holistic nursing, click here.
Dealing with the loss of your pet
Having a pet is amazing. There is nothing like the feeling of knowing that even after a hard day’s work, you have a buddy to come home to. You know that when you get home, someone is waiting for you to take away your stress and worries. And in many cases, pets often take on a more humanized role. They become more than just a pet, but a valued family member. It is not surprising that when we lose our pet, it can still feel like the world has ended.
Of course, going through the grieving processes is a must in order for us to move on. But with different backgrounds and personalities, people may react differently to a pet loss and grief. Some people react indifferently. Some people may become violent. And some may become extremely emotional. But what are the best ways to deal with this kind of loss?
Burial Ceremony
Whenever we lose a beloved member of our family, we go through a burial ceremony. We give those who knew the person a chance to tell stories about how our loved one touched that person’s life in ways that others may not have know. We allow people to tell stories about our loved one in order to remember him or her in a good light. We reminisce about the time when they were still with us before burying them with honor. This same thing can be done for our beloved pets who have passed on. A burial ceremony will allow you to give your pet a final goodbye as it passes on to the afterlife. Pets have been known to be buried near their owners, in family plots or mausoleum, even in their gardens. Pet cemeteries are not unheard of either. Some places offer a peaceful resting place for your pet. But burying your pet will help you find some peace of mind for your pet.
Taxidermy or Portrait
This is another way pet owners can commemorate their beloved furry friends. While it might take some time and cost a little bit of money, you will be able to keep your pet near you the way you want to remember it. You may also choose to have your pet painted or photographed. This will allow you to put up his or her picture in your house so that you can still see it everyday.
Grief counseling
Reaching out and talking to other people who have gone through what you are going through is probably your best bet at moving on with feeling any guilt. You will be able to deal with the issues at hand and figure out ways to assist in your ability to heal over the loss. While it may seem like it is a stupid idea at first, you won’t regret it. You will be able to properly say goodbye to your beloved pet and let go of any hurt, sadness and anger you might be dealing with because of the loss. Pet Loss grief counseling will help you cope with your loss.
What can you expect to talk about during grief counseling?
Because anyone, anytime, anywhere is able to lose a pet, there are many different topics grief counseling can go over. If you have a child in your family that needs help dealing with your loss, grief counselors are there to give you a helping hand on how to help them grieve. The same goes for an elderly family member who may have been attached to your pet.
Most counselors are also trained in making sure that they are not telling you what you feel. It is also up to you to express to them what you are going through. After all, the most important thing to do when it comes to counseling is to confront the issue at hand and look forward to getting past it.
Where can you find a grief counselor to help you with your pet loss?
Speaking to your family, friends and pastor is a good start. But if that just does not feel like it is enough, searching through the phone book or online for a grief counsel is very easy. There are several specialists, professionals and groups who are trained to assist you. In fact, there are a lot of people who have gone through the loss of a beloved pet and have made it a goal to help others out when they get into the same situation. Just a little research and you’ll be able to seek the right help you need to deal with the loss of your pet. To learn more about becoming a pet loss grief specialist, click here.
Forensic Nursing: A Rewarding Practice Specialty
The practice of nursing in the intersection where medical and legal/criminal systems overlap is known as forensic nursing. The basic premise of forensic nursing is that a nurse in this specialty will care for patients who are injured as a result of violence. This can include either the perpetrator or the victim of the violent act, but it is usually the victim who is the patient. Patients who are the victims of abuse, assault or other physically aggressive violence often suffer from deeply-inflicted trauma in the psychological, physical, and even social senses. A forensic nurse is educated and trained to be an expert in the needs and requirements of the law as it relates to victims and perpetrators of violent crimes, and can play an important role in a legal action. They may provide evidence they have collected, may testify in court regarding the patient and the injuries inflicted, and may play a consulting role for the authorities involved in the legal proceedings.
Just as with any other nurse, the primary responsibility of a forensic nurse is to provide the best possible medical and health care for patients. The difference is that the patients in forensic nursing have been assaulted, abused or otherwise injured, and the nurse is an expert in the optimum treatment for all injuries, whether they are physical or mental. Most often the nature of these injuries is sexual, and rape victims and victims of other types of sexual abuse and aggression are the first patients assigned to a forensic nurse.
Skills in many areas uncommon for a regular nurse come into play in this case. A forensic nurse can identify injuries, professionally evaluate the type and extent of the injuries, document the details and results of the abusive incident, and properly collect and store evidence of the crime, both physical and biological. A forensic nurse must also be able to communicate effectively with legal representatives and law enforcement authorities, and testify as an expert witness in courtroom proceedings regarding the case at hand.
There are different types of forensic nurses, who can specialize even within their specialty, so to speak. Victims of sex crimes will be the majority of the patients in forensic nursing, especially in the US, but there are other areas of specialization possible as well. One track for a forensic nurse to take is to be a death investigator, sometimes even acting as a coroner in local government. These nurses specialize in investigating and documenting the causes and circumstances of death, and in dealing with the legal authorities and families involved as a result of the death.
Having these types of nurses on staff is increasingly important for corrections facilities, psychiatric and mental hospitals, and rehabilitation centers. Specialization is also possible for forensic nurses who are interested in helping victims of domestic violence, and elder and child abuse and neglect, in emergency services facilities and staff training, and in public health clinics and agencies. In all of these cases, the nurse provides care to the patient and interfaces with the legal authorities as needed, but each one requires an extensive knowledge of law and law enforcement in small areas of practice.
Forensic nursing is important in the effort to reduce violent crime because these medical experts can be highly visible members of a team that provides care to victims of violent crimes. Their testimony and the documentation and evidence they can provide may be crucial in obtaining a satisfactory legal outcome for a victim and patient. By fulfilling the role they have chosen, forensic nurses become an important part of the overall effort to administer justice in a community, and will have a very rewarding career.
Christian Counseling: Lenten themes and Palm Sunday
In Christian Counseling or Spiritual Direction, the week prior to Palm Sunday should emphasize a few Lenten themes.
Christian Counseling and Palm Sunday Themes
First, one can see the materialistic and worldly ideals of the Jews as Christ enters Jerusalem. They are expecting a Messiah that will usher in a new golden age for Israel that will relinquish the Romans and raise Israel above all other nations. The reality is Christ did not come to undo the chains of the Romans but to free the Jews and Gentiles from a greater tyrant whom was Satan. The spiritual drama that was unfolding was far greater than what the mere eyes of the Jews thought they saw. Yet the inferior worldly expectations of the Jews would transform Christ from a liberating hero to a despised criminal. Shouts of adoration would be replaced with curses of rebuke and the cross would replace the crown.
In reflection, one should consider what expectations do we have from this world? Do we expect a worldly kingdom of riches as the Jews did? Has the Great Fast purged these worldly desires from our souls or do material goods still dominate the greater good which is spiritual?
If anything, the Great Fast should have in the very least opened our eyes to a deeper reality that is beyond the mere physical world. The Great Fast or Lent should have deepened our spiritual eyes to see beyond the illusions of this world. Our fasting and sacrifices should have strengthened our will over our physical urges thus reinforcing the superiority of the spiritual realm over the temporal. In walking with Christ these Forty days, the palms in our hands should wave in adoration for what Christ has given us spiritually not physically.
Finally, where will we stand at the end of the week? Will we wave our palms this Sunday and then after Easter return to our old ways? Will we boast like Peter, and proclaim our love of Christ but then at the end of the week, deny him? Will we stay awake for that one hour with Christ in the garden, or later fall asleep? Instead, let us hope that our Lenten gains will not be superficial as the false praise of the Jews, but instead be true and strong long after Palm Sunday. At the end of Lent, will our sacrifices be fruitless, or will we stand with Mary, John and the Holy Women at the foot of the cross to the very end?
For more information on the Christian Counseling Program, click here.
Christian Counseling Education Program: Christ’s agony in Gethsemane
Christian Counseling Education Program can give those in grief deep insights by comparing one’s grief to Christ. In
regards to Christ, the pinnacle of mental human anguish would be to foresee one’s death, especially if that death involved torture and pain at the highest levels. Jesus experienced this intense mental grief to the extent he sweat blood.It was in the Garden of Gethsemane that Christ heroically, in all his humanity, accepted the burden of sin and its cruel bite.The divine nature of Christ foresaw, while the human nature trembled and accepted the horrible tortures of the whippings, thorns, cross and nails that would be instruments in his painful death.Yet within the two wills of Christ blended a perfect harmonious person, one in person, two in nature, but undivided in his acceptance of this pain.This pain that Christ felt in the garden was a true mental torture.He was completely human, not a phantasm, or incomplete shell for the divine, but a human person, free from sin, but nonetheless submitted to the same psychological torture any man would face in such terrible tribulation.In this one must stand in awe of Christ’s heroic personality. In his deepest grief, even as his friends fall asleep for that one hour, Christ prays and accepts his cross, his suffering and his grief as God’s will. He does not flee the scene, use his divine powers, or wager with the Father, but instead heroically and triumphantly accepts the pains and grief he will endure for the love of the world. Within this drama unfolds two equally intriguing elements of Christ’s passion. One is theological and involves God’s plan for the salvation of the world and the other involves the praxis of acceptance and example.
Christian Counseling Implications
The first theological implication involves analogy and pre-figurement. Only scripture in its intricate beauty can parallel two events that were forever bound together. The first is Christ as the New Adam. The Old Adam in the Garden of Eden, followed his own will and befell the temptation of the serpent, or Lucifer. The New Adam in the Garden of Gethsemane, follows the will of the Father and crushes the head of the serpent; with the Old Adam, humanity fell, with the New Adam, humanity was raised.
The second implication is more personal. It does not involve the salvation of everyone but involves individual example Christ gives to one. Christ reveals in his most vulnerable state what it means to accept the crosses of this world and how we must all accept our crosses. No matter what grief or pain may become of it, Christ presents himself as the perfect paradigm and example on how a Christian should and must accept his daily crosses. Christian Counseling sessions should emphasize this ideal.
This is a bitter sweet reality. Christ’s passion should make us all weep, but unlike a distant deity, Christ is a deity that not only teaches via example, but ultimately sheds his own blood for his people and rises triumphantly. This should give anyone in grief a light of hope that after suffering always comes resurrection. This ideal should also be utilized by Christian Counselors in their sessions.