I am in complete compliance with the statement the Universal Loving-Kindness exercise is expressing. I believe that this phrase brings great meaning to others than ourselves and helps with aspects of interpersonal development. I could not remember all of the lines so I took turns with each one for 4 minutes. This helped me to concentrate on the words and not thinking about not knowing the next ones. I felt calm afterwards.

      Describe the exercise and assessment process. What did you discover about yourself? What area have you chosen to be a focus of growth and development? Why? What are some specific exercises or activities that you can implement to foster greater wellness in this area?

       The evidence that supports the validity or truthfulness of the information is found primarily in the study methodology. Here is where the investigators address the issue of bias, both conscious and unconscious. Study methodologies such as randomization, blinding and accounting for all patients help insure that the study results are not overly influenced by the investigators or the patients. Evaluating the medical literature is a complex undertaking but must include the individually addressed needs of the patient. The sessions with the patients should provide you with some basic criteria and information to consider when trying deciding if the study methodology is sound and what the best route of treatments should be. You will find that the answers to the questions of validity may not always be clearly stated and conducting your own assessment may prove to be troublesome. You will have to make their own judgments about the importance of each question. Once you have determined that the study methodology is valid, you must examine the results and their applicability to the patient. We may harvest additional concerns such as whether the study represented patients similar to his/her patients, whether the study covered the aspect of the problem that is most important to the patient, or whether the study suggested a clear and useful plan of action. This process brought to my attention just how little I pay attention to patients. In order to focus on health and growth in this area I am going to have to start from scratch and work my way through the complexities. This task will not happen overnight. The main exercise I can execute in order to grow in the area of focus is make a “thoughtful-heartfelt” effort to be more receptive to the process. This will be my biggest step. It seems crazy – sometimes after I am done reading these chapters..I realize I really don’t know myself. I enjoyed this week’s activities and discussions.