Healing and Recreational Therapy
A Summary of Kelly Noonan’s (2017) documentary, Heal
Source:
Noonan, K. (Director), & Noonan, K. (Writer). (2017). Heal [Motion picture on Netflix]. United States: Elevative Entertainment.
By: Danny W. Pettry, M.Ed., LPC, NCC, CTRS-BHS
Heal (documentary) was directed by Kelly Noonan who sought out experts in healing.
The documentary:
Noonan (2017)’s documentary features authors, doctors, experts, healers, and scientists, including:
Peter Crone
Rob Wergin
Kelly Turner
Kelly Brogan
Bruce Lipton
Joe Dispenza
Gregg Braden
Joy Borysenko
Mark Emerson
Anita Moorjani
David Hamilton
Deepak Chopra
Anthyon William
Jeffry Thompson
Michael Beckwith
Darren Weissman
Marianne Williamson
Diseases
Disease and illness are caused by various factors.
Sometimes the root cause is unknown to anyone.
Immediate accidents like trauma can causes health problems.
Long-term stress often leads to types of chronic diseases and illnesses.
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Three Types of Stress
Three types of stress was discussed in Noonan’s (2017) Heal.
Physical:
Emotional:
Chemical:
Continual building of any stress over a long-period can become chronic.
In example: a person who plays football who is sacked over and over again may result in chronic pain like arthritis in the long-term.
Treatment
Treatment was covered in Noonan’s (2017) Heal.
Treatment is often focused on alleviating symptoms opposed to addressing the root cause of the problem.
Medicine is effective when there is a need for a fast intervention like a lifesaving surgery after a car wreck.
The quick fix (like an emergency surgery) isn’t the most effective approach for treating long-term chronic stress and illnesses
Lifestyle changes are effective for addressing these types of long-term stressors.
Recreational Therapists are Healers
Recreational therapists (RTs) are healers.
RTs provide a systematic process to help people with illness and disease.
RTs interventions typically help people to make improvements in these domains:
Emotional/ affect,
Social/ interpersonal;
Cognitive/ mental; and
Physical/ body; as well as overall health.
RTs are well-suited to provide education and treatment (in the form of real life activities) as a way to help people make lifestyle changes to help alleviate symptoms and promote overall health and wellness.
RTs are in a great place to provide education to teach about preventative care. These pre-interventions can address social, emotional, cognitive, and physical health conditions now to before stressors become chronic.
The Power of Belief
Thoughts were covered in Noonan’s (2017) Heal with information about the Placebo effect.
Research shows that people in the comparison group who didn’t receive the actual treatment, but merely thought they received the treated reported gaining outcomes quite similar to those in the treatment group.
Thoughts are powerful.
Negative thinking leads to negative feelings which lead to negative behaviors which result in negative health outcomes. Victim thinking like the world is against me is going to cause more problems in health.
Positive thinking leads to positive feelings, which lead to positive behavior, which results in better health outcomes. Thinking the world is out to do great things for me is going to result in people looking on the bright side and being open to health and happiness.
The Power of the Mind
Two parts of the mind were covered in Noonan’s (2017) Heal.
Conscious mind is the creative mind.
Sub-conscious mind is the default or autopilot mind.
People live their life based on programming in the sub-conscious mind.
If the download was positive then the person can live healthy.
However, if a person downloaded trauma, abuse, and negativity, then their life is going to be problematic based on ineffective downloads.
People who unintentionally download a belief that they’re a loser and pathetic are going to live their life based on these ineffective thoughts.
People who were fortunate to be exposed to learning about positive thinking, resiliency, connecting, and healthy habits are at an advantage.
People can change their thoughts. It is possible to download new programming to replace ineffective programming. Mental health counselors often provide Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) to help people to give up faulty, ineffective thinking styles and to replace them with healthier, effective thinking styles.
Recreational therapists can study and learn about CBT as well.
Heart Rate Coherence
Heart rate coherence was covered in Noonan’s (2017) Heal.
Emotions (like stress, frustration) send incoherence waves to the brain that match stress. People who stay in this state are more apt to become sick.
Emotions (like gratitude, compassion, and love) send Coherence waves to the brain that result in healing, growth and repair.
Rec Therapists can gain competencies in heart-rate coherence. There have been various bio-feedback and Hear Math training offered at national and state level conferences for recreational therapists.
Healthy Lifestyle Changes
People can grow and improve.
Radical acceptance: None of us can change our past experiences or programming.
We are fortunate that we do have the power to change our current thoughts, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors.
Thoughts for Recreational Therapists
RTs can continue to learn and grow their awareness about evidenced-based practices that promote overall health, wellness, and healing.
RTs can intervene as being advocate, educator, and provider of services to help promote mind-body health and wellness.
RTs can provide interventions like meditation, heart-rate coherence training, stress relief/ relaxation training to help people with chronic illnesses and disease.
RTs have an opportunity to intervene in several ways now to help people with preventative strategies.
RTs can:
Provide education and training for their local or national communities about chronic stress and ways to prevent it.
Advocate the benefits for community-based interventions including: mindfulness, relaxation, nature, healthy lifestyles
Create private practices in their community to intervene, providing preventative strategies. These services are not necessarily for people with chronic needs. These interventions can be geared for those people who aren’t physician ordered for treatment.. These training could be self-pay by people who want to learn strategies for healing (as preventative care). Practitioners could provide evidenced based interventions and training (that they have experience, training and competencies) to provide including:
Yoga
Mindfulness
Nature therapy
Social support groups
Creative self-expression
Healthy lifestyle techniques
Heart-rate coherence training
Leisure education and training to help people create a life worth living.
RTs can definitely benefit from continuing their education and learning and continuing to intervene as healers.
Bibliography
Noonan, K. (Director), & Noonan, K. (Writer). (2017). Heal [Motion picture on Netflix]. United States: Elevative Entertainment.
Nice summary! It will be a good starting point to educate both care staff and participants in the value of recreational therapy. I will put Heal on my viewing list. Once I get settled in a new community, I may ask permission to use your article and share the documentary.
For now, may I have permission to share this information with my area activity director association by including Your summary in our newsletter?
Howdy there Linda —
Feel free to copy and paste the blog post.
and there may be a few typos too.
yours
danny
I loved this article! It really highlights all that we do as Recreation Therapists. It also emphasizes how we can use our expertise to provide healing and well being to individuals that we serve. Shelia Beasley