Spirit
 In considering the concept of mind-body-spirit, most people have little difficulty with the first two components of this: mind and body. However, there can be a significant difficulty with the concept of 'spirit', especially for those who have no particular religious alignment.
Nevertheless, many people do sometimes have experiences which can best be described as 'spiritual' or 'mystical' and which lie well outside our normal day-to-day physical and psychological experience. This might happen, for example, when one stands on top of a mountain, listens to a particular kind of music or excels in some extremely challenging physical or mental activity. For others it can happen when very relaxed, in meditation or deeply focused on a particular activity. Such 'spiritual experiences', conveying as they do feelings of ecstasy and bliss, can be beneficial for the individual, bringing a profound sense of harmony and vitality.
The Spiritual Dimension
A central concern of Brainware is the importance of exploring and tapping into one's personal energy. In his book Holistic Living (Dent, 1986) Dr Patrick Pietroni defined 'spirit' as follows:
"It is the energy, driving force, vitality, 'life force', 'something beyond ourselves' that will provide us with inspiration, belief and conviction. When our body and mind is enthused with a sense of 'the spirit', then we may feel 'at one', 'a sense of harmony', 'a feeling of peace', a 'knowing' that is from somewhere within and not an intellectual knowing."
Many of the elements of the Brainware workshops were designed to help students to increasingly experience and utilise this feeling of harmony and peace. These included:
- Relaxation
A range of relaxation methods were used, involving loosening up exercises, diaphragmatic breathing, music and visualisation.
- Holistic Learning Model
Much of the workshop material was based around the Holistic Learning Model proposed by John Heron. This placed primary emphasis on the feeling mode.
- The Inner Game
The Concept of the Inner Game involves developing the art of relaxed concentration and moving from 'trying mode' into the more effective 'awareness mode'.
Further Information
For further information about the spiritual dimension see:
- Emotional Health and Spiritual Wellbeing - the Endorphin Effect
William Bloom - Author of The Endorphin Effect
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