Professional Pathways in Health Science

This article discusses the benefits of Falun Dafa as a form of recreational therapy for enhancing physical, mental, emotional, and social status. It also explores the relationship between Falun Dafa and scientific principles and its applications in healthcare settings.

Running head: PROFESSIONAL PATHWAYS 1
Professional Pathways in Health Science
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PROFESSIONAL PATHWAYS 2
Professional Pathways in Health Science
As nurses, we are committed to health promotion services so that patients can participate
in wellness promotion programs for the betterment of their health. Compelling evidence
indicates that a person should strive to have a healthy body and mind for maximum productivity
(Harvard Medical School, 2014; Stumbo, Wolfe, & Pegg, 2017). Likewise, nurses have to seek
health promotion campaigns that aim to enhance the well-being of their patients upon utilization.
This week, I participated in a health promotion event conducted by Falun Dafa. The
health event by Falun Dafa was related to the week’s reading on therapeutic recreation
achievable through exercises. The health event, UTS Falun Dafa Meditation, and Reading, aimed
at equipping its attendees with the skills and knowledge they need to how Falun Dafa can be
practiced for a healthy body and mind.
While the practice of Falun Dafa continues to be criticized, I found the campaign quite
educative and in-line with many modern-day and scientifically proven forms of achieving
physical and mental wellness. After all, the Havard Medical School (2014) indicates that a
healthy mind lives in a healthy body and vice versa in addition to establishing that a healthier
body and mind allow for maximum productivity by enabling the body to process energy more
efficiently and effectively. This is the same principle used in Falun Dafa.
Overview of Falun Dafa
Falun Dafa focuses on cultivating one’s mind and thought, or Xinxing, to increase Gong
energy. Xinxing encompasses virtue and karma, white and dark forms of matter respectively, in
addition to forbearance, abonnement, and discernment.

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Falun Dafa also focuses on the body. Here, the cultivation of the body is achieved
through specific exercises. According to Falun Dafa, the purpose of exercises is to strengthen
one’s energy mechanisms and supernatural abilities which empowers that person.
The Falun Dafa mind-body that achieve peace of mind that allows one to excel, both self-
cultivation and physical activities are necessary, but the former should take precedence.
Relationship with Scientific Principles
To the practitioners of Falun Dafa, the practice is meditational and therapeutic in nature.
According to the speakers in the event, people who practice Falun Dafa have reported feeling
empowered, physically and mentally, after practicing the art. After listening to and practicing the
Falun Dafa, I am obliged to agree. I could feel the empowerment and energization. Reconnecting
with myself helped me reevaluate my life goals and plans.
From my experience, I felt like Falun Dafa is a form of recreational therapy which has
the potential to enhance one's physical, mental, emotional, and social status. According to Husch
(2016), the primary goals of recreational therapy are restoration to previous productive life
functions; remediation for improving the body’s function and independence; rehabilitation to
achieve health or wellness; reducing illness and diseases, and, and elimination of secondary
issues associated with the body. These goals align precisely with the sole purpose of Falun Dafa,
a healthy mind in a healthy body.
Falun Dafa seeks to help a person identify with oneself so that self-evaluation of one’s
emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing is conducted. Similarly, Mazza (2015), establishes
that recreation therapy promotes health and wellness by helping a person identify existing
problems, identify solutions to the issue and evaluate progress in fixing the existing problem.

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Another thing I learned was that recreation therapy and Falun Dafa teaches transferable
life skills. These skills include reevaluating one attitude towards and of others thereby promoting
respect and acceptance. Also, both forms of recreational arts provide a wealth of health literacy
resources that other cultures can borrow for learning, growing, and improving.
Like most people, I have always been skeptical about the spiritual part of Falun Dafa. But
after being part of the art, I am convinced that it's no different from modern recreation therapies.
For instance, Battaglini and Peppercorn (2007) establish that spiritual health is a necessity in sick
people despite its lack of consideration and integration during healthcare decision making.
Another similarity I Learned about modern-day methods of health promotion and that of
Falun Dafa is the practice itself. Falun Dafa involves one reconnecting oneself through
meditation; recreation therapies involve a medium such as water-based methods or other
therapeutic exercises. These exercises, similar to Falun Dafa can include relation, physical, and
fitness activities that restore the body to better functional states.
Applications of the Falun Dafa
According to the organizers of the event, all patients, especially those suffering from
chronic and life-threatening conditions are appropriate candidates for the art. However, an
educated and experienced assistant should guide the patient through the process of connecting
with oneself. This insistence is similar to that of Stumbo et al. (2017) in their book on
Professional Issues in Therapeutic Recreation. When using Falun Dafa in healthcare settings and
on patients, the speakers established that it’s the nurses’ responsibility to manage how the
therapeutic art is to be performed by patients. The management is dependent on the patient’s
existing health condition, willingness to participate in such activities, and expected health
benefits.

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Conclusion
A healthy mind lives in a healthy body, and the vice versa is also true. Like all other
forms of modern-day recreation therapies, Falun Dafa aims to restore the mind and body to
optimum productivity. Whether it is used on a patient or healthy individuals, the end-goal is to
enhance productivity. As such, nurses should feel encouraged to seek health promotion activities
such as recreation therapies to facilitate a healthy mind and body for maximum productivity.

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References
Battaglini, C., & Peppercorn, J. (2007). Lessons from survivors: The role of recreation therapy in
facilitating spirituality and well-being. RT and Spirituality, 1(1), 1-25. Retrieved from
https://www.heartmathbenelux.com/doc/Role_of_Recreational_Therapy_on
%20breastcancer.pdf
Harvard Medical School. (2015). Healthy mind, healthy body: Benefits of exercise. Retrieved
from https://hms.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/assets/Sites/Longwood_Seminars/
Exercise3.14.pdf
Husch, S.A. (2016). Recreational therapy: Restoring activities and quality of life. Strive
Recreational Therapy Services, Inc.
Mazza, J. K. (2015). The role of recreation therapy protocols in cancer treatment and survivor
quality of life (Doctoral dissertation, University of Toledo). Retrieved from
https://utdr.utoledo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/
&httpsredir=1&article=3061&context=theses-dissertations
Stumbo, N. J., Wolfe, B. D., & Pegg, S. (2017). Professional issues in therapeutic
recreation. Urbana, IL: Sagamore Publishing.
Trey, M. (2016). The study of the health-wellness effects of Falun Gong: Applications to
counseling. Ideas and Research You Can Use: VISTAS 2016. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301293313_The_Study_of_the_Health-
Wellness_Effects_of_Falun_Gong_Applications_to_Counseling