Some twenty-five years ago when I named my practice The Wellness Source the word “wellness” was not as commonly used as it is nowadays by the neighborhood masseuse, organic grocer and corporate stress-reduction guru.

Today the term refers to a pro-active approach to improving one’s quality of life, recognizing that physical, psychological, social and spiritual components each contribute to a life style that emphasizes the whole person.

But while massages, fresh vegetables and an exercise break from work are helpful, the deepest wellspring of a person’s emotional health remains being in harmony with your Higher Self rather than with your ego.

All these years later, I continue to tell my clients the source of the wellness they seek, lies within. It exists as a wellspring of Loving Behavior; the nucleus of who you are that surfaces in the form of responsible, personal conduct concerned as much with how you behave in life as what you achieve.

So where do you look when you’re searching ‘within’? Just to the left of the kidney and under the liver? There is a path to follow. It takes courage but the awards that await make the journey a transcendent experience.

Integrity is the foundation of Loving Behavior, and by this I mean more than returning the change when the clerk overpays you. I’m referring to being honest with yourself during a level of inquiry that strips away all the layers of rationale, blame and shame. It takes courage to air the unalterable true story of past events but it takes the light of the sun to dissolve tenacious guilt and regret once and for all.

Taking personal responsibility and a principled stance other than the safe, habitual path of least resistance, points your moral compass true north. It is the direction that leads to Loving Behavior and inner peace, believing at long last you are loveable, loving and deserving of the love of others.

I have taken this journey with hundreds of clients. It is the fulfillment of my higher purpose when I accompany them along the way.

With Love and Light,

Arlene Englander, MSW, LCSW