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Seminar to address spirit, mind, body by Chris West Public Relations Physical exercise strengthens the body. Reading and critical thinking stimulate the mind. Now how do we bolster the spirit? Mary Beth Brock, OTR/L, plans to answer that question through her seminar: “Understanding and Embracing Your Personal Spirit.” “We are made of three components: the mind, body and spirit,” Brock said. “The body is our ‘physical machine.’ The mind is made up of our intellect, thought processes, feeling, and memory. Finally the spirit is our core or essence.”  According to Brock, essence is a culmination of our beliefs, personalities, style, morals and self-esteem. “It is the way we represent ourselves to the world around us,’ Brock said. “Combined with the physical and the mental, it is what makes us, ‘us’.” Brock admits that the current attitude on personal well being emphasizes the physical (body) and mental (mind), while maintaining a healthy spirit often remains unaddressed. Brock attributes this to a lack of awareness. “No one component is more or less important than another,” Brock said. “Some people are just more aware of one over another and put more emphasis there.” “People must exercise, eat right, watch their habits and lifestyle for their body’s health. They must read and learn to stimulate their mind, but it is equally important that they understand and nourish their spirit,” Brock said. “It is as much a part of us as the other two.”  Not only do the components comprise us, they contribute to us in positive and negative ways. All three areas contribute to a person’s stress threshold, and influence or interact with each other. The model Brock used to show this were three overlapping circles, each representative of the three components. “If there were a patient with a physical illness,” Brock said, pointing to the circle marked ‘body,’ “then what would stop it from having effects on self-esteem and thought processes? Maybe the patient is a star athlete and loses a leg. That type of scenario would have profound effects on that athlete’s self-worth, attitude and personality.” Aside from showing the interconnected components and their effect on the body, Brock plans to bring greater awareness to the seminar through print information, a list of helpful websites and positive stress reduction techniques. But most of all she hopes to leave participants with more than came with in regards to better understanding themselves. “More than anything, I want participants to discover,” Brock said with a smile. “And then I want them to embrace what they find and apply what they have discovered.”  The seminar is part of “Mind Your Health,” a community education series sponsored by the Institute of Psychiatry (IOP). The seminar will be held in the IOP auditorium on Feb. 20, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Admission and parking are free. For information about the seminar or registration call 792-1414.