Intigrated studies in Psychology and Physical Education

This is my admitance essay i wrote to get into my degree. It explains why i'm choosing it...


FUSION OF BODY AND MIND
Integrated Studies Admission Essay
There has always been a separation of improving the mind, and improving the body. Therapist and counselors have been trained to improve the mind’s conditions, while trainers and coaches improve the body’s. I have worked for nearly 5 years as a counselor and just as long as a coach. I believe there is a link between the two. The conditions of the body affect the mind, while the mind’s state of being can be seen in the body.
For example, problems like obesity, anorexia, and drug abuse. All these problems originate from the mind and are reflected by the body. Though working with just the mind will cause a change in the body, the process is slow for both mind and body. If I pursue the career as a counselor I will work with both and speed up the improvement of each. I would have more tools to work with to improve the people I help. I can use physical activities to improve the mind, and also mental activities to improve the body.
For example with obesity. If I just worked with a patient’s mind to help him control the cravings he will eventually be able to suppress the cravings and lose weight and live healthier. But where are these cravings coming from in the first place? The answer is the body. Just training the mind puts it in conflict with the body, but having the mind and body working together they stay more in harmony with each other, and the change is not as difficult. By working simultaneously with the mind and body, I can help the patient control the cravings from the body, and suppress the cravings with the mind. This dramatically increases the patient’s progress. With most other physical and psychological problems the rate of progress is also increased by working both mind and body. Through an integrated study of psychology and Physical Education, I can properly study both improving mind and body.
I also plan to coach for the rest of my life. Many athletes will say that their sport is 90% mental and only 10% physical. Yet most coaches only work with the physical side of the game. That means they’re missing most of the game. With an integrated studies degree in both physical and mental improvement, I can be a better coach. Similar to coaching is a sports psychologist.
I have been a soccer goalkeeper since age five. If at all possible I would love to play professional. One of the best attributes of a goalkeeper is fast reflexes. I have always had the desire to understand the reflexes, but to do so, I have discovered that I need to study both how the mind sends the reflexes and how this signal is affected by muscle movement. I have always wanted to learn how to improve the reflexes. But that requires improving both the mind and body.
I have always seen the fusion and teamwork of the mind and body, just choosing Psychology or Physical Education as a major would be an incomplete degree for me. Fusing the two is the only way to properly improve someone’s life.