The wellness model utilized in the Wellness Inventory is based on the 12 life processes that components of the Wellness Energy System developed by wellness pioneer John W. Travis, MD, MPH. One of the original founders of the wellness movement, Dr. Travis opened the first wellness center in the United States in 1975 in Mill Valley, California, after completing his medical residency at John Hopkins and his work with the National Public Health Service.
He developed the Wellness Energy System model as the basis for the Wellness Inventory, the first wellness assessment, and later elaborated on this model in his classic book, Wellness Workbook.
"As a human being you are an energy transformer," according to Dr. Travis, "connected with the whole universe. The condition of each of your life processes, including the illness and wellness processes, depends on how you manage energy."
Everything is energy—including the computer screen in front of you and the thoughts you are now thinking as you read this. Your body/mind/spirit is a sophisticated energy transformation system.
You take in energy from all the sources around you—from such tangible inputs as air, food, heat, light, sound, and physical touch, and from less tangible emotional and spiritual inputs as attention, care, enthusiasm, and love.
You organize and transform that energy—some for internal housekeeping (such as digestion, circulation, and neural activity), some for tissue repair, and some to generate emotions and thinking processes, including spiritual insights and transcendent states of consciousness.
You return some energy to the environment around you—for instance, as heat or carbon dioxide. You also return energy through communication and physical work, and through your expression of emotions and creativity.
When the flow of energy in your system is balanced and smooth, you feel good. When there is interference in the flow, illness is often the result. Interference can occur at any point. It could be due to:
- low quality or insufficient input energy—such as polluted air or a poorly balanced diet
- an insufficient or weak transformer—such as a damaged heart or an overweight body
- blockages to output energy—such as the inability to express emotions or no one with whom to communicate
The challenge of being well, then, is the challenge of maximizing the efficiency of your energy transformation system.
The Wellness Energy System
Here are two graphic representations of the Wellness Energy System. The foundation upon which the Wellness Energy System sits is Self-Responsibility & Love. There are three key energy inputs in the system, Breathing, Sensing, and Eating, which are represented in the first image.
The remaining dimensions of the Wellness Energy System are energy outputs: Moving, Feeling, Thinking, Playing and Working, Communicating, Intimacy, Finding Meaning, and Transcending. The energy outputs are represented in the second image which includes all 12 dimensions.
Wellness Energy System: 3 Key Energy Inputs
Wellness Energy System
