The goal of a holistic approach for any way of life is to make deep and long-lasting connections between all systems in the human experience — mental, physical, emotional and spiritual — for more health, wellness and vitality. The eco-conscious approach to holistic wellness further emphasizes these connections as they relate to the natural world and how each affects the person. We are healthier and more vital as humans when we are connected to the physical world around us; the physical world has the power to heal us in profound ways on an everyday basis. As one of many techniques for assisting in addiction recovery, it offers a patient something to use each day for helping to make healthier choices.

As a simple, effective and extremely easy tool for self-care, aromatherapy can’t be beat. It is inexpensive, can be carried in the palm of a hand or pocket and can be used anytime, anywhere.

What Is Aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy is a therapeutic technique that uses essential oils and other aromatic plant compounds aimed at improving a person’s health or mood. It is believed that the inhalation of essential oils stimulates the part of the brain connected to smell — the olfactory system. A signal is sent to the limbic system of the brain that controls emotions and retrieves learned memories. This causes chemicals to be released, which make the person feel relaxed, calm or even stimulated.

Essential oils are said to have a direct pharmacological effect. Aromatherapists work from the theory that there is a synergy between the body and aromatic oils. Scientific evidence of aromatherapy’s effectiveness is growing, as preliminary clinical studies have revealed positive results.

Essential oils, phytoncides and other natural volatile organic compounds (VOCs) work differently. When targeting our sense of smell, they activate the limbic system and emotional centers of the brain. When applied topically (onto the skin), they activate thermal receptors and destroy microbes and fungi. Internal application may stimulate the immune system (generally in prescribed form).

In France and much of Western Europe, aromatherapy is incorporated into mainstream medicine as an antiseptic, antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial, much more so than in the U.K., USA or Canada. In fact, there are some essential oils that are regulated as prescription drugs in France, and can only be administered (or prescribed) by a doctor.

Hippocrates, known as the father of modern medicine, believed the use of herbs was essential to health. Many of his prescriptions include essential oils and fragrant crushed herbs. By the 10th century, books were being written in Arabia dedicated to the use and benefits of certain aromas.

The term aromatherapy is attributed to a French cosmetic chemist names Rene Maurice Gattefosse. As he worked in his lab in the early 1920s, he severely burned himself. In order to cool the pain, he plunged his arm into the only cold substance around, a vat of lavender essential oil. The burns healed rapidly, with little scarring, and a new science was born. Gattefosse dedicated the remainder of his life to the study of aromatherapy, or the healing power of scented, healing oils.

Modern research has indicated that certain essential oils and herbs do indeed have therapeutic and healing properties. Lavender is still used for burn victims, and the scent is used widely to treat depression and anxiety. Tea Tree Oil is a time-honored aromatherapy remedy for ringworm, athlete’s foot and other fungal infections. Rosemary can be used to treat arthritis and muscle pain and is a stimulant that when used in the morning bath, helps revive energy. Many aromatherapy essential oils are used for the benefits of their smell alone. Eucalyptus is an example of this; the scent of this plant can help relieve chest congestion.

How Can Aromatherapy Be Used in Recovery?

Basic aromatherapy can be used for anxiety, insomnia, muscular aches, body aches, headaches, circulation problems, digestive problems and any other physical manifestations of stress that arise during the course of initial detox and into any recovery program for any length of time. One study found that women with depression have their sense of smell affected. When these women receive aromatherapy, their symptoms are improved by the treatment. Ideally, the uses and applications of aromatherapy will continue long after the official recovery process is completed.

Because aromatherapy is a literal communion with the essence, or “soul”, of a plant, it puts its user in immediate communion with the natural world — it is “nature in a bottle”, so to speak. Even in the most urban, concrete and steel environment, the smells evoke plant life, which represents something altogether — and almost shockingly — different than those in addiction recovery are concerned with.

Sitting still with a bottle of essential oils is an elemental exercise in meditative being-ness, and can help teach mind-quieting skills. Demonstrated uses of aromatherapy to alleviate common ailments such as headaches, anxiety, depression and other side effects of addiction recovery, can be one of many ways the addict learns new coping skills. Because the patient can use aromatherapy himself, there is a degree of empowerment in the choice to use it, as the person in recovery learns the value and benefits of fundamental and nurturing self-care.

The following list of essential oils are my picks for great tools in addiction recovery aromatherapy:

Basil: This can be used to sharpen concentration and alleviate some of the symptoms of depression. It is also good to help relieve headaches and migraines (but should be avoided during pregnancy).

Bergamot: Useful for the digestive tract and for treating upset stomach from stress; also good for working with sadness.

Frankincense: Aids meditation; fortifies and quiets the mind. Good for mitigating grief and nervous tension. Its comforting action is helpful for anxious and obsessive states linked to the past.

Ylang Ylang: Antidepressant, good for panic attacks; its exotic, floral scent acts as a mild sedative.

Eucalyptus: Stimulating and cleansing, commonly combined with peppermint and used when feeling sluggish and low of energy. Helps with headaches and fevers that burn as a result of fatigue or stress.

Clary Sage: Deeply relaxing and euphoric. Eases feelings of depression and helps when feeling run down emotionally and physically; helps with mental fatigue (avoid during pregnancy).

Lavender: It helps relieve headache and migraine symptoms, as well as insomnia; excellent for bringing about a state of calm and relaxation.

Cypress: Helps to build emotional and mental resolve. It has a calming and soothing effect on irritability and anger.

Lemon: Used to give a mood lift and bring about clarity; restores vitality and works as an overall tonic to uplift and energize.

Thyme: A stimulating and protecting oil that has a strengthening effect on the nerves; ideal for the treatment of physical and mental exhaustion, and beneficial to the immune system.

The two easiest methods for aromatherapy use are:

Direct inhalation: The person breathes the evaporating oils straight in from a small ¼-ounce vial of the essential oil. The oils can also be dropped onto a tissue or handkerchief, which is then held under the nose.

Dropped into a warm water bath: 10-15 drops are added to the bath for soaking. The added benefits of the warm water and time spent quietly soaking are present with this application.

Aromatherapy does sometimes have side effects. However, they tend to be very mild and do not last long. These could include nausea, headaches and some allergic reactions. It should be noted that fragrance oils, perfumes and other artificially made substitutes for pure essential oils cannot produce the same results.  Organic essential oils are also preferred over conventionally grown, for the same reason organic foods are preferred: There are no pesticide or herbicide residues for you to ingest, as well as interfere with the results.

The idea is to introduce patients to loving self-care as part of their recovery toward being sober and healthy people. Creating simple habits that work immediately to produce feelings and sensations of comfort, energy and life-affirming vigor are crucial components in sustaining sobriety.

Enlightened self-care can be demonstrated, taught, encouraged and — most of all — modeled at any step in the recovery process.

1. Emphasize drinking at least 2 quarts of filtered, purified water a day. There is nothing more effective that assists the body in eliminating toxins and waste.
2. Offer a diet high in fiber content, including brown rice, steel cut oats and organically grown fresh fruits and vegetables. These help to eliminate toxins and absorb nutrients.
3. Add beets, radishes, artichokes, cabbage, broccoli, spirulina, chlorella and seaweed to meal offerings. These excellent detoxifying foods, as well as being good for blood circulation, are high in vitamins, antioxidants and other essential nutrients. They can also be juiced for easier consumption.
4. Use dandelion root to cleanse and protect the liver. It can be taken in capsule form or steeped into a tea, and does not interfere with the efficacy of other medications. Dandelion root works by stimulating the flow of bile, decongesting and energizing the function of the liver. It stimulates respiratory function at the cellular level and is a natural vitamin supplement, too. The root contains choline; vitamins A, B, C; iron; silica; magnesium and calcium — all welcome energy providers.
5. Consume high doses of vitamin C (1,000 mg or more a day), which helps the body produce glutathione, a liver compound that drives away toxins.
6. Offer deep-breathing instruction and regular group practice sessions. Breathing deeply allows oxygen to circulate more completely through the body. Breath is the source of life. During inhalation, fresh energy is brought into the body, energy centers and pores to nourish the cells, tissues and organs. With exhalation, accumulated stress, stagnant energy and toxins are released.
7. Hydrotherapy exploits the body’s reaction to hot and cold stimuli. The nerves carry impulses felt at the skin deeper into the body, where they are instrumental in stimulating the immune system, influencing the production of stress hormones, invigorating circulation and digestion, encouraging blood flow and lessening pain sensitivity.

Simple instructions for effective hydrotherapy: Take a very hot shower for five minutes, allowing the water to run on the back. Follow with cold water for 30 seconds. Then wrap up in warm clothes, lie down in bed with plenty of warm blankets and stay prone for 30 minutes.

1. Use Dead Sea salts mixed into warm baths. Soaking for 20-30 minutes in a warm (not hot) bath allows the minerals in the salts to draw out toxins in the body. When the salts are first mixed with essential oils, such as rosemary (antibacterial), juniper and cypress (blood purifiers) and lavender (calming), further benefits are realized.
2. Dry-brush the skin. This removes toxins through the pores. Special brushes with natural bristles are available at natural products stores. This is a very low-tech yet time-tested technique used by people all over the world.

Dry skin brushing increases circulation to skin, encouraging the body’s discharge of metabolic wastes, which greatly aids the lymphatic drainage of the entire body. Dry skin brushing also rejuvenates the nervous system by stimulating nerve endings in the skin. It also helps the skin to absorb nutrients by eliminating clogged pores. Healthy, breathing skin contributes to overall body health.

Teach the patient to brush their skin in long, sweeping strokes, starting from the bottom of his feet upward; from the hands toward the shoulders; and on the torso in an upward direction. Always brush toward the heart. Following the dry-brushing session with the hot-and-cold hydrotherapy suggested above provides remarkably good effects.

1. Exercise for at least 30 minutes every day. The chosen method should be enough to elevate the heart to a safe level and break a sweat. Sweating pushes toxins out of the body, increases blood flow to the liver and helps restore normal functioning to all organs and systems.

But part of what I’ve also seen in the recovery programs I’ve worked with, is to provide “comfort food” for the clients going through the roughest parts of detox.  This includes access to unlimited amounts of sugar via sodas, sweets of all kinds (cookies, pastries, candy bars, desserts with every meal) and even jars of hard candy out on tables and countertops throughout the facility.  I’ve seen private chefs preparing bacon and fried egg sandwiches, homemade donuts, fried chicken, french fries, hamburgers, hot dogs, and more to satisfy the cravings of high paying clients.  The basic and understandable strategy, has been to get the clients to eat something, anything, during the worst parts of treating their addiction illness.  Food that helps them feel something in their world is familiar, that cuts through their pain and sickness, and is perceived as a fun “reward” for their suffering is all good, right??  At the end of the day, the thinking seems to be to tackle the worst addictions first, and leave the lesser ones:  smoking, caffeine dependency, bad eating habits, lack of physical exercise, for another day.  The more a client becomes “well”, the more they’ll want to eat healthier, hopefully.

But what if a much stronger emphasis were placed on diet and nutrition from the very beginning of your recovery program, one in which every single thing going into the mouths of the clients were based on the notion of food as a metaphor for healing?  What if your recovery program assiduously nurtured back your clients’ health with specific foods, specific natural supplements and vitamins, and specific education to recognize the harm or help that comes from every substance they want to eat or drink?  Mood stabilization, bodily energy, and basic emotional vitality are the big three that are critical to any addict achieving those ‘lightbulb” moments about themselves.  It’s been discovered in studies, for example, that addiction recovery programs that incorporate amino acid therapies into their nutrition program, achieve success rates up to 60 percent greater than those that do not.

From this point of view, sugar is the addict’s worst food enemy.  It creates a seductive cycle of cravings, crashes, and weight gain.  It is devastating to the internal workings of human physiology.  It causes insulin resistance.  It feeds cancer cells, it feeds candida yeast, it compromises the immune system.  It causes inflammation and fluid retention.  It depletes nutrients in the body, such as chromium, which in turn stabilizes blood sugar.   Other food substances turn into sugar (glucose) within the body and do the same harm:  white flour being the other big culprit.  Sugar cravings don’t always have to be fed with candy or donuts – they are insidiously supported with breads, crackers, pastas, and cereals.  On emotional terms, sugar feeds anger, hair trigger emotional reactions, depression, “high drama”, and the inability to focus, be calm, and to ruminate.

Other health and vitality robbers that might even be prolonging the detoxing efforts of your program on your clients:

• Hydrogenated fats (from packaged snacks, crackers, pastries, margarines, etc.) block precious essential fatty acid uptake in the cells.  This wreaks havoc on hormone activity and causes inflammation and mood swings.  In addition, the liver (already in distress from drug and alcohol abuse) can’t process these kinds of fats and begins to stress out.
• Additives, Preservatives, and “Excitotoxins” (from sulfites in dried fruit, MSG or hydrolyzed vegetable protein in such things as gravy mixes and canned foods, nitrates in bacon, deli meats, and other cured meats, aspartame and other artificial sugar substitutes, red dye #3 in fruit cocktails and prepared baked goods, to name but a few culprits) can trigger allergic reactions, headaches, and even long-term neurological problems.
• Six reasons to switch to organic versions of fruits, vegetables, meats, and milk

1. Pesticides (chemicals which cause neurological side effects in humans)
2. Growth Hormones (predominate in dairy cows and beef cattle; gives rise to need for more antibiotics as animals develop side effects from the hormones in their bodies; humans ingest all these drugs)
3. Antibiotics (gives rise to drug-resistant bacteria and risk of salmonella)
4. Irradiation (forms toxic by-products including benzene and formaldehyde)
5. Sewage Sludge (from factory farming techniques, includes exposure to heavy metals)
6. GMOs (tied to liver and kidney toxicity)

When the human body treats food as a toxin in the form of hidden allergic reactions, side effects can be subtle or dramatic and can include:  headaches, increased heart rate, diarrhea, bloating, and low energy.  Taste buds become de-sensitized, so nothing tastes good unless it’s super sweet – all subtlety is lost.

When food is used as a healing force, freshness begins to matter, the fullness of real whole foods begins to excite and awaken the senses naturally.  The palate is reinvigorated.  More importantly, the body begins to respond – energy levels rise and stay even, which in turn supports clear thinking, balanced moods, and less susceptibility to colds and flues (which can trigger depression).

A few of the super foods on my list for healing (this is but a small sampling):

Flax, nut, hempseed, and coconut based cereals
Nut or coconut flours for baking
Blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Alaskan wild caught salmon (fresh or frozen)
Stevia  and xylitol (plant based sweeteners/sugar substitutes)
Full fat Greek-style yogurt
Figs, pears, payayas, avocados
Spinach, kale, and shitake mushrooms
Seaweed (in sheets, shakeable flakes, and powders)
Walnut oil, grapeseed oil, organic butter
Pumpkin seeds, raw almonds

From the spice rack.  These very common and basic plants are miraculous.  They are strong support for building immune system functioning, have anti-inflammatory properties, improve circulation and digestion, provide nausea relief, heart health, liver protection, act as detoxifying agents and improve sugar metabolism:
The top six are garlic, cayenne, ginger, turmeric, cilantro, and cinnamon.

Natural supplements which are the most highly regarded and most well-researched, and which are at the top of learned nutritionists involved in healing with them, are at the top of my list, too.  Each initiates a chain reaction of improvements that will most certainly have head to toe effects on the person taking them.   Most can be taken with prescription medications, but definitely should be supervised by a medical doctor who is familiar with their effects (if any) on certain prescriptions)

• High potency multivitamin and mineral regimens (helps decrease cravings and increases energy)
• Blood sugar control formula (should contain chromium, vanadium, lipoic acid, B vitamins, and herbs such as gymnema sylvestre and cinnamon; will help decrease sugar spiking, inflammation, and cravings)
• Green powders (barley grass, wheatgrass, chlorella, spirulina, seaweed;  detoxifies, purifies blood, increases liver function, increases energy)
• Omega 3 EFAs (found in fish, flax, and borage, oils; anti-inflammatory, lifts moods, improves blood sugar levels, diminishes anger, anxiety, depression)
• Probiotics (such as acidophilus and other beneficial bacteria; rebalances gut for better digestion and immunity, helps extract maximum nutrients from food)
• Vitamin C with bioflavinoids (boosts heart protection, fights free radicals, improves immune system functioning)

The last, and oftentimes, most key element in working with a program that approaches food as healing metaphor, is to educate clients to these concepts through simple workshops, teach-ins, and support literature.  Once a client is stabilized within the basic components of your recovery program, then they can become more involved from a proactive stance, by making their own meal choices (from a list of “good” menu options), participating in tending a kitchen garden with simple vegetables and herbs, and if house chores are assigned, helping with simple meal prep.

The idea is to help them make the connections between their physical, emotional, and mental health, and the food they are eating.  To help set up habits that will sustain them once they are out of your recovery program and back into their “regular” lives.  Just as making 12-step meetings is a vital part of sustained recovery, so is knowledge and daily implementation about healing foods and supplements.  Wellness is not just absence of addictive behavior, wellness is a cultivation of everything that literally and metaphorically feeds the body, mind, and spirit.

Organic is important because it:

• Removes causes of additional toxicity and allergic reactions due to chemical/artificial ingredients.   Continually emerging data on how incredibly dangerous to our health our unregulated personal care product ingredients are, is truly frightening.  This includes everything from toothpaste to sunscreen, makeup, shampoos, deodorant, nail polishes, bath & shower gels, etc.
• Supports overall efforts at detoxifying physical body with pure ingredients, including medicinal herbs.
• Plant based products contain healing energy of plants, and with direct contact become a “skin” food, comparable to the food we choose to eat for our health, ie:  what we put on our bodies is as important as what we put in our bodies.

The efforts to re-educate the patient toward enlightened self care, begins with helping them to understand
what it means to take responsibility for one’s good health, and not take it for granted.  Many people (sober or in the throes of addiction) think that taking care of themselves really only means doing whatever is necessary to actually walk upright and function:  basic eating when hungry, cleaning when dirty, sleeping when tired.

It is, of course, so much more.  Approached from a spiritual perspective, enlightened self care can even include the 12 steps.   It is anything that promotes conscious health and well being, that seeks to integrate the body, mind, and spirit and lead one toward communion with the authentic self.  By “conscious health and well being”, we mean actions and behaviors that are the result of a thoughtful and educated approach in pursuit of optimal good health, what can nominally be referred to as “preventative” health maintenance.

In this way, organic spa treatments are definitely preventative.  They are: a step up in one’s efforts to live longer and better, practical and useful for the ongoing education of living our best lives possible.
The aspects that make them special and unique in our quest for good health, though, are the intangibles:  the peace of mind; the feelings of rejuvenation and renewal; the sense of “soul” nurturing that they provide.  They impart fundamental experiences of compassion and self-love through tender care, that seem to be most lacking in those struggling to reclaim their life through the recovery process.

We all have a very human need to feel pampered and fussed over when we are stressed out, physically ill, and emotionally spent.  For some patients, the experience of “compassionate touch” therapy is a completely foreign concept.  Either they’ve never been exposed to these types of treatments because of an affordability or access issue, or they’ve never attempted to try them out of ignorance of their benefits.  They have never known the sheer amazement of feeling rock hard stress knots and muscles in spasm, literally kneaded away; they’ve never experienced the energetic shift of their soul when a talented practitioner works their magic.

Other types of patients might have previously enjoyed spa treatments as a regular part of their lives, but after being caught in the downward spiral of their addiction, now feel unworthy of such enjoyment – they are guilt ridden at anything that might make them feel good.  Or the flip side:  they feel that if they let themselves enjoy the pleasure and release of a spa treatment, it will somehow lead them down the slippery slope toward indulging themselves in more dangerous ways.  They cut off anything that they perceive isn’t “essential” to survival as they define it.

Still others are simply too pre-occupied with surviving their recovery and figuring out how they are going to make it as a newly sober person, first, in their treatment center, then later, out in the world — understandable concerns.

For all of these patients, organic spa treatments offer an excellent tool to help create a life that is healthy, liberated from addiction, joyous, and innately conscious.

Here are some of the benefits:

• Massage/body work promotes natural detoxification through increased functioning of circulatory and lymphatic systems, boosts immune system functioning, helps ease aches and pains, promotes recovery of injuries or chronic issues relating to past injuries.
• Facials and skin care promote healthy appearance through natural detoxification (skin is the barometer of all that is happening internally.  Chronic drug & alcohol use show up in the quality of facial skin which is exacerbated during an intense detoxification process). Organic facials speed up the process of emptying the skin of the build up of toxins and combats effects such as chronic breakouts, dryness, itchiness, dark circles, puffiness, and general issues relating to longtime lack of care in this area.
• Manicures/pedicures promote healthy hands and feet (nail condition is a barometer of good health as well) and helps with fingernail biting habits, and long-term lack of care.  The habit of well groomed hands can be an essential part of rehabilitation back into the work world and job searches.  Feet are also an important portal into the overall health of the body.  Regular enlightened care of the feet can be incredibly therapeutic if the effects of Reflexology are incorporated into the treatment.
• Supports positive self-esteem and helps patient to see their inherent “beauty” through a new lens.  When one feels vital, refreshed, and energetic, self-confidence naturally shows up.

Most importantly, organic spa treatments help make spiritual connections to enlightened self care habits that will aid in sober living.  Most of us have to be taught how to take care of ourselves in a conscious, loving fashion.  Never more so than the addict who has spent years denying their physical health, as well as their emotional, mental, and spiritual needs.  Organic spa treatments help address all these aspects to holistic wellness.  They offer up the care and compassion that comes through the practitioner to help heal, not just the physical wounds, but the psychic wounds as well.

Therapeutic body care can bring about a very important internal shift inside the patients who have erected walls of defense and denial – “armoring” their authentic selves against the world around them.  Those vulnerabilities can be brought to the surface in something as simple as the way a technician tenderly holds the patient’s foot and massages it during a pedicure, or the smell of a potent aromatherapy oil during a massage, or the velvety touch of their own skin after a facial mask is wiped off.

Organic spa treatments awaken the patient’s sensory capabilities – the very things that remind us of our essence as humans, and the exact opposite of the addict’s goal to numb and deny.  The delight we take in reveling in our 5 senses, of exploring those sensations that arise when we are fully engaged through our senses, are what lead us back to our lives as whole, authentic humans.  Learning to love oneself again, through engagement of the senses, is not only practical, it is essential.

“Greening up” the recovery process begins with diet and nutritional counseling that supports detox, then continues for as long the patient is working with a facility in recovery.  An organic diet, with an emphasis on fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is optimal, from a purely practical perspective.  Dairy, sugar, meat, and hydrogenated oils can sometimes slow down and hinder the detox process.  Food as medicine is not only going to produce amazing results, but will help lessen the inevitable cold/immune system drag that comes on the heels of detox, and will boost energy, clear headedness, and balance when upsetting emotions inevitably rock the boat.

A  diet founded in conscious eating that teaches how certain foods affect moods, sleep, and energy levels, will open up awareness. Food can be an important link to peacefulness and harmony with inner self that recovery is seeking to capture.  Setting up a kitchen that clearly participates in conscious food procurement and preparation, sends a very powerful message to all who pass through.  It is a message of broader social consciousness that supports all systems of the patient (physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual) and his eventual place in the world outside.  It puts mindfulness into play; eco-consciousness is nothing if not mindfulness made manifest.

Daily yoga and meditation are also critical components of moving patients into successful recovery through conscious living.  Meditation affords the ultimate experience in mindfulness and stillness.  Yoga of course, addresses the breath, as well as opens joints and stretches muscles, to help wake up the patient, and ground them in the mindfulness of being present in their physical state.  This is important especially when one is struggling with the overwhelming physical challenges of addiction recovery.  But it trains the mind to root effectively in the here and the now, and to release attachment to outcome, as well as to cultivate compassion and generosity – both for the patient himself, and the world around him, twin traits of eco-consciousness.

Daily walks into nature, and interaction with a flower or vegetable garden are also necessary tools for helping the patient make these important connections.  Working in the warm sun to plant tomatoes or rosemary that will then later be served on the dinner table; helping to water and prune a lemon tree, then personally picking the ripe lemon, squeezing it into a cup of hot water for a morning health tonic, and composting the lemon rind, which is finally used as fertilizer in the garden, are lessons in a “closed – loop” principle that “greening up’ seeks to embody.  It’s also the place to witness Spirit, to get the sense of something larger outside one’s self; the natural world is tonic and succor to the soul seeking equilibrium.

The green attributes of the recovery center’s physical structure are also very important to pay attention to:  switching out all cleaning and laundry supplies to Earth-friendly products so as to eliminate airborne toxins and exposure to chemical residues, is critical to supporting the health of the patients living there.  Every time a room needs to be re-painted or re-decorated, use no-VOC paints, all natural flooring (wool or cotton carpets, cork or bamboo flooring – synthetic carpet fibers are spun from petro-chemicals and are among the most toxic indoor pollutants); replace bed and bath linens with organic cotton or bamboo fiber blends – Target now sells a line of organic cotton bed linens that are incredibly sumptuous and very inexpensive.  Making sure lighting, and heating/AC and ventilation systems are eco-friendly is also crucial; installing individual air filters in each room will ensure air quality is as pure as possible.  Other easy steps to begin integrating:  facility-wide recycling, using non-plastic personal water bottles re-filled at taps with high quality water filters on them, emphasizing the use of personal care products (shampoos, lotions, mouthwash, etc) that are non-toxic and as natural as possible.

Embracing a very green philosophy throughout the facility creates a culture of thoughtful eco-friendliness.  It sends the message that every single aspect of the patients’ daily interactions with the facility and its supplies, the routines, the rituals – are all centered around genuine eco-conscious living.  This is laying the groundwork for ingrained habits of mindfulness that will help set the patient up for future success back in his or her “real” life.

Hopefully, the patient begins to make everyday decisions from this perspective, which benefits not only her own health and happiness, but the health and happiness of all people and all things around her.  We all create peace, beauty, and abundance out of this mindset.  We all benefit when we come to realize that every single decision, every choice, every movement and behavior we make throughout every day has a deep and long lasting consequence.  Rather than feel this is an impossible burden to struggle under, we embrace the awe-inspiring perfection of the interconnectedness of everything, and seek to honor and support it.  It is where the authentic self blossoms, and where joy and happiness dwell.