Last week, I had the opportunity to visit an amazing center in Newport Beach called The Rose. It is a wonderful holistic facility that helps women overcome addictions and trauma. As I toured the grounds, I reflected on the synergies between my work and theirs… the ways in which my philosophy of healthy living connected with theirs.
One way our philosophies overlap is the way that they build into their holistic programs the permission to enjoy healthy pleasures in life. I believe one of the main reasons we have addiction problems in our society today stems from our collective puritan background. Oftentimes, we carry certain subconscious collective beliefs. Whether we are aware of it or not, many of us carry in our mind-body system a cultural puritanical belief pattern that says – ‘it’s bad to enjoy the pleasures of life’.
Over time, if we do not consciously address this belief and shift it, problems can arise. We are hard-wired in our biology to enjoy healthy pleasurable experiences in life – good food, the pleasures of company and friends, and being in the body. If we deny ourselves these things, life can go awry.
When we get to a place of giving ourselves permission to enjoy healthy, pleasurable experiences, and creating surroundings that encourage that – for example, beautiful, natural scenery, the beach, vistas, good food, taking time to enjoy food, chatting with friends – life becomes more rich and, paradoxically we are able to work better and produce better results. When we learn the skill of healthy pleasures, life in all its facets – work, money, relationships, health – becomes easier and flows. That is something The Rose emphasizes in their treatment, and something I know is important to all of us.
To contact The Rose, click here.
‘Dr. Cox Consulting’ (c) Barbara Cox
Photo courtesy of The Rose