Humans have gravitated toward safe and comforting environments since prehistoric times. The Mayans chose construction sites based upon nature and in ancient Greece patients were restored to health through harmonious combinations of music and art. Yet for all the remarkable strides in technology and medicine in modern times, the struggle still exists to successfully treat women recovering from addiction. There has always been the problem of how to successfully meld the highest standard of clinical care with the most beneficial aesthetics.

In a place where the sun meets the sand, women join together in a uniquely effective treatment community whose rhythms move to a special beat. The Orchid Recovery Center for Women in Palm Springs, Fla., has been successful in treating clients through seamlessly integrating the theoretical concept of “healing spaces” with traditional 12-Step philosophies and Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The center was recently redesigned by a noted interior designer, based upon the Planetree Design Model.

The Planetree organization was founded in 1978 by a patient, Angelica Thieriot, who had experienced several traumatic hospital experiences. This left her with mixed emotions — the high-tech environment was commendable, but the lack of personalized care during her stay was appalling. After her discharge from the hospital, Thieriot decided to approach the Chief of Medicine to share her vision of a new type of hospital where individuals could learn more about healthcare and medicine in order to become active participants in their own care and well-being.

Thieriot founded the Planetree organization, named for the tree that Hippocrates sat under to teach the very first medical students in ancient Greece. A planning and advisory board was formed under Thieriot’s direction and in 1985, the country’s first Planetree unit was created — a 13-bed medical/surgical unit in a large San Francisco medical center.

After reviewing the remarkable healing statistics at traditional hospitals using the Planetree Design Model, The Orchid adopted and instituted Planetree ideologies in its own treatment of addicted women. The philosophy of designing “healing spaces” focuses on integrating a variety of environmental elements to create an ambiance that is not only attractive, but has a measurable effect on the health and well-being of those who use the space. The Orchid is the first treatment center of its kind to incorporate art, color, sound, aromatherapy and other powerful elements of interior design in a deliberate attempt to make the living environment its own unique therapeutic tool.

The emphasis is on spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical influence of an environment and the specific needs of those who inhabit the space. Most women experience fear, angst, loss of personal control and a heightened sense of isolation as soon as they enter a treatment center. However, in using the Planetree model the center has eliminated those negative effects and replaced them with positive therapeutic stimuli. Scientific studies suggest incorporation of the Planetree model reduces depression, restlessness, insomnia, perception of pain, high blood pressure, and anxiety. Direct benefits include mood elevation, increased endorphin levels, enhanced cognitive functioning, and improved immune-system response (Schweitzer et al., 2004).

Acupuncture, yoga, meditation, art therapy, sound therapy, and color therapy are all implemented in the center’s multi-modality approach. The architect focused on supporting these recovery tools within the context of physical architecture, functional space, and practical yet comfortable furnishings. One premise is that certain colors can affect moods and behaviors. For example, the center uses a dark red wall — a challenging color — as a backdrop for a Buddha figure in a common area entrance. Yet the harshness of red is muted by carefully placed elements of nature, including several lush green plants surrounding the Buddha, which capture the client’s eye and focus. The strong contrast of lush green with the indoor plants captures her attentiveness and immediately decreases perceived stress, lowers the blood pressure, and reduces both physical and mental discomfort (Lohr & Pearson-Mims, 1996, 2000).

Simple ideas are effective positive distractions as well — a long piece of raw bamboo tied up as a swatch on the wall has enough fascinating colors naturally — it will hold attention. The swatch of bamboo is direct use of Ulrich’s theory of supportive healthcare design and serves as a positive distraction, with the capacity to improve the woman’s mood and promote restoration from stress (Ulrich, 2000). The interior walls are painted yellow for warmth — or very Mexican pink for joy. An intense pale blue lends a feeling of calmness. With the right mix of soothing elements, color becomes a background for the comfort and calmness of the room and its female inhabitants (Tofle et al., 2004).

The women’s bedrooms incorporate the use of mosquito netting, which gives a simultaneous feeling of privacy and freedom in personal space. A canopy bed offers a sense of security, privacy, and elegant luxury, and the diffused light of the soft and airy netting will help avoid feelings of claustrophobia and depression thus, allowing the soul to breathe. Such beneficial use of personal space has a long and positive outcome history in traditional medical settings and translates well into the addiction treatment environment for women (Lawson & Phiri, 2000).

Man-made musical tones also are used to restore the female body to its original and natural resonant frequency with Laura Di Bello — a classically trained vocalist and sound healer. Di Bello works with the human voice, crystal bowls that give off certain tones, and meditation and yoga sessions, to help women relieve stress and feel more physically, psychologically, and spiritually centered. The use of sound and music in treating women during times of high stress (such as recovery) has an anxiolytic effect resulting in increases in patient comfort and endorphin levels and substantial lowering of heart rate and anxiety. In one unique study of music in relation to healing women, music decreased the use of analgesics and speeded recovery from surgery in a study of 90 hysterectomy patients in pain (Nilsson et al., 2001).

As the incorporation of spirituality has been shown to have tremendous benefit in treating women in recovery, nature may be the most universal image of spirituality (Cooper-Marus & Barnes, 1999). Portals of verdant nature are created through the placement of nature photos, landscapes of the human body as hills and valleys, woodcarvings, and a ceiling lamp made from crystals. Clinical studies suggest ambiguity, uncertainty, emotionally negative or provocative subject matter should be avoided (this includes closely spaced repeating edges, forms that are optically unstable or appear to move, or outdoor scenes with bad weather) when selecting art for stressed women in recovery and other patients. Ulrich suggests the most beneficial pictures and art should depict landscapes during warmer seasons, scenes with positive cultural artifacts such as barns and older houses with garden scenes, and scenes of people at leisure in places with prominent nature (Ulrich & Gilpin, 2003). In a return to the truly ancient Hippocrates style, a thatched hut with sumptuous cushions and a huge stretched canvas in pink to offer shade over a “conversation pit” in the garden. In addition, cobblestone pathways and the constant sound of flowing water conspire to create sanctuaries throughout the center.

The goal is that residents will both benefit and enjoy their time at The Orchid so much that they will be inclined to recreate healing spaces in their own homes once they leave, thus contributing to the reduction of relapse. The Orchid teaches women not just how to heal, but how to find the peace they need to nurture their own soul, so that they may venture out into the world once more — but this time with new strength.

Julie Queler is the Director and Founder of The Orchid Recovery Center for Women (www.orchidrecoverycenterforwomen.com) in Palm Springs, FL.


References
Cooper-Marus, C. and Barnes, M. Healing Gardens: Therapeutic Benefits & Design Recommendations. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
Lawson, B. and Phiri, M., (2000). Hospital Design: Room for Improvement. Health Serv J, 110, 24-26.
Lohr, VI, and Pearson-Mims, CH. (1996). Impact of Interior Plants on Human Stress and Productivity. Journal of Environmental Horticulture, 14, 97-100.
Lohr, VI, and Pearson-Mims, CH. (2000). Physical Discomfort May Be Reduced in the Presence of Interior Plants. Horticulture Technology, 10, 53-58.
Nilsson, U., Rawal, N., Unestahl, L.E., Zetterberg, C., Unosson, M. (2001). Improved Recovery After Music and Therapeuatic Suggestions During General Anaesthesia: A double-blind randomized controlled trial. Acta Anaesthesial Scand. 812-817.
Schweitzer, M., Gilpin, L., & Frampton, S., (2004). Healing Spaces: Elements of Environmental Design That Make an Impact on Health. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 10, 71-83.
Tofle, R.B., Schwartz, B., Yoon, S., Max-Royale, A. (2004). Color in Healthcare Environments: A Critical Review of the Research Literature. http://www.cheresearch.org/
res_color.shtml
Ulrich, RS. (June 2000). Effects of Healthcare Environmental Design on Medical Outcomes. In: Design & Health — The Therapeutic Benefits of Design. Proceedings of 2nd International Congress on Design and Health. Karolinska Institute Stockholm, Sweden. 49-59.
Ulrich, RS., Gilpin, L. (2003). Healing Arts — Nutrition for the Soul. In: Charmel, P.M., Frampton, S.B., Gilpin, L. eds. Putting Patients First — Designing and Practicing Patient-Centered Care. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 117-146.

This article is published in Counselor,The Magazine for Addiction Professionals, June 2006, v.7, n.3, pp.30-31.

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