3/4/2010
You may wonder what a typical day is like at Cumberland Heights. Take a moment to put yourself in the shoes of someone in treatment.
Imagine rising at 7 a.m. and finding yourself on a beautiful campus of rolling hills. As you walk to morning meditation, you’re filled with many feelings and emotions – inspired that you’ve made this important decision to change your life, but also uncertain about what the future holds.
As you walk, you encounter others from group therapy. You suddenly realize you’re not alone – there are others like you who suffer from the same problem. During meditation, you realize it’s been a long time since you sat quietly and focused on yourself. You’ve never made a commitment like this before.
As you stroll to the dining hall and eat breakfast, you enjoy the feeling that you’re finally doing something good for your body. You know that your have a long way to go mentally and spiritually, but you can already feel your body responding to a healthier routine.
In group, you listen as others share their feelings and fears, and for the first time, you feel ready to share some of your own. As you talk, you start to feel some of the shame dissipate. Hope starts to grow.
At lunch, you talk to others about things you’ve never talked about. For so long, you’ve felt isolated. Now you find yourself excited about what you’re learning and the connections you’re making. This feeling continues in afternoon group, an educational session in which you discuss the importance of finding a spiritual base for living. Something starts to awaken in you that has been asleep for a long time – it feels good.
Later in the afternoon, you join staff members for an experiential activity, during which you can apply many of the concepts you’ve learned. This is followed by some personal time to reflect and read and complete some homework assignments.
After dinner, you attend an evening AA meeting where, once again, you feel part of a community of people who share similar challenges.
At 10:00 p.m., you retreat to your cabin for more quiet time and much needed rest. You’ve just completed on more day on your journey of self-discovery and lifelong recovery.
